Showing results by narrator "Philippa Ballantine" in All Categories

The Order of the Deacons stand as protectors of the Empire, guardians against ghost possession, sentinels warding off the malevolent haunting of the geists. Sorcha Faris, the most powerful deacon of the Order, finds herself thrust into an unwanted partnership with a total novice, Merrick Chambers. That’s bad enough, but when they are dispatched to an isolated village to counter a surge of violent geist activity, they find their fate bound with Raed Rossin. Shapeshifter and Pretender to the Imperial throne, he bears a terrible curse which endangers them all.

The undead are here and only the Deacons stand in their way. The Order of the Deacons, stand as protectors of the Empire, guardians against ghost possession, sentinels warding off the malevolent haunting of the geists.

Born from Philippa Ballantine’s Patreon feed, these 15 stories span fantasy, horror, and science fiction. They explore the dark places of the human soul, the brightness of hope, and the void between worlds. A clone finds the welcoming voice of an alien. A small dragon learns the secrets of the past. The bodies of the dead dance in an ancient church.

The Deacons of the Order are all that stand between the wicked spirits of the other side and the innocent citizens of the Empire. They are sworn to protect humanity, even when they cannot protect themselves. After the Razing of the Order, Sorcha Faris, one of the most powerful Deacons, is struggling to regain control of the runes she once wielded. The Deacons are needed more desperately than ever.

In the Empire of Arkaym, the Order of Deacons protects and shelters the citizens from the attacks of the unliving. All are sworn to fight the evil forces of the geists - and to keep the world safe from the power of the Otherside. Although she is one of the most powerful Deacons in the Order, Sorcha Faris is still unable to move or speak after her last battle. Even her partner, Merrick Chambers, cannot reach her through their shared bond. Yet there are those who still fear Sorcha and the mystery of her hidden past.

She might be most powerful Deacon, but Sorcha Faris has a tarnished reputation to overcome. Frustratingly, her superiors have her and her partner, Merrick Chambers, chasing down rumors of geists rather than the real thing. So they jump at the chance to escort a delegation going south for negotiations. Their destination, the distant city of Orinthal, is plagued by a string of murders, but when Sorcha and Merrick investigate the mystery they find a hungry and cunning geist at the end of it.

The connection with the Fey realm was destroyed over five hundred years ago and with it went mystery and beauty. To fill that hole the mortal world developed cybernetic wonders and digital worlds. Magic is now just a fading memory. The English village of Penheram is an oasis of the past in a sea of modernity, a place where people go to escape. Ella failing in her writing career, is doing just that, and quite well too, until a shapeshifting thief with a hint of magic around him stumbles into her life.

Ianthe Liakos is a mermaid from a different dimension, and between that and now working as a PI in the corrupt climate of Washington, DC, she'd thought she'd seen it all. But when following a case leads down a trail of money that connects the murders of young political interns to a new paranormal threat, she realizes she must protect the next target.

Sive, ancient goddess of the Fey, is busy watching her world die. Darkness creeps over the Fey world, and its once immortal people and creatures are fading away. As much as she despises humans, Sive knows that across the Veil that separates the worlds, power can be found. So enlisting the help of her trickster cousin Puck, she tracks down a mortal bard who may just offer hope. As they watch the child become a man, the brutal and destructive power grows stronger in Sive’s realm, threatening to spread across to the Veil between words.

Lucinda is a witch in a alternative Victorian London, where being a witch is a death sentence. Her coven harnesses sensuality and passion to make magic, and that is a crime according to the Association of Magicians. Women with control of sex and magic are too dangerous to tolerate. So Lucinda and her coven live in secret. That is until she meets a young American magician, and their attraction cannot be denied, but they have always been taught such a thing can never be.

They are the Awakened, a unique breed of people in a remote corner of the world. Faith is one of these gifted carriers of the Seraphim; and in return of her unconditional love, her Seraphim grants her powers of incredible potential. But not all carriers embrace their blessing. Jack loathes being an Awakened. He never asked for it, his Seraphim keeping him alive even in spite of his desire to die. Not even a great war could rid him of this curse.