Joe Stanton was a first year law student struggling to go to college and address his own personal issues when he was called home for a family emergency. Their home had been robbed. His father and his father's best friend were both in the hospital, and that was when his oldest brother let him know their family's secret. Not a normal secret, like Dad had an affair with the neighbor's wife, no, one you've-got-to-be-kidding-me kind of secret. For the past forty three years, their father and his friends have guarded and protected a life sized clock work harlequin doll that is animated with the soul of its builder! Joe had always thought it was just one of the odd antiques setting around in the house. Now his brother is telling him that the spirit inside was "asleep" and the thieves have stolen the Harlequin and his possessions. The frantic search for the Harlequin begins only to be interrupted by a call from the Harlequin itself. The Harlequin has awakened in an antique shop in Phoenix, Arizona and Joe is sent to help it get back home. From the minute they meet, the Harlequin leads Joe on a non stop, romantic, sexy, life or death adventure to recover its magical key. While Joe tries to keep things under control, the Harlequin's insatiable curiosity, lusty approach to life, and the fact that it doesn't sleep land it in trouble with a dark and powerful entity bent on blood and destruction. The Harlequin rushes to find its key and avenge the wrongs done to those it loves, while preparing to pit itself against an ancient evil to protect Joe and its new found friends. But the Harlequin won't allow anyone to harm those it loves. That's when it becomes, the Dark Harlequin.

Auszug. � Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Dark Harlequin The Clockwork Ninja

THE AVATAR WARS: BOOK ONEBy BEN GILL

AuthorHouse

Copyright � 2010 Ben Gill
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-6917-3

Acknowledgements..............................................................................viiA Foreword to My Gentle Readers...............................................................TP1ξTP1TC1[1. Waking to Angelina / Memories]TC1 12. Help Unlooked For / Secrets of the Fathers are Visited Upon Their Sons.....................53. Terror in the Sunlight / Breakfast.........................................................184. Guns, Armor and Ninja Weapons Oh My!.......................................................255. Questions, Suspicion, and L'Amour..........................................................326. Cold Porcelain / Dark Encounters...........................................................467. You Shouldn't Play With Knives.............................................................708. The Clockwork Ninja........................................................................799. The Devil's Got Miss B! / Mother Knows Best................................................9410. Magic 101.................................................................................10811. Emotional Partings / Parental Controls....................................................11612. Joe, Assistant Extraordinaire / Warning...................................................12813. Doubts at Thirty Thousand Feet / Reunions.................................................13614. Theories Abound / The Room of Wonders.....................................................14815. The Pericles Promise / Evil Fixes.........................................................15816. Comparing Notes / Promise Fulfilled.......................................................16917. Dinner Confession / Deadly Dessert........................................................17618. Supermodel Needs Some R&R / Premonitions..................................................18819. Vengeance Unleashed.......................................................................20320. Hellequin.................................................................................20921. Danny's Demise............................................................................21422. Fury of the Clockwork Ninja / Vendetta Sworn..............................................22023. Investigation / Call for Help.............................................................23624. Evil Sets the Stage / Gypsy Enforcers.....................................................24825. Brotherhood of the Dark Harlequin / Dark Ransom...........................................25626. Ghosts / Jorge's Devil Dude Defenses......................................................26227. Plans / Desperate Deal....................................................................26928. Ice and Stone.............................................................................27829. House Call / Questions....................................................................29730. Roses and Repairs / Of Sorrow and Vengeance...............................................30531. Going to Ground / Relocating..............................................................314About the Author..............................................................................319

Chapter One

Waking to Angelina / Memories

The first thing Terrencio remembered clearly, was feeling something hard on his face, then in the distance a dog barked. Like a sleeper rising out of deep and forgetful dreams, he would have taken a deep breath and stretched luxuriously. But the sleeper had no lungs to breath with, and hard learned caution kept him absolutely still. He heard a light step nearby. Someone was in the room with him, and then a whiff of perfume!

Oh God it smells like rose water!

Terrencio slowly opened his eyes a slit. The room shimmered and glowed, and there not too far from him a petite figure glowed brightly. He closed his eyes and willed his spirit sight to recede into the back of his being, and called up his weaker human senses. He heard papers being shuffled, and risked opening his eyes again. She was about ten feet away. Immediately, Terrencio noticed how beautiful and shapely she was. He blinked to try to clear his poor eyesight, and followed the curve of her shapely calf rising out of modest high heels up to her black, relatively short skirt which cradled her sumptuous derri�re. The skirt tapered into a waist so small he could almost feel it in his two hands already! A business-like yet feminine lavender blouse rose up from the skirt and hugged the curves of her torso. Her dark brown hair was french braided and tied with a bow of the same color as her blouse.

Oh but turn and grace your humble servant with your visage fair Helen! He thought, and as she bent over the desk that she had been shuffling papers on, an antique mirror on the desk offered a view of her face in profile.

Her olive complexion carried a light tan. Her elegant arching eyebrows were drawn together in a cute almost petulant scowl as she searched through the papers on the desk. A slender nose led his gaze past the long lashed dark eyes to the little bow of a mouth, whose red lips were pursed in irritation. Dimples, and two long black earrings led his eyes up and around her heart shaped face. Had he had a heart, it would have been beating rapidly. As it was, even without lungs he made an all too human sounding small gasp of awe.

She stopped, glanced into the mirror and saw him staring at her. As their eyes met for a brief moment, he realized from the view in the mirror, that he was slumped in a large open box that almost resembled a coffin, which was leaning against a wall. He also realized he had some sort of mask covering most of his face. He immediately closed his eyes, and realized the room had gone absolutely quiet. He knew she had turned and was looking at him. In the quiet he heard the tick of some antique timepiece, and then quiet tentative steps approaching him.

Damn! He thought as he prepared to call up his spirit senses.

The smell of her perfume became headier, and he knew she was standing right in front of him. It was all he could do to `play possum' as they say and remain absolutely still. Every fiber in him wanted him to open his eyes, smile and sweep her off her feet. Yeah. A lot of sweeping he'd do, what with the screaming and fainting or other forms of feminine hysterics. But the image of this beautiful woman was glowing in his mind, and as he thought of a hundred little variations that he might try that wouldn't scare her completely out of her wits, he felt a light touch on the side of his neck, and then he felt his head turned one way and then slowly the other way.

She must have her hands on whatever mask I'm wearing. Terrencio thought as he allowed his head to be moved a little to one side or the other.

Next he felt a little shove, almost a poke, on his upper chest and shoulder, then felt her hand run down his front a short distance, then push against his upper thighs as though she was trying to make him stand straighter in the box. The sensation was accompanied by a rustling sound around him like dried leaves.

From in front of him he heard a giggle and then a laugh, "Angelina you idiot! You're creepin' yourself out!"

He heard more soft laughter and steps moving away from him, then papers being rustled again. "I've...

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