Blood Tithe (The Realm of Gothika)

Monsters are real.

For Lyric Wax, who dreams of a future as a Historian for the Grand Archives, this chilling truth becomes a haunting reality as she navigates her Verdad - a perilous path to adulthood - to find her place in the Imperium and prove herself. She sets out on a journey beyond the safety of familiar walls. Her destination: the mysteries that lie beyond the Great Gates of the Imperium of Kraphax.

What begins as a simple errand to a safe Shrine quickly transforms into a horrific ordeal. Lyric along with the irritable Inquisitor Jalin Cortez, and his partner Esperanza Boyorquez, must traverse treacherous realms of darkness and confront terrifying certainties hidden beneath the surface. Will she emerge triumphant, armed with the knowledge of the world's buried secrets, or will she succumb to the ghastly fate that awaits those who delve too deep into the mysteries of the unknown?

The answers lie in the shadows she must bring to light.

…they weren't supposed to be real.

Tony is Renaissance Man in Geek's clothing; not only an author with a weird imagination, but also a painter, gamer, and part-time occultist. With his writing, he tries to spin humor into the world's grounded reality. At the same, he tries to get the audience to look into the stars and dream further beyond. In all things, he strives to give the weird and the wondrous things a place in the world for all to enjoy.

C.S. is a poet, playwright, and a storyteller, whose love for writing began in 3rd grade when she won a district writing contest. Her love for fantastical forces motivates her to create stories of heroes, villains, gods and monsters that often have a foundation in Old World mythology and legends. She is also an educator, teaching both students and fellow faculty the benefits of storytelling in education and the workplace.