About the Book

This is the final book in The Fall of the House of Echelon trilogy.

At last, Nico confronts the truth behind the Foundations—and the hidden forces that have shaped the world from the shadows. Caught between secretive power structures and an unseen, otherworldly presence that defies easy explanation, he is forced into a final reckoning that spans both the visible and the unseen realms.

As the boundaries between worlds begin to fracture, Nico fights to restore balance and preserve what remains of normality, even as ancient forces move toward open conflict. The trilogy races toward a climactic conclusion amid the forgotten ruins of Peru, where history, myth, and hidden power collide in an unforgettable end.

Details

• Publisher: Amazon Kindle
• Publication Date: na
• Pages: tbd
• ISBN/ASIN: tbd
• Where to Buy: na

The Gathering

The sun was setting into the ocean. Echelon watched it recede into the ocean. His view from the famous “Hotel Marques de Riscal” was unrivaled. He had picked this location for a meeting of the Five Foundations. They had met in Spain before, but it had been a long time since they had been to northern Spain. He sipped a drink as he pondered the days to come. There was always the perfucntory greeting and socializing where each Foundation acted like Paeacocks. The displayed all their splendor and strutted about as if they were kings. In some ways they were, but Echelon knew that there were others before them and there would be others to follow them.

“Excuse me sir,” said a man wearing a black suit.

“Yes?”

“The last of the guests have checked out. The hotel is now available solely for your party.”

“Excellent, I will see to it that you are well compensated for your efficient work.”

“Yes sir. Is there anything else you require from me this evening?”

“No thank you.”

The turned and left signaling to a waiter standing nearby. Morning came with Echelon sitting on a balcony drinking a glass of Red that had been shipped for the occasion by Dr. Arin of ZPhaz-Tech. He pondered the irony of her taking orders directly from him even though Nico Richochet owned the company. He wondered if Nico would be angry or would he do something more rash.

He barely noticed the train of people streaming in from the various Foundations. He had sent invitations including the planned events, thus there was no hurry. A stocky Spaniard walked across the room towards him. He approached the table and Echelon rose to greet him.

“Ah, Don Castillion, it is good to see you again, it has been some time.”

“Sí, Echelon, it is good to see you again.”

“I am honored that you would allow me to host this meeting in your country, but I must say your choice of location is beyond compare. Thank you.”

“It is my pleasure, anything for the great Echelon. Seldom is such a gathering called.”

“You are right, there have been strange things happening and we must be wary.”

The two men watched an attractive woman enter the lobby. She was flanked by four men dressed in black. They were large and lean. Don Castillion watched Echelon’s eyes narrow at their presence.

“I remember when Mage was merely a slave,” said Don Castillion.

“Indeed. It should be a lesson to all that even the lowest may rise to power given the opportunity,” said Echelon. “You’ll have to excuse me now, I must prepare for this evening.”

“Certainly. We’ll see you at the banquet tonight.”

The banquet room was filled to the brim with the leaders of the Foundations and the staff that accompanied them. Dinner and dancing went on for hours. The entourage had finished the desert course had been served when Don Castillion stood and began tapping the side of his wine glass with a fork. Soon everyone had stood and began tinging the sides of their glasses. Then all was silent.

Just Business

Shrapnel jumped back into the hummer. Nico did not wait for her to buckle her seatbelt before taking off. Shrapnel dozed off until they started winding descent down Wolfcreek pass. Her head rolled from side to side as a small amount of spittle rolled from the corner of her mouth. She blinked her eyes as she oriented herself. Nico chuckled.

She said, “Where are we?”

“We’ll be in Pagosa in about twenty minutes. Where are we staying?”

“There is really only place to shay. It’s the ‘Hot Springs’. We have the wedding suite. It was the best I could do.”

Nico looked at her and winked and said, “Is there something I should know about?”

They pulled in and parked. The two approached the check-in counter. The teen behind the counter blushed as she made eye contact with Nico.

Nico said, “We’re here to check in to the suite.”

The girl’s eye scanned a screen. She said, “The room is ready. We stocked the room with champagne. I’m sure that you two will enjoy the room, it’s the best we have,” as she blushed again.

Shrapnel whispered just loud enough, “I hope you have that effect on me Nico.”

Nico winked at the teen and turned to leave.

“Oh Mr Ricochet. Is this note right? It says you’d like 200 pounds of steak.”

“Yes that is correct,” as the two continued to their room.

The suite was the size of a small house. Nico’s nose was assaulted by the strong smell of cleaning solutions. He ignored the smells as they toured the room.

Nico said, “Get the laptop setup. I’d like to get on with Dr Arin as soon as possible.”

Nico sat in front of the laptop waiting for the call to start. Dr Arin’s face popped on the screen as Shrapnel set two steaks and a tumbler of tequila next to the laptop and sat next to Nico.

“Let’s get started Dr Arin. We left off With you telling me that business was up. This is not a surprise to me. If you had listened to me then we would have been farther along than where we are now. In the future make sure that this never happens again.”

“Nico, how was I supposed to that you are a bio-chemical expert?”

“It does not matter. I am the owner of the company.”

“Yes, but it is my responsibility to make sure we do the right thing.”

“I want you to understand that we are going to do this my way. Am I clear?”

“Nico, can we proceed with the call? I have some important information to give you.”

“Yes, but we need to discuss more formula changes.”

“Okay, but let’s go over this.”

Her face disappeared and the screen filled with text….