SECRETS OF THE ASH TREE_ a quest for treasure hidden in its cover!

I sat at my table at Meilori's typing on my laptop.  It was a feistier night than usual.

Husky laughter mingled with death gurgles all around me.  I fought to keep my face calm.

None of my friends were here tonight:

not Sam, Alice, Victor, or Renfield -- not even Elu's face looked out at me from the mirror to my left.

I was alone among monsters.

Three spectral women in flimsy robes shimmered in the seats around me.  A hag, a mature woman, a faceless girl.  I recognized them:

Urðr (Fate) -

Verðandi (the dubious Present) -

Skuld (the debt of the Future).

As Victor would say: "I was in deep sh-t."

{This image is in the public domain in the United States because it was first published outside the United States prior to January 1, 1923.}

They proceeded to scare the snot out of me by speaking one after another, one word only:

"The - cover - to - SECRETS - OF - THE - ASH - TREE - has - been - entrusted - to - you.  A - treasure - is - hidden -within - its - art."

The Nazi vampire, Major Strasser, sat down opposite me.  "Give me that cover done by Michael di Gesu, scribbler, or I will drain you of all your blood."

I frowned, "Siv Maria will do the cover reveal next Monday.  You can have it then."

"I would have it now," snapped Strasser, "and get a head start on those who seek the treasure also!"

"Cheat!" snapped a foul-smelling monstrosity, towering over the startled Strasser.

"Brunnmigi (Old Norse "well-pisser")!" hissed Skuld.  "Be off with thee! Down wind!"

And with that, the young faceless Norn girl snipped a smelly thread in her hand with razored scissors.  Brunnmigi evaported.  Sadly, his stink remained.

{This image  is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.}

A bearded giant with sea-green eyes and seaweed all over him suddenly sat beside Strasser who rasped, " Njörðr!"

Njörðr studied me steadily.  "All the treasures of my oceans wilt I give thee for that cover, poet."

"Can you give me back my honor should I so betray a friend?" I asked softly.

He slapped me so hard on the back, my head jumped forward into another time-zone.  "Well spoken, lad!  Siv chose well."

And with that, he, too, disappeared.

Strasser barked a laugh, "Swine, Hel has granted me her dog, Garmr, the dog that shall herald Ragnarok."

He gestured to my left, "See?  Garmr even now is here!"

I looked down hesitantly and stared for a long moment ... then I smiled at Sam's own hellhound.

"Hello, Piecefull.  Sam left me protection after all."

Piecefull turned slowly to Strasser, growling low.  The Nazi vampire yelped, his body flowing into a bat which took to the air.  Piecefull gave chase.

Urðr stretched out her skeletal hand.  "Now, thou art alone.  Give us that cover!"

{This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.}

A skittering bark of a voice chippered beside me as a large green squirrel scampered to the seat vacated by Njörðr.  

The Norn, Verðandi, snarled, "Ratatoskr!"

(For those of you who do not speak Viking, he is the squirrel who runs up and down the world tree Yggdrasil to carry insults between the unnamed eagle, perched atop Yggdrasil, and the wyrm Níðhöggr, who dwells beneath one of the three roots of the tree. )

Ratatoskr laughed, "Give the cover to you DreamSinger cannot."

"Why not?" glowered Skuld.

  Ratatoskr snickered, "I ate it!"

"What!?" screamed the Norns as one.

And with the three spectral Norns at his furry heels, Ratatoskr scampered away into the bronze mists of Meilori's.

One thing about this haunted jazz club -- it's never boring!

If you want to see that fabled cover to discover those clues to that fabulous hidden treasure,

Siv's cover reveal for SECRETS OF THE ASH TREE will be all across the blogverse July 29th!

And don't miss the publication of the book this September --

In the realm of the gods and fairy tales, the mystery of life is an endless path with many secrets to be discovered.

Some secrets are like dreams, just waiting in darkness hoping to get into the light.

SECRETS OF THE ASH TREE is such a dream:

Liv, a young woman who discovers her true nature through the unraveling of hidden secrets.