Desperate for good standing, Nero promises to give a rare book to the master of Plinthion Hall in exchange for a huge monetary donation. Much to his dismay, he finds the book unlocatable, and he falls to the mercy of the manor’s mistress, Vivica, who mentions it has magical powers and wants it herself, denying the master in want for Nero. Yet escape from dark love is never easy. Unreasonable and unfair, the master imprisons her inside the labyrinthine manor, forcing Nero to break in for a rescue. Can Nero survive the illusory, dreamlike maze of danger and magic? Will he ever find her?
Read this fantastic excerpt from the original fantasy-romance novel written by
I
Tick-tock! Though clocks carry on, timelessness
pervades the senses, his measure
the increasing feeling of awkwardness
which becomes unbearable, no pleasure,
no pain, just nervine discomfort
his to bare. Click, click, click of high heels, short
and sharp, draw his eyes upward where in light,
subtly glowing, he sees a most beauteous sight.
“Can I help you with something?” this maiden
asks, her voice delicate yet commanding.
He shrugs his shoulders. “I’m withstanding
the wait for others to arrive, patience hidden
but real, despite the way I may look
as I sit here without even a book.”
II
The brunette, hair shimmering pearlescence
in every strand, smiles and says,“ lit-ruly,
that’s how I'm, and I say this to give assurance
that your complaints are not lonely.
I wanted to have a shelf of fantastical reads
set out, but Thames argued otherwise, the needs
for food, drink, and entertainment
of the verbal variety far more important
in his assessment.” Nero loses slightly
the stiffness in his back. “I can survive
without a good read for hours, active
in the imagination furtively,
whether those who I speak of realize
it or not.” He nods as he does analyze.
III
Standing up, he adds, “and you can call
me Nero. ‘Tis a pleasure to make
acquaintance with.” He gestures overall
for her to note her own nomen and take
the floor. A pink coloration spreads
across her round cheeks as she says, “go ahead
and call me Vivica. I hear if one says
it just a single time, syllables replay
like a melody in the mind, at least
that’s what happened to Thames,
and he’s been feeling passionate flames
for me ever since like a burning beast."
His breath in cessation, Nero pauses,
unsure if she jokes or subtly advances.
Read more fantastic excerpt from the original fantasy-romance novel written by
IV
The words of the gnarly, loathsome
groundskeepers become the only syllables
replaying in his head: “no oaf nor chum
gets the master’s lady.” Imponderables
he learned elsewhere from rich men he chews
on now, mishes and mashes— trying to not eschew
the inherent meaning that a married
lady ought be left that way and unharried.
Why would I even dare flirt with her? he wonders.
Higher business I came here to conduct.
The last thing I want is for my eyes to get plucked
along with the money that man from down under
otherwise would be inclined to donate.
Competition I see is not great.
V
To the left lies the same corridor he came
from, now spitting out a man, obese
and resembling a pug; a cripple, lame
in the left leg, a carved cane released
ahead each step, follows behind.
The pretty brunette ignores them, kind
enough to sit beside Nero and converse
some more. “Tell me your favorite verse
from bella rariora,” she begs of him.
Heat tickles Nero’s face, his neck, her now
a match in skin tone to his own. His brow
raises. “I liked any which ended with vim,
but why do you beseech such ponderance
from me? We needn’t give this furtherance.”
VI
“And which tale, rumor, or rara book
does that come from, exactly?”
He glances at the men, giving a dirty look.
“A tale that can happen matter-of-factly.
It becomes a tale of happily ever after
where both the infatuated are the crafters.”
Her fingers cover her mouth. “Impressive
but just as expected from a man aggressive
enough to forge a pathway into
Plinthion Heights, where bravery does
get rewarded. Ask why, and know it’s because
I like you. I think you’re handsome too.”
The fat man and the cripple turn their heads,
causing Nero to become unstoppably red.
BELLA RARIORA 