Cory Thompson is a fourteen-year-old boy on his way to magic school with his father and sister. At his unbinding ceremony, the powers he receives make it apparent that he is the first Titan to be born in over nine hundred years. In an attempt to get him ready for his destiny, Professor Archer decides to become his personal mentor. But due to a series of incidents, some caused naturally and others deliberately caused by the Ancient Order of the Crones, Cory's sister Ashley makes the biggest mistake of her young life. Totally unprepared to face the power of the evil Crones, Cory finds himself in the position of being the only one able to save his sister from becoming a Crone for life. Armed with only three months of formal training and the help of his pet bird, Indy, Cory attempts the impossible, knowing full well that if he fails ... the Crones gain far more than a new recruit; they would also capture the key to the magical community's only hope for the future, which in turn is the only hope for mankind itself!

Birth of a Titan

By Gary Iascone

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Gary Iascone
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-5872-2

Contents

"I'm Coming to Get You"..................................1Walk Down Memory Lane....................................4Home Sweet Home..........................................9A Happy Reunion..........................................18The Ancient Order of the Crones..........................23A Strange Dinner.........................................26Lessons in the Car.......................................32No Rest for the Weary....................................39Robins and Eagles, Women and Pool........................43The Best Defense.........................................49The Best Offense.........................................53A New Roommate...........................................55Orientation..............................................60The Unbinding Ceremony...................................64What Happened?...........................................69A Change of Plans........................................75Hugs, More Hugs and Kisses...............................82Homework, Homework and More Homework.....................90In the Mean Time.........................................93An Unexpected Visitor....................................95Back So Soon?............................................98Pizza and Worms for Dinner...............................102A Father and Son Talk....................................106New Revelations..........................................110Private Lessons..........................................114It's a Date..............................................121School Board Requests....................................132The Best Laid Plans......................................141Assistant Headmaster?....................................146Friday Night.............................................150I Love You Too...........................................160Another Father and Son Talk..............................165Halloween Dance Disaster.................................169Secrets Revealed.........................................175I Never Want to See Him Again............................180The Whole Truth and Nothing But..........................183November Blues...........................................187A Mother Daughter Talk...................................192Uninvited Guests.........................................195Rules Meant to Protect, Not Punish.......................204School Work Just Got Harder..............................212Strike Three; You're Out.................................220Apology Accepted.........................................228More Pieces of the Puzzle................................236A Well Deserved Break....................................248Meeting of the Sisterhood................................253A Little Detective Work..................................259Timing is Everything.....................................262Caught in the Act........................................264Paying for One's Mistakes................................266Wanted Dead or Alive.....................................268Birth of a Titan.........................................274Epilouge.................................................278

Chapter One

"I'M COMING TO GET YOU"

"Cory, I'm coming to get you," an unknown voice said in a low, almost guttural growl.

Cory heard the threat loud and clear, but he couldn't determine who was speaking or where the voice was coming from. He was walking home from his friend's house, as he had done a hundred times before without incident. It was only ten o'clock at night, and there was plenty of light coming from the almost full moon. Up until the moment he heard the voice, he had been care free and glad that he had the opportunity to hang out with his best friend, Vinny, on the night before Cory would go off to school.

In an instant, all of that changed, as his senses went on high alert. For a reason he couldn't explain, Cory wasn't afraid. In fact, the hair on the back of his neck was bristling with what he determined could only be anticipation. It was almost as if he had been expecting the upcoming confrontation and couldn't wait for it to get started. Even when the world around him suddenly began to change, fear didn't dictate his actions.

Thick, dark clouds smothered the moon, quickly extinguishing the generous light that, just moments before, had bathed the street Cory was walking on. The only remaining light came from well-spaced streetlights, but all they now showed was a heavy, smoky fog that began to appear out of nowhere. The temperature dropped fifteen degrees in a matter of seconds, while visibility was reduced to no more than a foot or two.

Cory immediately stopped walking and slowly started to circle, peering intently into the fog, hoping to get a glimpse of his adversary. Every muscle in his body was taut, ready to react to the slightest movement or sound, whether real or imagined. As he began his third full turn, he noticed the glow of a pair of sickly yellowish eyes, stealthily approaching him from the sidewalk across the street.

Although it was impossible to see who or what was making those pale globes move, Cory was sure that the eyes' owner was much larger than the biggest man on earth. Still, fear wasn't an issue. Cory's biggest concern at this point was whether or not this was the best place to face his foe. After all, he had no idea what he was up against, and for all practical purposes, he was blind. As these and other tactical thoughts raced through his head, the decision to fight or take flight was no longer up to him.

"And I'm coming now," the voice roared.

Just before the unseen limbs of the being attached to the owner of those eyes grabbed him, Cory pulled his head straight up from his pillow and looked around him, his arms flailing at an unseen opponent. It only took him a few seconds to realize that he had been having a nightmare, and it was his mother's voice he had heard yelling. The wave of relief that swept over him was soon replaced with apprehension when he heard the exaggerated sound of his mother stomping up the steps, literally coming to get him.

"It's okay, Mom. I'm up," Cory yelled, hoping his mother wouldn't barge into his room. As much as he loved her, he wasn't going to miss her flare for the dramatic whenever the mood struck her.

"What's all this yelling about, Mom?" Cory heard his sister Ashley ask. "We're both up and we'll be right down."

"About time. I've only been calling the both of you for the past half hour," their mother yelled back to them. To Cory's relief, the sound of her voice was somewhat muffled and she could be heard retreating back down the stairs.

Cory grabbed his robe from the floor and put it on before entering the hallway and racing to the bathroom in the hope of beating his sister. If he won, it would mean having to face his mother alone, but it was better than waiting the inevitable ten to fifteen minutes his sister would take. His quick thinking was rewarded, and less than five minutes later, he was the lone object of his mother's wrath for taking so long to wake up.

As is often the case with dreams and nightmares, the memory of Cory's faded away long before his mother was done giving him a lecture on the virtues of responsibility. Of course, having to listen to the entire lecture a second time after Ashley finally joined them for breakfast made Cory rethink his weekend morning routine, and, unlike that of his nightmare, he promised himself it was...