THE BEWITCHING OF CAMILLE
BOOK ONE OF THE WICCAN CHRONICLES
BY D. A. BARNEY
Three hundred years ago, Warlocks waged war against the females of their species because Witches had become too powerful for them to control. Pre-adolescent witches were spared and raised like humans. Once matured, they were sold as breeding stock to propagate the diminishing race, then discreetly destroyed before they turned twenty-one; the age witches obtained their full power.
Warlocks believed absorbing that much power, so quickly, was more than a ‘female’ mind could endure. It allegedly caused them to go insane and turned them evil. The burden of this magnificent deceit would become every warlock’s responsibility, and they quietly carried it out… until now.
Set in the mystical city of New Orleans, where nothing is ever as it seems, the lines between the oppressed and the oppressors have blurred. Here is where we begin the unapologetically tragic tale of a young witch, who will battle insurmountable odds to try and save her daughter from a husband – bound by duty to destroy them both.
THE CAST OF CHARACTERS
CAMILLE ST. CROIX GERARD
BORN: 1979, Gulfport, Mississippi (16 Years Old)
CLASSIFICATION: Witch
By design, her true self and the knowledge of her abilities have been hidden from her. She is unaware that she’s a direct descendant to one of the most powerful witches in history. She doesn’t really even know what a witch is. She’s just a lonely, confused teenage girl lost in a world she doesn’t quite fit into. She doesn’t understand the power she has, or why she has it, and dreams of a day she might find another person in this world like her. She thought those dreams were answered the day the Gerard clan came to town. The day a young Julien Gerard began his bewitching of her… Sadly, she was wrong.
JULIEN DUMONT GERARD (J. D.)
BORN: 1974, New Orleans, Louisiana (21 Years Old)
CLASSIFICATION: Warlock
A charismatic, highly-confident leader, deftly-skilled in magic and equally brilliant in business affairs. He takes great pride in the fact that he has used his brain – not magic – to accomplish his business deeds. He does not share his father’s antiquated thinking or his beliefs in the ‘old ways’, and his arrogance leads him to believe he can defy ‘The Warlock’s Responsibility’ with no retaliation or retribution. A naïve mistake that may bring The Council, and all its wrath, to his front door.
MS. RAYNA
BORN: Natchitoches, Louisiana (Age Unknown)
CLASSIFICATION: ??
At 6 feet tall, this Creolean wonder’s hypnotic beauty is rivaled only by the quickness of her computer-like mind. She is always the smartest person in the room, which does not always work in her favor, nor do her quick-witted remarks, or wry sense of humor. She is Julien’s counsel and mystic Tarot Card reader who also has the ability to see the truth in any human’s eyes without them knowing it. She is Julien’s most valued asset, and, because of their close relationship, she and Camille will NEVER get along.
TIRIN
BORN: Somewhere in Louisiana (Age Unknown)
CLASSIFICATION: Alpha Lycan
Quiet in nature and moody, he has a keen awareness coupled with exceptional abilities. No one is ever really sure where they stand with him. Unquestionably loyal to the few he cares for; to harm one of them would mean an instant death sentence. He is Julien’s best friend and number two in the organization behind Rayna. He rules a pack of five betas whose primary job is the protection of Camille, who they will come to find, may not need their protection at all. He is volatile, unpredictable, temperamental and EXTREMELY dangerous.
KAITLIN MORRISON
BORN: 1974, Gulfport, Mississippi (21 Years Old)
CLASSIFICATION: Human
A recent graduate from Tulane University, she is Camille’s best friend and the nanny to Lucien and Dani. She and Camille have known each other since they were children, and she is well aware that Camille is a witch. She has always traversed a dangerous line between the dark and the light, and she bears the scars to prove it. Scars from a darkness in her secret past she desperately tries to forget. To save Camille, she will seek out a light within that darkness and summon the only man she has ever loved – but there is a price. One she knows all too well. One that, this time, may cost her much more than a few scars.
JEAN LAVEAU
BORN: 1970, New Orleans, Louisiana (23 Years Old)
CLASSIFICATION: Human
He is the last child of Madame Marie Laveau and is considered to be a voodoo priest of the highest order. He is here to protect humans from malafecs by fighting the battles that they cannot. His powers are organic, stemming from nature and are heightened when he is outside and at night – especially during the full moon hours. He holds onto a strong hatred for all malafecs – especially lycans, and his only weakness is the love he harbors for Kaitlin Morrison. A love that may be his undoing if he cannot learn to let his hatred go.
BARRETT GERARD
BORN: Port Arthur, TX in 1947 (49 Years Old)
CLASSIFICATION: Warlock
He’s a direct descendant of the great Philippe Gerard, and is also Julien’s father. In his prime, he was a powerful and intimidating warlock who earned a reputation of being a shrewd businessman and a talented thief. Although not a member of The Council, because of his last name, he carries a tremendous amount of weight with them. He never lies – not because of honor or morals– he has none, but because he knows no one is strong enough to oppose his truths. Those who try usually end up dead.
MR. CECIL
BORN: 1949, Elk City, Oklahoma (47 Years Old)
CLASSIFICATION: Warlock
Lifelong friend of Barrett, he’s a bumbling, spineless buffoon who talks tough when Barrett is next to him. When Barrett is not; he might fall to the ground if someone blinked too hard in his direction. He’s a warlock with average ability but has been blessed with a keen sense for business. Barrett helped him fulfill his botched, ‘responsibility’ when they were young warlocks, and Cecil has been beholden to him ever since.
LUCIEN GERARD (LUC)
BORN: 1995, New Orleans, Louisiana
CLASSIFICATION: Warlock
The elder of the eerily identical Gerard twins is blessed with his mother’s green eyes. Strangely, it’s the only noticeable difference between the two. In time, the world will be made to understand why.
DANI GERARD
BORN: New Orleans, LA in 1995.
CLASSIFICATION: Warlock
Dani shares his father’s blue eyes, but the younger Gerard twin has more in common with his mother than anyone knows. If that secret ever comes to light, one of these eerily identical twins will become an only child.
THE TALISMAN
BORN: 1901, The West Indies (93 Years Old)
CLASSIFICATION: It is unknown what he has become, but at one point he was a man.
He was the sole proprietor of a speakeasy in Harlem, in the late 20s called, ‘The Fat Lady’. Back then you could often find him sitting in his private booth, enjoying the show. Today, there are those who believe that if you have the means, and the know-how to get there, you can still find him sitting in that same booth, but it definitely ain’t in Harlem anymore. If, however, you find yourself face to face with him outside of that booth, that day will most certainly be your last.