Bud Hutchins Collection, page 1
part #1 of Bud Hutchins Series
Bud Hutchins Supernatural Thrillers (1-3)
USA Today Bestselling and Award-Winning Author
JB Michaels
Harrison and James Publishing
Contents
The Ancient Order
“From the opening pages to the final sentence, you are treated to a rollercoaster of fun and frights.”- DT Chantel
THE ANCIENT ORDER
PROLOGUE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Afterword
The series featuring the Order of St. Michael
The Order of St. Michael
Praise for The Order of St. Michael
1. Meet Bud
2. Bud Time
3. Arrested Procedure
4. Brooms And Brakes
5. Ditch
6. Coven
7. Bloodletting
8. Flop
9. Catch Up
10. Beauregard
11. Surmising The Dead
12. Southern Discomfort
13. Prohibited Exit
14. Sealing Scared
15. Hanks Meets Bert
16. Investigate And Prognosticate
17. Back To School
18. Hurled
19. Bert Brings It
20. McGANNED
21. Robbie
22. Budded Inn
23. Class Dismissed
24. Mystery Box
25. Ancient History
26. Wales
27. Talbot Castle
28. The Beast Of Llanwelly
29. Bud Hutchins Vs The Wolfman
30. Collection
31. A Pint Of Blood And A Shot Of Silver
32. The Tropes Of Teleportation
33. Jenner
34. The Underground
35. Big Bert Is Watching
36. Ritual
37. The Summoning
38. Rerun
39. Ruin
40. Remote Transaction
41. Initiation
“The Elixir”
The Elixir
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
45. The Fourth Bud Hutchins Thriller…
“The Castle”
“REVIEWS HELP IMMENSELY!” So says Bert
Join Bud, Ivy, and Maeve in a high octane, paranormal thriller riddled with more monsters and vampires!
Join Captain Brendan and Jane Fairy Flyer on epic adventures that will capture your heart.
Also by JB Michaels: Readers’ Favorite Gold and Bronze Medal Winners. National Indie Excellence Finalist. USA Today Bestselling series.
Also by JB Michaels
The Ancient Order
A Bud Hutchins Supernatural Thriller
For my Father, the man who inspired my love for history
For Jack Magnus, ever the champion of my work
For Andrzej, my brother-in-arms
“From the opening pages to the final sentence, you are treated to a rollercoaster of fun and frights.”- DT Chantel
SEE THE BACK OF THE BOOK FOR MORE!
THE ANCIENT ORDER
A Bud Hutchins Supernatural Thriller
By JB Michaels
PROLOGUE
“Stand together, men!” The battle-hardened legionary barked a desperate order.
The devastation surrounding the few soldiers struck fear into their brave hearts. Their brothers-in-arms once full of life and vigor, now lay dead in a most peculiar, inexplicable fashion.
“Shields at the ready! Let it come. We’ll push it back together. Togeth—”
A thumping bass sounded once again. Though the sky painted a gloomy gray over the land, the source of this thunder was no storm.
Sweat poured from their helmets. Heavy gasps gave way to controlled breaths. The soldiers packed themselves into a square. Calloused hands gripped hilts of the devastatingly effective short sword—the gladius. Their visibility low, only the small space between their shields showed the danger that charged them. The force that killed their friends. Their fellow men of the mightiest empire the world had ever known—the toughest men born from the blood of their ancestors with the mission to spread the glory of Rome fell in great numbers this day. The remaining thoughts of their homes, their families, their futures, fell to the wayside as the need to survive prevailed.
The rumble of a beast’s massive feet moved closer and closer.
“Stand ready, men! Get ready to push it back!”
The loud, guttural roar of the monster muted the centurion’s commands and words of encouragement.
“Hold! Iehova be with us!”
Chapter One
Magnus Vicillius looked out onto the shoreline from the small rowboat powered by men in his charge. The gray sky and the cool temperature did little to welcome the warrior to Britannia. The temperature of the air served as harsh reminder of the wear on his body serving twenty years for SPQR. The Senate and the People of Rome relied on his service to maintain and strengthen the empire.
The neck of the muscular centurion ached. He hurt it pushing a battering ram into the walls of a Germanic fort.
There were many other scars that riddled his back. The barbarians sent out their women in the night to assassinate him and the other officers. He woke upon the first slash of many. Her wild demeanor nearly killed him. Magnus gained the advantage quickly, but his sleepy state caused him much grief. He rarely slept from that night forward. The incident proved his closest brush with death. No battle or bloody skirmishes with men bigger and stronger than he were as dangerous.
Still, Magnus neared the end of his term. In just five short years, he would receive the land promised to him and be able to live peacefully. Away from the frontiers filled with uncertainty and danger.
His reputation preceded him. A greeting party waited for him.
His men jumped from the rowboat into the shallows and pushed the boat up to the beach.
“Greetings, Magnus. Governor Gricola requests your presence immediately.” A man dressed in gray robes surrounded by four soldiers looked deadly serious.
“Take me to him.” Magnus, in full centurion regalia—full metal breastplate, his large belt which held Marius’s mule, his centurion-class helmet with the crimson crest of hair— stepped onto the beach of dismal Britannia. His sandal-boots sank into the wet sand.
Governor Gricola rubbed his hands on the robe covering his knees. “I sent them past the wall to attempt a peaceful conversion. They have yet to return. I sent for you to investigate and retrieve these men. I assure you I gave them orders to escort the missionary and march on peace and not conquest.”
Magnus stood in front of the governor with his helmet under his arm. “The tribes in Caledonia historically don’t take kindly to Roman legions marching onto their land no matter the mission.”
“Of course, Vicillius. I wouldn’t have sent them had I not sent scouts to procure a meeting with a tribal leader who sought knowledge of Iehova or Yeshua or whichever nomenclature they use. Of course, it would be in my best interest to bring Constantine’s god to the frontier.”
“I shall march with my men upon first light.”
“No more time should be wasted. I’d hoped they would return in the time it took for the message to reach Rome. Alas, they have yet to return.”
“I assure you, my men will find out what happened to them, Governor.” Magnus stood tall in the lavish, intricate, wood-carved sitting room of the governor’s villa.
“That is why I requested you, Magnus. You shall have the full complement of my local auxiliaries manning Hadrian’s wall, if you please.”
“Though I appreciate the gesture, we’d better not stir up the tribes with another larger force beyond the walls. If we need the might of your forces, I shall send my best messenger for their assistance.”
“Remember, Magnus. There is a reason we built th
The centurion didn’t know if Gricola’s plea was genuine. He’d just admitted that he sent the troop to help convert the pagans of the North to gain favor with the emperor. Over the years, Magnus realized that rarely were the intentions of the patricians in power purely selfless.
“I appreciate your concern for the finest soldiers of the empire. We will be back, Governor.”
Chapter Two
The next couple days were spent marching northwest to the walls. Magnus’s force of one hundred men were more than up to the task, having quelled barbaric rebellions in Gaul and in the hinterlands of the Germanic forests. The battles of their storied pasts would serve them well in the wilds of Caledonia among the Picts and other tribes that lay stubborn claim to the northern section of Britannia. They made camp at Hadrian’s Wall, about a day’s march south of the unmanned Antonine wall and the last built physical barrier between Roman Britain and Caledonia.
Magnus removed his helmet and rubbed his scalp. “Tiberius, I want to take three men over this wall and possibly the old Antonine wall. I will accompany them. I need to know what happened, and we mustn’t alarm the native tribes with a full century marching into their territory. You must stay with the rest of the legionaries here. I will need horses.”
“Very well, Magnus. How will you know where to look for the missing?” Tiberius asked.
“The governor mentioned a tribal leader who sought knowledge of the Christian god. Upon first light, I will ask the auxiliaries who the tribal leader is and find him.” Magnus sat on his blanket in the comfort of his tent.
“You speak of the Christian god as if he isn’t yours to worship, Magnus. It would be wise not to use such casual jargon when speaking of Yeshua. Constantinius II is quite the believer in his father’s converted belief. Many of the men believe, and I, myself, have grown quite fond of the message considering I have been digging ditches, building walls, bridges, aqueducts, and fighting for the empire the last twenty-four years with nary a sign from the gods that I am worthy of their dominion.”
“Tiberius, I am aware of the men’s predilection towards the Christian god. I must say I am unaware of your own thoughts of faith. I am Christian outwardly. We must be. It is our charge to be so. Privately, in my heart, I doubt that one man possessed such qualities to subsume and rule over the traditional Roman pantheon. My family gave tribute to the gods my whole life. I find it hard to break such tradition and belief at the request of the emperor.”
“Yet you are a centurion, a valued leader of the most powerful army the world has ever known.” Tiberius shook his head in frustration.
“I do and say what I must to maintain my position. Unlike you, I have five more years to go before I am granted citizenship. Now, if you would take your leave of my tent. I need rest. Who knows what awaits us beyond the wall?”
“Very well, Magnus. I shall see to it that you have your horses at first light. Any specific men you want on your sojourn?”
“No one specific. You pick. I need rest, Tiberius. Go.”
Chapter Three
The sun rose over the green land of Britannia. Magnus decided to wear his chest armor and carry Marius’s mule, his tool bag, but would leave the rest of the armor in camp. For this jaunt over the wall, he favored speed and stealth over the usual brute force. He left his tent and waited for Tiberius with his men and horses. They were a few meters away.
“Your full armor will not be necessary. I would suggest taking blankets from my tent and using them as robes. I prefer us to go in quickly and commence with the investigation with as little disruption and attention drawn to us,” Magnus barked.
“Meet your men, Magnus.” Tiberius pointed to the trio from left to right. “Brayden, Romanus, and Cassius, three of the finest legionaries our century offers, and four black horses per your request.”
The gray of Tiberius’s hair was accentuated in the dawn’s light. He looked older in the mornings. Magnus wondered if he looked as old to these young legionaries.
“Very well, men. I expect Tiberius has brought you up to speed. We must move with haste and stealth. Upon our exit through the gatehouse, we will ask the local auxiliaries where to find the tribal leader who asked to learn more of Yeshua.” Magnus mounted his horse.
The three soldiers grabbed blankets and twine from Magnus’s tent and made their shrouds from the dark blue blankets.
“Send Romanus back. He is the lightest on the horse with any news of emergency. The other two should be strong enough to provide substantial defense until the rest of the century can join you.” Tiberius patted the neck of Magnus’s horse.
“We shall hopefully return before the afternoon, Tiberius.” Magnus turned his horse and rode away to the gatehouse walls. The soldiers three followed suit, barely securing their makeshift robes over their chest armor.
The auxiliaries manning the wall looked disheveled and dirty. Not the ideal Roman soldier. The frontier and fringe units often didn’t utilize the level of discipline and care that the fighting legions did.
“Sir, how may we be of assistance?” a soldier yelled from above them on the earthen and stone wall’s gatehouse.
“We are requesting to get through to Caledonia. We have business to attend to. We also need to know the name of the chieftain, he who requested to know more of Yeshua.”
“Aye, not a he, sir. A she.”
“I beg your pardon.” Magnus kept his frustration invisible, hoping he didn’t hear him correctly.
“I said the chieftain is female, sir. A she, as it were. Her name is Michaela, and her tribe’s village lies just over the first hill you see to the southwest. She commands the respect of the other tribes and is trusted to guard from any Roman intrusion.”
“A woman?” Magnus pressed.
His horse neighed, urging him to move forward. Flashes of his near-death experience at the hands of a woman bothered him.
“Yes, a queen like Boudicca.”
“Very well. Open the gate. I shall request an audience with this Michaela.”
Chapter Four
This particular section of Caledonia geographically was no different to the land of Britannia, yet Magnus couldn’t help but feel a strange and ominous presence in his surroundings as his horse pounded the grassy ground over the hill to the view of the Pict village. The many straw rooftops and stone structures that made up their homes dotted the land below. Strange she chose to build her village here in a low-lying area, yet perhaps she’d learned of Julius Caesar’s brilliant and shrewd strategy to build double fortifications around Vercingetorix’s hilltop village and starve and weaken the people therein. Magnus looked beyond the village, and there the forest began. Perhaps not a terrible choice for a village since the wilds could provide an easy retreat.
