Helcyon: The Ashen Knight

a novel

coming soon

What it’s about?

 Bobby Porter, a grieving boy haunted by his father’s death, discovers that the blue maple tree that grew overnight in his backyard is a portal to the fantastical world of Helcyon—a realm his father created in an unfinished story. Helcyon, a land oppressed by the immortal Ashen Knight, is home to Zenobia, a spirited girl whose family has been torn apart by the knight’s reign. Together, Bobby and Zenobia embark on a dangerous quest to overthrow the Ashen Knight and rescue Zenobia’s father, navigating betrayal, magical forces, and the sinister allure of power. Bobby faces moral dilemmas and a growing darkness within himself, hinting at a deeper connection between Helcyon and his reality. Bobby’s choices lead to unexpected consequences in both worlds.

Meet the Characters

  • Bobby is not from Helcyon; he’s from our world—the real world. Recently, he lost his father, and while his mother sobs endlessly over this loss, Bobby can’t even shed a single tear. Overwhelmed with anxiety, he begins to worry that something is seriously wrong with him. Helcyon is a fictional world created by his father, who never completed its story. Now, after coping with his father's death, Bobby finds himself transported into the troubled world of Helcyon, facing the unfinished legacy his father left behind.

  • Raised on a dirt farm near the Very Very Big Maple Tree, Zenobia lived a simple life with her parents. Despite dreaming of becoming a hero and embarking on her own adventures, she found that dream would come true sooner than she expected—and at a steep cost. At just 13 years old, Zenobia may have looked scrawny, but she possessed the strength of a thousand men.

    Determined to save her father from the Ashen Knight, she reluctantly teams up with Bobby, who appears out of nowhere claiming to be the son of the creator. She views him not as a deity, but as a potential weapon against the dark magic she must confront.

  • The demon knight has ruled over Helcyon for 1,000 years. With the rare alignment of the seven moons creating a mega magic-enhancing lunar blood eclipse, the Ashen Knight is on a mission to harness this power for his own selfish purposes. However, in doing so, he risks the destruction of Helcyon itself.

  • Before becoming the Tiger Knight and the leader of the village of Fanggul in the Feral Forest, the Tiger Knight lived a very different, deeply flawed life. He was once a general in the century-long war between the provinces of Morilund and Ieroland. The immense burden of so many deaths weighed heavily on him, causing him to abandon his former life, including his wife and child. In an attempt to escape his past, he adopted the persona of a tiger, effectively forgetting who he once was. However, he must now return to the human world to help Bobby and Zenobia defeat the Ashen Knight.

  • Slimsy, a Dazelf, serves as the personal assistant to the Ashen Knight. He takes on the roles of a butler, cleaner, and dungeon master at the Dragoon Keep. Dazelfs have a unique ability to dazzle any conscious being with incredibly realistic illusions, simply through the sparkle in their eyes. Slimsy can make you see anything you desire.

  • Golly the cow is Zenobia’s best friend and beloved pet. Though Golly only likes doing two things: eating grass and running really fast. She is practically a train engine on four hooves.

  • The Librarian-in-Chief of the Great Library of Pangia is a lover of words and the guardian of a mystical book known as "The Traveler’s Guide to Heclyon: Sights, History, and Tips on How to Defeat the Ashen Knight." This divine book is an unfinished work by their lord and creator. Bobble knew that when Bobby arrived in his land and his library, he had to give the young boy this tome to help save Heclyon.

  • Zenobia’s father is a dirt farmer who has been growing the only crop in the Hinterlands: the Bungleroot vegetable. He also harvests syrup from the Very Very Big Hinterland Maple Tree. His dirt farm has been in the family for generations. Although he lived a simple life with his wife and child in their small farmhouse, it was an idyllic existence for him—until the Ashen Knight arrived and kidnapped him for some nefarious plan.

  • The Lady of the Fountain possesses all the wisdom and knowledge of the souls who pass through her chamber at the center of the Mountain of Bones. While she has the answers for those who seek her guidance, she delivers them in vague, obscure, and cryptic ways.

  • The jovial captain of a rickety, dilapidated ship named "The Lady of the River" is both Knapp’s passion and his curse. He is forced to ferry travelers up and down the Morah River, the largest river in Helcyon, all while being constantly splashed by a water spirit intent on punishing him for a past wrong. Despite this, Knapp successfully helped Bobby and Zenobia escape from the Manticore Kilroc and sailed them to the Great City of Pangia.

  • Likho is the youngest of three brothers and the sibling of Amduat Lanmarc, who would eventually become the Ashen Knight. At just 16 years old, Likho was a skilled fighter and a veteran of the 100-year war. He lost his eye as a child when Amduat, during a training match their father arranged, accidentally injured him.

    At 17, Likho went AWOL from the war in search of his oldest brother, who had gone missing. During this journey, he met a young alchemist who crafted a mystical orb to replace his lost eye. This orb, known as Likho's Eye, possessed magical abilities that allowed him to communicate with others remotely.

  • Once a lover of the Ashen Knight before his transformation into the monster he is today, he still views her as his only salvation to retain whatever humanity he has left, even a thousand years after her tragic death.

  • The Manticore is a creature of evil that feeds on flesh. It has the body of a lion and the face of a man. Kilroc is one such hideous beast that resides in the Ashen Forest. He has been contracted by the Ashen Knight to find and kill two rogue children: Bobby and Zenobia.

  • The creature known as the Tar Beast is referred to by many names. Bobby first encounters it at Tar Lake in Helcyon. It communicates telepathically, and its undulating shape, with many arms and numerous red eyes, can be sensed more than seen. This creature desires to be Bobby's friend, which is what makes it so dangerous.

  • The Lyre Bird originates from Helcyon and serves as a guide for all the souls who have died there. Its enchanting song lures them to the Mountain of Bones, where they pass through the Oracle, who absorbs their earthly wisdom and knowledge. Lymrik crossed into different worlds and found Bobby, giving him a special item that would transport him to Helcyon.

  • Skulvutures are scavengers that feed on decaying flesh and hoard discarded trash. There are three brothers: Karcass, Predtork, and Karnvor. They have made their home in the long-abandoned Great Palace of Helcyon, where they encounter Bobby and Zenobia under horrendous circumstances.

  • The otherworldly wraith serves as an advisor to the Ashen Knight and was the specter that gifted Amduat Black Star, a magical sword that grants the wielder an additional year of life for every person it strikes down. The motives behind Nex's assistance in creating the monstrous Ashen Knight remain a mystery. However, it is possible that the reason is simple: Nex is an agent of chaos.

  • This giant rock golem can be conjured into existence to destroy your foes. All you need to do is find its home, the echo chamber, and curse your enemies with hateful words. Then, wait for the storm of destruction to break its way through your opponents. You could say it is the literal manifestation of "sticks and stones may break my bones."

Songs of Helcyon

I have adapted two songs and a poem from my novel into audio format. You can listen to the songs individually or enjoy them alongside a narrative reading that provides context within the story. I hope you find this experience enjoyable.

Captain Knapp’s Shanty Song

This light-hearted scene takes place when Captain Knapp drops off Bobby and Zenobia at the ports of the Great City of Pangia. Bobby has overheard Captain Knapp speaking with a water spirit earlier about how he doesn’t belong in the world of Helcyon. As Bobby steps off the gangplank looking glum, Captain Knapp offers him some encouraging parting words before setting sail back down the river. All the while, he sings a jolly little sea shanty to himself, getting splashed by the water spirit.

just the Song

  • I’ll be sailin’ on the waves o’ me love, true and bold.
    I’ll be soarin’ on the wings o’ me love evermore.

    I’ve been searchin’ every shore,
    Seekin’ every fair face,
    And in the eye of every storm,
    It’s yer calmin’ love I’m bound for.

    Yo ho! Yo ho! To me love we go.
    I’ll be sailin’ on the waves o’ me love, true and bold.
    I’ll be soarin’ on the wings o’ me love evermore.

    I’ve sailed the briny seas searchin’ every port and bay,
    Seekin’ every graceful face,
    fer me bonnie bride.

    I’ll be sailin’ on the waves o’ me love, true and bold.
    And in the eye of every storm,
    It’s yer calmin’ love I’m bound for.
    Yo ho! Yo ho!
    I’ll be soarin’ on the wings o’ me love evermore.

    When the tempest blows it's gails
    The mighty waves makes a sailor quail
    But in the eye of every storm,
    It’s yer calmin’ love I’m bound for.

    I’ll be gallopin’ on the gallantry o’ love
    Yo ho! To me love evermore
    Meandering on foot and boat
    In the woozy wend to me love I go.

    True as the North Star in the sky
    Sweet as rum, I tell no lie
    I’ll be sailin’ on the swelling crest
    To me love, I'll never rest!

    Yo ho! Yo ho! To me love we go.
    Yo ho! Yo ho! To me love we go.
    To me love we go.

Helcyon Days of Yore

After Bobby, Zenobia, and the Tiger Knight are jailed and sentenced to life in a prison camp on the Northern tundra of the Isle of Black Rock, they are transported under armed guard from the Great City of Pangia in a prison wagon. During their arduous journey north, the convoy stops to set up camp for the night, where the trio devises an escape plan. They realize they just need their guard to fall asleep, along with the rest of the security detail. Noticing that their assigned watchman is already half-asleep, Zenobia decides to sing a sweet melody with her surprisingly beautiful voice. This tactic proves effective, as the guard soon dozes off, allowing the three prisoners to spring into action and execute their escape.

just the Song

  • In the season of crimson moons,
    when the wind blows sweet flower blooms
    I’m reminded of my sweet, sweet love

    In the days that shone its golden light,
    across the silver seas and below the blue ocean deep.
    I’m reminded of my sweet,
    sweet love of Halcyon days of yore
    I pine for my sweet, sweet love evermore
    in those Halcyon days of yore.

    The faint calling of the Palms of Holmes,
    drifts on the breeze of avian tongue,
    to march the dear departed souls,
    past the great living tree,
    and to the mountain of bones.
    Where their earthly wisdom is set in stone.

    I’m reminded of my sweet,
    sweet love of Halcyon days of yore.
    I pine for my sweet, sweet love evermore
    in those Halcyon days of yore

    Halcyon days of yore.

Into the Fray

After almost reaching Fire Mountain with Zenobia and the Tiger Knight, Bobby finds himself separated from his companions. Alone in the Red Forest, where the treetops are perpetually lit by flames, Bobby encounters a crying knight next to a campfire. The knight invites Bobby to join him and reveals the source of his sadness by encouraging Bobby to gaze deeply into the fire. As Bobby stares into the flames, he is suddenly transported back to a place he does not wish to revisit: the attic of his home. In the attic, he confronts his disturbed father and discovers a poem that provides chilling insight into his father's troubled psyche.

just the Song

  • Deep into the fray
    The only thing the soldiers could bray
    I’m deep in the fray
    Alone, trapped, and afraid

    Deep in the red
    My hands shake
    My mind is lead
    Silent screams and pain fill my brain
    I'm deep in the red

    Deep into the fray
    The only thing the soldiers could bray
    I’m deep in the fray
    Alone, trapped, and afraid
    My weapon: the only way out of the fray