The Last Wizard - The Story of a Reluctant Hero Second Edition
The First Book of Terry Unger's Reluctant Hero Trilogy
by
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Saltzmann busied himself in his study poring over the pages he had ripped out of the Grimoire. The base for his deadly cocktail would be vodka and lime juice. But to Saltzmann it had to be good vodka, not piss water, something that had cost many dollars in the early twenty- first century. Even they were though illegal, the Vatican cellars held many of those tabooed but delicious delicacies; leave it to the Church to stock its larders well. The potion called for alcohol, valerian root, and belladonna, deadly nightshade. Saltzmann considered himself a culinary expert and saw no reason to not include the lime juice. The potion’s instructions were simple: mix the ingredients thoroughly together and place the finished brew for three nights in a window under a waxing moon. Silly people, Saltzmann laughed; superstitious morons. The Vatican kitchens provided Saltzmann with the lime juice while the cellars gave him the vodka. The valerian root and belladonna came from a Vatican biologist who wanted to curry Saltzmann’s favor. The cardinal rushed through the potion’s preparation without regard for the time-honored formula and its studied instructions. Saltzmann was a giddy man with an evil plan about to hatch; so giddy that he felt an urgent need to visit his stolen loot. Loki the Trickster stood in the shadows but remained fully cloaked. The Trickster could hardly contain himself. That obese pig was just too easy, he thought, as he gloated to himself. Loki knew that Saltzmann would be nothing had it not been for the special guidance that he gave the fat man. Just as Saltzmann used people for his nefarious ends, Loki was using Saltzmann for his. Even in relationships, the Laws of Sympathy and Contagion have their effect. Loki and Saltzmann deserved each other.
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About the Book
Throughout all of this, the Catholic Church declared a ban on any form of contraception in South America, Mexico, Central America, and Africa. In these poor countries the Church felt it still had significant influence. This action only added to the already staggering population growth. People not killed off by disease died from starvation. The rise of the Christian Right, who were no more than fascists, added their considerable weight to the crisis. This movement managed to influence the U.S. federal government, particularly the executive and judicial branches. Their influence had U.S. Presidents reject the Kyoto Protocol and the Bali Accords, using the excuse that participating in them would hurt American business interests. In true Fascist tradition, the American military industrial complex and right wing Christian ideologues, were cozily in bed with each other. When the developing nations saw the United States pay no more than lip service to Kyoto and Bali, they followed suit. Debt – national, corporate, and personal – was staggering. The Christian Right became deeply entrenched in government, the military, and business. But they needed Democrats and began to court them like a rich old geezer courts a Playboy centerfold. Payment rendered by the Democrats was the gutting of the Constitution and the repeal of Roe v. Wade. The Christian Right was very close to creating their ideal “Christian Nation” but took one huge misstep. Nuclear missiles were shaken by their political puppets like a stick shaken by an armchair general scolding a poor ally. China and India, considered godless by the Right, were the targets of this saber rattling, even though they held most of this nation’s debt. When they had had enough, they called in the debt. The United States went financially belly-up and because of the inter-connectedness of the global economy woven between nations, so did other countries. This worldwide governmental bankruptcy, combined with things previously mentioned, brought about total collapse. Governments capitulated and civil order became non-existent, ushering in The Age of Anarchy. The world, now more than ever, needed heroes………….
About the Author
Terry Unger is a student of history and the older religions for over thirty years. Most of the things Terry refers to in his books he has experienced. Terry Unger combines these personal experiences with his knowledge of history and his imagination, to give his readers and the world timeless examples of universal truths. Terry and his wife Sandra reside in League City Texas.