William J. Connell

William J. Connell is currently a practicing attorney in the great states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He has also worked as a public-school teacher in the areas of Special Education and History in the same states. He enjoys writing on a wide variety of topics. Most of his non-fiction material is in the legal field, and his work has been published in many law journals, most frequently in The Rhode Island Bar Journal. His fiction tends to run to historical adventure, which reflects his love of teaching history, mixed with elements of sci-fi, classic literature, and horror thrown in for good measure!

Besides being a member of the Wild Ink Writing Family, for which he is most grateful, he has had fiction pieces published by The Ravens Quoth Press, Godless Publishers, Culture Cult Press, and Underland Press. He likes to spend time with his family and Lulu, the family’s green-cheeked conure. His author/writer website continues to be a leading example of why you should not do one yourself unless and until you know what you are doing.

Visit William’s Author Website here.

Mask of Death

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It’s not the story you think you know.

Do you like stories?  So do I.  If you have time, I have an interesting one to tell. 

Our story begins somewhere in Turin, northwestern Italy.  Specifically, Sacra di San Michele, a fortress-like abbey located at the pinnacle of Mount Pirchiriano.  The time is the mid-14^th century.  The black plague, or the great mortality as it is sometimes called, is in full bloom across western Europe.  I am afraid that years of famine caused by poor weather and overpopulation has left millions of people weak from starvation.  This “Black Death” finds these people. It can indeed be painful, but it can also be a seen as a release from a sad life.  For some, it is welcome.  But for some others, it is entrance to another life, those of a “flesher,” those who exist only to who hunt for food.  Their prey is what they once were. 

In Sacra di San Michele, we find the three main players.  Prince Prospero Malatesta, the acting ruler of this land.  Elizabeth Malatesta, his wife.  Finally, Clarinda Like many rulers of his time, the Prince is a man of vanity.  Elizabeth is a normal human, as much as you, though unfortunately, neither her marriage nor her body is healthy.  And Clarinda is a survivor.  Circumstances shall soon force Elizabeth out of the abbey and to near or absolute death.  Yet even in death, she finds there is the life of a “flesher.” Elizabeth may have died, but she has not forgotten Prince Prospero, sealed in his castle with so many of his friends.  Elizabeth seeks revenge.  And among the fleshers, she has followers.

You may think you have heard this story, but there is much, much more than has been told.  In these pages, you will find the origins of the Masks of Death,  A Black Death Tale.

Race with the Black Death

Elizabeth Malatesta, the sentient flesh-eater, one who hunts humans for food, commands a growing army of followers.  Having ravaged the southwestern Kingdom of France and the northwestern Italian city-states, Elizabeth has found her closest living blood relatives. Two children, Maddalena and Bartolome, and their mother. If Elizabeth captures them all, their combined blood will enable her to reverse the slow degeneration of her body. She nearly had them all, but their mother engineered the children’s escape before her demise.

The children have found temporary refuge with wandering troubadours whose many talents enable them to survive.  The troupe is constantly moving to outrun the plague, but they find it in many places.  The troop’s retinue includes the acrobat Dioneo, the broad-shouldered dwarf, Uwe, his close friend, the dancing Trippetta, and Laura, a woman with one-half her body scarred from surviving the Great Mortality. Maddalena becomes reluctantly attached to Jai Ling, a hunter of vampires and a specialist in bow weapons.  Upon learning that the Pope, residing in the French city of Avignon, is offering a vast reward for the children, the group sets off to collect it, unaware they are pursued by a relentless hunter whose hunger drives her.

Picking up immediately following the events of “Mask of Death,” “Racing from the Plague” continues the story of life during the Great Mortality, or “The Black Death.” As you will see, many frightening creatures of legend, who are spoken of in hushed tones, are very real.