The Black Jester

The Black Jester 

The Kings of New Orleans Series Episode 1 

by Emily Ford

COPYRIGHT 2015 EMILY FORD

Copyright 2015 Emily Ford 

www.emilyfordworld.com

Second Edition

Editing by Lizzy Ford 

www.lizzyford.com

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review. 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To Mom for being the best thing God ever created

To my sister for saving my life every day and giving me the chance to start a new one

To Dad for being a constant source of love and support

To Ron Jenkins, one of the good ones. Thank you for reading my first books!

To Dale and Alex for being two of the best gentlemen I've ever known

PROLOGUE 

"If any city needs saving, it's New Orleans."  

The one known as the French Quarter King sits at his dark mahogany writing desk. His bird's eye view of Canal Street in New Orleans is like none other. From his high rise penthouse apartment, the distant lights on the bridges, barges, bustling street traffic, and tall street lamps appear as twinkling stars below him. He loves the view of the city at night. 

On this night, like most others recently, his heart is heavy as he reflects on the events of the past ten years. Resolved to reconcile his thoughts and feelings on paper, he slides open the heavy top drawer and withdraws a brand new, leather bound writing journal. He runs his hand and over its dark maroon cover, his fingertips following the custom engraved outline of a fleur-de-lis. Opening the cover, he flips the Papyrus paper to the second page and folds the first page down against the cover, his way of protecting the immaculate leather design. He picks up his gold rollerball pen and clicks it to expose the writing point. He always loved writing, but in the old school way, with pen and paper, not with a typewriter or computer. 

He glances out his window into the dark and sparkling night once more. It's time to atone for his sins. Sighing heavily, he puts pen to paper. 

"We saw it as a chance to evolve," he begins writing. "If there's one certainty about a catastrophe, it's that it brings the opportunity for renewal. The ability to wipe out the norm, force a clean slate. Disaster is the ultimate reset button. 

"Our opportunity came with the 2005 desolation of New Orleans, otherwise known as Hurricane Katrina. That godforsaken homicidal storm carried the ocean into homes and businesses, wielding swelling waves and winds as its murder weapons. It severed power and telephone lines, and the breakdown of communication, life support, and law became inevitable. The slaughter of nearly two thousand residents was only the beginning. With the storm came the opportunity for renewal.