The Imperial Sword: The Nelquists of Marphacelle

By Taleen Razik

Zoey Alastair thinks she’s an ordinary girl until one day, when she gets swept away to another dimension by Logan, a charming nelquist, leading her to a new home. But her wonderful fantasy takes a twist when the truth is thrown at her and her days may be numbered. Her journey grants her the experience of a lifetime as she falls in love, gets terror-stricken, feels anguished, and puts her life on the line to save billions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melrose Books
• Release date: Dec 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781912026302

Book preview

PROLOGUE

You’ve heard of the American Revolution, the Vietnam War, the assassination of former president Abraham Lincoln, and several other historical events that have been ingrained into your minds since middle school. But the amount of forgotten information your history books have neglected is far more engrossing than you’d allow yourself to expect.

So, without further ado, I come to you with a story. An unthinkable flashback of the past that your ancestors have kept secret from their descendants—a happening like no other! A major incident that bloomed into something that could be the headline of tomorrow’s paper if ever exposed to the world we live in today!

Alas, here I present to you, a series of formerly unknown occurrences that had taken place long, long ago…

800 AD

The Beginning of an Era

The year 800 AD was the beginning of it all.

Sometime during the eighth century, an asteroid emerged from outer space and clashed onto the grounds of our planet. But what mankind hadn’t known back then was that this huge, foreign piece of matter had been slathered in radioactive substances absorbed by the rays of the sun, as well as other alien materials.

Mutati, the substance, had caused no harm to humans, but its radioactivity had taken its toll on the environment. For, over time, it had gradually begun to spread and silently seeped its way beneath the grounds, the atoms of plants, the particles of the sea, and invaded the air’s atmosphere. By doing that, it triggered the molecules of matter, causing them to vibrate, compress, and heat up in response to these outlandish substances. The product of this reaction was the creation of the first magical species to ever walk the earth.

For decades, the beings had blended in with ordinary humans, oblivious to the incredible powers they’d possessed. It wasn’t until years later that the magical species had finally discovered their uniqueness, and labelled themselves as nelquists.

The mortals, however, were deeply dissatisfied by this unexpected turn of events. Overwhelmed by anger and envy, they freely expressed their loathing towards them, treating them with utter disrespect and cruelty. The clash of violent emotions soon led to dangerous brawls, which left the king of mortals with no choice but to banish the nelquists from the land.

Liana Chronic, the wisest nelquist of them all, stepped forward to defend her people, politely coming up with a compromise. These magical creatures consisted of several dissimilar powers with varying properties. Deciding that this could be put to good use, she suggested they do something absolutely bizarre—and maybe even impossible.

She wanted them to create an entirely new dimension that belonged to nelquists.

Arguments broke out and several rude remarks were made, demanding that it was the stupidest idea ever pitched! But King Neidas was impressed. After all, it was, ironically, the most logical thing they could do. For, if he kicked them out of his lands, they would move on to another area and cause problems with other mortals. What better way was there to maintain peace and harmony than to separate mortals and nelquists completely?

And so, the nelquists gathered their magic and ripped a hole in the world’s atmosphere, creating a dimension of their own. They used all seven different types of powers rooted from fire, water, ice, the plants, the earth, the atmosphere in the sky, and the clouds—all things that the mutate had spread into. With plenty of hard work and determination, their new world, which consisted of thousands of islands and hundreds of seas, was soon complete. They named it Marphacelle.

1023 AD

The Medieval Mess

The nelquists moved into Marphacelle undisturbed for several years… that was until the medieval catastrophes had taken place in the mortal world. Desperate and in search of a safe haven, humans saw no choice but to hop into the portals in their world and pay Marphacelle a visit.

Offended and furious at the invasion, the nelquists and mortals broke into yet another one of their vicious brawls. That time, however, the outcome had certainly not been peaceful.

* * *

Cannon bombs rained over the islands and catapults hurled objects as heavy as hundreds of bowling balls everywhere. It was complete chaos.

The war raged between the two worlds for a decade. Many people died, so many souls were sacrificed. But just when the situation seemed hopeless, the leaders of both the mortal world and Marphacelle had come to their senses. They finally agreed to put a stop to the war and bounce back to the original plan—living separately.

So, after the chaos was put to an end, the world seemed to feel a little more peaceful. Marphacelle’s damage was fixed within a few more years, and all portals that were in the mortal world leading to that dimension were closed up for good—with the exception of any lost nelquists that happened to grow from the still spreading radioactivity there. The mortals kept the magical world a secret from the next generations to come and, before they knew it, the whole world knew nothing about the nelquists anymore.

1500 AD

Rebirth of the Devil

Luciana was extremely sick. She had become ill while she was barely a few weeks pregnant with her second child. This worried her husband, Kalistopher, causing him to wonder whether or not the baby would be okay.

One day, when Kalistopher was feeling too overwhelmed by the stress and worry at home, he left Marphacelle and wandered into the mortal world for a temporary escape.

He walked among the grounds of the area in which the asteroid had landed long ago. There, he stumbled upon something peculiar. Rooted into the earth was a dark, shriveled-looking stone. It was a remnant of the asteroid—a solidified piece of ancient radioactivity. Sensing the exuding magic, Kalistopher’s heart raced, wondering if the remaining mutate inside it could heal his wife. After mixing it into a bowl of soup for Luciana to consume, he saw that it did. But what the poor man hadn’t known was that the plant may have healed his wife… but it mutated his future baby. It wasn’t just an old remnant. It was a dead one. Alas, he had no idea what he’d started…

1510 AD

He’s Notorious

Ten years had passed since then, and Luciana—bless her kind soul—had passed away just a year after her child’s birth, due to a dangerous, incurable disease. Kalistopher, unable to live with the sorrow and distress of having lost his wife, committed suicide a year later, just to be with her, leaving behind his daughter and baby son.

Xavier spent most of his time alone and playing with his own powers. And that worried his older sister. She understood that his curiosity about his undetermined specialty was quite strong, but she wouldn’t have minded him blending in with all the other kids his age and making friends.

One day, she spotted her little brother sitting on a rock and waving his hand around. Unexpectedly, black smoke sprouted from the ground and a small hairy monster began materializing in front of him. Her heart nearly stopped at the sight of it. Her baby brother was messing with Black Magic.

She ran over to him and scolded him, demanding an explanation to how he’d created a monster. He stared, genuinely puzzled. He told her that he was just playing around with his own magic and creating new friends instead of making them, but that only made her angrier. She disapproved of his reckless actions and banned him from using his powers.

Being the careless boy he was, Xavier rebelled against her. Not only did he continue to use his magic, but he also began to secretly search through his sister’s bookshelves, finding fascinating spells that he just knew she’d yell at him for discovering. He soon stumbled upon the rare spell for immortality, and since the idea of living forever excited him beyond words could express, he decided to perform it.

Xavier knew that if he messed up with a single letter or syllable he would simply drop dead, but, oddly enough, that didn’t scare him. He felt fearless. Halfway through the last word of the enchantment, though, his sister caught him. She grabbed the back of his collar and screamed at him for disobeying her. She paused, only to realize that he wasn’t dead. She’d interrupted him… and he wasn’t dead.

Xavier didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Why was it so wrong to be immortal, if she often talked about being ageless herself? It wasn’t fair that all nelquists knew what kind they were and what their specialty was, but Xavier didn’t. He knew that nelquists weren’t always directly born from the plants, water, etc; they could be naturally reproduced like mortals were and inherit their parents’ specialties. But he wasn’t a sienist— a nelquist of the sky—like his mother and father. What was he: a nelquist of life, perhaps? He supposedly created life, so why not?

His sister finally calmed herself down and tried to reason with Xavier. She told him that there was just some magic he wasn’t supposed to use, and that he had to listen to what she told him because she knew best. But why did he have to listen to her when she provided him with no reasons or explanations whatsoever? He got so angry that the plants beneath his feet withered and died. She clapped a hand to her mouth in surprise and horror. Finally, Xavier had gotten the answer he’d been longing for.

* * *

Xavier soon ran away from home, from his sister. He was so tired of her wanting to control his life and ban him from using his own powers that he had had enough. He didn’t really like what he was doing, but it wasn’t like she’d left him much of a choice.

Xavier lived long enough to have a hundred of his monsters roam the world of Marphacelle, making it less and less peaceful. He called them his Death Demons. Every now and then, they would multiply and find their homes on different islands. Others worked for Xavier himself. He soon realised that the monsters were a product of a dark kind of magic that he didn’t even know he’d had within him.

And as centuries passed, Xavier aged like a snail. It took him a few decades to look like he’d aged a year. That was when he realised he needed to be fully immortal to live forever. The Immortality Spell could only be used once and, thanks to his sister, he was stuck like this forever. Unless he found something valuable to help him, Xavier was doomed to be in this in-between state till he turned old and withered and died—just like the plants that had died beneath his feet a long, long time ago.

CHAPTER ONE

ZOEY

‘Ordinary’ wasn’t really a word used to describe Zoey Alastair. She was taken to Orange Orphanage when she was a mere newborn baby, after having been mysteriously found in one of the flower fields nearby with a small note taped to her diaper that read ‘Zoey D’Alyona Alastair’.

Zoey was adopted by a famous Latin model—a handsome actor’s wife. The model, Christina Lopez, had chosen to adopt her due to the unique, strange beauty she radiated.

Sure, it was fun growing up in a mansion with all the huge rooms, fancy food, and butlers; but maybe it would’ve been easier for Zoey to enjoy if she wasn’t friendless… and considered mentally ill.

Regardless of being rich and adopted by celebrities, Zoey had spent her days being picked on and teased in Northway Middle School because her biological parents had left her stranded in a field, resulting in her classmates thinking she was useless and unwanted. Zoey’s little step-siblings, Leo and Mariah—Christina and Chase’s biological children—didn’t make matters any easier. They were always annoying, and constantly asked her hurtful questions which caused her temper to rise out of frustration: why don’t you have any friends? Why do people at your school hate you? Are you crying because everyone was making fun of you again? Why do you always wear black?

But as Zoey grew up, weird things happened. Whenever she sang, passers-by would stop and stare at her the way they might’ve stared at an angel. Oh, and don’t even get her started about the monsters she spotted casually roaming the streets. Once, she could’ve sworn she’d seen a miniature dinosaur-like creature walking along the pavement and stealing anxious glances at her. But of course, no one believed her. It had seemed funny and sort of cute when she was five or six. Chase saw it as an early sign of a great imagination. But then Zoey had turned fourteen and the situation started to get serious.

Zoey’s dreams weren’t so pleasant, either. She battled herself every night, trying to rid herself of the strange dreams and nightmares. Some were of her being chased by monsters; others were of a blond boy’s warnings for her to stay put and not leave her house. The worst part of all of it was that she didn’t have anyone to talk to about this. She was always isolated—left alone. Her step-parents even considered sending her to a psychiatrist. Ouch.

I’m not crazy, she’d yell at them. I’m not hallucinating, either, I’m perfectly sane. I just saw what I saw!

Your appointment will be tomorrow at four, dear, Christina would say firmly.

Word spread around the neighbourhood and school that Zoey Alastair-Lopez was a mentally ill child. Everyone would either insult her or pity her—and Zoey couldn’t decide which was worse. She didn’t need anyone sympathising her, because she was not crazy.

Her therapy sessions felt like the longest two hours of her life. Despite her various protests, she was forced to attend them every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at four o’clock. It was too infuriating for her to handle, so occasionally, she’d throw a short tantrum.

Tell me, what do you hallucinate of? Zoey’s patient, greasy-haired therapist would ask.

I don’t hallucinate, she’d say dully, staring into space and hugging a pillow.

Your parents—

They’re not my parents, she’d burst out, throwing the pillow at him. "They’re all wrong! They’re the mental ones—not me!"

And that was pretty much how the whole session would go.

* * *

Zoey sighed, looking out the window. I’m normal, she thought, I’m not crazy, I’m Zoey Alastair and I’m perfectly fine. She was sitting on her bed with the window’s curtains pulled aside. Her bedroom was the only place she’d spend her time in every single hour of the day. The only good thing about it was that she could lock herself in there and stay alone for as long as she wanted.

She stared at the kids at BlueBee’s Park, which was right across the street from her house. She knew it was ridiculous, but she felt a pang of jealousy watching them run around the grass and playing football with their friends. They were—what, ten or eleven years old? She wished she could be as happy as they appeared to be.

You are a mental patient, the voice rang in her head. I know it’s hard, but you have to accept that.

The insults and accusations floated around inside her brain until it was too much for her to bear. She clutched her temple, trying to control her thoughts. She then stood up and rushed outside. She was in desperate need of fresh air to clear her mind. So, she took a lonely walk on the pavement, praying for a miracle, anything to pull her out of the hole she was buried in. She knew she was different from everyone else, she just wanted to know why?

Zoey was so distracted that she didn’t notice another one of her ‘hallucinations’—a monster. He was walking a little away from her on the opposite side of the street. He was an ugly, ten-foot tall, hairy being, with a strong, thick structure wearing a tunic. His face resembled that of a gorilla, except for the two huge horns sprouting from the top of his head. She looked left and right frantically. Someone had to be seeing this. There was no way she was imagining this; it felt too real.

Oh, no, she muttered. Not this again.

The monster growled at her, his face contorted with rage.

This isn’t real, this isn’t real, she mumbled, her eyes scanning the thing from head to toe.

The creature took one large pace toward her, causing the ground to tremble slightly. So, she made a run for it.

Zoey ran as fast as she could, not daring to look back. She didn’t know where she was going, but she hoped it was somewhere safe. Every step the monster took felt like it could cause an earthquake, causing her to stumble several times. What that creature wanted from her, she didn’t know. Why it was here, she didn’t know. What was meant by ‘meet her fate’, she didn’t want to know.

Her heart sank as she came to a halt at the edge of a cliff. It made her question exactly just how long she’d been running. She didn’t recall living anywhere near here. The monster now stood behind her, a maniacal smile plastered on his face. Her insides clenched as she took a step back, making sure she didn’t fall.

Hey, down here, a voice called.

A boy, who appeared to be about fifteen years old, was confidently leaning against the monster’s leg with a sword in his right hand. His hair was a common shade of honey-blond and his chiselled, symmetrical face housed twinkling, ocean blue eyes, whereas his ski-slope nose complimented the rest of his features. His pinkish lips curved into a smirk as he focused on the confused creature that stared back down at him in the utmost curiosity. The boy was thin, but in no way seemed unhealthy. He was a little tall, probably hovering an inch over Zoey’s height—but, then again, she was the tallest girl in class… After taking in the sight of him, she realised with a shock that he was the boy from her dreams— literally. The blond one who’d been telling her to stay put.

If she goes down, the boy said, I’m going down with her; except, I’m not leaving here without a good fight.

And just like that, he swung his sword and fought that vile being. He sliced and slashed with amazing speed and reflexes that looked almost impossible for a boy his age.

Run! he yelled at Zoey. Run, go!

You see him, too, she said incredulously. You see the monster, too. I’m not crazy!

You’re just standing there on the edge of a cliff while I’m trying— he ducked as the monster’s hand almost sent him flying away, —to buy you time to run away, he said. "I’m guessing you are crazy!"

Zoey made to run, but instead, she felt something strange and forceful pull her down to the edge of the cliff. In just a matter of seconds, she found herself falling off the edge. If she hit solid ground, she didn’t know; because she felt absolutely nothing as she blacked out.

* * *

Zoey woke up feeling like she’d been sleeping for days. She found herself on the shore, with the waves washing over her and the forest behind her awaiting her arrival. She rubbed her head. Nope, it wasn’t swollen nor was she bleeding. Honestly, she had no idea what had gotten her here. Before she passed out, she was sure that the nearest sea was about a mile away. Yet, here she was.

Well, there’s your miracle, she thought, amused. She managed to stand up slowly and took in her surroundings, feeling extremely bewildered and maybe just a little scared. She racked her brain for any lost memory that might’ve helped, but all she recalled was the monster, the blond boy, and the cliff.

It was tempting to explore this place, but something seemed deeply unwelcoming about the forest. Nevertheless, she decided she couldn’t stay and wait here forever for someone to come to her rescue, and, looking around, there really wasn’t any other way out. She started to walk between the bushes and trees, noticing that the further she went on, the bigger the forest seemed to be. And in no time at all, she started to wonder if she would ever get to the end of it. Her feet ached already and her stomach rumbled desperately.

Zoey Alastair? a voice suddenly questioned.

She turned around quickly, feeling alert and panicked. A teenage boy she didn’t recognise hopped off a low tree branch and landed rather gracefully on his feet. He walked closer. He was tall and lean. His pale complexion was antithetical to his dusky hair, and his eyes were a deep shade of green similar to the leaves around the forest, whereas his nose was somewhat small and slightly upturned.

Who are you? Zoey asked.

What are you doing here? he demanded, ignoring her question.

"Well… where is here?" she questioned uncertainly.

You’re in Armageddon’s Forest on Alcapen Island.

Hold on, she said, dumbfounded. "In what, on where?"

Armageddon’s Forest, on Alcapen, he repeated, his brow creased.

Where’s that in California—?

Uh… you’re not in California.

"Well, am I anywhere near America at least?"

He shook his head. Okay, wow, you really shouldn’t be here.

"Then how come I am here? she demanded. One second I’m at the bottom of a cliff, and then I’m at the shore, and now this forest…" her voice faltered.

Who’re you here with? Do you already know you’re a nelquist? ’Cause if so, you gotta get going to Alathos.

What’s a nelquist? What is—look, I don’t know if this is some kind of joke or something, I don’t really appreciate—

Stop, stop, he cut in. Stop talking for a sec. Can you hear that?

Silence fell between them. I don’t hear anything?

Just then, a crazy, speeding mustang just randomly drove by and slammed into a tree. Judging by the boy’s expression, this definitely wasn’t normal here. The blond boy Zoey recalled seeing earlier swung open the door and climbed out of the driver’s seat.

No, no, no, the dusky-haired boy mumbled. The tree! Stop slamming into trees, man!

Why? What’s wrong with the trees? Zoey asked.

That was my favourite tree, he snapped.

James, Zoey, the blond boy said, I really don’t think it’s the right time to discuss plant issues? We should leave.

How do you even know my name? Zoey asked confusedly. I never mentioned—

"Can we puh-lease talk about this later?" he uttered hurriedly, obviously frustrated.

I don’t get into cars with strangers, she noted, crossing her arms over her chest.

All of a sudden, a loud roar similar to that of a dinosaur’s sounded from somewhere close by. Zoey’s heart skipped a beat as goosebumps reverberated all over her arms.

I’ll make an exception this time, she said quickly, getting into the passenger seat.

The blond boy hopped back into the driver’s seat, starting the engine. He backed up away from the tree he’d slammed into and drove dangerously fast past the wide gaps between the trees ahead.

Who are you? Zoey asked. And what happened to that—the monster?

Logan Coldbridge, he replied. He’s gone—well, at least for now. How did you even get here? Was there a portal below the cliff or something?

I don’t really know, she replied uncomfortably. What the hell were these people talking about?

He raised an eyebrow at her. You’ve really missed out on a lot. You were supposed to be here years ago, but we had trouble tracking you down.

Tracking me down? she repeated, a shiver crawling down her spine. Now, that was just creepy. I was supposed to be in a forest being chased by a monster years ago?

You’ll see what I mean, he said. If we make it out alive, that is.

Well, he certainly was positive. Zoey ventured a glance back and felt her heart hop then crawl up her throat. She blinked several times, but was completely sure that this wasn’t an illusion. Behind them was a forty-metre long snake, its reptilian skin leathery and green. She turned away quickly before she got a chance to look at its glowing, yellow eyes. If she did, she’d immediately drop dead. She’d heard all about basilisks in fictional books, but weren’t they supposed to be a myth?

Logan, she uttered nervously, her entire body trembling, please tell me this forest specialises in holograms.

What? he frowned.

He glanced at the rear-view mirror and the colour drained from his face.

Please, don’t panic, he pleaded.

She wanted to, but she just couldn’t. Her breath turned rapid as she struggled to contain a fit. Just as Logan swerved to the right, the basilisk’s tail hit the car and sent it tumbling down the hill. The glass windows shattered, sending broken pieces of glass everywhere as Zoey’s head and shoulders bumped into everything. The vehicle toppled over and crashed into about five trees before abruptly stopping upright. They stared at the absence of the front glass, both panting like they’d just run a marathon. Zoey’s face and arms stung due to the cuts slashed against her skin.

Are you okay? he asked quietly.

No, she admitted.

Logan’s face was only covered in a few, barely bleeding cuts. She was just starting to wonder how they both weren’t badly injured, when he reluctantly leaned closer to her and used his thumb to wipe the droplet of blood trickling down her cheek like a tear.

How come you’re not that badly hurt? Zoey asked suspiciously.

Nelquists have much tougher skin and stronger muscles than mortals, he replied.

Nelquists, she frowned. "Uh, sur…

He sighed. My car…

This is your car?

Of course not, he said. I stole it. But I mean… He gestured to the mess around him.

She noticed the twinkle of rebellion in his deep blue eyes as he started the engine once more. This time, he drove—if possible—even faster than before, which seriously could not be safe. Every few seconds, Zoey would turn around to make sure the basilisk wasn’t following them. She was starting to think—and hope—that the serpent had either got bored of chasing them, or lost track. But boy, was she wrong.

Only a few moments had passed when suddenly the ground started to tremble around the car and, before she knew what was happening, the vehicle rose into the air. It kept rising; ten metres, fifteen metres, twenty metres, thirty, and it stopped. Zoey snuck a peek out of the broken window, her heart racing.

What are you doing? she demanded. Logan, what are you doing to the car?

I’m not doing anything! he insisted. But I think I know who is, his voice was laced with worry.

He didn’t need to say it. The car was balanced over the basilisk’s head. This was it, she was done for. She was going to die. The car swayed slowly. And, without warning, the basilisk tossed it into the air the way a seal might toss a beach ball.

And the vehicle started to fall.

Zoey felt time slow down as the car kept turning and twirling uncontrollably in the air. Her senses were just starting to weaken when it finally crashed to the ground, upside down. Logan was sprawled in the backseat now, while Zoey had somehow managed to slip out and fall on solid ground. She distinctly heard a voice nearby before she sunk into a blank abyss of unconsciousness for the second time.

CHAPTER TWO

LOGAN

As you might have already concluded, Logan is a nelquist. A water nelquist, to be exact—or walnadian. He was born on a stormy December night when the mutati-infested water in the Amazon River had compressed and heated up, mutating into a baby—a son of the water. Found crying by the shore by a group of lost tourists, he had been quickly delivered to the nearest orphanage. Years later, he was adopted by a foster house.

Oddly enough, Logan recalled not a single memory of his childhood before the age of four. The only vivid flashback lying in his section of ‘inconvenience’ in his mind was the day his foster parents had decided to take him to the park for brunch on a sunny Sunday morning.

Logan had been known to be a curious five-year-old boy. So naturally, he’d instantly wandered off and begun exploring. And there it was. A monster—a hairy, ten-foot tall being, with an angry face and large arms. The little child had never screamed so loudly in his life.

He’d thrown his hands into the air and run away, his heart thumping against his chest and his brain trying to distinguish reality from fantasy. But no matter how far he’d run, he hadn’t found his parents, and the monster hadn’t gone away.

In the midst of his panic, a wave of water had suddenly materialised in the air and splashed the creature right in the face, giving Logan a second’s rest as the beast stood confused by the sudden retaliation from such a small child.

Needless to say, a teenage nelquist arrived just in time, before any harm came to Logan. She’d fought the monster away and collected the little nelquist, whisking him away to Marphacelle, the world where he belonged.

After the dreadful incident, Logan had begun his early training as a nelquist in a magical boarding school; learning about the world, the monsters, duelling, and magic… It had all felt like a dream come true at first, but soon, reality had crashed upon him and it’d been time for him to hold onto the responsibility of protecting himself from the danger outside of Alathos School, and rescuing lost nelquists from the mortal world.

Not only had he discovered the endless possibilities of the dimension, but he’d also hopped onto a train that gave him a tour of his own value as a nelquist. He’d learned so much about himself that he’d never really known. In fact, what he loved best was his connection to the famous walnadian, Arnold Walters.

Walters had been known to be the greatest dueller of all time. He’d never lost a single sword-fight in his life. Except one which had led to his death. Centuries ago, he’d been challenged to duel one of the most powerful nelquists in Marphacelle. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to gloat about another one of his victories, so he’d accepted. But the fight had gone on for longer than he could’ve ever imagine, and eventually, Walters had died of exhaustion. He’d fallen into the Amazon River and allowed himself to melt into the element of his creation. Ever since then, a prophecy had been recited that the first four walnadians to mutate from the Amazon River would be genetically related to Walters; thus, inheriting his duelling skills. As it turned out, Logan was the fourth and last descendant of Arnold Walters.

The