The half-demon girl who calls herself the Hunter never really considered why she wanted all demons dead, but when she's presented with the one responsible for killing her parents, she loses all rationality, going on the warpath.It started with a crying widow and a stack of letters, leading the Hunter's private detective partner, Clayton Simmons, to investigate a series of financial crimes. These threads all lead to the mysterious Otto Vogerath, who's rumored to be a mobster.At the same time, the Hunter's earliest memories begin coming into focus, giving her clarity about the death of her parents at the hands of the very same, because Vogerath isn't just a mobster: he's also a demon that claims to be the serpent from the Garden of Eden.The duo and their allies are soon caught in a complex spider's web of mystery, involving conspiracies, murders, atom bombs and the demon's plot to tear a massive hole in reality, all of which revolves around the life of the Hunter. Worse still, the demon requires the Hunter's cooperation for his plans to succeed and will do almost anything to get it, repeatedly proving to her that everyone she cares for is in danger, so long as she stands in the way of what he wants.Will Simmons and the Hunter save the world or will the serpent succeed in opening a portal to Hell, so legions of demons can march forth to conquer the world?Volume 1 of Ashen Blades. Approximately 99,000 words.