Orsus: Part One In the Temple of Death

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In the late evening, Helen Augustine stood at the edge of a long-buried history, one she had once helped shape and now felt bound to destroy. Behind her lay centuries of violence, manipulation, and alliances that had allowed her and her father to control events, turning kings into pawns and faith into tools of conquest. Now, amnesic and reformed, she had chosen to stand with those she had once opposed, a group bound not by blood but by a shared commitment to shield the world from ancient secrets too powerful for any one person to wield.

In the dim, covert meeting rooms of New York and the quiet, fortified walls of their Hoboken headquarters, Helen and her new allies—known as the Equis Bellici—prepared for the uncertain war ahead. Only weeks prior, they had uncovered one of their most disturbing secrets yet: ancient documents, hidden by the first Crusaders, detailing a forgotten history of betrayal and ambition stretching from Rome to Montségur. These records hinted at a legacy of control not only over territories but over the minds and hearts of men, a hidden power that Helen’s father, Constantine, had long sought to retrieve. Now, with Helen in their ranks, the Equis Bellici were determined to keep it from his grasp.

Their race against time led to unsettling discoveries: networks of loyalists in unsuspecting places, hidden caches, and the revelation of new enemies—some with motives as old as Constantine’s, others driven by greed, and a few driven by faith twisted beyond recognition. As they tightened their defences, the line between ally and adversary blurred, forcing each member of the Equis Bellici to question not only those they had trusted but also the faith they placed in their own history.

The world felt at the cusp of chaos, and Helen knew that the cost of failure was unthinkable. If they lost, her father’s influence, built over generations and rooted in the darkest corners of history, would spread, leaving no country, belief, or individual untouched. The Equis Bellici had faced impossible odds before, but this was no longer a matter of strategy; it was a war to protect the soul of humanity itself.

As the sun began to set behind the Scottish Hillsides, Helen clenched her fists, ready to face the trials ahead. For the first time in her long life, she had found a cause worth defending—a truth worth fighting for, even if it meant confronting the shadows of her own past.

📚 Start the Orsus Trilogy: Book One: In the Temple of Death → | Book Two: Van Alen’s Vertex →

About the Author

Janos Di-Fanteria is a former British Army officer whose life has been shaped by service, loss, and an unshakeable belief in the power of storytelling.

Associated with the Army from 1983, he went on to complete the Potential Officers Course with the Parachute Regiment, then joined the 1st Battalion The King’s Regiment after attending the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. His military career took him across Ireland, Bosnia, the Falkland Islands, London, and Cyprus before he left the forces in 1999.

He first began writing in 2002, completing two chapters before life intervened. Two decades later, in 2023, he returned to the page — this time to process grief following the loss of his wife in 2022. Writing became both purpose and tribute.

Now based in Staffordshire with his two children, Janos self-published the first instalment of the Orsus Trilogy in July 2024. Drawing on his military experience, he weaves stories of courage, loyalty, and the human cost of conflict — blending authentic experience with powerful imagination across the sweep of history.