by J A Essen
Table of Contents
Perilous Love
Acknowledgements
Story Dictionary
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
EPILOGUE
About the Author
Copyright
Perilous Love
Copyright © 2016 J.A. Essen
Editing by Mrs. J.A. Essen and My BETA Krew =)
Cover design by: Essen-tial Designs
EBooks are not transferrable. All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Tammy, Brittney, Jessica, and Angela for all of the editing (and poking, and prodding, and nagging) that went into Perilous Love. I know I’ve said thanks a bunch of times, but thanks again. You have no idea how awesome it is to have so many reliable extra eyes-on to make this as smooth as possible.
Also, and just as importantly, thanks to my wife and fellow author, Marie James, for the continued support as I work through finding my niche. This genre just flowed so easily and I’m looking forward to continuing with it.
Story Dictionary
“Gates of Robor” – Elven kingdom
“Dun Felmar” – Human kingdom
“Vanyali” – magic
“Deloi” – nature (earth and animal)
“Balla” – a magical barrier
“Solas” – a magical spell to produce fire
“Spionnadh” – an explosive force spell
“Coille” – the forest beyond Ithoran
“Abnoba” – the river running through the Coille
“The Joining” – when an Elf mates for the first time
“Athraigh” – the spell to shift
“Awakening” – when an Elf’s powers manifest
“Ujnart” – Elven term for humans
“Krillig” – human currency
“God the corners of the house And blessed be the lintel .
Bless the fireplace , table also
And bless every place of rest .
Bless every door wide open
That stranger , kith and kin ;
Bless all shining window - pane
A lets the sunshine in .
Bless the roof - up above tree
Bless all solid wall .
Man serenity , peace love ,
The peace of God all” – TRANSLATION FOR THE ELVEN BLESSING NEAR THE END OF THE STORY
Prologue
“Reisa treavam,” I repeat after my mother. I’m giddy with excitement as small seedlings spring to life before my very eyes.
“Well done, Edana! Did you feel how the energy flowed through your body? The Deloi gives us our power.”
“The Deloi, Mother?”
“Yes, my ‘little fire.' The Deloi is the ground beneath our feet, and everything that springs forth to life from it.”
Today is my Awakening; the day that my powers manifest, and my fifteenth birthday. Today, everything changes. This week, my life both begins and ends.
Chapter 1
Last night I fell asleep dismayed; another day gone by without the ability to cast like so many of my friends. This morning, though…WOW. What a difference a night can make.
Something startled me awake, and when I opened my eyes, my entire room was aglow; from me. My whole body was luminous. The surface of my pale skin looked as if it were emitting small licks of blue-hued flame that disappeared into the air.
Beautiful!
I’d always heard that it was a breathtaking experience, but nothing could’ve prepared me for this. I can feel the magic, the Vanyali, pulsing through my veins, anxious to be used and explored.
*****
My handmaiden, Breacca, is pinning up my mid-back length, lavender hair, preparing me for my first training session with my mother. Instead of my normal flowing, flowery gown, I have been dressed in a fitted green tunic and light-brown pantaloons. Apparently, flowing attire can hinder the novice caster; or so I’ve been told. As I stand and study myself in the full-length mirror, I’m astonished by the reflection. The sparkling blue eyes that look back at me seem, different. Changed somehow.
“The Queen, err, your mother asked me to request that you wait for her in the inner courtyard. She has dealings this morning with her court first.” Breacca looks up at me from the floor as she laces up my soft, ashen leather boots.
Yes, that’s right, I’m a princess; a title that I have grown very weary of. A title that has limited my experiences and curiosity to what is behind the Vanyali barrier surrounding our domain.
“Thank you, Breacca. That will be all for now.”
As she pulls the door closed behind her, I take a seat on the windowsill that looks out over the kingdom below. Beyond the walls of the castle is the nearby village of Ithoran with its normal commoners doing carefree, normal commoner things.
How I wished I had been born into a simpler life.
But no. I was born Princess Edana, daughter of King Brennus and Queen Elestren. Here behind the walls of Robor, I spend my days learning etiquette and how to be a proper lady and one-day wife to a man chosen for me.
Bleh! We will see about that.
My father, while not completely absent in my upbringing, has made it none unto clear that he wishes I’d been born a boy; a son that one day would follow in his footsteps and claim the throne as his own, ruling over Robor as his father, and his father’s father before him.
Not my fault you couldn’t put the stem on the apple. I giggle slightly as I press my hand against the intricately designed glass window.
How I long to explore outside the walls of the city. To run and dash amongst the trees and over the streams of the Coille that extends all the way to the barrier.
Soon.
Hopefully, I’ve wasted enough time in my room, and my mother will be waiting for me in the courtyard already. I straighten my tunic and place the silver, woven-design necklace my mother gave me from her mother around my neck. As I reach for the heavy, bronze door handle, a spark jumps from the tip of my longest finger and the handle turns of its own accord. I smile as I pull the door open and walk through into the busy hallway.
It seems as though Mother has everyone working on redecorating the castle in happy, springtime colors of bright greens, yellows, pinks, and oranges; colors that seem more vibrant today than they did yesterday.
&nbs
p; As I stroll through the hallways, the white, silver, and ice-blue tapestries are being pulled as the season changes into spring. Changes seem to be happening everywhere today.
“Maidin, Princess.” A member of the staff acknowledges me as I head down the stairs.
“Maidin to you as well good sir.” I curtsy as he bows.
Crossing the cobbled, grand entrance of the castle, I make my way around a group of men carrying a long, intricately crafted table into the ballroom, where I can see several more that have already been placed. I don’t remember any gatherings having been announced lately.
Brushing it off, I follow a winding corridor that is lined with blue stones, reminiscent of a stream, that leads toward the center of the castle and into the large, open courtyard. As I’d hoped, Mother is waiting for me when I open the double, stained-glass doors.
“Maidin, Mother.” I start to curtsy, but she’s unnaturally quick in her movements and has me surrounded in her arms before I can even blink.
“Edana, my dear!” Her excitement for today is palpable. “I cannot tell you how excited I’m that today has finally arrived. Since the day I gave birth to you, I’ve been looking forward to the time when I would finally get to pass on to you the secrets and training that my mother passed on to me when I had my Awakening.”
Queen Elestren, my mother, is a beauty to behold, and it’s easy to see why my father chose her. Her long, lilac tresses have just the slightest showings of silver as they flow over her shoulders and down her back. Those piercing green eyes that have always been able to tell when I was, shall we say, less-than-truthful are sparkling today with pride and adoration. Even her flawless, pale blue skin seems to be shimmering; perhaps the Vanyali really IS bubbling to the surface.
“Okay, Mother, you are going to crush me.” She sets me down, and I take in a deep breath.
“Sorry. My emotions got the better of me. Shall we, get started?”
We walk to a small clearing, and Mother goes over some basic spell terminology and hand gestures. She talks about how the Vanyali is all around us; in the ground, the air, the water and how we have learned throughout the ages to harness it. After showing me how to bring forth a sapling from the soil, she tells me It’s my turn to try.
“Reisa treavam,” I repeat after my mother. I’m giddy with excitement as small seedlings spring to life before my very eyes.
“Well done Edana! Did you feel how the energy flowed through your body? The Deloi gives us our power.”
“The Deloi, mother?”
“Yes, my ‘little fire.' The Deloi is the ground beneath our feet, and everything that springs forth to life from it.”
She shows me how to focus my thoughts to do basic fire and water manipulations. I can’t create, yet, but I can redirect what is already there.
After several hours, Mother is called away to attend to other duties but promises me very soon that she will teach me the most important part of being a druid; shape-shifting.
THIS is what I have been dreaming about.
With nothing else better to do for the day, I decide to explore and press my luck.
Since I’m not in one of my tell-tale, over-the-top dresses, I sneak out one of the side entrances of the castle. With my tunic’s hood pulled up and my head down low, I pray that the guard will not stop me. Then I remember my newfound abilities. With a wave of my hand, I cause a ripple and splash of water several feet down the stream running along this side of the castle.
When the guard performs his duty as expected and heads over to see what has caused the stir, I slink across the narrow bridge-way quietly and then sprint away before he returns, making my way toward Ithoran.
The streets are filled with vendors selling their handmade wares, and the smells coming from the baker’s doorway I pass are delightful. Everywhere I look, people are smiling and happy; and why shouldn’t they be? My father has the best and strongest casters protecting our domain with a carefully crafted spell barrier. Those outside our world, the Ujnart, are only even vaguely aware of our existence through myth and hearsay.
Nearing the city wall, I’m amazed by how high It is in person. Standing in front of the open gate that leads out into the Coille, I find myself hesitant to proceed.
“First time to head out into the Coille unaccompanied, youngling?”
I’m caught off-guard and squeal slightly as I jump.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Y-yes sir. Just heading out to do some exploring on my own today.” I keep from making eye contact.
“Be careful, youngling. The day’s light will begin to fade in about an hour.”
“Thank you, sir. I won’t be long.”
I scurry out the front gate and take the path leading to the left; the path that I can see from the window of my room when I gaze and daydream. Thankful for the lack of a dress, I run full-out down the trodden, dirt route and into the tree line. Everything around me seems to trickle with energy of its own, giving me a unique feeling of control. Waving my hand over the ground, petite flowers spring up and bloom like a blanket across the black earth.
All of my senses seem to be heightened. I can smell the ripeness of the fruit hanging heavy in the trees, feel the trivial breeze as it floats across my skin, and hear the bubbling of the nearby stream as it cascades over the boulders within its banks. THAT is exactly where I want to be. Further to the west, off the path, is where I know it cuts through the Coille.
Zigging through the trees, seemingly floating over the ground, it is not long before I find my objective. The Abnoba is considerably wider here than what is visible from high up in the castle. I sit down on an old, fallen oak and begin to focus my thoughts. Raising both of my hands in front of me, I rotate my palms upward and lift them, squealing with joy, amazed by the wall of water I have raised.
Best. Day. Ever.
Knowing how long it will take to get back, I decide to simply follow the river’s edge back up and out of the Coille and then bolt across the open lowland to the city’s front gate.
“Have a good first solo outing?”
“Yes, sir!” I say boisterously, turning slightly pink at my loud outburst. “It was amazing.”
Knowing that by now, someone at the castle is DEFINITELY missing me, I make my way hastily through Ithoran’s streets and back up to the castle. Apparently there has been a changing of the guard at the side gate, so I can perform my same means of distraction, without raising suspicion, and sneak back inside with no one the wiser.
Trying to be stealthy, I come up to my room the long way around only to find Breacca waiting on the bench outside my door, tapping her foot.
“WHERE have you been?” She asks softly, but forcefully. “I have been waiting for a half-hour for you to show up.”
Looking both ways to make sure no one else is near, “Promise not to tell anyone?” I open the door to my room, and she follows me in.
“Breacca it was great. Once Mother had to leave, I snuck out and made it all the way down into the Coille undetected. I’ve had the most amazing day!” Her jaw is nearly on the ground.
“Princess, if anyone finds out…”
“That is not going to happen because you aren’t going to tell anyone. Right?”
“Of course not, Princess, but you should really be more careful. No one knew you were gone. What would’ve happened if something had happened to you, though? No one would’ve known where to look.”
“Way to be a downer,” I say with a petulant scowl on my face. I know she’s right, but what a way to bring me down from my high.
Seeing my gloom starting to set in, Breacca pipes in, “Now wipe that look off your face. I’m not supposed to tell you this, so you better still act surprised.”
“What aren’t you supposed to tell me?”
“We need to get you out of these clothes and cleaned up, Princess.”
“For what Breacca? Quit playing all sly.”
“Oh, nothing much. Just your Awakening Day party.�
� She says it with such nonchalance.
“Really?!” I’m jumping up and down with happiness. Mother didn’t even say anything earlier. THAT must be what the men were setting up the ballroom for.
“So, I don’t say anything to your parents about your ‘adventures’ today, and you promise to act as if it is a total surprise when the doors open, okay?”
“Deal.” This day just keeps getting better.
Chapter 2
“Would you like to dance?”
A voice from behind me causes me to turn in my chair. Standing there with his hand outstretched is a boy that I feel like I should know, but whose name I cannot place.
“Eoghan, my lady.”
Ah, yes. The boy, my father, has been talking about; the boy that he intends on me marrying one day. Trying to stay true to my etiquette teachings, I accept his offer and let him lead me to the dance floor where his skills are actually quite impressive. We move and sway, and he twirls me effortlessly amongst the other dancers. As the music ends, he makes a move to kiss me and as I turn my head, my hair whips across his face, putting a quick end to that nonsense.
“Your father…”
I cut him off quickly, “This is my day, my party, and I get to choose how I spend it and WHO I spend it with.” I pull my hand from his and stalk off the dance floor. Bidding my parents goodnight after I explain to them that I’m feeling overwhelmed by the entirety of the day’s events, Breacca and I go to my room. Undressing from my ridiculous ball-gown, I step into a nightgown and crawl into bed…
The previous night’s happenings replay through my head this morning as I soak in my milk bath, with Breacca combing thinned-out, liquid bees’ wax through my hair.
“I can’t believe his arrogance.” I cross my arms and sulk.
“Princess?”
“Eoghan. He seriously thought he was going to kiss me after one dance.” I tap my toes on the edge of the hollowed-out hickory trunk, which is my bath, in frustration.