by Alane Adams
Calla threw her arms around her. “Mother, you came.”
“Of course, my darling daughter. You know I can’t stay away when you call.” Her voice was musical, like silver bells tinkling.
“Mother, these are my friends,” Calla said, turning to Abigail and Hugo.
Calypha bent her head in a greeting. “You’ve never brought anyone before,” she said. “They must be very special.”
“They are. Mother, terrible things are happening. Baba Nana’s trapped in some awful chill spell that’s frozen her. Odin’s Stone has been destroyed. There’s talk of war. What do we do?”
Calypha turned her face away. “I spend my time in the sea, but I am not ignorant of what goes on. I have had a vision.”
Calla grasped her hand. “Tell me what you saw.”
The wind whipped her hair as Calypha spoke. “I saw the Tarkana Fortress in ruins. Our existence wiped away.”
“But that’s not possible. If there is war, the witches will win,” Abigail said.
“No.” Calypha’s face was grim. “There will be no winners in this war. The gods will erase this place like it never was.” The three friends exchanged glances then looked back at the mermaid.
“Mother, you don’t mean … ?” Calla spoke haltingly.
The mermaid’s gaze was piercing. “I do. Orkney will cease to exist.”
Epilogue
Hestera made the long walk to her chambers, passing under the portraits of her ancestors. She paused under Catriona’s picture, then flicked a finger at the old hag’s nose.
Pushing open the door to her rooms, she snapped her fingers, and the candles lit, casting flickering shadows around the room. The curtains on the far side rustled, and a man with neatly combed silver hair and velvet robes appeared.
“Vertulious, you old goat,” she said.
“Hestera, it is good to meet you in the flesh.”
They embraced swiftly, then stepped apart.
“You know, my great-grandmother always hated Catriona and her father,” Hestera said. “Thought they were a pair of pompous fools. She’s the one who renamed the coven Tarkana and moved on from the Volgrim failures. Melistra was so taken with herself she never realized it was I who planted the idea in her head to steal Odin’s Stone.”
“And I who planted it in yours,” he quipped.
She waved him off. “Let’s not quibble. Our plan worked perfectly—you’re back.”
He bowed in acknowledgement. “I knew giving Melistra my spellbook eons ago would pay off. She was a vain thing even as a child.”
Hestera moved to warm her hands over the fire. “I say signing the Solstice Treaty was the lynchpin. It lulled those Orkadian fools into complacency.” She snorted. “As if a witch would ever settle for peace. What of that witchling, Abigail? We have no further need of her.”
Vertulious moved to her side, staring into the flames. “The blue witch intrigues me. She will stay. For now.”
“Her magic is powerful. Can we control her?”
He laughed, his eyes never leaving the flames. “She has a fatal weakness. She cares far too much for her friends. Leave her to me. I have plans for her.”
“Very well. Shall we begin our takeover of Orkney?”
“Indeed, madam.” His eyes gleamed with a fierce hunger in the firelight. “Indeed, we shall.”
THE END
From the Author
Dear Reader:
I hope you enjoyed The Rubicus Prophecy! It continues to be so much fun delving into the past of my favorite Legends of Orkney™ characters. I love finding out more about Sam Baron’s mom, Abigail, and how she got her start at the Tarkana Witch Academy.
As an author, I love to get feedback from my fans letting me know what you liked about the book, what you loved about the book, and even what you didn’t like. You can write me at PO Box 1475, Orange, CA 92856, or e-mail me at [email protected]. Visit me on the web at www.alaneadams.com and learn about starting a book club with my Witches of Orkney or Legends of Orkney™ series or invite me to visit your school to talk about reading!
I want to thank my son, Alex, for inspiring me to write these stories and his faith in me that I would see them through. To my wonderful editor, Jennifer Silva Redmond, thank you for pointing out all my many flaws! To my amazing foundation director, Lauri, a million thanks for your willingness to do read-alouds with me again and again. And of course, a big shout out to the team at Spark-Press for their unfailing support. Go Sparkies!
Look for more adventures with Abigail and Hugo as they face a perilous future in The Witch Wars, coming Fall 2020.
To Orkney! Long may her legends grow!
—Alane Adams
About the Author
Alane Adams is an author, professor, and literacy advocate. She is the author of the Legends of Orkney fantasy mythology series for tweens, The Witches or Orkney fantasy mythology series for middle grade, and The Coal Thief, The Egg Thief, The Santa Thief, and The Circus Thief picture books for early-grade readers. She lives in Southern California.
Author photo © Melissa Coulier/Bring Media
SELECTED TITLES FROM SPARKPRESS
SparkPress is an independent boutique publisher delivering high-quality, entertaining, and engaging content that enhances readers’ lives, with a special focus on female-driven work. www.gosparkpress.com
The Blue Witch: The Witches of Orkney, Book One, Alane Adams. $12.95, 978-1-943006-77-9. Nine-year-old Abigail Tarkana has a problem: her witch magic has finally come in, but it’s different—and being different is a problem at the Tarkana Witch Academy. Together with her scientist-friend Hugo, she face off against sneevils, shreeks, and vikens in a race to discover the secrets about her mysterious magic.
Wendy Darling: Volume 1, Stars, Colleen Oakes. $17, 978-1-94071-6-96-4. Loved by two men—a steady and handsome bookseller’s son from London, and Peter Pan, a dashing and dangerous charmer—Wendy realizes that Neverland, like her heart, is a wild place, teeming with dark secrets and dangerous obsessions.
Blonde Eskimo:A Novel, Kristen Hunt. $17, 978-1-940716-62-6. Neiva Ellis is caught between worlds—Alaska and the lower forty-eight, white and Eskimo, youth and adulthood, myth and tradition, good and evil, the seen and unseen. Just initiated into one side of the family’s Eskimo culture, she must harness all her resources to fight an evil and ancient foe.
The Thorn Queen:A Novel, Elise Holland. $16.95, 978-1-943006-79-3. Twelve-year-old Meylyne longs to impress her brilliant, sorceress mother—but when she accidentally breaks one of Glen-doch’s First Rules, she accomplishes the opposite of that. Forced to flee, the only way she may return home is with a cure for Glendoch’s diseased prince
Red Sun: The Legends of Orkney, Book 1, Alane Adams. $17, 978-1-940716-24-4. After learning that his mom is a witch and his missing father is a true Son of Odin, 12-year-old Sam Baron must travel through a stonefire to the magical realm of Orkney on a quest to find his missing friends and stop an ancient curse.
About SparkPress
SparkPress is an independent, hybrid imprint focused on merging the best of the traditional publishing model with new and innovative strategies. We deliver high-quality, entertaining, and engaging content that enhances readers’ lives. We are proud to bring to market a list of New York Times best-selling, award-winning, and debut aut hors who represent a wide array of genres, as well as our established, industry-wide reputation for creative, results-driven success in working with authors. SparkPress, a BookSparks imprint, is a division of SparkPoint Studio LLC.
Learn more at GoSparkPress.com
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