Warrior

by Jana LaPelle

  I can’t help but snicker under my breath, because it was my idea. I turn to Nym and Khatar and ask, “Can you two please go and retrieve a few chaise chairs? Before mamma bear over there finds out this was all my idea.” The two just nod and smirk before heading back to the terrace. I smile as I watch as everyone gathers around my sister, fussing over her and seeing to her comfort. We may not be blood related but our bond in sisterhood is strong. I can’t thank my mortal Mom enough for fostering our relationship. I don’t know what I would do without her. It’s hard to believe that we have been gone from The Mortal Realm for not even three years now. I don’t miss it. Not like I thought I would. The hustle and bustle, the social media, the daily news feeds. This is my home now and I love it here. My family and friends are my home, and I have found that I enjoy a simpler way of living.

  Jasmine and Camoryn are absent here today. Jaz is having a difficult pregnancy, but Neamhain and Nessa are both in agreement that all is well. Her pregnancy is the first of its kind and we are all eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child. Being that she is a water sprite she has been ushered home to the sacred meadow, she is due any day now. Lexie and I vow to be there for her, and the Tree of Life has been given notice to alert us as to when our presence is needed. Jaz has been a complete bear the last few weeks and we have all vowed to give her the space she needs. Camoryn is beside himself because she has been spending most of her time either in the water or near to it. Truth be told, I miss my sprite friend but I’m eagerly awaiting the birth of her first child and I’m thrilled for her.

  My visions of the future have come to fruition. Everything I saw before has come to pass, except for a few minor things. My mother and father have a child in their hands. Lexie and me, the children around us. I can’t remember the last time I had a premonition and I’m okay with that. Alaric and I have fulfilled our destiny and today we are celebrating family. We celebrate just being together and I know that I have never been happier.

  I asked my parents and The Dagda about the four horseman that appeared that day overlooking the battle we fought to save the realms and they told me that they are always waiting and watching, ever vigilant. Their destiny has yet to be realized and with them will usher in the end of days, but not today. The seven seals have yet to be opened. I mean to see to it that that will not happen on my watch.

  I was once asked what I would do if I knew the truth, how would it shape my destiny? I now know that the truth will set you free. Free to choose your own destiny. Its within us all to know the difference between right and wrong. Some will choose to walk a tight line in between the two, never really choosing a side, always seeing the shades of gray. Others will instinctively choose to fight for the light and others still will choose to fall to darkness and embrace the monster within. In the end, I choose the light. I choose to fight for what is right, no matter the consequences. To not do so… is to deny my truth.

  THE END …

  Symbolism for the series:

  Kindred Book One: The fire element was to signify Ashlinn and her tapping into her ability to wield the fire element. We also must remember that fire consumes, warms, and illuminates, but can also bring pain, death, and transformation. In some cultures, it is also viewed as a symbol for wisdom and knowledge.

  Chosen Book Two: The Triskele is also known as the triple spiral or Triskelion. In Chosen, Ashlinn begins tapping into her ability to wield the air element. The Triskele is a representation of motion, and for this particular book, I thought it a wonderful symbol for the air element. Many believe that it also represents progress and revolution, but furthermore it represents a forward motion to reach an understanding. Ashlinn faced real struggle in Chosen as she moved closer to her destiny. It is also believed to represent three Celtic worlds: the spiritual world, the present world, and the celestial world.

  Keeper Book Three: The Triquetra or Trinity Knot, one of my favorite representations of all Celtic symbols. The continuing theme in Celtic symbolism is the number three. In Keeper, Ashlinn ascends to fulfil her role as Mother Keeper of souls. So, like the Triskele, the triquetra represents the spiritual world, the present world, and the celestial world.

  Memoirs Book 3.5: By adding the circle to the triquetra, in Memoirs things are beginning to come full circle as Joanna Elam’s story is revealed.

  Warrior Book Four: Awen or also known as Arwen, can be said to represent many different things but what made this symbol fit for Warrior is that some experts of Celtic symbols and their meanings have interpreted that Awen is a symbol that implies balance, between two opposing powers in the universe. It is also said that awen stands for the inspiration of truth, without awen one cannot proclaim truth. The three foundations of awen are the understanding of truth, the love of truth, and the maintaining of truth.

  Glossary of Irish Gaelic Terms

  Άdh mór = good luck

  álainn = beautiful

  athair = father

  Bán = white

  Caomhnóirí na Batha = Guardian of Life

  Cara = friend

  Cara Bán = white friend

  ceann beag = little one

  Coimeádaithe na Anamacha = Keeper of Souls

  dathúil = handsome

  deartháir = brother

  deora = tears

  Dorcha Forest = Dark Forest

  iníon = daughter

  Is breá liom tú = I love you

  Lár Domhain = Middle Earth, in the land of Faerie

  majic = magic (For purposes of this series, magic will be referred to as majic. The spelling is meant to be unique to the Realms of the Otherworld Book series.)

  marthanais briosca = survival biscuit

  máthair = mother

  mo chroí = my heart

  mo dorchadas = my darkness

  mo grá = my love

  mo ghrá = my lover

  mo grhá is gaire = my dearest love

  mo neart = my strength

  mo solas = my light

  Oighreath Mountains = Icy Mountains

  spiorad ainmhí = spirit animal

  Taisclainne Anam = soul reliquary (For purposes of this series, Taisclainne Anam is the realm from which the souls that are in between find safe harbor. The Mother Keeper of Souls and the Father Guardian of Life are the rulers of this realm.)

  Glossary of Irish Mythology

  Airmed = goddess of healing. Alaric’s mother.

  Belenus = god of summer, star-crossed lovers, doomed to love Cailleach from a far.

  Bridgid = daughter to The Dagda married to King Bres of the Southern Territories. Goddess of dawn and fertility.

  Cailleach = ice goddess, died of a broken heart because she could not be with Belenus.

  Clíodhna = goddess of love and beauty.

  Cú Chulainn = Son of the god Lugh, who in a fit of anger split the Stone of Fál with his sword when the coronation stone failed to sing for his protégé. Also known as a legendary Irish mythical hero and his terrifying battle frenzy or ríastrad.

  Danu = Mother goddess to the Tuatha Dé Danann. Ashlinn’s mother.

  Dagda or The Dagda = High King to Faerie as well as the good god, father figure, and protector of the tribe.

  Fomorians = Traditional rivals of the Tuatha Dé Danann portrayed as monstrous beings.

  Ilthuryn and Talindra = The leaders of the Forrest Elves.

  Lugh = sky god and father to Cú Chulainn

  Manannán = sea god and foster father to Lugh and married to Fandra, Cú Chulainn’s kindred.

  Myrddin = Also known as the mythical Merlin, cambion born of a mortal woman and incubus father. Known sorcerer and advisor and a good friend to King Arthur. Bewitched and imprisoned by Nimue.

  The Lady of the Lake = Nimue, water deity/nymph, ruler of Avalon, and mistress of Excalibur.

  The Morrígan = Queen of the Fomorians. A fate deity, foretelling doom and death in battle. Also known as Morríganna.

  The Morrígna = A triad of sisters. For purposes of this series, the triad is
made up of Badb, Macha, and The Morrígan.

  Tuatha Dé Danann = A supernatural race in Irish Mythology thought to represent the main deities of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland.

  Personal Note from Jana:

  Warrior was difficult to write, not the story, but just knowing that this would be the end of Ashlinn and Alaric’s journey. I hope it was all you thought it would be and more. For me their story is precious to my heart. I do have a few spin offs in mind. Especially for Tarron and for the twins. The possibilities are endless.

  Thank you, everyone who has read Ashlinn and Alaric’s story, I hope you loved their journey, I certainly have.

  Reviews are Important! Please take a moment to leave a few words in the form of a review expressing your thoughts on Warrior and the series. Your reviews are important to me and also help readers everywhere discover new and exciting books they may never have taken a chance on before without your input.

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  Books by JANA LaPELLE:

  Fantasy Genre:

  Realms of the Otherworld Series

  Kindred Book 1

  Chosen Book 2

  Keeper Book 3

  The Hidden Memoirs of Joanna Elan Book 3.5

  Warrior Book 4

  Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense Genre:

  Cruel Secrets Series

  Cruel Deceit

  Cruel Lies (Coming soon)

  Now for a sneak peek into Cruel Deceit:

  Prologue

  (Melinda Danner)

  How the hell did I get here? Somehow or another, my carefully mapped out life became total chaos when I was not paying attention. I was living my dream, damn it. I was an up and coming artist with a thriving art gallery in Lower Manhattan. I married a prominent son of a US senator who had his whole political career ahead of him. We were in love, or so I thought. Ours was a turbulent relationship over the last year. In what feels like a blink of an eye, I’ve lost everything that I held dear and worked so hard to accomplish, all because of him. I thought we had it all. But evidently, I was wrong, so very wrong. How could I have been such a lousy judge of character? How could I have turned a blind eye to what was going on right underneath my very nose? Everything has gone to hell in a handbasket in such a short period of time that I’m having trouble coming to terms with my current situation. The son of a bitch that I married is well on his way to becoming my ex-husband after his connections with the Russian mafia were discovered by the FBI and Homeland Security, his true colors were finally revealed. Dammit! I should have listened to my gut instinct about him a long time ago. But no, I married the lying prick, and he has raked me over the coals of our now dead relationship and left me with our infant son to enter witness protection. Witness protection of all freakin’ things! Don’t get me wrong, I will do anything and everything to keep my son safe from his father’s influence and his very lethal connections. William’s on the run now, and I fear that he will try to find us once the dust settles. I can only pray that once we are relocated that we will be untraceable, if that’s even possible.

  In the grand scheme of things, the only thing that matters is, getting my son to safety because William has put a target on our backs. His associates are the scourge of the earth, and I will do whatever it takes to keep them away from me and my precious baby boy. Including walking away from all that I have worked so hard to accomplish, building a name for myself and my art, my gallery, family, friends, everything that I hold dear so that we can never be used as leverage to get William to come out of hiding. He was a coward that left when things got to be more than he could handle. Seriously, what the hell did he think was going to happen when he got mixed up in all of this shit? Political espionage? What in all that is holy was he thinking? The Russian mafia and possibly their leaders were targeting the United States leaders in an attempt to cause chaos and disruption within our government. In the end, all he managed to do was drag us down with him as things began to spiral out of control.

  Our cavalcade is rolling to a stop and my thoughtful reflection on everything that has transpired in the last seventy-two hours is brought to an abrupt end as I hold Liam close. He’s sound asleep from the car ride and looks angelic. I can’t help but smile down at my son. He means the world to me and after today will be the only person in my life that I know and love that will be with me as we enter our new reality. I look around to see that we have arrived at a remote airport. The door to my right slowly opens so that I can exit the confines of the car with Liam in my arms. The men surrounding us are all dressed in dark suits with dark sunglasses. They are all carrying concealed firearms as they close in around me and my son as we make our way to the private jet awaiting us. The air is crisp and cold, and snow blankets the ground around us. My breath forms plumes of vapor that lifts into the bright morning sky. I swallow hard as I look around us, knowing that life as I know it is about to end but life as my son knows it is about to begin. He will never know his father, and I’m okay with that. I’m ready for the next chapter in my life to begin. I’m prepared to put William’s deceit behind us and start a new life.

  Chapter One

  Four years later

  (Lindy, formerly known as Melinda Danner)

  “Mum,” Landon calls out. I still secretly prefer Liam, but he will never know his birth name or even feel the least bit connected to it.

  “I’m in here,” I call back down the hallway. “Little man, you know where to find me.”

  I hear the pitter-pattering of little five-year-old footsteps as my precious little guy races down the hall toward my art studio. I can’t help but grin as he comes closer. We’ve been in London for going on four and a half years. My art has become highly sought after. Each piece that is commissioned goes through multiple hands to keep our identity a secret. To say that we are sitting pretty is an understatement. Although I still miss the hustle and bustle of my own gallery, I have become accustomed to sticking to the shadows and staying out of the limelight that London offers. The fear of being discovered is a constant nagging thought that I push aside daily.

  Turning, I smile brightly as my reason for living races into my studio. “Mum take a look at this. Isn’t it brilliant?!”

  “What am I looking at, Landon?” I ask.

  “Seriously, you can’t make it out?” He demands and I can’t help the smile that graces my face.

  “What is it, squirt?”

  “Mum…”he slides to a stop right beside me and holds out his latest finger painting for me to take in. It’s still a little wet and is awash with deep azure blues and neon greens. In the center is a large circle, lit up in yellows. “Look closely. What do you see?”

  “Well, I see a perfect blend of colors, and I see a beautiful, abstract circle.”

  “Mum.” Landon scolds me, clearly frustrated with my ineptness. “It’s the London Eye.” He says finally, clearly disappointed that I had no idea as to what the masterpiece in my hands is depicting.

  I look him over and take in his tousled dark curls, he really needs a haircut, but I just love the wavy, curly mop that is his hair. His dark blue eyes remind me of his father, William, and for just an instant I can’t help but wonder where he is and hope like crazy that he has no idea as to where we are. I bend down to Landon’s level and lean in to kiss his cheek, “Little
man, you were right, this is brilliant. As soon as this dries, I’m going to have it framed, but it’s missing one very important thing.” I say seriously.

  “What is it? I thought it was perfect, just as it is.” Those intelligent blue eyes look up at me and then back at his masterpiece. He cocks his head as he studies his work of art.

  Laughing, I tweak his pert freckle covered nose, “Silly, it is perfect. It just needs today's date and your initials or name in the bottom right corner. Just like I do. Right there.” I point to the bottom corner.

  He beams up at me and nods his head vigorously, “You’re right! I forgot. I’ll do that straight away.”

  I hand his beautiful work of art back to him. If he continues with painting, he will more than likely become an impressionist, that’s my gut speaking to me about his young tendencies. He races back out of the room, and I call after him. “No running in the house, Landon.”

  “I’m not running, Mum, I’m walking really fast.” He calls back to me, and I can’t help but laugh at his quick-witted comeback. That child is going to be a handful.

  The whole top floor of our home has been turned into my art studio because the light up here is fantastic, but I can still hear from up here the front door being opened by Clover our housekeeper and live in nanny. She is more like a part of our little family now. She’s been with us for years. I hear her greet our guest, “Miss Meredith, so glad to see you. I’ll let Ms. Lindy know that you are here.”