Once a Pirate
Mystical Realm
Book One
Sarah Snyder
Outrun the Rain
Second Edition
Copyright © 2015 Sarah Snyder
Self-publishing
([email protected])
All rights reserved.
This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my friend, my sister, my daughter, my confidant; Wendy Douglas.
While our situation is complicated, our road a bit rocky and our definitions changed on a daily basis, I am eternally grateful and honored to have you in my life. You have my love and support in every choice you make and everything you do.
I hope this novel reminds you any dream is possible.
Never give up on yours.
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to my gorgeous Cover Models, Meaghyn Harlan and Tim Krivacsy for their support and dedication.
Prologue
In the beginning, our worlds existed as a perfect infinity; an endless cycle of energy between two linked spheres. One orb fed the other, ensuring continuous growth and prosperity of the two halves. Portals formed throughout the realms, providing gateways between the two dimensions. However, this system was not to last.
As the infinite plane grew in strength, an unlimited source of energy emerged; a power craved by many. Any who possessed this energy would be then forth immortal; untouchable by any creature through the worlds. Fearing this power too great to be held by one being, the highest Councils merged, seeking to protect the magic and see it was distributed among the worthy. Greed and jealousy rose among the willing, beginning a war to which there could never be victor. In an attempt to end the war, it was decreed the realms would be divided in two. The Mortal Realm, a world of logic, reason and science and The Mystical Realm, a world of magic, miracle and faith. Those who opposed this division were imprisoned in cells of massive distance, forever banished from both realms.
To ensure the realms would never again join as one, a barrier was created, blocking any creature from passing to the other. Over time, magic was lost from the Mortal Realm and memory faded of its existence. Only a few select sensitive souls in this Mortal Realm were capable of sensing the presence of the Mystical Realm; The Chosen.
However, this protection came with a price; a prophecy was born from the ashes of this spell. Should the portal between realms ever be opened, the prophecy sang; “Lest on highest moon of Summer Cycle a Chosen doth step through, her blood upon this cursed soil, the spell and realm shall undo.”
Chapter One
Mystical Realm
Mina of Faeria closed the thick tome she held, setting it beside her with a sigh. For eons, the text was read as a warning; a reason to avoid any attempt to contact the Mortal Realm. Its leather bound pages held spells and formulas used in the earliest days of existence to maintain balance between the worlds, but it also held a darkness many feared. While many forgot the book and what it stood for, Mina was not among them. She knew the dangers playing with this type of magic could bring. An accomplished Fairy, Mina was one of the few who could translate and perform the rituals found in the ancient text.
A shudder of doubt rolled through her, but she brushed it off. Mina refused to believe in such omens. The prophecy holding so many of her kin in fear drew Mina like a Siren’s song. It called to her, urging her to take the steps needed to bring about the change. So when she first found the book, buried in a dark, restricted corner of the Faeria archives, Mina was unable to let go of her growing obsession.
Mina believed, rather than destruction, the prophecy spoke of the salvation of both worlds. For so long, the Realms were separate, only glimpses caught in dreams of those sensitive to the presence of more. In this, the Mortal Realm thrived as it fell, pollution and hatred poisoning their lands as the Mystical Realm stagnated and began to rot. Fear of change and growth poisoned the population against growing beyond the old ways. Even now, Mina could feel the ebb of magic which once ran fluidly beneath the soil. Mina believed linking the worlds would bring an end as the prophecy stated, but also a new beginning.
She petitioned the Fairy Council for decades to allow her open the portal to the Mortal Realm with no vindication. Mina was laughed at, lectured and threatened, but her pleas fell on close-minded Fairy ears. She was tired of being denied, so when the time came this year, Mina had forgone the Council and acted on her own accord. Tonight was the night, the Summer Alignment the prophecy quoted, and Mina was determined to prove her theories.
She watched the moon rise high in the night sky, marveling at its silvery glow. The spell was already cast and all chants were chanted; now she only waited for the moon to fall in alignment to complete the rites. The vile of dust which completed the spell rested in her palm as Mina counted down the moments. A wave of anticipation washed over her, drawing a shiver from her scantily clad form.
“What are you doing, Sister?” A scolding tone whipped Mina around to face the intruder.
“Mara, what are you doing here?” Mina asked as innocently as she could muster, holding the vile behind her back.
“You didn’t come to petition the Council this year. I wondered if perhaps you were planning on doing something foolish.” Mara tilted her golden head, her matching eyes staring hard at Mina. “It seems I was correct to worry.”
“No need to worry, Sister.” Mina batted her silvery lashes at her fellow Fairy. Mina’s hair curled around her pixie features, its silver color matching the sparks emanating from her eyes. She felt the surge of energy signaling the arrival of the alignment and uncorked the vial at her back. “Everything will be right. You will see.”
“Mina,” Mara held out her shimmering hand in warning as Mina tipped the vial. “Don’t!”
“Too late, Sister, it has been done.” Mina smiled serenely as she felt the spell swirl behind her.
“No! Mina, what have you done?” Mara rushed to her side as the portal formed, the first link to the Mortal Realm seen by Fairy eyes in generations.
Energy flared around them in violent bursts of color. Gold and silver mixed with crimson and teal to create a fantastic show of light. The colors sparked and swirled, throwing a violent wind which pushed both Fairies away from its center. Mina stared in awe at what she created, never more certain of her beliefs as the brilliant display grew larger.
“What have you done, Mina?!” Mara screamed over the roar of the portal.
“It’s so beautiful! Look at it, Mara! Do you truly believe something so beautiful could be wrong?” Mina wasn’t sure her words were heard, but she didn’t care. Images formed in the rings of light; shadows of those it sought. Mina wasn’t sure what would come through the gateway, but she knew it would be the savior of the realms.
***
Mortal Realm
The wind howled through the trees as the sky grew dark as night. Clouds swirled ominously across the sky, their thickness lowering until they seemed to touch the earth. Anna Blake stared out at the scene from her family’s porch, a sense of unease spreading through her like flames to tinder. The loose fitting crop top she wore flared and her jeans provided little protection from the harsh wind cutting through the denim. She lived in central Pennsylvania her entire life and never had she s
een weather like this, yet there was familiarity in its severity.
“It’s just like your dream, isn’t it?” Shane asked from behind her.
Anna turned with an uneasy smile toward her oldest brother, knowing an answer wasn’t needed. Anna hid nothing from her family, especially the older brother she idolized. It would be futile to keep secrets as her overbearing family would pester, interrogate and meddle until they knew everything. Not that Anna would have been able to keep the dreams private through the middle of the night screams they drew from her.
The dreams first occurred when she was very little and persisted every year as summer approached. At first, her family chalked them up to video games and violent television, but as the years went by they came to expect them. It was always the same frightening images; a brilliant summer sky grew dark with ominous clouds. A spinning tornado would herald the storm, but not an average tornado. No, the tornado of Anna’s dream was sideways and comprised of brilliant colors swirling at its center. She would try to run, knowing the tornado was coming for her, but never fast enough to escape. In the end, the wind would lift her up and carry her away.
“Come inside, Angel. You have some explaining to do.” Shane’s voice was a welcome disruption of her thoughts.
Anna was grateful for the momentary distraction, smiling and rolling her eyes at her brother’s bluntness. “I don’t know. I may take my chances with the clouds.”
“Well, what did you expect, Anna?” Shane laughed.
“Congratulations?” Anna asked innocently.
“You can’t just announce you’re getting married and not expect an inquisition. Not in this family.” Shane scolded.
“Richard is a wonderful man, Shane. I’m just not ready for him to meet everyone.” Anna sighed.
“How do I know he’s good enough for you?” Shane pouted in response.
Anna heard the disappointment in Shane’s voice, knowing he was upset she hadn’t told him about Richard before her brash announcement. She felt a twinge of guilt at her omission these past few months, but knew her family would overreact to the knowledge she was dating. Anna was the baby; coddled and protected from all which might hurt her. It was purely by chance and sheer stubbornness she managed to escape the deprivation of her youth and live a semi-normal life.
Richard was everything she’d never had growing up. He didn’t care what Anna did or where she went; he offered her space and freedom to do whatever she pleased without his input. Perhaps, it wasn’t the best method for choosing a mate, but Anna was tired of her life being led by others. She wanted her own choices to matter.
“I’m sorry, Shane. I wanted to tell you, but you would have felt bound to tell the others.” Anna placed a hand on his arm. “You know how they can be.”
Anna thought back over her last attempt at dating and the poor man her four older brothers sent crying from their home. Christian Fields was the star of their high school basketball team and Anna’s crush since Junior High. When he asked her to the Homecoming dance their senior year, every teenage dream of Anna’s came true. However, they’d never made it to the dance, her four brothers catching him at the door as he came to pick her up and sending him running as far and as fast as he could from her.
He never spoke to her again, keeping his head down and refusing to even make eye contact. She still had no idea what her brothers said to him, but it was enough to scar the poor guy for life. A few days later, Anna learned the jock only asked her to the dance in an attempt to get in the panties of the good girl in school. She’d been glad for her brothers after then, but Anna would never let them know it.
“Christian was an ass. You deserved better.” Shane defended; his mind obviously following a similar line as Anna’s. “And, why you can’t pick one of the local boys?”
“The boys who are too afraid to look at me for fear one of my brothers may castrate him?” Anna asked innocently. “Richard is sweet and sensitive. He’s not ready to meet you boys yet. I have to ease him in.”
“So, what you’re saying,” Shane crossed his arms with a snide smile, “is he’s a wuss.”
“I’m saying, he’s my choice,” Anna clarified. “And, I thought my family would respect that.”
“We only want what’s best for you. I’m just concerned you might be rushing into this.” Shane cautioned, his joking demeanor gone in an instant. “Just like when you went off to college in New York City.”
Anna shuddered at the memory of her first and only semester at New York University. The big city was not for her and she rushed back to Pennsylvania as fast as the train would take her. Anna received her Master’s in Education at a local college and been teaching locally ever since. “It was an experience I needed to have on my own.”
“It was a mistake. You hated it. Now, you want to run off to marry this guy. What makes you think this won’t be the same? What if you move in with him and hate it?”
“So, I should just stay here and let my family make all my choices for me?” Anna asked in frustration. “Haven’t you ever wondered what was outside of this tiny town, Shane? Haven’t you ever felt like there was something more; something bigger you were meant to do?”
“No,” Shane answered easily. “I know what’s out there; misery, loneliness and horrible people who don’t give a shit about anyone but themselves. You’re better off here, with your family who loves you.”
“Anna, Shane come inside, the weather is getting worse.” Maria Blake stepped into the doorway, three male faces peering out around her.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Shane answered, always obedient to their mother.
The wind picked up suddenly. Anna held onto the railing for stability rather than be swept off her feet by the gust. Shane halted his retreat into the house as if she called for him, but Anna was silent. He turned cautiously as the clouds began to roar, their call deafening. Anna looked out to the open field in front of the house as a swirling vortex formed.
“Tornado!” Shane shouted.
“No,” Anna denied breathlessly. The cyclone was nothing like any Anna saw before. The funnel rested sideways with the mouth open toward where Anna and her brother stood. Brilliant sparks of gold, silver, red and blue flared within the mass, shooting electric currents across the ground.
“Anna!” Shane screamed her name as the dream Anna described to him a dozen times came to life.
The wind whipped tendrils of brown hair from her ponytail, flattening them against her face. Anna noted Shane’s hair, secured in a similar knot, was unmoved. In fact, it was as if the wind wasn’t even touching him. Anna latched onto the railing as her feet were lifted and pulled toward the vortex. She screamed, but the sound was lost in the roaring of the wind. As her fingers began to slip from the wood, Anna felt Shane’s work roughened hands latch onto hers.
“Hold on!” Shane yelled.
“I’m trying!” Anna responded as she felt herself slipping away from her brother.
“Anna!” The wind encircled Anna, forcing the terror of her family’s cries to come at her from all sides as they screamed for her.
“Anna, I can’t hold on,” Shane’s admission came with tearful eyes filled with regret. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Anna assured as her fingers fell free of his grasp.
Tears streaked her cheeks as Anna’s view of her family clouded and blurred until they were nothing more than shadows in the distance. The colors swirled around her, their fingers reaching out and guiding her through the vortex. Anna closed her eyes, hoping this was a dream and she would wake up to find herself safe in her bedroom surrounded by loved ones. However, when she opened them, the colors and patterns were still around her. She felt no pain, only an excited energy pulsing along her nerves.
The shadows danced through the colored lights, becoming shapes and then figures. They grew larger, taking more and more of the light until Anna was left in darkness. A final burst of color surrounded her before Anna felt something cool and damp against her back. She looked up
at a sky full of stars and a moon so bright it could have been a sun. Whether from the cold ground beneath her, the chill in the air over her or stark terror, Anna’s body began to shake. She felt tears leak from her eyes, helpless to stop their flow.
Anna lay still, closing her eyes and pleading for her family to return. She felt warmth spread over her as if someone covered her with a blanket. Anna tried to open her eyes, but the lids felt like they were glued shut. She gave into the pull of heat surrounding her, hoping when she woke this would be another bad dream.
***
Mystical Realm
“Is she alive?” Mara questioned softly, staring down at the human who appeared as the portal closed.
“Of course, she’s alive.” Mina admonished her. “The poor dear is just confused and scared.”
“Is she asleep?” Mara asked cautiously, noting the female’s shaking stopped and her breathing regulated.
“I thought it would be best,” Mina nodded solemnly. “She’s had a long journey. It’s only a minor sleeping spell. She will wake by dawn.”
“You’ve really done it now, Mina.” Mara shook her head slowly, unable to look away from the human. The creature was quite lovely; her brown hair pulled loose from its binding and swirled around her head like a halo of ribbons. “Now, what are you going to do with her?”
“I don’t know,” Mina sounded thoughtful, drawing Mara’s attention.
“You don’t know?” Mara asked incredulously.
“Well, I didn’t expect this, Sister,” Mina waved her hands in the air, still humming from the magic it experienced moments before. Her body suddenly stilled, taking on a statuesque quality Mara knew signaled an idea. “But, why wouldn’t I expect this? Yes, it makes sense now.”
“Mina, none of this makes sense!” Mara resisted the urge to smack the Fairy pacing before her. “If the prophecy is true, this mortal will be the undoing of our world.”
Once a Pirate (Mystical Realm Series Book 1) Page 1