“So do I. He’d know what to do.” Johan heaved a worried sigh. “In the meantime, I’ve made her sleeping draught—just in case.”
“Thanks, Johan.”
Blayne returned home to find Hope curled up on the sleeping platform with Romana sleeping peacefully in her arms.
“Hope?”
The pain in her eyes told him something was terribly wrong.
“What happened?”
“I had a Seeing.” Her voice was devoid of emotion, as though all capability for feeling had faded along with her vision.
“What did you See?”
“Romana. She’s sick, Blayne. We have to try and send her back—to my world. She’ll have a chance there.”
His heart stuttered and he pressed a fist to his chest to keep the panic at bay. “She’s fine Hope. How many times do I have to tell you? There’s nothing wrong with our daughter.”
“We have to send her back. Soon. Before it’s too late.”
He thought her voice sounded strange—inhuman. “I’ll help you then,” he said, dying a little more inside. “But first, let me hold Romana a while, hmm? And I’ve made you a drink. Nursing mothers need plenty to drink, remember?”
“I remember. Thank you.” She drained the flask he handed her to the last drop.
He watched her eyelids begin to droop. When he was certain she was deeply asleep, he strode off to locate a nursing mother for his baby daughter. It was all he could think of to do.
~~~
Hope opened her eyes. She scanned the house with her Sehani senses. Empty. She extended her range and found Blayne in conference with Johan and the other healers. They were discussing her.
Despair shrouded her. Why didn’t Blayne believe her? The only sick one here was their daughter. And where had he taken Romana?
Ah, there. She slumbered in a spare crib in the child-minding facility. Maya would be taking her meal break soon….
Perfect. But right now there was a document to write.
After so long expressing herself in Dayamaru the English words didn’t come easy. The date, too, was a problem. She presumed time passed in a similar manner on both worlds but who knew for sure? After some thought she backdated the document to the week before Dayamar had snatched her from Earth.
It took three frustrating attempts before she remembered the knack of writing across a ruler so her words didn’t wander down the page. She grabbed a fresh piece of parchment and started over.
When she’d finished, she reviewed what she’d written in her mind, mentally checking for loopholes. And then she walked outside, grabbed the first person she sensed, and dragged him back to her room. “Look at this,” she instructed the unfortunate man. “And keep looking at it until I tell you to stop.”
“Y-yes, Sehan!” He did as he was told, unaware that she was using his eyes.
She signed her full name and the date she’d settled on, and then tapped the quill’s feather on her lip. She couldn’t risk a letter of explanation—not that anyone would believe it. But after her parents’ and brothers’ deaths one person had been there for her. Her mother’s best friend. Maggie had treated her like a daughter. Maggie, of all people, would understand what she was trying to achieve.
Please gods, she prayed, let that be true.
She printed Maggie’s full legal name beneath her own signature. All Maggie would have to do was sign the document… and keep her mouth shut.
Through her borrowed eyes she scanned the document one last time. Perfectly legible. Yes, it would do. “You can go now,” she told the man, and he bolted from the room like a pack of wolves was on his tail.
She rolled the parchment and tied it with a piece of leather thong. And then she smoothed her hair, tugged her clothing straight, and set out for the center to fetch her daughter.
When she entered the center, she greeted Degan and some of the little ones she knew by name. No one questioned her when she scooped her baby from the crib and walked away. Now came the hardest part of her task.
By the time she’d broken through the protective veil between her home-world and Dayamaria her composure had crumpled and her knees were wobbling. And after she’d spun the gate that would prevent the opening from inadvertently closing, the immense well of her power was almost drained.
“Goodbye, my darling,” she whispered to Romana. “I love you. Be safe and grow. If I survive this, I will find a way to be with you again someday. I give you my word.”
She kissed her daughter’s soft cheek and carefully placed her on the ground. Then she stepped back, biting her lips to keep the sobs locked inside her. She sucked in a deep breath to center herself. Her hand brushed her belt pouch and an idea bloomed. Yes!
She darted forward to tuck her precious picture-globe into the baby’s swaddling blanket next to the rolled parchment meant for Maggie. She kissed Romana one last time and backed away. Now. It had to be now, before she lost the will to do what must be done and condemned them all.
She concentrated. The air around the baby began to whirl. Faster, and faster… forming a vortex that streamed upward, taking Romana with it.
“Hope!”
Her shoulders hunched as the horror-filled shout smacked her.
“What have you done?”
“Gods help me, I’ve saved us all,” she whispered. And then the painful tightness in her chest flared into agony, her knees buckled, and she toppled to the ground in a heap.
Blayne skidded to a halt on his knees and felt for her pulse. None. He pounded on her chest. “Come on,” he chanted. “Live! We need you, Hope. I need you. If you die, we’ll never get her back.”
She gave a choked gasp. Beneath his hands he felt her heart stutter to life.
“Chryss!” He implored the empty air. “Help me, please! Help me get my daughter back!”
“I’m sorry, Panakeya.” Chryss’s deep bass came from behind him. “It’s too late. I haven’t the power to bring her back. Only Hope can do that.”
Blayne dragged her across his lap and rocked her. “Why couldn’t you have come sooner?”
When the big man finally spoke his voice was immeasurably sad. “There was nothing I could have done.”
“Why, Chryss? Why did she do it? There was nothing wrong with our daughter. Nothing. It was all in her mind!”
“You’re wrong, Blayne. If Romana had remained here she would have become evil incarnate. What’s infecting your daughter will be contained in Hope’s home-world. There, it will hold no sway over any being save its host.”
“No. I don’t believe you. I don’t understand. If you can’t bring my daughter back, why are you here?”
“To show you what Hope has Seen and help you understand. Link with my mind, Blayne. See.”
The air shimmered and a scene formed. Blayne saw a large shade tree. Beneath it, on a bed of leaves, lay his baby daughter. She screwed up her face and loosed a frightened wail… and he thought his heart would break.
A middle-aged woman came into view, and hastened over to the baby. “Oh my goodness!” She scooped Romana up and glanced around, obviously perplexed. “There now. Sshh. Where’s your mommy? Sshh, my sweet. There now.”
As the woman cooed softly and jiggled the baby, two items slipped from the blanket. She hugged the baby close to her chest while she bent to retrieve them.
Blayne recognized Hope’s picture globe. The second item was a rolled piece of parchment—a letter of explanation, perhaps. If so, it was far more than he’d been given. His lips compressed to a tight line and fury welled in his soul.
He watched the woman prop his daughter over her shoulder and walk briskly up a pathway to a large dwelling the likes he’d never seen before.
His heart shriveled. What Hope had done…. It could never be undone. He would never forgive her for this. Never. “Goodbye, little one,” he whispered. “Your mother and I will always love you, even if we’re a world away. Remember me, Romana. Please, remember me.”
And it seemed the baby heard his
voice, even from a world away, for she opened her eyes and stared right at him. Her eyes glowed with a sickly-green malevolence that chilled his soul. “No!” he shouted, appalled as the truth slapped him. “No!” And then the vision cut off.
“I’m sorry, Panakeya,” he heard Chryss say. “It was written this day would come. There was nothing I could do.”
In his arms Hope gave a low moan of distress… and a tear tracked down her cheek.
End of Book One
***
If you enjoyed this book, please tell your friends and consider writing a short review. The author thanks you very much for your support.
You might also enjoy these other books by Maree Anderson, all available wherever electronic books are sold:
Seer’s Promise (Book Two of The Seer Trilogy)
www.mareeanderson.com/books
Seer’s Choice (Book Three of The Seer Trilogy)
www.mareeanderson.com/books
The Crystal Warrior (Book One of The Crystal Warriors series)
www.thecrystalwarrior.com
Ruby’s Dream (Book Two of The Crystal Warriors series)
www.rubysdream.com
Jade’s Choice (Book Three of The Crystal Warriors series)
www.jadeschoice.com
Lightning Rider
www.lightningriderbook.com
Freaks of Greenfield High (Book One of the Freaks series)
www.freaksofgreenfieldhigh.com
Freaks in the City (Book Two of the Freaks series)
www.freaksinthecity.com
***
Coming Soon:
Book Four of The Crystal Warriors Series
Glossary of Characters and Terms
Dayamari
Blayne (male)
- Panakeya (First Healer)
Cayl (m)
- Hunter, Maiya’s life-partner
Chryss (m)
- Hermit
Dayama (f)
- First recorded Dayamari Sehan in history
Dayamar (m)
- First Sehan
Degan (m)
- Blayne’s housekeeper
Dorian (m)
- Willem’s friend
Evan (m)
- First Settlement Elder
Gerayne (m)
- Geramar’s son
Janus (m)
-Maya’s father
Jarren (m)
- Dayamari male
Johan (m)
- Healer
Katya (f),
- Maya’s sister, Sehan (deceased)
Kevyn (m)
- Dayamari male
Lukas (m)
- Apprentice tracker
Lyam (m),
- Treya’s life-partner (deceased)
Maya (f)
- Child-minder, Caiyl’s life-partner
Markis (m)
- Dayamari male
Mikel (m)
- Footwear-maker
Roban (m)
- Musician, maker of woodwind instruments, Zavier’s life-partner
Shay (f)
- Clothing-maker
Shayna (f)
- Willem’s cousin
Taran (m)
- Master Tracker
Treya (f)
- Hair-dresser & body-painter, Lyam’s life-partner
Varon (m)
- First Elder
Varaya (f)
- Previous lover of Blayne’s
Willem (m)
- Low status Dayamari male
Zavier (m)
- Carver & spear-maker, Roban’s life- partner
Gods
Kunnandi (m)
- Child figure, overseer of afterlife; chosen animal form: serpent
Shikari (m)
- Father-figure, protector, chosen animal form: wolf
Wisa (f)
- Mother-figure, Seer; chosen animal form: owl
Usehani
Breanna (f)
- Water-diviner
Daryon (m)
- Leader and founding member of Usehani settlement
Geramar (m)
- Historian, Dayamar’s great-grandnephew, Gerayne’s father
Kaylia
- Trainee healer
Martyn (m)
- Usehani male
Mayson (m)
- Usehani male
Naytan (m)
- Healer
Nerraya (f)
- First Leader
Rikard (m)
- Usehani male
Others
Hope Leah Delamore (f)
- Young blind woman transported to Dayamaria from Earth
Maggie
- Hope’s guardian
Terms & Explanations
Ambre
- Gold-colored fossilized resin, prized as jewelry
Anthemisia
- Low-growing herb with a fragrance like apples, and daisy-like flowers with yellow centers; used widely as a tea; valued for its calming properties, but also used to reduce fevers, toothache, clear skin eruptions. Also useful as an insect repellent and as a poultice to speed wound healing.
Aureya
- Psychic energy that surrounds the human body and all matter, both animate and inanimate
Cervida
- Deer-like herbivore, hunted for hide, meat and antlers
Dayamaria
- ‘Dayama’s Land’
Dayamari
- People of Dayamaria
Dayamaru
- Spoken language of Dayamaria
Dormayre
- Dormitory complex for young single men or women
Euphrasia
- Also known as “eyebright”. Herbaceous plant commonly found in colder climes, with either purple, blue-white, or violet flowers. Flowers have a distinctive lower petal shaped like a “lip”. Commonly used as a warm poultice for redness, swelling and eye strains or infections. Can also be administered as a tea to ease chest inflammation caused by coughs, colds and sinus infections.
Joining
- Dayamari custom, similar to marriage
Kiyusari
- ‘Chosen Ones’ (ancient name for Dayamari people)
Kuruvinda
- Deep red precious gem
Lavendula
- Fragrant herb with distinctive silvery foliage covered in fine hairs, and purple flower-heads. Used in balms, salves and infusions. Valued for its antiseptic properties; used to soothe insect bites, burns and headaches, and to help with insomnia. The dried buds add a slightly sweet floral taste when used in cooking.
Life-partners
- Joined couples, similar to married couples
Panakeya
- Highest status healer, i.e. First Healer
Promise/Promising
- Dayamari custom, similar to engagement. An exchange of gifts is made during the Promising ceremony, traditionally a bracelet or necklace featuring the color red.
Sehan
- Generic term for Seer
Sehani
- Of, or regarding, a Sehan
Sekar
- Beverage made from fermented fruit
Usehani
- ‘Seer-less people’, renegade Dayamari Settlement
About the Author
Maree Anderson writes paranormal romance, sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult books. She’s a Kiwi, a New Zealander, and she’s addicted to chocolate—the darker the better. Not to mention coffee, and the occasional glass of excellent NZ wine. She’s not quite so addicted to her local gym—she’d much rather do an hour’s karate class and go Ceroc dancing than pound the treadmill.
Maree’s first Young Adult novel, the multi-award-winning Freaks of Greenfield High, has been optioned for TV by Cream Drama, Inc., and she’s currently working on a fantasy trilogy.
For blurbs, excerpts, and more about Maree’s published books, please check out the Books page of her website:
Website & Blog
www.mareeanderson.com
Facebook Author page
www.face
book.com/MareeAndersonAuthor
Facebook YA page
www.facebook.com/MareeAndersonFreaksofGreenfieldHigh
Twitter
www.twitter.com/MareeAnderson
Author Group blog
www.writersgonewild.blogspot.com
Other Books
SEER’S PROMISE
Book Two of The Seer Trilogy
www.mareeanderson.com/books
Hope’s Sehani powers have finally grown strong enough to risk returning to Earth. Gods willing, she’ll find a way to rid her daughter of the soul-eater that possesses her, and convince Romana to return with her to Dayamaria.
Romana is captivated by the prospect of becoming a powerful Sehan like her mother. But her dreams are shattered when everything she’d hoped for is bestowed upon someone who couldn’t care less about wielding Sehani magic. Romana craves power with every fiber of her being… and when she finds a way to take what she wants the cost is devastating for gods and humankind alike.
Other Books
SEER’S CHOICE
Book Three of The Seer Trilogy
www.mareeanderson.com/books
Ryley has traveled across worlds and discovered his soul mate living in the Earth town of Seaview… his mother’s hometown. Watching Rowan from afar is one thing, but actively interfering in her life? That’s against “the rules” in so many ways—especially when your mother is the most powerful Sehan in Dayamaria, and your grandmother happens to be a goddess. If anyone discovers where he’s been disappearing to—and why—there’ll be big trouble. But he can’t give Rowan up, especially now her strange powers have spun dangerously out of control. And then Dayamaria is threatened by a deadly predator immune to magic, and Ryley must choose between the woman he loves and the people he left behind.
Other Books
THE CRYSTAL WARRIOR
Book One of The Crystal Warriors Series
www.thecrystalwarrior.com
She’s a dancer, and the most important thing in her life right now is the success of her new dance studio. He’s an alien Crystal Warrior with one big-ass curse hanging over him. In a moment of weakness she lets him seduce her. Now they’re magically bonded and his life is in her hands.
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