by S. E. Smith
The Magic Shell
A Seven Kingdoms Tale 6
S.E. Smith
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my husband Steve for believing in me and being proud enough of me to give me the courage to follow my dream. I would also like to give a special thank you to my sister and best friend, Linda, who not only encouraged me to write, but who also read the manuscript. Also to my other friends who believe in me: Julie, Jackie, Christel, Sally, Jolanda, Lisa, Laurelle, Debbie, and Narelle. The girls that keep me going!
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And a special thanks to Paul Heitsch, David Brenin, Samantha Cook, Suzanne Elise Freeman, and PJ Ochlan – the awesome voices behind my audiobooks!
– S. E. Smith
Contents
Copyright
Synopsis
Cast of Characters
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
Epilogue
Who’s Who in the Seven Kingdoms Tales:
Additional Books
About the Author
Paranormal Romance
THE MAGIC SHELL: SEVEN KINGDOMS TALE 6
Copyright © 2019 by S. E. Smith
First E-Book Published December 2019
Cover Design by Melody Simmons
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission from the author.
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All characters, places, and events in this book are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations are strictly coincidental.
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Summary: A fisherman makes the discovery of a lifetime only to be transported to a magical world where he joins forces with a powerful princess to save not only her kingdom, but the entire Seven Kingdoms.
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ISBN: (Paperback): 9781944125950
ISBN: (eBook): 9781944125943
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Published by Montana Publishing.
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{1. Paranormal Romance. – Fiction. 2. Fantasy Romance. 3. Contemporary Romance. 4. Mythological Romance.}
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www. montanapublishinghouse. com
Synopsis
Ross Galloway is more than ready for a new life away from Yachats, Oregon. All he needs for his plans to fall into place is a little money and a lot of luck. He gets his break when he discovers something out of this world on one of his dives – a real-life mermaid.
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His plans to cash in on his discovery don’t work out quite the way he’d planned when the mermaid gives him an unexpected gift – a magic shell. Swept overboard by the spell contained within the shell, Ross surfaces in a strange, bizarre world.
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Princess Gem LaBreeze is an Elemental, a powerful species that can control the elements. Transformed to stone to protect her from the evil threatening the Isle of the Elementals, she is awakened by a man from another world – a stranger who is as arrogant and uncouth as he is unpredictable.
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Gem and Ross, forced together in a desperate race against time, learn that opposites can attract and that sometimes the roughest surface hides the tenderest of hearts. Can an unlikely hero and a lone woman survive the traps set to stop a destructive alien creature that has been unleashed, or will the Isle of the Elementals fall back into the ocean and disappear beneath the waves forever?
Cast of Characters
Isle of the Elementals:
King Ruger and Queen Adrina LaBreeze
Gem Aurora LaBreeze – Princess of the Elementals
Wayman – High Chancellor to the King and Queen and Gem’s Cousin
Samuel – the King’s Personal Guard
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Isle of the Monsters:
Empress Nali
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Isle of the Pirates:
The Pirate King Ashure Waves
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Isle of the Giants:
King Koorgan – Presiding King of the Giants
Gant – half Giant/half wizard, Koorgan’s friend and Second-in-Command
King Samui and Queen Malay of the Isle of the Giants: Koorgan’s parents and the original rulers of the Giants
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Isle of the Dragons:
Drago – King of the Dragons
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Isle of the Sea Serpent:
Orion – King of the Isle of the Sea Serpent
Magna – The Sea Witch
Prologue
Isle of the Elementals:
Three years ago
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The corridors of the Crystal Palace were alive with the residents’ early morning activities, but Princess Gem Aurora LaBreeze was only mildly aware of the hustle and bustle as she strode down the magnificent corridor. Her mind was preoccupied with what had happened at the meeting that she had attended the night before. She was still trying to process everything that she had seen and learned before she presented it to her parents.
The most shocking part of the meeting had been seeing the Dragon King! The last she’d heard, Drago had cloaked the entire Isle of the Dragons in a deadly fog after the Sea Witch turned his family and all of his subjects into stone. In the years since, he had never reappeared – until last night when he had attended the meeting of rulers and representatives – all because a woman from another world had come and changed everything.
Nali, the Empress of the Monsters, had claimed that this woman, Carly Tate, had initiated a chain of events that would bring the kingdoms together to destroy ‘the alien creature’. That’s what they were calling the evil entity who had taken over Magna the Sea Witch and forced her to terrorize the Seven Kingdoms.
Given that her free will had been enslaved for centuries, the others attending the meeting had voted to spare the Sea Witch’s life if possible. Gem had been the lone dissenter. She did not yet know why her parents had been so adamant that she must vote for Magna’s death no matter the circumstances, but she was sure they would not be happy when she informed them of the decision made.
Gem’s expression softened when she saw the old guard standing protectively outside a set of splendid double doors. The guard bowed his head in respect and opened the door to the conference room as she approached. The beautifully carved doors told the tale of the Elementals. Reaching out, she lovingly glided her fingers along the surface of one door.
“Your parents are expecting you, Princess. A word of warning, though, the High Chancellor is with them,” the guard murmured.
“Thank you for the warning, Samuel,” Gem replied with a rueful smile.
“My pleasure, Lady Gem, I’ll also have a word with the young guards about their manners – again. I think you’ve broken more than one heart with your arrival this morning alone without even realizing it,” Samuel replied with twinkling eyes.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw several young gu
ards staring at her with crooked grins. She chuckled and shook her head when one of the young men flushed and smiled broadly at her. With a stern glare from Samuel, the group quickly retreated in different directions. She returned her attention to the old guard.
“New recruits – I swear I go through this every time. This is their first time in the palace. I wanted to give them an opportunity to see the daily workings. You’ll be all they talk about the rest of the day!” he said as he shook his head in rueful amusement.
“I do it just to keep you happy. It gives you something to chastise them about,” she teased.
Gem was still smiling when she entered the conference room. Samuel had been her parents’ personal guard for as long as she could remember. She had spent countless hours quizzing him about the different scenes depicted on the doors, and he had spent the same number of hours enthralling her with the history of the Isle of the Elementals. He had also taught her how to use a sword.
The smile on her lips faded when she saw the High Chancellor talking with her parents. She didn’t care if the man was her distant cousin, she didn’t like or trust him. Ever since they were children, she had avoided Wayman whenever she could. She did not understand why her parents had chosen to promote him to such a powerful position after his parents’ untimely deaths.
As she crossed the room, Gem pulled her attention away from Wayman and focused on the flash of amusement in her mother’s eyes. Queen Adrina LaBreeze raised an eyebrow and Gem forced a smile in response, nodding politely to the High Chancellor as his calculating gaze swept over her. She nonchalantly locked eyes with the distasteful man, her serene smile never wavering, and as usual, a spark of anger flared in her cousin’s eyes before he looked away. The bastard had a long way to go before he would ever intimidate her.
“Welcome home, darling,” her mother warmly greeted.
Gem stopped in front of her mother, and lightly kissed her on both cheeks before she did the same with her father. Her father held her arms a fraction longer before he released her. She ignored Wayman. If there was one way to get under her cousin’s skin, it was to deny him the attention and power he craved.
“Did you have a good journey?” her father quietly enquired.
Gem bowed her head in agreement. “It was interesting,” she casually hedged.
She glanced at Wayman. She would speak to her parents about the meeting later. Her gut was telling her to be extremely cautious about sharing information in front of her cousin. If her parents decided to inform Wayman about where she had gone and what was discussed, that would be their decision.
“I was not aware that you had left the Isle, Gem. I believe there is still a decree in place that severely restricts all travel,” Wayman commented pointedly.
Gem shrugged. “My travel was sanctioned by the King and Queen, Wayman. I saw no reason to share my movements with you,” she retorted.
Wayman’s eyes narrowed and he pursed his lips before he softly said, “As our Majesties wish, of course. ” He inclined his head deferentially toward King Ruger and Queen Adrina.
Gem looked at her mother when she felt a touch on her arm. It was only then that she realized that she was clutching the hilt of her sword. Her cousin always pulled a desire out of her to see if his blood ran red or black.
“Wayman, we will meet with you later. We would like time alone with our daughter,” her mother graciously stated.
Wayman stiffened at the dismissal. He gave her mother and father a curt bow and shot her a speculative look. Gem casually turned and watched as he silently walked toward an exit concealed behind a large tapestry on the left side of the room.
She waited until she heard the door open and close before she turned back to her mother. Her father chuckled and Gem huffed.
“I don’t know why you put up with that worthless piece of—” she muttered with a disdainful sniff.
“Sometimes it is better to keep those you don’t trust close to you,” King Ruger replied with a sigh.
Gem looked at her father with surprise. “I didn’t realize you felt the same way,” she said.
“He has always been very much his father’s son, I’m afraid,” her father replied.
Her mother released an inelegant snort before she changed the subject. “What did you discover?” her mother asked.
Gem looked at her parents with deep concern. “The others are going to try to capture Magna. Nali warned against killing her. Drago—”
“Drago!” both of her parents exclaimed at the same time.
“The Dragon King has returned?” her father demanded.
Gem nodded. “Yes. There was a woman with him. She is not from our world,” she expounded.
“Not…” her mother began, tilting her head with sudden interest.
“Tell us about her,” her father urged.
Gem thought about Carly Tate. “She is so sweet and gentle, and she looks a great deal like someone of our world might, though she seems to have no magic of her own. Nali said her presence has initiated a series of events that will save our world – as long as Drago does not kill Magna,” she said.
Her mother’s brow creased. “Nali has the Goddess’s Mirror. She would know,” she acknowledged.
“But why would she tell them not to kill Magna? Surely if the Sea Witch is dead, the kingdoms will be safe once more,” her father argued.
Gem shook her head. “Nali said that it is not actually Magna doing these things, but an alien that has taken over her body. Nali thinks Magna is fighting against the creature,” she shared.
“A creature like—” her mother murmured, looking at Ruger with a worried expression.
“What is it?” Gem asked.
“What does this alien creature look like?” her father quietly enquired.
Gem frowned. “I don’t know. Nali said it fell from the sky, and she saw a black shadow moving over Magna. Why? Do you know what it is?” she asked.
Her parents looked at each other before they turned their attention to her again. Her father reached for her mother’s hand and squeezed it.
“Come with us,” her father quietly instructed.
Gem nodded and silently followed her parents out of the conference room. She was surprised when they exited through the door that led outside. She paused and looked behind her. She had a nagging feeling that they were being watched.
“Where are we going?” she asked as she turned back to her parents who were descending the steps out into the central gardens.
Her mother paused on the steps. “It would be better if we showed you,” she softly answered.
Gem, intrigued by her parents’ behavior, followed them down the steps and onto the path. The interior gardens consisted of numerous smaller, themed gardens contained within a larger one. Set within a vast maze were individual walled gardens covered in ivy, each with a theme of its own.
Her mother loved the rose garden while her father preferred the desert cacti. Her favorite was the night-blooming garden. She followed them through the maze. The tall hedges that lined the paths continuously changed. The only constants were the eight walled gardens.
It had taken her years to learn the minute nuances in the energy field that would guide her through the maze to any of the gardens that she wanted to visit. She looked down at her hands. A rueful smile lit her face when she realized that she had unconsciously lifted her palms to feel the pulses of energy.
She slowed her steps when she felt an unfamiliar pulse leading to the left. Looking up, she saw her mother pause and give her a sad smile.
“What is it? It feels almost like…,” She shook her head, unable to pinpoint the emotion.
“Grief, pain...,” her mother stated.
Gem looked at her mother in confusion. “Yes,” she replied.
Her mother held out her hand. Gem walked forward, slid her hand into her mother’s, and they rounded the corner of the maze. Her breath caught in stunned disbelief when she saw her mother’s favorite garden crawling with wild, thras
hing vines covered with sharp thorns.
“What happened?” Gem asked in a barely audible voice.
“It is best if we are inside the garden before we speak of this,” her father replied.
Adrina reached out and murmured to the vines. She lifted her hand and one of the runners wrapped around the tip of her finger. The sharp edge of a thorn brushed across the pad and drew blood. Only when the vine recognized her mother did they retreat far enough to create an opening to the door.
Ruger stepped forward and waved his hand in the air. A crystal key appeared. He reached up, took the key, and fitted it into the door. Gem couldn’t help but wonder what was hidden behind the door that was so important to protect.
She paused and looked at her father in concern before she followed her mother into the garden. Her eyes swept over the interior. She had not been inside this garden since she was a child.