by W. J. May
Oratory ---- A private chapel in a house.
Private education room in the school where the students were able to practice their gifting and improve their skills. Also used as a banquet – dance hall when needed.
Oriel ---- A projecting window in a wall; originally a form of porch, often of wood. The original bay windows of the Tudor period. Guilder College majority of windows were oriel.
Rae often felt her life was being watching through one of these windows. Hence the constant reference to them.
Refectory ---- A communal dining hall. Same termed used in Tudor times.
Scriptorium ---- A Medieval writing room in which scrolls were also housed.
Used for English classes and still store some of the older books from the Tudor reign (regarding tatùs).
Privy Council ---- Secret council and “arm of the government” similar to the CIA, etc… In Tudor times, the Privy Council was King Henry’s board of advisors and helped run the country.
Rae of Hope’s SONG LIST:
Chapter 1 - Guilder Boarding School
Closer to the Edge by 30 seconds to Mars
Chapter 2 - Proverb of Truth
You make me feel by Cobra Starship
Chapter 3 - Headmaster Lanford
Hello by Martin Solveig
Chapter 4 - Unwanted Answers
Iridescent by Linkin Park
Chapter 5 - Friends?
Changing by Airborne Toxic Event
Chapter 6 - Lessons of the Past
Weight of time by Rise Against
Chapter 7 – Tatù
The Requiem by Linkin Park
Chapter 8 - Dean Carter
Country Song by Seether
Chapter 9 – Competition
Woo Boost by Rusko
Chapter 10 - Magic Class
What you want by Evanesence
Chapter 11 - American Cheeseburger in London
Howlin’ for you by the Black Keys
Chapter 12 - The Dance
Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Heros and
Change by Taylor Swift
Chapter 13 – Mail
Sail by AWOLNation
Chapter 14 – Gifting Walk by Foo Fighters and
Shake Your Tail Feather by Nelly, P.Didy and Murphy Lee
Chapter 15 - November 13 + 14
Walking on Air by Kerli
Chapter 16 - November 15
Panic by Sublime with Rome
Chapter 17 - C-O-P
When they come for me by Linkin Park
Chapter 18 - Alumni Dinner
Make It Stop (September’s Children) by Rise Against
Chapter 19 - Friendly Advice
Sunset in July by 311
Chapter 20 - Personal Demons
Blackout by Linkin Park
Chapter 21 – Deceived
Weight of time by Rise Against
Chapter 22 – Destiny
Vox Populi by 30 Seconds to Mars and
What Do You Want From Me? by Adam Lambert
Chapter 23 - Your Destiny
Renegade by The Qemists
Chapter 24 - Why me? Iridescent by Linkin Park
Chapter 25 - Hidden Wishes
The Messenger by Linkin Park
Chapter 26 - The Letter
(If you’re wondering if I want you to) I want you to by Weezer and
Blank Sheet of Paper by Tim McGraw
Book 2 – Dark Nebula
The Chronicles of Kerrigan
Dark Nebula
Book II
by
W. J. May
Copyright 2013 by W.J. May
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
All rights reserved.
Copyright 2013 by W.J. May
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012952188
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.
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The Chronicles of Kerrigan
Book I - Rae of Hope is FREE!
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Book II - Dark Nebula
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Book III - House of Cards
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Book IV - Royal Tea
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Book V - Under Fire
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Book VI - End in Sight
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Book VII – Hidden Darkness
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Book VIII – Twisted Together
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Book IX – Mark of Fate
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Book X – Strength & Power
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Book XI – Last One Standing
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Book XII – Rae of Light
Coming June 2016
PREQUEL – Christmas Before the Magic
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Chronicles of Kerrigan Prequel
A Novella of the Chronicles of Kerrigan.
A prequel on how Simon Kerrigan met Beth!!
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Acknowledgments
This book is dedicated to my amazing three kids. Without them, my life would not be complete. I love you very much (to the moon and back…and back again).
Proper thanks—with jumping up and down cheering, waving hands and shouting at the top of my lungs needs to be sent out to:
Dawn, my amazing agent who believes in me when I don’t have a clue.
Luci, my editor who gets Rae and loves her story. I love how easy you make it feel to edit.
To my husband and extended family for their patience, encouragement and telling everyone and anyone about my writing.
> To the readers who wanted Rae’s story in print. I’d have never dreamed this big.
A dark nebula is a type of interstellar cloud that is so dense it obscures the light from the background emission or reflection nebula so that it blocks out background stars.
The form of such dark clouds is very irregular: they have no clearly defined outer boundaries and sometimes take on convoluted serpentine shapes. The largest dark nebulae are visible to the naked eye, appearing as dark patches against the brighter background of the Milky Way. (Wikipedia)
Chapter 1
Tatù
A lifespan is spent, seeking success and happiness. People chase after dreams, careers, ambitions, faith, partners, and money; all in the hope of finding the success and contentment they so long for. The only place we need to search is within ourselves. Our inner powers will move us forward--we must show the world our tatùs. Our capabilities and potential are far greater than anything man has ever done, or will do. We are above mankind--above the law which rules over them.
Notes from Simon Kerrigan’s Journal—two decades ago
“The motto of the Privy Council is ‘to protect at all costs’.” Devon walked a little taller and straighter than he had the last time Rae had seen him, his chest puffed with pride.
“The what? Who?” Rae raced to keep pace with Devon’s long strides as the two of them wove their way through the airport’s parked cars with the sun beating down on them.
Devon stopped, let go of one of the suitcases he pulled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “The Privy Council. I know it sounds old-fashioned, but trust me, it isn’t.” He slipped the sunglasses off the top of his head and onto his nose before he started walking again. “It’s the elite of the elite tatùs.”
Rae hustled to keep up. “I get that there’s a company that works with our…talents.” It had been a year since she had learned about the unique group of individuals that she was now a part of. When she had turned sixteen the previous year, she had woken up with a tatù. A fairy covered her lower back with Celtic design and a sun inset throughout. In certain light, the fairy’s wings appeared to sparkle. Different from a tattoo, it had gifted her with supernatural power. Devon was also gifted with a tatù, a fennec fox, giving him heightened senses, super speed, and agility. However, Rae’s power was unique, even in their already exclusive and insular world. She could mimic another individual’s tatù. No one else could do that. Huge, big-time ability. Because of her singular ability, Rae knew she was “of interest” to the shadowy Privy Council, the ruling body of the tatù community. Everyone knew “of” it but no one actually knew anything about it. To have Devon suddenly working for them gave Rae pause. They’d barely emailed or talked over the summer. Strange for two people just starting a relationship…then again, the pesky societal rules against tatùs and romantic relationships might have hampered the communication also. Unsure whether to outright ask Devon why he had been so distant over the summer or leave it be, Rae squinted and tucked a curly highlighted strand behind her ear to buy herself some time. “I don’t understand what the company does, or why you’re working for them now. You’re only eighteen. Are you an intern or something?”
He grinned. “You’ve barely learned about your tatù, while most of us have known before we started school. It’s totally understandable you’re confused.” His warm hand grazed the small of her back.
It sent tingles across the fairy tatù, making it feel like the fairy’s wings were actually fluttering. A pleasant shiver ran up her spine from the contact, and Rae paused to enjoy it.
Devon, who probably knew exactly how his touch made her feel, winked at her before he turned serious. “The agency works to protect those of us tatùed and, if needed, Britain. It kinda works like the James Bond movies. Did you know that the prime minister and government have no idea what the Privy Council actually represents? They only know that it does a darn good job. We seldom, if ever, make a mistake.”
We? Rae nodded, not sure if she liked that her boyfriend considered himself part of this group already, when he had told her nothing about it. Don’t normal dating couples talk about stuff that excites them? Boys are supposed to drone on and on about manly things and girls are supposed to—oh I don’t know—something. He’s so different, it’s like he changed without me. Feeling insecurity rise up, Rae shifted uncomfortably and fought to push the emotion out of her way. She scolded herself, Don’t be so sensitive. Just be glad to be back. She had missed everything at school, not just Devon. Well, mostly Devon, but not only him.
She followed him, zigzagging through the parked cars, trying to keep her heavy suitcase on its little wheels. They stopped in front of a shiny, sleek, black car, which had obviously been created for speed.
“What do you think?” Devon let go of the two suitcases and spread his arms. He looked up and down the car, a smile playing on his lips.
“Whose is this?” She tilted her head sideways, pretending to admire it, all the while trying to figure out the make of the car.
Devon laughed, “It’s mine. My dad and I made a deal. I could pick out a car I liked, and he’d pay for it.”
“I doubt your dad, the new dean of Guilder, would agree to this.” She laughed, playfully elbowing him in the ribs.
“Well, you’re half right.” He held his hands up in mock defense. “I paid for half of it with the money I made working with the Privy Council this summer. My dad offered to pay the other half. A graduation gift, he said.”
“What kind of car is it?” It looked like he had taken it right off some futuristic race track.
“It’s a Lotus.”
“A Lotus?” Rae squinted, trying to place the name.
“They make formula cars and a few road ones. It’s a Lotus Exige Cup two-six-zero.” He stood grinning like a kid in a candy store.
Big boy needs an expensive toy. Rae gently touched the black paint, careful not to let her fingernail scratch it. She half expected Devon to pull out the bottom of his shirt to buff her fingerprints out of his paint job. Instead, he just winked at her and moved to the back of the car.
Devon began loading her suitcases into the boot and back of the car. “If I recall, you only had half this amount of luggage last year.”
Rae shrugged and stretched the kinks out of her back from the long flight, ready for the drive to Guilder Boarding School. To the rest of the world, Guilder was an ultra-exclusive, all-male boarding school deep in the unpopulated English countryside, which had only opened its doors to women the previous year. What they didn’t know, was that Guilder catered only to the tatùed community. Rae had successfully navigated the tricky waters of both a new school and a totally new way of life, despite being the focus of almost everyone’s attention, be it for good or ill. She actually had friends at Guilder, something she could not say of her old school in New York. It helps that everyone at Guilder’s kinda like me. Maybe not exactly like her, but enough that they had something in common. She had missed that over the summer, the sense of camaraderie. It felt good to be back— in England and with Devon. “What can I say?” She held up her palms, trying to make her face look innocent. “Molly taught me how to shop, so I took advantage of the great sales in New York this summer.” She opened the passenger door and climbed in. The expected new-car smell mingled pleasantly with the scent of expensive leather. Molly had been her roommate the previous year, and they had become best friends. “Speaking of new changes…I know we’re keeping our boyfriend-girlfriend-thing a secret,” to say any romantic relationship between tatùed individuals was taboo would be a categorical understatement, “but how come you didn’t email me a pic of the car…Or something?” Anything. Or contacted me more than twice this summer? Two short and basically meaningless emails had been his only attempt at communication. She didn’t say it, but even seeing him now didn’t erase her disappointment. Typical guy.
“I wanted to surprise you with something cool when you flew in. You know how hard it is to get a Lotus?” He leaned
over and planted a quick, hard kiss on her lips before starting the engine. “Missed you. I’m glad you’re back.” He drove out of the airport and onto the motorway with precision and ease.
Either you really wanted to surprise me or you just made that up and you’re avoiding the loaded question. Rae straightened in her seat. Why do I always have to notice and question everything? I’m only making myself miserable. She forced herself to change the subject. “You just graduated last year and already you’re working for this Privy Council?” She still couldn’t grasp his job description. Maybe some sort of private eye or intern superhero? It wasn’t like he had actually answered the question either.
“Hey, what can I tell you? I aced all the tests; they offered me the job. They know at Guilder I’m acting as your mentor, so I got the green light to continue here. Your protection is one of their top priorities.”
Rae stared at him. Part of her was happy to know he would be around. The other part was stunned that the Privy Council would be that interested in her welfare. It creeped her out a little. “You’re pulling my leg. How’d they know about me?”
“Come on, the daughter of the infamous Simon Kerrigan?” He glanced at her and reached over to pat her knee when she rolled her head to look out the window. Fabulous, the one thing about me I want most to forget is the one thing that makes me interesting to the secret squirrels. Devon, mistaking her reasons for withdrawing from the conversation, set out to reassure her. “Don’t worry. No one knows about our relationship, so it’s all good. If the Privy Council found out, they’d definitely send me far away from you.” He shrugged. “Look, this is something I’ve dreamed about doing. Who wouldn’t want to help their country? I’ve spent my entire life following the rules others have set out. Now it’s fun bending them to save the day.”
“It sounds dangerous.” Even with the abilities of his tatù. Not to mention, these dreams of his weren’t something they’d ever talked about. She didn’t understand the fascination or the inclination.