“I can fly!” she screeched, but fought back the urge to rise into the sky. She’d promised Lieutenant Sheppard that she’d stay with the body and so she returned to her human form.
“Honor and duty, before freedom…at least today.
In the desert, she’d sworn to be a warrior. The streets were littered with the bodies of warriors, even General Jyslin. Now, the legend was gone and left Kayleigh the challenge of becoming something more – a champion.
I’m not sure I can do this, but I have to try!
Majherri had trotted over next to her with Iarisha right behind.
“What sorcery is this? What has happened to my rider?” Iarisha demanded.
“The hawk spirit has chosen more wisely this time,” Majherri answered.
“What? I can hear you two!” Kayleigh said with a sense of wonderment.
“Yes,” Majherri replied and nodded. “Danella gained that ability as well.”
“The spirit said she broke with her and joined with the hydra.”
“That is not good. She needs to be stopped.”
Hearing Majherri say that was reassuring. Actually being able to converse with him and any other unicorn was unbelievable.
“I agree.”
“Also,” he said. “A side effect of my transformation seems to make me highly desirable to the females. If you could convince Iarisha that she needs to put some distance between the two of us for the time being, until I can control whatever this is, it would be greatly appreciated.”
Iarisha protested as Kayleigh tried to come to grips with this. Of all the things she’d ever wished to hear from a unicorn, that was not what she imagined. She was still processing all of this when Majherri told her to turn around.
She did and saw two people approaching. The first made her heart leap with joy as the young man filled her eyes and everything else became less important. Brian Tomas walked down the road. He smiled when he saw her, but it stopped halfway, which meant he already knew about his brother. Even so, she spotted something was different about him. There was a spark of kinship a sense of something greater and then it hit her.
He has joined with a Yar spirit as well!
Kayleigh started to move toward him, uncaring of anything else but her desire to hold him in her arms when she finally recognized who the person with him was. The realization stopped her in midstride.
Swallowing, the moisture fled her mouth and her nerves fought against panicking. She ruthlessly forced herself to remain calm.
“Hello, Kayleigh, it’s good to see you again. What have you done to your hair?” the woman asked.
Thousands of thoughts crossed her mind in a single second as Kayleigh’s emotions ran the gamut from shocked relief to anger. Danella had been someone she’d prepared to face.
In contrast, this encounter was not one she was ready for, but was now happening regardless of Kayleigh’s wishes. Closing her partly open mouth, the sorceress cleared her mind. She still had a mission to complete.
“Hello, Mother.”
~The End~
Kayleigh and Majherri will return in Spirals of Destiny Book Three: Champion.
Acknowledgements
Normally, I thank my wife and daughters first in every book, but this one has to go out especially to Dianne Farrell for her constant encouragement (let’s use that word) to write this novel. I’m glad that I could finally deliver on my promise – even if it was a few years behind schedule. Also, my father-in –law, John Farrell for all his encouragement on behalf of Dianne.
Okay, now I can thank my wife and daughters for their support. You three mean the world to me.
Next come the people who helped make this book possible. Janet Walden-West for the editing. Raffaele Marinetti for the cover art. David Wood for believing in me enough to publish my novels. Now, I’d like to thank the test reader group for all their work and their input. Hopefully, I don’t miss any of you – Brian Albright, Joshua Watcher, Angela Geiger, Lucinda Blagg, Liz Banks, Todd “Teocious” Osborne, Jason Durso, Sarah Workman, Amber Whitaker, John Cornell, Amanda Westfal, Jennette Schlinke, Eli Pomerantz, Elizabeth Dorenda Doyle, and Penelope Lyman. Some of you commented on the entire book and others only the first few chapters, but all of your input was appreciated. There, that at least means fifteen sales! Also, I’d like to thank both Rufus and Steve for all the things you do!
Finally, I’d like to thank all the people who read the first book in the series, commented on blogs and forums, or sent me a kind message. I can only hope my efforts will make this worth your long wait and promise that there will not be such a long gap for the third installment.
About the Author
Jim Bernheimer lives in Chesapeake, Virginia with his wife and two daughters. Blessed (or cursed depending on your point of view) with an overactive imagination, Jim has long been a fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Seeking to put that imagination to use, he has started to write his own original works in hopes of making his mark on the literary world.
Works by Jim Bernheimer
Dead Eye
Pennies for the Ferryman
The Skinwalker Conspiracies
Spirals of Destiny
Rider
Sorceress
Champion (Forthcoming)
Confessions of a D-List Supervillain
Prime Suspects- A Clone Detective Mystery
Horror, Humor and Heroes, vol. 1-3
Sorceress (Book 2) Page 37