Night Goddess (The Goddess Prophecies Book 1)

by Araya Evermore

  Eventually, all paths led back to the loving Source of All, but some paths were longer, some were harder and more treacherous, and some very painful, but eventually they all led back home.

  ‘Maion'artheria,’ a whisper called to her from within the mound, followed by, ‘My sacred daughter.’

  The call of the Great Mother to all of her daughters, she thought. She laid a hand upon the doorway, only to gasp when it began to change. The grass that covered it began to disappear and instead white crystal formed. Swiftly the mound became a huge round dome with a high roof made of smooth white crystal that shone.

  The blue stones surrounding it became sky blue and luminous. The doorway was huge at six feet wide and twice as high. None of the monoliths were old and crumbling anymore, but new and covered with freshly chiselled writings, pictures and constellations that seemed to be telling a story. She fancied they were the stories of stars.

  The forest around her was filled with life. Birds of all colours flittered between gigantic trees, and animals she did not recognise moved at their bases, completely unafraid of her presence. The stone doorframe was now decorated in the same signs and symbols that covered the monoliths, and this time it was open, there was no black liquid mirror. Was this what the mound had been once? Was it really a portal to other places as she thought? Was she even on Maioria anymore?

  She stepped down quartz steps into a brightly lit room made entirely of crystal. The crystal walls were translucent white and smooth, and shining with their own light. The quartz floor beneath her feet gleamed, and it wasn’t cold, but warm. She walked forwards through another door and into the next room.

  The stone bowl was there, but this time it was made out of the same crystal as the walls. She picked up the cup, this too was made of crystal, and drank again from the sacred water. She closed her eyes in peaceful ecstasy. Her breathing slowed, and her heart beat in time to the pulse of life in the earth beneath her feet.

  Her mind expanded outwards, and she felt again how lovely it was to drift in the Divine All. Her mind reached where the stars shone, and the space around her hyper-awareness pulsed, breathing like a living thing. Time melted away so all past and present and future became indivisible, a single moment, a single awareness.

  A feeling came to her. Was it love? It seemed more. Asaph, she thought, she had come here to see Asaph. Her awareness contracted and the crystal rooms melted away to reveal another world around her.

  She stood on a wide-open plane of grass that billowed in the cool wind. Huge snow-capped mountains stood on the horizon, and the air was crisp and pure. She stared up into the clear blue sky in awe, there were two yellow suns shining down, and she had no idea where this place was.

  Her pulse quickened. Asaph stood a little way ahead with his back to her. His reddish-blond hair was unbound and blowing in the wind. His stance was straight, and his shoulders broad and strong. If only you could see him, Ma. You would certainly have approved. She smiled at the thought.

  ‘Asaph,’ she called and ran towards him, laughing.

  ‘Issa?’ he turned and caught her in his arms. ‘Is it really you? How are you here?’

  ‘Yes, it’s me,’ she said. She hugged him then and realised how bold the action was, but he didn’t seem to notice and hugged her back. His body was warm and his arms around her made her feel safe. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply of his scent.

  ‘Where are we?’ she asked, her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

  ‘This is the Dragon Dream,’ he said. ‘It’s a real place that can be reached in mind, body or spirit, or all three. Usually, only dragons and their like can come here. I don’t think you are a dragon, so how are you here now?’

  ‘There is a place I can reach, it takes me to places I need to go, or shows me things I need to see,’ she struggled to find the right words. ‘It has only happened since the dark moon rose. I don’t understand it well enough to explain yet. But the dark moon rose, its power is strong in me, and I was able to reach you, even your spirit.’

  He seemed to understand, though she wondered how since she didn’t quite understand it herself.

  ‘Since I met you, we’ve barely seen each other,’ he said. She felt his hand stroking her hair and her head tingled in delight.

  ‘I know,’ she said. ‘But he is gone now. Keteth is gone. You’re free from him, we are free.’

  She tried to pull away to look at him, but he wouldn’t release her. Instead, she grinned up at him. Being so close to him and in this place, she could clearly see the golden dragon in his eyes. He smiled but looked away into the distance with a thoughtful frown.

  ‘Yes, you are right,’ he said. ‘It’s as if a dark cloud has lifted, and unseen chains fallen away. I feel exhausted but free. I think my body has a lot of healing to do,’ he raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Come to me, Asaph. Come to Celene where you will heal fast. Come soon.’

  ‘I will, right away,’ he kissed her forehead.

  Thoughts of another she had to see formed in her mind. As soon as she thought about Edarna, Asaph and the blue skies began to fade, and she reluctantly let go of him. She felt herself being drawn downwards, and a universe of stars flowed past.

  She stood blinking beside Edarna’s kitchen table, the warmth of the fire engulfed her. The witch squealed in surprise, splattering the soup she was stirring all over her apron.

  ‘Oh lordy lord, Great Mother, it’s true what they say, hay? Speak their name and they shall appear,’ she said and wiped at her apron with a cloth.

  ‘I didn’t expect it to be so abrupt,’ Issa grinned in surprise. Was that how the gateway worked? She was going to need a lot more practice.

  ‘I can see you’ve been busy learning magics. Hah! Well, don’t you forget how exhausting translocation is. Not even the most adept wizard can do it for long, and you’ll find, over time, that time catches up with you, and you’ll age faster if you flit around using magic to get to places.’ Edarna smiled, despite her disapproval, and Mr Dubbins rubbed himself against her leg.

  The old witch peered at her and frowned, her eyes flashing momentarily blue with insight.

  ‘I see in your eyes the Sacred Grove from which you have come. I, too, have been there, but that is a story of my life, and not yours. Maybe I’ll tell you about it another time. That place is a mystery, and one day someone will unravel its secrets.’

  Edarna had been to the sacred mound? She wanted to hear the witch’s story, but more pressing things urged her on.

  ‘Keteth is gone, Edarna. He’s at peace now and the Shadowlands will recede,’ she smiled.

  ‘Aye, I know he has, poor awful lad,’ Edarna sighed. ‘The Shadowlands will recede but never disappear, there must always be a place for those who wish to be Forsaken, for those who choose to forget themselves,’ she explained.

  Issa thought about it. Edarna’s wisdom always managed to spark understanding within her. She nodded.

  ‘I guess there must be an allowance for every being’s desires. But if you wanted to go to the mainland, it is safe now. If you need me, then send a messenger, send one of your gulls to a raven and it will find me.’

  Edarna laughed aloud, but good-naturedly. ‘My dear your path is not over, nay it has only just begun. It will be you who needs all the friends and help you can get. The dark moon rising and now the death of Keteth has set in motion the tide of prophecy.

  ‘I have seen in a vision, and my visions are never wrong,’ she paused and looked at Issa as if wondering whether to speak about it. ‘What of it anyway… Even as we speak, the raven searches for the “Cursed King,” and Murlonius waits to take him to his Banished Legion.’ Issa frowned, but Edarna carried on in a low voice.

  ‘It is written that the Cursed King and his mighty knights will rise again to heed the call of the Raven Queen, but beware. Though this king is honest and true and will bring great victories that may turn the tide of war, he also brings treachery and disaster—truly a doub
le-edged sword.’

  Edarna looked at her and seemed to see her own worry reflected in Issa’s face, for she broke into a warm smile.

  ‘Never mind about these future things. There is stuff to be done and victories to be enjoyed. Hmph, I feel a wizard’s magic about you,’ she squirmed and wrinkled up her nose, ‘and that is a whole other story you no doubt don’t know about. I’ll simply say this, don’t get too involved in a man’s magic, you need a woman’s magic too.’

  Issa chuckled. ‘I also came to thank you for helping me. I heard your voice when I was lost in the Shadowlands, and it was a blessing.’

  Edarna smiled and squeezed her arm. ‘That golden dragon you know, he sure can help you, but you must stay together no matter what happens.’ She shook her head and flapped her hand dismissively.

  ‘Never mind again, he loves you truly,’ Edarna winked and Issa felt her cheeks grow hot. Her feelings for Asaph were stronger than anything she’d felt for Tarry, and she didn’t quite know how to handle them.

  ‘You must go now,’ Edarna said. ‘Translocation is good for a short time, but it is hard on the body and you must always return back to where you came from. Scrying is the way forward.’

  Issa nodded, she was beginning to feel extremely tired. Even though she had not thought about another, Edarna’s kitchen began to fade. The feeling of movement came again, and she surrendered to whatever was calling her.

  Issa stood upon the cool sands of the blue desert stretching out endlessly under a night sky. The only light came from the great trilithon that sparkled gold and silver. She walked towards it. As she neared the air shimmered, and the tall hooded form of Zanufey appeared. Her familiar gentle demeanour and pale lips set in a soft smile soothed Issa.

  Issa inclined her head in reverence and greeting. Slowly she looked up into the hooded face, and couldn’t stop tears welling up in her eyes, overwhelmed by the presence of the Night Goddess.

  ‘Eternal Mother,’ Issa breathed.

  ‘Maion'artheria,’ Zanufey whispered in a voice that was the sound of a dozen angels singing. Pale hands smoothed robes, and Issa saw the Dark Rift again, an elliptical hole of the blackest black, on the centre of her chest.

  ‘The True Order of Creation is Eternal Life. Death exists in some places, but it is not part of the True Order,’ Zanufey’s words rolled through her being as if she were made of harp strings and every cell of her body poised for the next word.

  ‘It is because of the Law of Allowance that the Dark Rift was allowed to happen, and since then all things upon Maioria must die and be reborn. The rift seeks to stop life, to destroy life, and unravel the fabric of this universe. This unnatural state has been allowed for a long time, and now it grows, now it threatens all life in all dimensions. The time has come to heal that which would destroy all.

  ‘If you wish it, you will gather together the peoples of Maioria, and stand against those that would dominate and destroy life. You have my blessing, Maion'artheria, and my gifts. There will be times when there is nothing but darkness. You will face yourself in those times, and none will be more fearsome. Remember, then, that you and I and all are One.

  ‘Remember this too. When you doubt, when you hate, when you think you are less than you are, then will we begin to fall, then will Baelthrom and the Dark Rift begin to win. He will use all his power and all his might. So do not doubt.’

  The Night Goddess pulled her close and bent to kiss her forehead where Asaph had kissed only moments ago.

  ‘Remember that, in the beginning, there is always darkness before the light comes.’ Cool tingling light flooded through Issa from where her lips had touched, and stars swirled around her.

  Rocky ground formed beneath her feet, a warm breeze blew against her cheek, and the sound of surf filled her senses. It was night and the only light came from the blue moon that hung low and massive above the ocean. She stood atop a cliff on a familiar path. Little Kammy. Tears came to her eyes. She had run along here with the raven, fleeing the Dread Dragon. It seemed like so long ago. So much had happened, so much had changed. She had changed.

  Her eyes came to rest on the woman standing at the cliff’s edge. The black-clad, feather-crowned, Queen of Ravens. Her heart thudded in her chest as she walked towards her. When she neared, her double spoke.

  ‘The Dromoorai and their Dread Dragons are coming everywhere, just as they came here.’ The Raven Queen’s voice was firm and yet her eyes were sad. ‘Do you believe in me?’

  Issa was caught off guard by the question, what did she mean? She answered it with another question.

  ‘Why do I need to?’

  ‘If you have no faith, then you will fail,’ the Raven Queen said.

  Issa frowned, trying to understand. Did she have enough faith in what? What if she failed? A knot of fear formed in her stomach. A caw above caught her attention, and she looked up at the raven, blue moonlight gleamed off his feathers. She understood now. Faith in the goddess, belief in herself.

  ‘I have faith, and I believe,’ she breathed. The rocky ground she stood on suddenly crumbled and fell away. She was tumbling towards the ocean, her screams ripped from her mouth in the rushing air.

  I know what to do, she thought. Though the world was hurtling past, her mind became still. She focused only upon the blue moon and called its power to her. Upon its surface she glimpsed a face; pale chin and lips hidden in the cowl of her hood. The power of the moon and love of Zanufey flooded into her. Her form began to change.

  Dark rocks surged towards her. She spread wide her arms, black feathers sprouted forth and formed into powerful wings. The wind rushed under her, lifting her into the air as the rocks came but inches from her belly. She swooped and soared over the rocks unscathed.

  She arched her back and tilted her wings, laughing raucously at the rush of wind through her feathers and the wild feeling of freedom as she climbed the currents back up the cliff face. Her double, the Raven Queen, was no longer there.

  ‘You and she are one,’ a voice echoed. ‘Be a light to guide the others through the darkness. Take heart, Maion’artheria. Remember who you are, remember why you came.’

  I am the Raven Queen, chosen by Zanufey. I have made a promise; to help all who seek the light through the darkness and death that smothers our world. I shall not rest until we are free from the chains of the immortals.

  Continued in The Fall Of Celene

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  When strangers knock on Fraya’s door in the middle of a stormy night, her life is changed forever. The man is a bard, a warrior, and a follower of the Old Ways. The woman is a seer, heavily pregnant with a child so blessed by the goddess, they are forced to flee for their lives from the immortals.

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  Turn the page to read a sample of The Fall Of Celene, book 2 in The Goddess Prophecies series.

  THE FALL OF<
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  CELENE

  The Goddess Prophecies

  Book 2

  A. Evermore

  IMPOSSIBLE ODDS, TERRIFYING POWERS

  The battle for Maioria has begun. Issa faces a deadly enemy as the Immortal Lord's attention turns fully in her direction. The hunt is on for the Raven Queen and nothing will stand in Baelthrom's way, he must destroy this new power that grows with the rising dark moon... or assimilate it. Only by embracing the warrior Raven Queen can Issa hope to face the darkness that threatens to consume her.

  Hameka, a cunning, ruthless and brilliant commander, takes his savage fleet of undead to the tranquil shores of Celene. Cirosa, her plans thwarted, hungers for revenge.

  Issa's enemies are many, and few seek to join her cause as she struggles to survive against those that would enslave and kill her. But a new hope is rising and it lies in the soul of a long forgotten king. Will the Cursed King and his Banished Legion awaken to remember his past? Can he find his knights before it is too late?

  Chapter 1

  JAGGED metal bit into rock with an ear-piercing screech, just missing Jinfrosthard’s face as he fell back in the pitch black. Springing forwards he heaved down his axe, felt it slow, then crunch through bone. A scream of pain scoured his ears then fell silent. He wrenched his axe free.

  The dark dwarven weapon that had missed him fell to the floor with a clang. The noise was lost in another scream of pain—his warriors or the enemy, he couldn’t be sure. He swung his axe again. It slammed harmlessly into the wall of the narrow tunnel. He growled in disappointment. Again he swung and clanged against the armour of the enemy in front of him.