Blue Moon
The Ring of Mer
Geraldine Allie
Copyright © 2014 Geraldine Allie
Blue Moon: The Ring of Mer
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 149617237X
ISBN-13: 978-1496172372
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 Geraldine Allie
All rights reserved.
ISBN-10: 149617237X
ISBN-13: 978-1496172372
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording, without prior written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Sale of this book without a front cover may be unauthorized. If this book is coverless, it may have been reported to the publisher as “unsold or destroyed” and neither the author nor the publisher may have received payment for it.
Cover art and design: Stephen Orcello
Published By: Medallion Books
Printed in the U.S.A.
DEDICATION
Mom, thank you for your support on those long writing adventures. To my father, thank you for being there. I love you both.
Contents
Prologue
Dream Walk
Days Of Past And Future
Of Ancient Music Sing
Trust The Not
A Journey Of The Heart
Whirlwinds
High Stakes
Capture
Unforeseen
Sacrifices
At Arms
Restoration
Epilogue
Meet The Narrator For The Audio Book
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Other Books in this series:
THE SEERS OF THE MOON BOOKS
Hunters Moon: The Fae Medallion
Blue Moon: The Ring of Mer
Coming winter 2015
Wolf Moon: Wolves Honor
CHAPTER ONE
PROLOGUE
6th Century, Camelot
The wizard stood next to the king. His eyes were fixed on the fist he held in a tight grip at his side. His hand looked as barbaric as it did sinister.
“Merlin, please, I beg of you, just do it!”
The wizard looked to the king, whose urgent voice brought him out of his stupor. “Arthur, I am not sure this was such a good idea.”
“Merlin, don’t give me your excuses, give me your help, old friend.”
The wizard walked towards the king’s right bare arm and proceeded to lift it. “This may very well work, or it may very well be your undoing.”
“Either way,” Arthur faltered on his choked words before going on. “Either way, we shall not know until the time of my death. Camelot and her people must remain safe. What a King sacrifices for his people, is a risk well worth taking.”
The wizard nodded his head solemnly, proceeding to tie the king’s hands, one at a time to the arms of the chair where Arthur was seated. He tied him securely and tight before stepping away to stand directly in front of him. Merlin held his fist up and began to chant the words. Winds burst into the room with a deafening cry. Holding his fist ever more tightly, Merlin doused it with the sacred blood of the red dragon, and recited the last words of the spell. The winds beat at them both as Merlin became lost and his eyes fixed on his own crimson red hand.
Above the loud howls of the wind, the king yelled his words at the spellbound wizard. “Merlin, please, you must!”
Merlin with eyes transfixed with an ominous glow, took one last look at the king dragging in a long and deep breath. With one strong motion, Merlin brought his fist down and plunged both fist and dragon’s blood straight into the heart of Arthur.
CHAPTER TWO
DREAM WALK
Present day
The old Fae walked down the long and narrow beach path. Lost were his memories on those of the past, and promises yet to be fulfilled. So many years ago it had been, and yet, a memory that haunted him still. A sound caught his attention, a distant rumbling of an approaching storm. He stopped to gaze at the ominous dark clouds, a sure sign that what he felt was an omen of things to come. It was time to prepare for more than what was hidden inside the storm…it was time for his quest to begin. Taking one last look at the darkening sky, the Fae turned and walked down the path in front of him with greater strides. The air around him was as thick and heavy as the heart. Grey damp fog rolled around his feet. Lifting his foot, the Fae placed it cautiously further into the fog bank. He had just taken a step into a different state of existence, the dream realm. His quest had now begun.
…
Halfway across the ocean in a town located next to a bay, sat a little thatched house. Ocean waves rolled gently against the sands and receding as little hermit crabs scurried along the beach. Just up the shore a few feet, a young woman with a basket collected sand dollars and seaweed as she allowed the waves to wash over her bare skin.
Daily, the woman would come out to collect the items for ingredients in her recipes, while the sand dollars could be used as decorations around the garden, the seaweed held many medicinal purposes.
As she went about her daily chore, a wave came in, crashing against her legs. Trying to step away, she looked down as the water receded from the beach. Something shiny caught her eye, as she bent down to retrieve the object; she noticed it was a ring that had been half buried in the sand. Picking it up, she brushed away the bits of sand to get a better look at it. It was a beautiful ring with a deep blue sapphire setting. Around the band were Mer folk encircled it.
“Such an exquisite ring” she mumbled “It must belong to someone.”
Taking the ring and slipping it into her smock, she grabbed her basket and hurried back up the hill to her home. As she went about her way, two eyes watched her from out in the bay.
“The ring of Mer has been found” he said aloud. Then diving back into the depths of the water, a magnificent aqua fluorescent tail shimmered in the sunlight before disappearing deep under the waves.
…
It had only been a mere week since she had found it, that one fateful day on the beach. She had never intended to keep it. Her plan from the very beginning had always been to return it to its rightful owner. But the longer she kept the ring in her possession, the more it had seemed to become a part of her, more as if the ring had bound itself to her very soul. Her nightmares had even seemed to diminish and become less grim. But darkness always has a way of sliding itself back into the light, shutting out hope, and bringing with it despair.
It was not until this morning that she felt as if she were being watched. At the time, she was not exactly sure by what. Even as the day grew darker with the setting sun, she could not explain what had possessed her to follow the voice. Through the night it had called to her, away from the safety of her home. She had departed through the front door so quietly; no one had noticed her own departure. All she could remember was that voice, the voice that had called her to that abandoned fishing hut on the far side of the cove. But it was not until she had entered the hut that she realized the frightening truth, she had just come face to face with her nightmare, the tormentor of her dreams.
She held the ring so desperately close to her, as if her very life might depend upon it.
“A foolish choice,” the voice kept saying. They were words spoken without remorse, nor compassion. It was just a truth spoken from an evil presence.
She was frightened, and the presence within the small room knew it. It fed off of it; it fed from her, trying to steal every bit of strength her body had left. It did not care either way. Taking her life would be easy, such a simple task, and that is exactly what it wanted…to end her life and steal her soul upon her very last breath. She did not think it would be long until she succumbed to it. She knew it would finish her this time; it had finished its dark game of torment. She felt helpless, nothing she could do to save herself.
She stood stiffly in the darkness; she could feel the tentacles of the evil presence swimming around her like a dark fog preparing to swallow her up. Her skin felt damp, she felt sick and wanted to wretch. Her hands were shaking miserably as she squeezed her eyes shut. Feeling her hands, she clasped one over the other trying to hold them steady. Then, she could feel the coolness around her finger, it was the ring. She had forgotten about it until now. Just a single touch of it brought her some calmness, some small amount of strength she had only a second ago thought lost.
The presence in the room with her had expected her to give in, to just lie down and die. Only a moment ago she may have, if not for the power of the ring. The presence had become so accustomed to her cowering to it. Its object of torment, that’s what she had become in some demented and twisted way. She had learned early on not to speak to it; this only caused her to be subjected to worse punishment. She knew the darkness only too well. There were some things that were better for one not to know, and what was hidden in the darkness was one of them. So she had learned to stay quiet. In that silence she found the only saneness she could grasp.
It moved closer to her…
She could feel it getting nearer until she felt the very breath of it on the side of her neck. She did not dare open her eyes or utter a single word….She did not want her life to end, not like this.
Her entire body began to hurt with rakes of pain as the presence pressed itself further against her soul. She twisted the ring around her finger until she felt it would break off like a delicate piece of porcelain. She could feel the energy of the ring empowering her as warmth and renewed strength radiated through her. The more she twisted the precious metal band upon her finger, the more she felt compelled to open her eyes. She knew she needed to fight the unbearable urge, but the feeling was just too strong to resist.
Ever so slowly she opened her eyes and immediately was met with the sight of the ring. The sapphire had begun to glow with a shocking bright radiance. She felt stronger and more sure of herself…she turned to face her tormentor. Her very breath caught in her throat…this was her nightmare. She covered her mouth to fight the scream; threatening to break the silence…it wasn’t human.
Her tormentor reached out in a lunge towards her. “No, give me the ring!” it had become more outraged and angry. But it also began to…cower, cower from her!
Her gaze lifted with triumph, and met her tormenters straight on. She had somehow gained the upper hand, one she would fight to hold onto as long as she could. Her voice no longer trembled with fear, but held a bold sound of determination; one that allowed her the strength to speak. “I have waited so long to rid myself of you, vile beast. Now the tables have turned, and it is you who trembles before me. After years of your torment, you will know the darkness that eats at ones fears.” She dared to step closer only to have it step back. She raised her hand that bore the ring and ordered the beast to leave her in peace. Her voice echoed off of the tiny rooms walls.
“Leave me, and never darken my soul with your evil presence again!”
The beast stared intently at the ring she wore. Lights of glittery blues and gold now burst from the sapphire with a radiance that was blinding even to its eyes. It held up its hands in front of its face in an act of fear.
She remained still and cautiously watched the vile thing. “Be gone with you.” she shouted
But it only cowered; it still refused to leave from the spot it stood. “I will not leave this place tonight without your soul, the enchantress so orders it to be.” Each word it spoke sounded like that of a hissing snake.
Her eyes became wide as her anger rose. “My soul belongs to me… You go tell your enchantress whoever she may be that she will never own my soul!” Upon her words, the ring gave off an even brighter glow than before. The creature that stood before her began to hiss and wail in agony. Outside the silence diminished as waves from the ocean began to crash against the rocky shore. The wind blew and beat at the darkness, threatening to rip the very night apart. With a large gust of wind, the old wooden shutters on the windows blew open. Outside of the hut, the winds great howl could be heard. She did not cower; she was in a fight for her soul.
Lightning cracked the night sky, and laid its bolt into an old mangrove. The sound of cracking and wood splintering met her ears. Seconds later, the tree came crashing through the roof of the hut. Trying to shield herself, she held her hands up in front of her face. The shear blunt force knocked her to the ground, the whole world seemed as if it were crashing down on her. She slipped in and out of consciousness. As much as she fought to regain her hold on reality, it slowly slipped from her. Outside she could still hear the storm as it tore its path around her. Through blurry vision, she could see the two legs approaching her. The figure moved closer and bent down. Her vision was blurry but her sense of touch told her that the figure was real. She could feel the two hands as they reached for her, lifting her from where she lay. It was a gentle touch. She could feel warmth and a sense of safeness. Then the darkness moved in, she succumbed to it. In two strong arms that held her, she drifted off to that place of peace and a sense of calmness.
…
Gently, he laid her upon the blanket. They were both safe from the storm that shrieked with madness outside the cave. This had been the only place he knew to take her. Still, he did not know what had driven him to act in such a way to protect her. Out in the nearby shores, he had heard her wails coming from within the land dwelling. The sounds had beat at him, drawing him to her. He could not turn away and ignore the screams even if he had wanted to; each of her cries had torn at his soul.
He looked around the cave, hard stone walls and a cluster of broken boulders to the sides. Over in a far corner his eye caught site of what he was looking for. A clump of seaweed and dry wood lined the dirt floor, it would be enough. He would need them to build a fire and keep the young woman warm. His body could handle the wetness on such a cold night, but the girl was a mere mortal, and he knew how easy they tended to get sick.
He built the pile he had gathered and struck the rock until he got the spark he needed. Blowing on the cinders, he brought the flames to a nice steady burn. As he tended the fire his thoughts drifted to the other presence he had felt in the human dwelling back on the beach. The presence had felt familiar, and dangerous. But what bothered him most was the familiarity of it. Just the mere thought of it brought a sense of uneasiness. He looked towards the girl that lay sleeping, he would ask her when she awoke he decided.
The fire was going well now; he stood and walked towards the entrance of the cave. Crawling on top of a boulder, he perched himself on top of it, it would serve him fine to keep a lookout. He watched outside as rain still pelted the grounds. The waves had subsided and the worst part of the storm with it. He yearned for the sea and the safety of its embrace. Although he knew it would not be wise to leave the girl just yet. He let out his breath and sighed heavily, he was not meant to be on land, the ground under his feet felt unsteady if not unnatural. Land was for mortals, not a Mer.
…
She dreamed, dreamed of quiet and a serene sense of profound peace…
She walked along the sandy beach, a long stretch of sand as far as the eye could see. There was no sound, there was no wind, not even that of the water lapping gently against the shore. The silence
was so deafening that it nearly pounded against her ears. Even the very water of the sea looked much more crystal blue than she had even seen it before. The atmosphere around her was as calm as it was unnatural. Looking around, her eyes finally spotted something off in the distance. First it began as a blurry fog, and then as it came closer she could make out the shape, a man.
The old Fae walked closer to her, he knew immediately who she was, the destiny she would soon become a part of. She was a Seer, the Seer of the Blue Moon.
“Hello my dear girl. I have waited many years for your return.”
She pondered the words, her return? What did he mean when he called her a seer? What was he talking about, a blue moon? She shook her head hesitantly at him. “Who are you? What is a Seer?”
The old Fae chuckled. “My dear girl, all things will be revealed once you are ready to come into your destiny. But for now, let us walk together. For I have things to tell you, and I need you to listen carefully.”
“All right,” she replied. But, it was her curiosity of the matter that remained in the forefront of her thoughts. She stepped closer and stared up at him. He only looked back with a solemn sweet smile. She broke her gaze and looked out across the sea. “I’m Cora,” she mumbled. She had no idea why she felt compelled to share her name. And then she spoke, softer this time. “This is a dream, isn’t it?”
“A dream,” the old Fae wondered. He nodded his head as he looked around. Maybe he was just realizing that himself. “Why yes, I guess it is a dream.” He did not wish to scare her. He only hoped she would feel nothing but pure friendship from him. But now he must try and help her understand the danger she was in, a deep understanding, one that would only further the risk that she faced. That risk being her very life and soul.
Blue Moon: The Ring of Mer (Seer's Of The Moon) Page 1
