by Jana LaPelle
Realms of the otherworld
Kindred
BOOK ONE
A REALMS OF THE OTHERWORLD BOOK
JANA LAPELLE
Text Copyright © 2016 Jana LaPelle
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. Any references to historical events, real people, etc. are used fictitiously.
No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the express written permission of the author.
All Rights Reserved.
Cover design by www.ebooklaunch.com
Acknowledgements
A huge thank you goes out to my dear friends Dianna Simpson and Larissa Muncy. Without whom I’m not sure I would have been able to have completed this project. All your kind words, praise, encouragement, and constructive criticism did not go unnoticed and was very much appreciated. To my son Gabriel, you are my inspiration, thank you for being you and for your creative and fascinating mind. For my family and friends and especially my son for daring me to follow my dreams and supporting me in this endeavor.
Before we start, I encourage you to check out the Glossary of Irish Gaelic Terms. It’s there as a reference for you, the reader. Also, check out the Glossary of Irish Mythology. Happy reading.
Prologue
A month or so ago if someone had of asked me if I believed in monsters, I would've laughed, and my reply would've been something like, "Yeah, right?" I would've backed up my sarcastic retort with, "Maybe in movies and legends?" But knowing what I know now I'm left to ponder why parents tell their children there are no such things as monsters. I mean, really? Let's be realistic; monsters come in all different shapes and sizes, right? For most of us, a monster could be seen as a rapist, or a murderer, or even a child molester. Those are the monsters that most of us are familiar with, so yes monsters do exist. Sometimes, said monster might not look like a monster at all. What they say is true, looks can be deceiving. But monsters of legend? Not so much. For most of us, seeing is believing, and I'm no different. Why do parents deny the existence of monsters to their children? I don't know. Maybe by denying the possibility that such things exist to a child just reinforces a sense of security within themselves. Or perhaps, our parents were just following a timeworn and passed down tradition of denying the fact that these creatures actually do exist. A tradition that began long ago, in an effort to soothe the fears of children and has been followed for so long that no one remembers that otherworldly creatures are really out there.
What would you do if you knew the truth? How would it shape your destiny, your fate? Most individuals will lead an ordinary life while others are destined to accomplish the inconceivable. No matter what, for most, the truth is hard to acknowledge, no matter what that truth is, it can often times be a very bitter pill to swallow. Being destined to be different, to stand apart comes with great responsibility and sacrifice, a realization that I'm just beginning to grasp.
Chapter 1
Summer vacation! Need I say anything more? Driving back from the beach I'm left to ponder. My family and I've just spent four fabulous weeks at the beach basking in the sun. I've been blessed with an awesome family, and they're not even blood relatives. I was adopted at the tender age of just one-month-old, or so they think. My sister Audrey was a young adult when I showed up out of nowhere. Mom found me left outside the entrance to the emergency department at the hospital. Crazy right? She worked there as a pediatric oncologist and took me in around the same time that her daughter, Audrey, married Daniel. Strangely enough, I had been abandoned with nothing more than the basket I was found in, a blanket, the necklace that I have always worn, and a note. Thinking back on my life I wouldn't have wanted it any other way, I love my family, they're amazing and not once have I ever felt anything but one hundred percent loved and a part of this family unit. Spending time with family this past month on vacation has been bittersweet because in less than three weeks I'm heading off to college, a life altering event to be sure.
The beach house we rented was fantastic. Every morning we woke up to the breathtaking views of the Gulf Shores and every day we spent the majority of our time on the beautiful white sandy beaches of Santa Rosa. Considering that we lived in Kentucky, nowhere near the ocean, the view was a tropical welcome paradise. There's nothing like the sound of water as it comes ashore to bring on your inner calm and tranquility. It was everything we had hoped it would be. But all good things must come to an end.
It's crazy how fast four weeks can pass you by in the blink of an eye. Four wonderful weeks of no worry about school or anything else for that matter, well there are these dreams I've been having since my eighteenth birthday several weeks ago. They feel so real. I've never dreamt with such attention to detail, and I can't help but wonder what they mean. Don't get me wrong; I don't mind having these dreams so long as tall, dark, and delicious continues as my leading man. It's really quite bizarre. I'm not sure exactly what to think of these nightly interludes with my dream man, and I'm definitely not sure about sharing them with anyone else just yet. Not even my best friend.
In these nightly escapades I'm taken to a beautiful meadow, and in the distance, I see him under a large weeping willow tree as if he's waiting, just for me. The really strange thing about the dream is how it starts with me leaving my body and traveling to the scene that has become familiar and comforting. Then there's the feeling that I know this man somehow, even though I've never seen him before, I'm drawn to him. It should worry me how I react to him but it doesn't, and I want more than anything for him to be real. I just wish that I could remember more after I wake. Like did we talk? If so, what did we talk about? What's his name? The one constant is his handsome face. Thank god all this started on vacation. If I had been in school, I would be driven to distraction.
The drive has been quiet, and I've had plenty of time to reflect on things as we're heading back home. Our journey has been long but uneventful, and we're just a couple of hours from home, if that. It's twilight as we come upon the Jellico Mountains in Tennessee, and humidity is unusually heavy. As night begins to fall, a fog begins to settle on the mountains like a thick white shroud, and visibility is being impacted. I volunteered to drive so Mom could be rested and ready for her first shift back at the hospital. Looking around the interior of the vehicle, I notice Mom is dozing in the back seat and my niece Alexia, my best friend, is busy listening to her iPod and texting friends. We're maybe two car links ahead of Audrey, and the rest of her crew as we're making our way towards Kentucky. As we begin our descent off the mountain, I noticed in the rearview mirror a semi-truck emerging from the dense fog behind us like a ghost at dusk. It's closing in on us at an incredible rate of speed. Being in the fast lane I try to find an opening to move out of this guy's path, but weekend traffic is absurdly heavy. Looking back, a sense of dread overcomes me. I look over to Alexia and shout, "Hold on!" The fog is really thick at this point, distorting distances and images. As I look in my rearview mirror again, I see the semi-truck is obviously out of control, and about to overtake my sister's SUV. Mom sits up, looking around, "Ashlinn, what's wrong?" She asks in alarm.
Everything takes place in slow motion, and time seems to slow down. I vaguely hear the truck behind me lay on their horn repeatedly, sounding an alarm which is already too late to heed. I hear the truck as it slams into Audrey’s van. The sound is indescribable. I’m still trying in vain to find a way out of the path of destruction and praying that my sister and her family will be okay. What I see unfolding behind me tells me that the worst is yet to come. Mom in the back seat is frantically looking around to see
what’s happening behind us. Alexia has just now noticed the tension in the air, and the feeling of impending doom settles over us.
Suddenly the play button has been hit by some invisible force as the truck behind us rams Audrey's van off the road. The attached trailer begins to jack knife going over eighty miles an hour. Before I know it, Audrey's SUV is totally out of control and rolling end over end, slamming into the median barrier, a crumpled mess. The trailer is now airborne and is heading directly for us. There's absolutely nowhere for us to go to avoid what is about to happen. My last thought before the trailer that is hurtling toward us collides with our vehicle? "Oh snap."
I become aware of sounds all around me, but I'm unable to move. I hear people about me talking and relaying vital signs, rushing around, bringing other people up to speed of the accident situation. I'm oddly numb as I hear voices relay to one another, "There were only two survivors, both female." My heart is breaking. From what sounds like a million miles away, I can hear the doctors and nurses frantically trying to save my life as the machine I'm hooked up to signals a flat line response when my heart stops. Then suddenly I'm looking down upon myself, detached and numb. I take in the scene below me, I appear to be covered in blood, and my face and skin are ashen in contrast to the dark tan that I had gotten while at the beach. Vaguely I survey the scene and see that Alexia is in the next room. The medical staff are busy working on her. Thank God, I think, Alexia survived. Poor Lexie is going to be all alone. Then I feel a jolt. I'm pulled back to my body as an electrical pulse races through my chest jump starting my heart. I gasp for air as everything fades to black.
Where am I? It’s as if I’m awake, but It's totally dark, and I'm all alone. How long have I been here in this dark cocoon? Do I care? Not really. In one fatal car crash, my entire world has changed. Wrapped up in this dark place is not so bad, I don't have to think.
To feel...
To move...
Nothing…
I'm having moments of lucidity. In these moments the pain of losing my Mom, and my family is still so very fresh, so raw. I know there's nothing I can do to bring them back. With that acceptance, one would think that the darkness should have dissipated… but it doesn't.
What the hell? Where am I, and how do I get back? Darkness is everywhere; it surrounds me. Cocooning me from everything, even my senses. I feel nothing but the ache in my heart for the loss of my family.
Now the darkness is pressing in on me. It has begun to feel like a cage. A prison I need to escape, but how? I'm trapped. One thing I know for sure. It's time to wake up or figure out what the hell is going on with me. If Lexie survived, she's going to need me. Come on Ashlinn, think! You need help, so get your ass in gear and figure a way out of this seriously bad situation. Come on now, focus!
I can't wake; it's not like I haven't tried. My mind keeps going back to the weird dreams that I've been having lately. I decide to try to replicate my dreams. They've been so realistic. At this point, what could it hurt? I think about how my dreams begin with me rising out of my body, somehow tethered by a shimmering silvery cord attached to what can only be described as my spiritual being. I concentrate on replicating this even though it seems impossible. Surprisingly, without much effort, I can feel myself rise up, tied to my physical person as if I've done this a million times before, and maybe I have. For the first time in maybe days, there's no darkness surrounding me. I look down on myself, Alexia, or Lexie as I’ve nicknamed her, is in a wheelchair at my hospital bedside softly crying, and begging me to come back to her. My heart breaks just a little more, but I know instinctually that this is bigger than just me being injured. I look down to the necklace on the bedside table that I should be wearing, and reach up as if to hold on to it around my ethereal neck. I need to find tall and handsome, the guy from my dreams. What's his name? I'm sure that I should know it. My only thought is to get to him, and then in an instant I'm on my way.
Chapter 2
Like in my dreams, landscapes and scenery flash past me, and then there is a feeling of being sucked into a vacuum before I pass through the other side. In the blink of an eye, I soon find myself in a beautiful meadow. I feel as if I'm actually here though I know I'm not. I look around to get my bearings; this place is secluded and breathtaking. I've been here before, in my dreams. My tether feels stretched taut but begins to relax the longer I'm here, as if adjusting to where I have traveled. "Hello?" I call out. "Is there anyone here? Please, someone, be here. Anyone?” I mutter more to myself than anyone else. “I should have known this wasn’t going to work.” Frustrated, I stamp my feet, and say a little louder than necessary.
“Are you always so loud and needy?” an exasperated voice says.
“Who’s there?” I spin around but don’t see anyone. “Hello? I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m looking for a guy. Can you help me?”
“Aren’t we all?” I hear the smile in her question. “Seriously, is that the best you’ve got? I mean really? I’m looking for a guy? Duh, who isn’t?” The voice came from the shore of the pool of water to my left.
"I've met him here before in my dreams, or at least I think it was in my dreams and I think he may be able to help me." I continue to look around but have yet to see another person. "Can you please show yourself, I just need…?" I sigh. "That's the problem; I don't know what I need or what's going on, but I think the man from my dreams may be able to help," I say, hating that I sound like such a helpless twit.
Giggling ensues, and I catch sight of what can only be a sprite bent over at the waist laughing from behind the large rock at the water’s edge, “You’re looking for the man of your dreams to solve all your problems. That’s just rich!” she continues to giggle as she clutches her sides.
She's only maybe, six inches tall with silvery wings, long wavy hair that reaches almost to her feet so dark black that I see midnight blue highlights. She has brilliant crystal blue, twinkling eyes in the setting of pixie like features with the most luminous complexion I have ever seen. Her skin looks like it sparkles in the sunlight. Suddenly, she's up and fluttering her wings until she is hovering right in front of my face.
“Alaric has tasked those of us who live here to let him know of any odd or unusual things happening here, but I don’t recall Alaric ever saying anything about someone like you to me. Can you describe your dream man to me? Does he have a name?” she stifles yet another giggle.
In an effort to be civil I say, "You… are very pretty. Are you a sprite? By the way, my name is Ashlinn. What's yours?" As I shuffle my feet, I look around hoping to see this Alaric. As soon as she uttered his name I know that's who I'm looking for. I can't help myself as I glance around the meadow looking for him, but he's nowhere to be found, and I'm stuck with the feisty sprite.
“My name? Are you sure you want my name? And yes, I am a sprite.” she says in a mischievously lilting voice.
“Well, maybe… Why? Are there rules about obtaining a sprites name?” I ask running through all the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings movies in my head.
She laughs again. "No, no rules. I'm just messing with you. My name is Jasmine. My friends call me Jaz." She cocks her head to the side as she addresses me with her hands on her hips. Her silvery glittering wings fluttering behind her, and her light blue mini dress hugging her curves. She really is quite beautiful, even if she is only six inches tall. She is honestly the size of those Tinkerbell dolls you would find at Walmart, and I can't help the smile that slides into place.
"It's nice to meet you, Jasmine. So, Alaric? Where might I find him?” I’m growing restless because I know my time here is short. I can feel it in my tether. For a time it was relaxed, but now I’m beginning to feel it pull tight and taut and I’m not sure how much longer I can stay. “I really need to talk to him. Can you help me Jaz?” I ask as desperation leaks into my voice.
Jasmine seems to consider my request for a moment and then comes to a decision. "Alaric v
isits here often; I could, possibly, get a message to him." She takes a good look at me before saying, "You aren't here physically, are you? And I guess that you're not from this realm as well, but maybe you should be." She looks me over again quizzically. "That's a rare ability you have; not many people can astral project in this realm and certainly those that can are not able to jump realms doing so."
I ponder what she has said for a moment, jump realms? I quickly file it away as I realize that I’m running out of time. “Jasmine, I’m running short on time. Can you get a message to Alaric? Can you tell him that Ashlinn is looking for him, and that I’m in trouble? There’s been an accident, and I’m trapped in a dark place completely void of any light. It feels like a cage, and the walls are pressing in on me. It’s like I’m trapped in my body but not.” Frustrated with myself I groan, taking a deep breath I try to gather my thoughts. “I’m not explaining this very well because I’m not sure what’s going on, or why I seem to be unable to wake. Hell, you’re talking about realms as if this isn’t the planet earth. Obviously, it isn’t because we don’t have sprites where I’m from, at least I don’t think so.” Now I’m rambling. I feel my tether pull at me, and I know time is up. “Jaz, please? You may be my only hope. I know somewhere deep down, like a forgotten memory, that Alaric may be the only one to help me. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to come back. I’ll try, but this isn’t like my dream walking, I’m pretty sure that I’m not dreaming now. This is the only time that I’ve been able to visit this place when I haven’t been dreaming.” Before I can think about it any further, I blurt out, “Tell Alaric it’s time. Tell him I need my Guardian for my awakening!”
