Celeste: C I N's Puritan Series
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“She can raise Jacob!”
He clutched a small toy to his chest. “What’s to happen to Mother? Why can she not raise me?”
Anna sat on the ground, folding her legs, Indian style. “Come here, child.”
He fell into her lap, resting his back against her chest. She rocked him, allowing him to cry. I reached for him as she kissed him upon the cheek.
“I will never harm your mother,” she promised. “She may live her life with Sucki, your father. You will need to stay close to Celeste and me.”
“Why?”
“You’re of royal blood. Don’t you wish to become a leader one day?”
“Like a king?”
“You’re already a prince!”
He bounced in her lap. “I didn’t know! I’m Prince Jacob?”
“Yes, you are Prince Jacob and your slave is Delilah.” Anna glanced at me. “Go fetch his slave, Celeste.”
Delilah
I stood at the edge of the water, letting the waves crash into my ankles. Behind me, was a mound of soot, surrounded by discarded pitchforks and scorched sticks.
Delilah lay, lifeless in the center of it all. Slowly, she shifted, groaning.
“Where am I? Is this heaven?”
“Far from it,” I said.
She sat up on her elbows, squinting. “Who said that?”
“I did.” I stood above her, offering my hand. “You did not deserve to die. I couldn’t let them burn you alive for a silly mistake.”
She accepted and stood, covered in black filth. “I’m not dead?”
“No, far from it. You also do not have to marry that hideous farmer.”
“Thank goodness! He was grotesque.”
“Come, let’s go home.”
Delilah, at first resisted, until lightning flashed in the sky and thoughts ran through her mind.
“Hurry on home, Delilah.”
“Follow me.”
“Obey me.”
Prince Jacob
When Jacob and his Mother arrived, Delilah was waiting beside Anna and me. She bowed, ready to be his servant, forever. Sucki was dragged into the center to be reunited with his lover. He refused to remove his cloak, and so Anna ordered another Epoch to do it.
Jacob and his mother fell to their knees, sobbing with fright upon their faces.
“Say goodbye to your mother, Prince Jacob. You’re to start your royal training.” She pointed at the tribesmen. They took his mother and Sucki under the arms, forcefully dragging them through the dirt, out of site.
“I cannot live with him! He’s a monster!” She screamed. “Jacob! Let’s run away! Jacob!”
I could not watch and turned my head. Jacob wept on the ground, begging for his mother. Delilah rushed to his side, attempting to console him.
“Royalty is treacherous,” Anna said. “Delilah, take the young prince to his new living quarters.”
***
The first year was tough on Delilah and Jacob. They both missed their families. When he’d see his mother, he’d weep terribly, begging to give her ‘just one hug’.
Five years went by and he was not so interested in his mother anymore, to her dismay, and by his twentieth year as prince, he came into my tent with ‘fantastic news’.
He stood with rippling muscles, just as Sucki once had at his age. “Aunt Celeste, we must speak at once. It’s urgent.”
I sat on a pile of furs, picking at my fingernails in boredom. “Where is your slave?”
“She’s fetching me a tailored suit for my date.”
“Your what?”
“I’ve fallen in love and must have her.”
“Must have who?”
“Jane. Obadayah’s daughter.”
“He has a daughter? I thought he moved away to another sanction of Lynn, to start a tannery and to put up a school-house?”
“He did. His wife is the teacher and he owns the tannery.”
“How old is his daughter?”
“Nineteen.”
“She’s too old.”
“I don’t care. I’m in love and I want you to meet her.”
“What is her name?”
“Jane Mood. She has a brother called Joseph.”
“What are they like?”
“Jane and Joseph?”
“Yes, of course, who else?”
His eyes glistened and a smile spread across his face. “Jane has long, long, blonde hair that curls slightly at the ends with deep-brown eyes. Her voice is that of honey-suckle and her skin is smooth as silk.”
“And her brother?”
“A lady’s man. That’s the rumor around town.”
“Just like his father was. The apple does not fall far from the tree, does it?”
“I do not know what Obi was like when you knew him.”
“Joseph and Jane. How clever. Obi’s named his children after his parents. I adored them.”
“Will you come, Aunt Celeste? I need you to give me your blessing.”
I stood, stretching. “Yes. It’s been two decades since I’ve visited town. I’d like to see what changes the pale-faces have made in my absence.”
He took my hand, dragging me out of the hut and along a well-worn path. “You’re going to love Jane!”
Jane and Joseph Mood
We crept through a rye field, peering out at a tall Victorian home. Obi, with gray in his beard, sat on the porch in a rocker, next to his little wife. They laughed, holding hands. Standing in nothing but his long johns, was their son. He had an ax raised above his head, a rooster on a chopping block, and a sobbing girl, sat on her knees beside him.
“Please, Joseph, do not do it!” She begged, tugging on his undergarments.
Joseph’s voice was loud and deep. “This creature will not wake me up another morning.”
Jacob pointed. “That’s my Jane. Isn’t she kind-hearted and beautiful?”
I scoffed. “Yeah, and her brother’s a tool.”
The Beginning…of Celeste’s Tragedy
OTHER BOOKS
IN THE C I N SERIES
They can be found on Amazon.com for purchase
The C I N Series: Book 1: C I N
ALL 6 C I N Series Shorts are available in BUNDLED format for over 50% off!!
Short Stories included in BUNDLED format:
The C I N Series Shorts: Story 1 - Donna Denning
The story behind Donna’s traitorous beginning…
The C I N Series Shorts: Story 2 - Jimmy & Amber
The story of Jimmy and Amber’s beginning…
The C I N Series Shorts: Story 3 - Pete & Marie
Millie loved Pete and Pete loved Millie… So, why’s he with Marie?
The C I N Series Shorts: Story 4 – Regrets
Are there second chances in life?
The C I N Series Shorts: Story 5 – Lanie
Millie’s cancer is now in 90% of her body and she needs Lanie to help her…
The C I N Series Shorts: Story 6 – Rat
Millie just wants to remember…
Also available:
The C I N Series: Book 2 - Traitor
The Puritan Series: Bundled Stories 1-5
C I N’s Puritan Series: Story 1 – Fatal
Francisco longs to be the one with the most power. His actions turn him into something horrific and fatal…
C I N’s Puritan Series: Story 2 – Sucki
A True Hero Isn’t a Monster
C I N’s Puritan Series: Story 3 – Charles
No one loves without being forced into it.
C I N’s Puritan Series: Story 4 – Tobias
The story behind why he did not kill them…
C I N’s Puritan Series: Story 5 – Celeste
The day that set Celeste into motion to betray Anna.
Ravenna Frost
A C I N Story for Casting Call Winners:
Savannah & Jake
The C I N Series – Book 3 – Ally’s Secret
Finally, the truth is revealed!
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NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
The history found in C I N was thanks to the website http://www.lynnhistory.com/. Please remember that any persons from history are characters based on my imagination and in no way reflect the actual deceased person.
Thank you for reading my stories! To show my appreciation I’ve created a newsletter that offers free stories each month to subscribers along with periodic prizes.
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Christina Leigh Pritchard
“Dreams are what keep us clouded”
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