Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Note From The Author
Copyright 2017 by N.A. Montgomery
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without prior written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters and places are a product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.
I have had countless support from my friends, family and professional team that have helped me launch this new book. My three children are my life and their energy drives me daily. I cannot thank each of you enough. But, this book is dedicated to my Mom & Dad. Your guidance and belief in me gives me courage.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Note From The Author
Chapter 1
I slept more soundly than ever in my eight hundred and thirty-nine years. I was warm, comfortable, carefree and safe. My entire life, once I came of age, has been as a warrior for the Tuatha de Danann. These feelings of security were mostly foreign to me.
The distant sound of a horn stirred me. Familiar, but still I stayed rooted in slumber, unable to move. Not wanting to move. A second sounding of the horn and I had the gnawing feeling I should get up. There was something of importance in the sound, but I couldn’t wake. I wouldn’t wake. The third sounding of the horn and my eyes shot open. The horn from a white sacrificial bull blown three times. What was going on?
I stood and I drew both my swords in a single movement. The smell was of damp rotting earth mixed with stagnant air. My nose curled at the scent and the stale air held heavy, making it hard to breathe. There was a small light, the size of a pebble, the only light in total darkness. It began to grow though I hadn’t moved. I looked around. My fellow Tuatha were around me, swords readied as well. My King to my left. None of us said a word. None of us moved.
Confusion took over my thoughts. I was in the middle of a great battle only a moment ago. Wasn’t I? What had happened? The King looked to me, just as dumbfounded as I felt and spoke, “Morrigan?”
My eyes didn’t leave the light as I whispered, “Be ready.”
A silhouette walked into the center of the light though I couldn’t make out the face, my eyes having trouble adjusting to the contrast from the darkness. The walk was familiar but nothing else. He wore unfamiliar clothes. Loose pants that went all the way to the ground in a shiny grey, a material I’d never seen. Sturdier than silk but flowing as he moved. He didn’t wear boots but black shoes that wouldn’t hold up for a day of walking across the countryside. His shirt was the crispest of white and a jacket over it matched his pants. He stopped and smiled. Recognition hit me.
I whispered the familiar man’s name, “Emrys.”
Chapter 2
Emrys walked up, towering over me at six foot five inches of solid muscle, dwarfing my five foot eight inch frame. I’m a slender yet strong woman and as always, his mass enveloped me. His thick chest and his arms spread wide, lifting me into a spin while holding me close. Tears streamed out of his soft grey eyes as he laughed.
He nuzzled my cheek, not bothering to pull my long red hair out of the way. I could feel the wetness of his tears against my skin. I knew they were tears of joy but my heart ached that he seemed so emotional. My truest friend. Our souls were intertwined in centuries of friendship and I could feel the relief that poured from him.
I pulled back to see his face though he loosened his embrace on me only slightly. His silver hair was cut short rather than the shoulder length he had worn what seemed to be a few minutes ago when we were in battle together. I ran my fingers over it, not liking the change and not understanding why it looked like this. His hair was like the metal silver, spun into soft strands and not that of an elderly human, though his solid build and lack of wrinkles would never allow him to be confused for an old man. The contrast of his bronze skin and grey eyes gave him a strange and appealing look at the same time.
“Emrys, why do you look like this and what is going on?” I said as the King cleared his throat next to me.
Emrys sat me down but still wore his grin. “King Conall.” He bowed then continued, “There will be time to explain but it is not now. We must go through the Great Oak to a place of safety I have readied for us. There I will explain all that I know.”
He grabbed my hand, barely taking his eyes off me to lead us out. My hand felt at home in his. We walked in silence only because my head spun with so many questions I didn’t know where to begin. We made our way into the morning light, the sun barely above the horizon. There stood a man with the sacred horn and the Stone of Fal, one of the four treasures from our home.
Chapter 3
King Conall looked at Emrys. Being King he was naturally imposing, even to a great Druid such as Emrys. The King’s patience—though Emrys said there would be an explanation—was dwindling, seeing the man with one of our treasures and the bull’s horn.
Emrys couldn’t let go of his grin but seeing the seriousness of the King’s expression he raised his hands. “Please, we are but a short walk to one of the Great Oaks, and it will lead us to a place of safety. We will have quite a walk once we pass through. I’ll explain everything on the way.”
The man holding the horn stared at me. He was human, that much I could tell. His fears were not masked as ours surely were.
Emrys picked up the Stone of Fal, took the horn from the man’s hands, and led the way. The air was cool and pure, if not a little damp from the fog. The emerald green of the grass on the rolling hills held the dew. At least the familiar landscape was comforting to me.
Emrys strode next to the human. “Come, boy, I’ll explain to you, too. Bet you didn’t think you were going to see three hundred Tuatha de Danann come walking out of a mound of dirt when you woke up this morning, did you?”
The man, obviously stunned, stuttered and sounded out as best he could, “Thoo-a-day Du-non?”
Emrys let out his hearty laugh, “Yes, I suppose you need some catching up as well. See
ms like I’m the only one around here who knows what is going on. Patience, boy.”
“Quit calling me boy!” he shouted and planted his feet.
Anger replaced the fear on his face. Or more likely the anger was a result of the fear. That I could relate to. “I am twenty-eight years old. I’m a grown man, and my name is Neil. You and everyone here look to be a few years younger than me, so stop with calling me boy.”
A soft chuckle erupted from us, which only seemed to anger him more. Emrys’ face was soft and friendly even after the outburst. “Relax, young thundercat.”
Before Neil could protest any more, Emrys stopped in front of the Great Oak. The only tree in the sea of hills.
“Neil,” he said, dripping in a most patronizing tone. “This is a Great Oak. One that is very old, containing great magic, and is friendly to us. These people and myself are supernaturals. We can use Great Oaks as a sort of portal. We can enter into one and come out through another Great Oak at another location. Anywhere in the world. Humans cannot. At least not without the help of a supernatural.”
Neil stood looking at Emrys as if he’d sprouted a second head.
Emrys saw the man was slow to catch on. “Fuck it, follow me.” And with that he grabbed the man and stepped through the tree.
We followed Emrys. I was first, followed by the King. Before stepping through I looked back. Emrys was right, there were about three hundred of us. Three hundred. We were more like three thousand strong when we began the battle this morning. Did we really have so many casualties? I was at the center of the battle and couldn’t see beyond what was in front of me. Slashing and taking heads, that was all that I focused on.
Emrys and Neil stood back a few feet as I exited. Taking in the landscape, I could see we were in a thick forest of trees. I did as Emrys had, stepping aside so that others could follow through, the King stepping with me.
“Have you seen Treasach, Alastar and Aine?” I asked, no formality in my voice for the King. Perhaps a hint of the panic I felt welling inside me. His blue eyes took me in.
“Ease yourself, Morrigan. You were so preoccupied that you didn’t notice my children were beside me. They are safe.” Then he couldn’t help himself and winked. “As is my mate.” King Conall smiled and the next to walk through the Great Oak was Treasach.
Like his father, Treasach was tall and handsome. Not as tall as Emrys but only a few inches shorter. Tuatha hair was either golden, red or somewhere in between, but his was as gold as sunshine. That is exactly what I thought of when I looked at either of them—sunshine. His skin was bronzed and his turquoise eyes stood out in contrast. The dark brown leather pants and vests that we wore in battle complimented his coloring. As he stood next to the King I couldn’t help thinking how alike they looked. All but the eyes. The King had the same hair and skin but his eyes were a deep blue. The color of the ocean I once saw from a beach covered with sand.
Alastar and Aine were next to come through. The twins. Alastar, like his father and older brother, wore the brown battle gear, but his stockier stature made it look like his muscles would burst through the leather. Treasach was tall and powerful but moved with finesse and sleekness. Alastar was straight brute force and looked it. He was the deadliest of the three in battle. His eyes matched his father’s but he had an added twinkle in them that revealed a great heart and usually a little mischief.
Aine, like her twin brother Alastar, had bright red hair. While his was shoulder length and pulled back, hers flowed down to her lower back even when braided. In my opinion, she was the most beautiful of all the Tuatha. She was tall and agile. Strong yet fragile. Fiery hair and cool turquoise eyes. Everything about her contradictory, at times even her mood.
The King’s mate, Deidra, came next. Not one of my favorites, but even I couldn’t deny she was poised, beautiful and usually very kind, though I could unnerve her at times. Her hair was a blonde so pale that it was platinum rather than the usual warmer colors of our people. Unlike most of us, her skin shimmered silver rather than gold. Her eyes were the palest of blue. Everything about her look was cool. She radiated femininity. She walked as though she floated, stopping next to the King, giving me a regal nod.
I lifted my chin to her. Not very polite, but at least I acknowledged her presence. That was the best I could offer. Treasach just winked at me.
Coming through the Great Oak single file took quite a while so I went to Emrys. He was speaking to Neil. Glancing at me, he wound his hand in mine and I pressed up against him. Wherever we were it was cooler than I was used to and his warmth comforted me.
His baritone voice was smooth like black velvet though I suspected he had magic laced into the words to keep Neil calm as he spoke. “I am a Druid, and as such I am a great conductor of magic.”
Neil broke free of the calming magic. “Emrys—as in Merlin? Like King Arthur and Merlin?”
Emrys rolled his eyes. “For crying out loud, my name is Emrys. I’ve never gone by Merlin and whatever bullshit you have read in the stories about King Arthur, forget all of it. You’ll soon learn the real story, and the first lesson is that my name is not Merlin. Nor am I an old wizard who wears a pointy hat. Never have and never will.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. And why would someone think his name is Merlin? It sounds like a girl’s name. And what does a pointy hat have to do with anything?
“As I was saying…” Emrys’ words thickened with magic, “I’m a Druid. Like the Tuatha, and all supernaturals, we cease aging once we reach our maximum growth. Approximately age twenty-five to twenty-seven. We do not die of old age.”
“You’re all immortal?” Neil blurted.
“No!” Emrys’ patience was now being tested. “Nothing is immortal. We die like anything that lives. We do not age. Now as I said, I’m a Druid. Magic is my strength, and all you need to know is that I’m damn good at it.”
He paused but Neil stayed quiet, waiting to hear more.
“These fine folks are the Tuatha de Danann. They are from the four great cities: Falias, Goirias, Findias and Muirias. They are warriors that the Creator made to balance out great evil.”
“The Creator… you mean God?” Neil couldn’t help himself this time.
Emrys’ look was patient and I could see why he was the great Druid leader. “As I said, you need to unlearn most things that you know. The answer is yes and no. Yes, the Creator is the God that you worship. He is the God. He created everything. He created the Earth, the waters, the animals and humans. He then created his children, the lesser Gods, to help rule. To break it down for you kid, he’s the boss but he needed to delegate. So now you have the Creator’s offspring helping things along and as things go, there’s always some bad and some good. Just like any other creatures, jealousy and fighting erupted among the Gods. Resentment. They wanted the Earth for themselves. The bad Gods began wreaking havoc on the humans. Even taking some and twisting them into creatures to cause more destruction. The Gods are siblings and are bound not to harm one another. So, he created the Tuatha to fight the evil on land and the Fomoire to fight the evil of the seas.”
“We are all through,” shouted Brian, my second in command.
King Conall imposed himself on Emrys. “Where are we headed?”
“As you can see, we are in a thick forest,” Emrys began. “I have set us up in a place about five miles from here, so we have a bit of a walk.”
“Good.” the King kept a close eye on Emrys. “Now you can fill me in on what is going on.”
“Yes, of course,” Emrys agreed. I couldn’t help but smile that he didn’t call the King ‘Sire’ or ‘Your Highness’ as we would. Being a Druid, he wasn’t a subject and Emrys always made it clear that he worked with us and not for us. Another reason I adored him.
Neil was impatient to get on with the story Emrys had begun. “So if the Creator—”
Neil was cut off as King Conall picked him up by the collar of his shirt. The always calm look on his face contrasted with what I k
new he felt. He kept his voice steady yet stern. “Emrys, I don’t know who this is, but you will tell us what is going on now.”
He threw Neil to the ground and his gaze hardened on Emrys. Typical Emrys looked unworried and fiddled with a fingernail.
He helped Neil to his feet then turned to lead the way and we began to follow. A full minute stretched by before he spoke. His voice was soft, knowing that our hearing was far more acute than humans and we would all be able to hang on every word. “We were to battle Arwan, God of terror and revenge. Your cousins the Fomoire may have been your family and allies at one time but for centuries you have battled them. They, wanting to be rid of humans or at the very least control them, the Tuatha wanting to protect. They made an arrangement with Arwan that they would fight with him to defeat the Tuatha and not turn on him as long as he would leave the Fomoire alone and enslave the humans. What is the last thing you remember?”
King Conall smiled but knowing him as I did this was not a friendly gesture. This was a precursor to him losing his patience. His voice not betraying emotion he answered, “Our forces gathered as the sun rose over the hills at our backs. We faced the sea. Arthur and his Knights were behind us and the Druids behind them, ready to heal. The Fomoire appeared at the shore with Arwan cowardly standing behind them. We charged and met them in battle. We fought for hours, most of the day. The sun hung low in the sky looking to be swallowed by the sea when we began to make headway. Morrigan, yourself and Alastar fought in a fury, carving a path closer to Arwan. Myself, Arthur, and his Knight Gawain charged through. The three of us fought Arwan. The three of you held the Fomoire at bay. Arwan mostly battled with me, seeing Arthur and Gawain as weak. Arwan slashed Arthur’s sword, breaking it in half. Then he slid his sword deep into Gawain’s leg. Thinking them no threat he fought me with all his might. Arthur shouted for me to throw him my sword. Arwan was paying him no attention. I grabbed Gawain’s sword to keep fighting and threw Arthur mine, knowing that the sword of the Tuatha would be the only one to defeat a God. Before Arwan could react, Arthur drove it deep into his body. Arwan stood frozen before Arthur pulled it out and then took the head of the evil bastard.” The King paused, running his hand through his beard. “Then we awoke inside the Earth.”
Awakening_The Morrigan Chronicles Page 1
