The day of the ceremony quickly arrived and I felt more certain about my decision than I’d ever expected to be. Veria greeted me with a smile as an equal.
“I can see a change in you, Astera. Did you find what you were looking for?”
“I’m not sure it was that much a spiritual quest for me, but I found a friend I’d wondered about for a long time, and made another,” I said, speaking of Karulo.
“It sounds as spiritual as you needed it to be. Are you ready?”
I nodded, and entered the town square in readiness for the ceremony. My family was among the crowd watching me, including my brother, Kaleb. So was Araena, her husband and her parents. It was good to have them there as I was gifted my red robes and swore the oath to guide my people. Karulo was by my side the whole time, as I knew he would be.
We didn’t notice a figure in priest’s robes standing near the back of the crowd, though we’d most certainly encountered him before. The man still showed faded signs of injury, as he watched me complete the ceremony. Another man stood beside him, who was older with wispy white hair.
“What do you think?” the older man asked, as he glanced toward Karulo.
“He’ll do,” the injured man replied. “Yes, I think he’ll do quite nicely.”
Author Bio:
Mara Amberly is a fantasy and science fiction author. In the past, she's also written poetry, short stories and official roleplaying game content for the 7th Sea RPG.
She's a trained journalist, editor and web developer, and she works as an author and graphic designer.
Mara's Web Site: http://author.maraamberly.com
About the Author
Mara Amberly is a fantasy and science fiction author. In the past, she's also written poetry and official roleplaying game content for the 7th Sea RPG.
She's a trained journalist, editor and web developer, and she works as an author and graphic designer.
Mara's Web Site: http://author.maraamberly.com
Water Warrior
Pauline Creeden writing as Paula Black
Water Warrior © 2020 Pauline Creeden
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This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Water Warrior
One test would be hard enough, but three may prove fatal.
Flora’s mother passed away before they could ever meet. It didn’t affect her much, since she didn’t know the woman. But now the council of elders grows tired of waiting to see if the abilities Flora showed in one night were a fluke or proof she’s the genuine article.
When she’s sent on an Odyssey-like quest with five young men, she discovers they are not only for her protection, but also vying for her affection. How is she supposed to focus on a quest with so much else to think about?
Chapter 1
I stood before the council of elders starting to wish I was back in Las Vegas. Old men stared at me, judged me, and looked me up and down. I was beginning to feel like a piece of meat.
“How do we know she’s the changeling princess, and not just someone who is of mixed Fae blood?” One of the four elders asked, his grey eyes narrowing. The council of elders sat behind a wide marble table in a windowless room with high ceilings and stark white walls.
Kyle’s deep voice rose from behind me. His dark hair fell over his forehead as he bowed it slightly toward the council. “Flora showed an ability to use all of the elements, not just one. Only the changeling is able to do such a thing.”
The elder’s nose crinkled as he looked with disdain on my friend. “So, you say, but she has been tested before this council, and isn’t even able to perform the mundane tasks Fae elementary school students can accomplish.”
Kyle’s father, one of the elders, interrupted, his palm slapping against the stone table. “Declan and Kyle would not have brought her here if what they said was not true. Her powers are released in her twentieth year. We don’t know when. If we’re patient—”
The only woman on the council cleared her throat. Like most of the Fae women I had seen over the last four days, she was tall and slender, with silver hair and perfect facial features like a top model. The council woman stood before she spoke. “Because there is no queen, it is impossible to break the covenant that keeps the changeling’s powers suppressed. The only way to wake her true power is to send her on a quest.”
While the council murmured among themselves, I shot a glance at Kyle. His dark eyes were narrowed on the council and his lips were pursed. His features told me, he disapproved of the council’s suggestion.
Kyle’s father shook his head at his son, and then turned toward the remainder of the council. “A quest may be too dangerous. What would happen if she’s injured or killed. If she is the changeling, as Kyle and Declan have witnessed, then we would lose our queen and with her, the true bloodline. Instead of a quest, I still suggest we wait.”
Between the council of elders, the murmuring grew.
“Wait where? Here? In Talamh? Of course, you’d hope she’d stay here among your people, and fall in love with your son!” The first elder shouted, pointing toward Kyle.
My heart tightened in my
