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Jill Ranney-Campbell Author Page
Amazon
World Castle Publishing
Category:
Fantasy
Publisher: World Castle Publishing
ISBN-10: 1939865948
Type: Fiction
Pages: 187
Copyright: Oct 30, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781939865946
Price: $3.99 (eBook)
Can the curse be broken before time runs out...again?
The cursed ones are back and this time they’re stronger than they’ve ever been, thanks to The Awakening, a prophecy believed to be legend.
Kallisto Craven has lived many centuries, she just isn’t sure if any of it is real. She’s been plagued with dreams her whole life, of family and friends that have been with her throughout the centuries. After one particularly heart-wrenching dream, she finds out they’re all real. A witch, Serena, had killed them centuries ago and cursed their Celtic lines to fight for all eternity. The biological mother of Kallisto and her twin brother, Kalan, countered the curse, allowing them a way out by living and dying over and over again until they can break the curse.
Kallisto and the other cursed members work to retrieve the last member, Talus—Kallisto’s one true love—and free him from Serena, who cast a spell on him. After many failed attempts, Kallisto loses heart and decides to go on alone. She fights to break the bond between all of them so the others can live full lives and no longer be forced to live and die with her.
Talus and Kallisto come together in a chance encounter, locking the curse in place, but she runs away, still determined to break the bond. The others do everything they can to bring her back, even playing chicken with a train. When they finally get her back, she’s taken away once more by the now vengeful Serena, and they must race to save Kallisto before she becomes the witch’s sacrifice, ending the curse in such a way that could annihilate the cursed ones, and devastate the entire Irish and Scottish lines for all eternity.
Excerpt
After making a short pit stop in Albuquerque, she made the rest of the trip into Arizona without stopping again. She bypassed Flagstaff and then headed south to Phoenix, which took her straight to the dirt road where the kidnappers had taken her and Gabriel had saved her. She stopped there and let the memories flood her mind. Gabriel had thrown the kidnappers’ bat over the trees to the left. She bet if she walked far enough in that direction she would find the bat, but she needed to get to the mansion.
Hopping back into the car, she headed down the road and was barely able to find the driveway because it had grown over so much with weeds and tree limbs. Kallisto was a little disturbed by the macabre look of the once beautiful drive, now overhung with sinister vines. There was so little light shining through the trees and brush that Kallisto had to turn the lights on just to see the road…or what was left of the road.
As the tree line finally broke to reveal the mansion, she saw that it was charred black, with only the foundation standing. Kallisto stared at the sight in horror. Their once lovely home, now unrecognizable from the damage done from fire and other destruction, was falling apart.
She got out of the car with tears in her eyes and walked to where the front door had once stood. Picking up the charred wolf knocker that had once decorated the door, she held it to her chest in dismay. The tears flowed readily as she remembered the times they’d had in that house and all around it. Kallisto walked around to the back of the house, where the practice dome still stood, barely, and stared at the charred and broken weapons that were cast upon the ground. She found the broken remnants of her favorite weapon, the chakrum she’d had so much fun practicing with. Memories flooded her head of that fateful day she’d worn the iron gauntlet to practice, and the feeling of excitement she’d felt the first time she finally caught it.
She knew that Serena and Merrick had done this, and it filled her with rage, so much that she gripped the piece of chakrum in her hand so tightly that it cut into her skin. Blood dripped from her hand as she opened it and stared in shock at the gash she’d just made. It didn’t even hurt, to her amazement, but she knew it would later when the adrenaline wore off. Using the
chakrum piece to cut the cloth, she ripped the bottom of her shirt off and bound her hand with it, tying it tight.
Feeling a need to go into the woods, she remembered that Gabriel had buried a steel chest with the wedding necklace and other pieces they needed in it. She trailed through the woods and knew exactly where to stop, even though she hadn’t been with him when he buried it.
Kallisto used the doorknocker to pound and scrape the dirt away, which she found was moist. When she’d broken loose a good amount with the knocker, she started using her fingers to dig deeper and deeper. Mud caked under her nails and covered her hands, as the deeper she dug the more water was present. She finally felt the stiff cold metal under her fingers and began digging around the edges to break it free.
It took a bit of effort, but she finally pulled the steel chest from the hole. The lock on the front was steel as well, and she used the knocker to pound it until it finally broke loose. Opening the chest, she froze in amazement as she noticed the inside was padded with velvet and the necklace was in a crevice made solely for it. The paper that Sixtoes had brought out with it was laminated and in a plastic case. Kallisto grinned as she stared at the perfect protection Gabriel had made for these special items and shook her head, laughing slightly. She placed the wolf knocker and the piece of chakrum in the box with them and closed the lid, picked up the box, and headed for the car.
When she reached the edge of the woods, she ducked behind a tree when she noticed two men searching around and in her car. They must not have found anything of use because they moved away from it and started searching the grounds. Kallisto slowly laid the chest behind one of the biggest trees at the edge, inside a bush that had grown up around it, trying not to make any sudden moves or noises. She edged out of the tree line and around the opposite side of the dome, which was intact enough to block her from sight.
Her heart was beating hard and fast, deafening her with the pounding in her ears. She had to calm down so she could hear. She took many slow and shallow breaths to slow her heart. Imagining the house still standing in all its glory and her friends and family standing around with her helped to calm her heart even further.
Finally, she was able to hear the men walking through the brush. One was to her left and the other was behind her on the opposite side of the dome. She flattened herself against the dome wall and waited for the one coming around to inch closer.
The electricity started to flow through her body and she worked it down, concentrating it in her hands. A steel-toed boot came into view and she slowly moved her hands into position. As the man stepped within reach she grabbed his head, shooting the electricity into his brain. The movement was so sudden he never had a chance to yell out, and he dropped to the ground, convulsing.
“You all right Brax?” The other man hollered out. Kallisto knew he’d be on alert if the guy didn’t answer, so she made the choice to try and get behind him. She eased around to the opposite side of the dome as she heard the footsteps coming her way.
The one he called Brax was still on the ground convulsing. She could’ve taken the electricity out and he still would’ve been knocked out for a while, but she didn’t want to take the chance of him waking up quicker than expected and adding to the danger she was in. If the other man was to touch Brax he’d receive a small shock but it wouldn’t jump to him. Kallisto wished she could do that…then she’d just have to leave him to be found and problem solved.
Kallisto made it to the other side of the dome in time to hear that Brax had been found. She grinned as the man started spouting curses, and she could envision him touching him and then jumping back. But after only a moment she heard the man snicker menacingly.
“Where you at, girly?” Kallisto could hear his steps as he moved around in the brush, but they weren’t moving closer or farther away…he seemed to be making a circle, scanning the area around him. “Woo-hoo,” he called slowly. “I’m gonna find you.”
Kallisto shuddered at the dark promise in his words. The sounds of his footsteps could now be heard moving around the dome, growing ever closer, and then she heard the cocking of a gun. Her breath caught. She was afraid to move or make any noise, but she needed to get away. She was about ready to bolt when the man spoke again.
“Who the hell are you?” The words were followed by grunting, more cursing, and the sound of flesh hitting flesh. There was a thud and then silence. Kallisto didn’t move and she tried not to even breathe. She didn’t know what had happened, and was rather afraid that it was someone else that had come to kill her just as efficiently as the other two could have.
“It’s alright Miss Craven, I’m here at the behest of Gabriel. I won’t harm you.” Kallisto was able to hear the truth in the woman’s words, but Gabriel had taught her that there were those who might be able to trick her sense of truth, so she cautiously walked around the dome, ready to bolt if need be.
As she reached the edge of the dome, she peeked around the edge and saw a woman dressed all in black. She seemed to be dressed in all cloth, almost like a ninja, only she didn’t have a face covering and no sword at her back. Apparently she had taken the guy with the gun down bare handed. Kallisto was impressed.
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