Category: Fantasy Publisher: S.L. Perryman
Type: Fiction
Pages: 137
Copyright: Dec 15, 2015
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
Sapphire is a single mom who has been through hell, but nothing compares to the hell she will have to go through to fulfill a prophecy that she didn't ask to be a part of. Will she find the strength within herself to overcome her fears of the unknown, or will she give in to the nagging voice that keeps telling her that she isn't good enough?
When a mysterious package shows up on her doorstep, Sapphire Archer is thrown into a magical world she never knew existed. With the help of a wise genie named Nubby she must leave everything she has ever known behind, including her son Falcon, and travel across the world to fulfill a dangerous destiny passed down to her by her grandmother.
With the enemy hot on their tail, Sapphire and Nubby must make their way through The Forest of Lost Souls in search of a hidden box containing the key to bringing magic back. But will Sapphire make it home in time to complete the ritual, or will the enemy stand in her way?
*This book contains adult language that may be inappropriate for younger audiences.
Excerpt
Sapphire’s Destiny
The Realms Series: Book 1
Copyright 2015 by S.L. Perryman
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without express written permission of the author. This eBook is licensed for your enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people.
The story in this book is the property of the author, in all media both physical and digital. No one, except the owner of this property, may reproduce, copy, or publish in any medium any individual story or part of this novel without the expressed permission of the author of this work.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental.
Prologue
Alice Archer’s Story
Sept. 16, 1901
The familiar searing pain rips through my head, my vision becomes black, and I grasp the edge of my old oak desk. I take a steady, deep breath and ready myself for the unavoidable onslaught of images. I know they are coming. Slowly I’m taken to a faraway time and place and fleeting images flicker in and out of existence until finally they focus into a coherent scene.
As with every vision, I’m floating above the scene, like a lost soul stuck between worlds unable to be seen or heard, only able to observe. But this one is different; I’ve never before had a vision of myself. For a moment I think this is a memory. Many nights I have sat at my desk filing paperwork, but looks can be deceiving. My only clue that this is not a memory is that painting on the wall – it is a painting of that man I just met recently.
I quickly look around the office, searching for any indication of the date. I know the drill; find the date, gather the clues, and devise a way to prevent the events from occurring.
There is a newspaper on the stand next to the waiting area, the date reads February 28, 1967. I’m confused for a moment, I’ve never had a vision that was more than a few months away, but this; this is over 60 years from now.
My intuition screams at me, raising the hairs on my neck, alerting me of the inevitable trouble behind me. I turn around just in time to see Mathias, a demon from the high council, appear in a blaze of flames right behind my future self; he slips a small blue amulet around my neck and laughs triumphantly.
My vision begins to flicker once more and I believe that the vision is over, but instead of waking back up in my own time, I am still trapped in the prophecy; the image shifts and comes back into focus.
Now I’m floating over a dark damp cell. I’m chained to the wall; the cuffs have dug into my flesh and blood is trickling down my hands, pooling on the floor. My face is bruised and my lip is bleeding. My long brown hair is matted with blood and is stuck to my face and neck.
I’m not crying or even scared when two men with glowing red eyes enter the cell and rouse me from my stupor. They drag me, cuffs dangling and clanking beneath me, through a dark hall and into a large room lit by a few candles set in a circle in the middle of the floor.
I haven’t seen any windows or doors so I have no idea where I am and there is no indication of the date. I have a terrible feeling about this. My heart lurches in my chest and I’m consumed by panic, though my other self seems perfectly calm as she is placed in the middle of the circle. The two men disappear into a dark corner of the room; their glowing eyes stand out against the shadows.
I watch my other self quietly pick up an athame out of small box and slice her finger, letting the small drops of blood fall into a goblet full of liquid.
She continues the ritual, reciting a spell I’ve never heard before while crushing various ingredients into powder. She places a pinch of the powder into the flames of each candle, and finally sprinkles some into the goblet and drinks from it.
A flash of light erupts from her center and forms a glowing golden orb. It floats between us for a moment, and then slowly fades out of existence.
I was so caught up in watching the ritual that I hadn’t noticed a fourth person in the room hiding in a far corner. He comes into view just in time for me to watch in horror as he picks the athame up and drives it through the chest of my other self.
The other two men drag my body back out into the hallway disappearing out of sight. I look around frantically for a date before the third man can disappear, tears running down my face. Something glimmers in my periphery, and I turn to see time has frozen. The man is bent over one of the candles ready to blow it out. I lean in closer to look at him but he has no features.
Again I see the little glimmer of light, but it is coming from his wrist. He is wearing a wrist watch with a digital date. I lean in closer to read it: August 12, 1996 8:17 pm.
I may not know who he is but I will always remember this moment. I’ve never seen my own death before, but I was allowed to see it for a reason. I’m obviously supposed to stop this from happening.
The vision flickers and shifts again, only this time I’m standing in the middle of a field gazing up at a mountain. There at the base of the mountain is a crevice with stone gargoyles on each side, as if they are guarding whatever is inside. I’ve seen this place before as drawings in an ancient text describing the war between witches and a fallen angel.
The earth begins to rumble under my feet. The sky darkens and I look up as black clouds begin to appear out of nowhere. A deafening shriek pierces the air around me as the stone gargoyles come to life, calling to their kin as the evil thing breaks free of its earthen prison.
Suddenly I’m floating above the earth watching the world burn in flames as he wreaks his destruction on the humans and witches, punishing them for his imprisonment.
The image flickers again. I’m standing in a delivery room, a small baby wrapped in pink lies in its bassinet. The crib card reads Sapphire Archer, September 28, 1990. I gaze down into her icy blue eyes, and it’s almost like she can see me.
The image begins to fade but before it vanishes from existence I catch a glimpse of a young woman standing in the same field under the mountain and she is battling the darkness. A soft whisper finds its way to my ears as a woman’s voice I’ve only heard once before says
What has been seen is set in stone. The girl is the savior, without her your world will perish. You must not attempt to change the future, but ensure she gains immortality. Your death will be swift and your assention is secure, I promise you that. Follow the path I’ve laid out for you, daughter! Or the world will burn!
I open my eyes to see Nebula standing before me.
“I sensed your distress! What did you see?” she asks.
I should have never connected us with that spell.
I sigh and hold my hand out to her, readying myself for the familiar tingle of her magic invading my memories.
It makes its way into my mind and she watches the vision through my eyes as if she were actually there. The shock and horror in her eyes tells me she has seen it just as clearly as I had.
She pulls away when it’s finished and sits in defeat. “The goddess gave you that vision?” it is more of a statement than a question “Why would she make you watch your impending death if you’re not meant to change it?” her aristocratic English accent becomes clipped and rapid, and for me, almost impossible to understand when her mind is racing with worry.
I send my magic out, testing the wards on the room so I know it is safe to speak openly about my mother’s agenda. One never knows who could be listening. I feel Nubby’s magic circle mine, and I realize she was thinking the exact same thing.
“Mother’s sight is never wrong. She wouldn’t risk her life to warn me unless it was important. She is not supposed to interfere with our realm; if the others found out she would be banished to the Never Realm for the rest of her existence. She would be tortured until the end of time.” I give her a moment to come to terms with what I’ve just told her.
“I knew she didn’t speak to you much but I didn’t know the situation was so dire.” She seems saddened, but not for my mother, for me. I can feel her mixed emotions leaking through our connection.
“Thank you for your concern, but don’t pity me Nubby! I had a wonderful mother, even if she wasn’t my blood; she was more of a mother than my biological mother ever was. Personally I thank her every day for abandoning me, if she hadn’t I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
“So there is nothing we can do?” she asks, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
“Of course not! We can start planning how to keep the prophesied girl alive long enough to defeat what ever evil is lurking in the shadows!” I tell her, my confidence never wavering even though inside I’m an emotional mess.
I look at her straight in the eye “Promise me you will do exactly what I ask of you; that when the time comes, you will go into your lamp and not come out until you are in her presence! Promise me you will not interfere in my death; promise me you will stay hidden!” I beg, extending my hand to her.
Hesitantly, she places her hand in mine, “I don’t like this, Allie, but I promise!”
The last word falls from her lips and my magic winds itself around our hands, glowing red as it binds her promise so it may never be broken.
Professional Reviews
Loved it!
It was a very compelling book. I loved it. Look forward to book #2. I recommend to everyone.Great read!
Due to illness my cover artist, Jack Hoyle, of t-rexstudios.com is still producing the final cover for this title. The cover shown is just a place holder cover. Thanks for understanding, MR
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