Chosen: Book 2 A Realms of the Otherworld Book Read online

  CHOSEN

  Book Two

  A Realms of the Otherworld Book

  By

  Jana LaPelle

  Text Copyright © 2017 Jana LaPelle

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. Any references to historical events, real people, etc. are used fictitiously.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the express written permission of the author.

  All Rights Reserved.

  Formatting by: www.ebooklaunch.com

  Cover design by: www.ebooklaunch.com

  Acknowledgements

  A huge thank you goes out to my dear friends Dianna and Larissa. Thank you so much for your continued supported. All your kind words, praise, encouragement, and constructive criticism have continued to help me grow as a writer. Thank you for listening to me when all I seem to want to talk about is my writing and this fantasy world I seem to be caught up in. To my son Gabriel, I have said it before you are my inspiration, thank you for being you and for your creative and fascinating mind. Without your influence, I fear that one of my now favorite characters in this series would never have evolved the way she did.

  For my family and friends and especially my son for daring me to follow my dreams and supporting me as this series continues to evolve.

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgements

  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 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Glossary of Irish Gaelic Terms

  Glossary of Irish Mythology

  Personal Note from Jana:

  Realms of the Otherworld Series

  Chapter 1

  (Ashlinn)

  I wake with a start, and I'm drenched in sweat. Not wanting to wake up Alaric, I quietly crawl out of bed and make my way to the terrace to cool my heated skin. The moon is a waxing moon. It’s but a sliver in the midnight sky, allowing the stars to pop out dramatically, as she keeps me company tonight. I stand naked to the celestial body in more ways than one.

  My nocturnal wanderings plague me. It's been a month since I dream walked during sleep. Astral projection seems like such a mouthful. The last time, Alaric followed me to my first meeting with my mother, Danu. I know he's exhausted, or he would have sensed my leaving this evening. Things have been really crazy since arriving here in the Otherworld, and with everything that has happened recently, it's no wonder that lately I've been preoccupied with the dark prince's court. That may explain my unexpected visit to his domain this evening. To say that it troubles me is an understatement. Was it my subconscious that directed me to dream walk to Tarron's court? Or was it something more sinister? Was dark majic at work tonight?

  No matter the cause, once there, my curiosity was peaked, and I decided to have a look around. I really didn't want to be seen or noticed in any way once I realized where I had ended up. For the most part, I was able to wander the grounds unnoticed, but as soon as I came upon Tarron, he almost immediately sensed my ghostly presence. He was in the company of a beautiful, young female in a sitting room, and if I had to guess, he was feeding from her. It appeared to be an incredibly intimate moment and from her moans and the way she was pressed against him I could tell that she was very much enjoying the act. I shake my head as if to clear the image burned into my memory. I can't quite shake the fact that the dark prince sensed that I was there. He swung his gaze from the young woman he was feasting on and directed his glowing green-eyed gaze right toward me. He didn't seem at all surprised that I was there, watching this intimate act, and he said, "Well, Hello Sunshine." His grin was full of wicked intent, and it was enough to send me back to my prone form, his mocking countenance haunting me.

  It has only been a few days since I realized that I’m carrying Alaric’s child. I wrap my hands protectively around my flat abdomen cradling my precious cargo. This would not be possible if it were not Her wish. The Tree of Life is actively messing with my life, and for once since meeting her, we are not on the same page. This is not what I wanted. Not yet anyway. I’ve always wanted a large family, and realistically, I knew I would have to start early in life if I were to accomplish that wish but now is not the ideal time. I wanted for all this to be behind us before we started our family and now he or she will be caught up in the middle of all this insane craziness! What did Alaric call it? A shit storm and that about sums it up. A baby changes everything. I sigh heavily with the burden of my secret. Since my epiphany, I have become hyper-aware of Alaric and his probing of the barrier that I have created in our link, a necessity that I despise.

  Alaric will never let me go if he finds out about my new found condition and it’s tearing me up inside to keep this from him. I need to talk to my father. I need information, and right now I trust no one else. He is my father, and he is my alpha. Padding quietly back inside on bare feet, I throw on some sleep shorts and a long snug scoop neck tee and quietly make my way barefoot downstairs to the library to see if anyone is still up. The wall sconces are dimly lit at this time of night, casting long shadows on the walls. My slim shadow reveals nothing of the secret that I possess, of a pregnancy that will soon come to light. I see that the library is dark, and I sigh as I realize that I may have to wait to speak with my father till in the morning. Usually, he prowls the night, and I'm beginning to understand that it’s in our nature. Changing course, I make my way back to the kitchen. I might as well get a snack or two while I'm up. As I walk in, I see that Maith has a three layer chocolate cake with that amazing fudge frosting sitting on the counter under a glass dome, waiting just for me. OMG, I do love me some of Maith’s chocolate cake. I grab a glass of ice cold milk, and I slice a piece of cake as I take a seat at the island in the middle of the large kitchen. Just as I’m about to take my first bite of my midnight snack, my father strolls in.

  “Ashlinn, what are you doing up? Besides the obvious," he says with a smile and goes about making himself a snack. The turkey leg that he selects for his snack looks rather tasty. He sits down to join me in the dimly lit kitchen.

  "I couldn't sleep, and I didn't want to wake Alaric. He has been going at it for the last seventy-two hours. He needs his rest." I say as I take a rather large bite of my cake. Oh, how I love Maith's confectionary concoction as I moan around the huge mouthful of yummy goodness. "I'm going to miss her cake," I murmur around the mouthful of chocolatey goodness, my statement sounding a little garbled.

  “Ashlinn, I know you’re worried, but maybe it won't come to that. We’re still working on a way to counteract the blood contract." He says as he takes my hand in his squeezing it gently.

  He brings up the bane of my existence. The blood contract that my mother, Danu, signed before my birth effectively striking a bargain with Tarron, a Fomorian dark prince, basically signing me over to him and now everything is about to go to hel
l in a handbasket as that blood contract is about to go into play. I think on my words before I say, “It will. I have seen it. I know it sounds crazy, but I can just sense that this is my path for now. Father, if you don’t mind, I need to talk to you about something, but would rather have this conversation outside. Do you have time to take a walk with me?” I ask.

  Rhespen looks at me questioningly before nodding. We finish our late night snacks, and we both scrape our plates clean and rinse them in the sink before making our way out toward the lake under the dimly lit nighttime sky. It's such a quiet and tranquil night, and I hesitate to ask the questions of which I need answers. Instead, I look up into the star filled sky and admire the beautiful sight before me.

  "It's really beautiful here. I love that there is so much more color here than back home, everything is so very vibrant, but I still miss everything I left behind. Don't get me wrong; I know now that I honestly belong here, but there was a certain appeal to being in the dark to everything that I have learned since my awakening." I say with a heavy sigh.

  Rhespen is studying me as he asks, "Daughter, what has you so worried? Something is weighing heavily on you. I mean other than the whole situation with the dark prince. I can tell that something else is bothering you."

  I study the face of my handsome father for a moment before I blurt out, “I don’t know how else to ask this, so I’m going to cut straight to the chase. How long are shifter pregnancies compared to elven pregnancies?” I ask biting down on my lower lip harshly, bruising my lip and tasting blood.

  "Well, that all depends. Most are probably looking at seven months. Maybe a little longer.” He says, “Why do you ask?”

  I groan in frustration as I say, “Since the accident, I haven’t been able to catch a break and once again time is not on my side.”

  “Ashlinn, what are you saying? Are you? You’re…” Rhespen leans in to inhale my scent before he sputters and gives me a look of astonishment. Then he pulls me into a tight hug and kissing me on the top of my head. Pulling away and looking down at me, he says, “I'm going to be a grandfather before I'm allowed the chance to become comfortable in my role as a father." He says with a smile. "Don't get me wrong, I'm overjoyed at the news, but I thought you had decided not to start working on a family so soon.”

  "Well, it would seem that The Tree of Life has other thoughts on the matter," I say, frustration evident in my voice. “The Dagda assured us that the charm would work so there’s no other way that this could’ve happened, we were taking precautions. I believe that, for whatever reason, we received her blessing. Just so we’re clear, no one can know. No one, not even Mother. I’m putting my trust in you to keep this a well-guarded secret until the time is right. If Alaric finds out, he will lock me up and throw away the key. For reasons unknown to me, I have this insane feeling that this leg of the journey is important. I need to do this so that we can move on to the next phase.” I pause before I continue, “Promise me that you will put a deadline of a month and no longer on the extraction phase of your planning. I’m officially on a deadline now. We need to wrap all of this up in the next three to four months. We know that war with The Morrígan is inevitable. That’s only a matter of time. Not that I think that Alaric will allow me out of his sight once he finds out about my little secret. You have to promise me that you will keep him in check while I’m gone, especially once he finds out. As the blood contract goes into effect, I will be vulnerable, and the barrier that I have erected may slip. For now, I can temper our link, but I'm not sure that I will be able to do so once I'm hit with everything else. I worry about how well he's going to deal with all of this, to be quite honest.” I implore of my father.

  “Ashlinn, do you think it’s wise to keep this information from your mate?” My father asks quietly.

  “No, I don't. But what choice do I have? If he knows, he will never let me go alone. It's not like I will have an option in the matter and I now believe this is something that I have to do. No matter how scared I am of what may come.” I confide in him as a thought comes to me. “Father, my panther, since my realization has been rather, I don’t know, dormant? Why is that?” I ask my father.

  "In order to protect the young, she will not allow the shift. It confuses the child you carry. You will be on your own; you may partially shift your hands and your mouth to accommodate your canines, but that will be it. No more shifting until the babe is born.” He says solemnly.

  Got it, no more shifting. I sigh heavily as that may pose a problem. That just leaves me more vulnerable than I already will be. “Father, can you sit with me? I want to try something that will require someone to watch over me. I’m going to visit The Tree of Life.”

  “Ashlinn are you sure you want to do this out here? You would be better protected indoors.” He voices his concern.

  “I don’t know… Being close to nature just feels right to me. I’ll try not to be too long.” I say as I walk up to the terrace outside of the library. Choosing a seat, I lay back on one of the chaise lounges. “Maybe she will have answers for me, for all the questions that I have. Thank you, Father, for being here for me.” I say as I close my eyes and feel my father place a gentle kiss on my forehead. My mind drifts, and I think about the sacred meadow, a virtual Garden of Eden. Then it hits me, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that the sacred meadow is the Garden of Eden. This knowledge just increases the questions that I have for Her.

  I'm amazed at how easy dream walking has become now, and for the second time tonight I leave my body as I seek the sacred meadow. When I open my eyes, I find myself in the oddly quiet meadow. My tether to my body is taut but gives within a few moments. Every other time that I have been here, it has been a buzz of activity. Then I see it; there is quite the crowd gathered around Her in the middle of the lake, and I make my way to where everyone has congregated. As I approach, I see that there are more leaves on the ground. Still not enough to be overly concerned, but since this has never happened before I sense that everyone is worried and are rallying support for The Tree of Life. For the first time, I see a gnome peek from around the tree in a bashful attempt to see what is happening. He is rather cute and shy; he’s maybe a foot and a half tall, and yes they really do wear pointy hats. The sprites and dryads all make way for me to pass as I go to kneel down in front of Her. Wildlife gathers around me and the tree before I seek to speak with Her. There are wombats, rabbits, white foxes with large pointy ears, and in the distance, I see a white stag with a large rack of antlers. Their presence comforts me.

  Gently I lay my hands on her trunk and lean forward and press my forehead to The Tree of Life and ask, “This meadow and everything in it, this is the Garden of Eden, isn’t it?”

  All is quiet for a moment before she responds in my head in a soft but distant voice, “Yes.”

  Thinking back to all I know of the story of Adam and Eve I have to ask, “Once Adam and Eve were cast out of your garden, Cherubim were stationed to guard you and the garden, to keep you safe. What happened to your guardians? Why have you been left unprotected?”

  “That was eons ago. God’s garden was moved to a place between The Realms, connecting all The Realms together. The Creator then called his Cherubim home, to the Overworld before closing the portals between the Realms of the living and The Realms of the afterlife.” She says.

  “But you were left unprotected.” I protest.

  "For a time guardians were appointed, and the Cherubim gifted these guardians the Sword of Light. The same sword that they used in their station as a sentinel, as time wore on the station of sentinel to the garden was thought to be obsolete, and as the last guardian passed into the afterlife, the position remained vacant.” She pauses before continuing, “Until now." She says softly, her meaning unclear to me.

  Enraptured by Her accounting of the past, I ask, “What happened to the sword? That seems pretty significant. An angel fire sword is something that should not be misplaced.”

  “The Sword of Light is also known as
Claíomh Solais and is one of the Four Jewels of the Tuatha Dé Danann. It has been lost now for many a millennium. It must be found.” She implores of me.

  “You said before, until now. What did you mean by that?” I ask softly.

  Once again she is quiet for a moment, before she replies, “I can no longer survive alone. I have been neglected for far too long. I will need a line of guardians. And that line starts with you.” She says vaguely.”

  "But once we overthrow The Morrígan and reverse the curse then everything should go back to as it was before," I say not understanding.

  “It will not be enough.” She says vaguely.

  "I'm sorry, but I don't understand. Why now? Why would you bestow this blessing on us now? This child will be in great danger before it is even born.” I say as tears fill my eyes. “Why now?” I ask again.

  “Because. It is time. You must find the sword and fulfill your destiny.” She says cryptically, and her presence fades to the background letting me know that there will be no more answers forthcoming tonight. I pull away from Her and sit back on my heels and try to steady my turbulent emotions while I stroke the bark beneath my fingers. The frogs serenade us as I tune into all the nighttime sounds. Her bark is thick and rough, and there are deep grooves in it as I feel the texture of the tree beneath my hands, and think on her words. I still don’t understand why now and I continue to puzzle over our conversation.

  I hear a quiet, tiny voice beside me ask, “Is it true, Ash?”

  Startled I turn to see Jasmine hovering in front of me and my eyes go wide as I gasp, “What did you hear?”

  Jasmine looks at me and says gravely, “Only your words, Ash. None of what She divulged to you. Is it true?”

  “No one must know, Jasmine. Especially not Alaric! My short term path is clear to me now, and this next leg of my journey will be made on my own, for a time. Promise me that you will keep my secret.” I plead with my little friend.

  “I promise.” She pauses before continuing, “But I’m coming with you, and I don’t want to hear any excuses. We will make it happen. I go with you when the time comes. I know that Garrik is now on the inside, but that will not be enough. Now, more than ever, you will need a friend with you. You don’t get to say no, Ashlinn.” She says in her most determined voice as she flutters in front of me.