Otherworld tales, p.1
Otherworld Tales, page 1
Otherworld Tales
Volume 2
Yasmine Galenorn
A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication
Published by Yasmine Galenorn
PO Box 2037, Kirkland WA 98083-2037
OTHERWORLD TALES: VOLUME 2
Copyright ©2019 by Yasmine Galenorn
First Edition
First Electronic Printing: 2019 Nightqueen Enterprises LLC
First Print Edition: 2019 Nightqueen Enterprises LLC
Cover Design: Earthly Charms
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any format, be it print or electronic or audio, without permission. Please prevent piracy by purchasing only authorized versions of this book.
This is a work of fiction and is entirely the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, or places is entirely coincidental and not to be construed as representative or an endorsement of any living/existing group, person, place, or business.
A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication
Published in the United States of America
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction to Otherworld Tales: Volume 2
Moon Swept
Introduction to Moon Swept
1. Forbidden Love
2. Im-Purr-Fectly Matched
3. Shadows of Love
Earthbound
Introduction to Earthbound
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Knight Magic
Introduction to Knight Magic
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Biography
Acknowledgments
Thanks to my beloved husband, Samwise, who is more supportive than any husband out there. (Hey, I’m biased!) He believes in me, even at times when I’m having trouble believing in myself. Thank you to my wonderful assistants—Andria Holley and Jennifer Arnold. And to my friends—namely Carol, Jo, Vicki, Shawntelle, and Mandy. Also, to the whole UF Group gang I’m in. They’ve held my hand more than once over the past few years. It’s been a scary, exciting, fast-track ride and I’m loving it.
Love and scritches to my four furbles—Caly, Brighid (the cat, not the goddess), Morgana, and li’l boy Apple, who make every day a delight. And reverence, honor, and love to my spiritual guardians—Mielikki, Tapio, Ukko, Rauni, and Brighid (the goddess, not the cat).
And to you, readers, for following me through the years.
I hope you enjoy this anthology. If you want to know more about me and my work, check out my bibliography in the back of the book, be sure to sign up for my newsletter, and you can find me on the web at Galenorn.com.
Bright Blessings and thank you!
~the Painted Panther~
~Yasmine Galenorn~
Introduction to Otherworld Tales: Volume 2
I’ve gathered together the remaining novellas and short stories that I’ve written in the Otherworld altaverse into one volume (for the others, see Otherworld Tales: Volume 1). In this volume, I give you the D’Artigo sisters stories of their first loves (Moon Swept), their journey over to Earthside (Earthbound), and what happened to complete the circle of the Keraastar Knights, (taking place between Moon Shimmers and Harvest Song).
While I’ll never say never in terms of writing more in this world, for now, these complete the stories for the D’Artigo sisters and their adventures. I hope you enjoy them!
Yasmine Galenorn
September 2019
Moon Swept
Otherworld Tales of First Love
Introduction to Moon Swept
Once upon a time there were three half-human, half-Fae sisters…
* * *
At one point, we all have that first love. Maybe it comes soon in our life…maybe it comes later, but at some point, almost every person alive falls head over heels in love. Some loves last for a lifetime, others are a brief flicker and then fade away. These three stories will give you a glimpse into the first loves of the D’Artigo Sisters.
Forbidden Love
Camille discovers that sometimes envy is stronger than love. This story takes place in Otherworld, years before she came over Earthside and before she met Trillian.
* * *
The moon rolled high into the night sky, blotting out the nearby stars. She was wild, this moon, full and golden as harvest wheat, and she shimmered over the surface of Lake Y’Leveshan, her light glinting like a thousand diamonds frothing on the water’s surface. Erulizi Falls thundered nearby, churning deep into the lake as the white water fell long and hard down the rock face.
I let out a long breath as I leaned back on my hands, resting on the blanket. Getting away from home for a few days had been difficult, given my father’s current mood, but with Menolly’s help, I had managed. She had faked the message from Lady Jayna, asking me to come visit for a few days and I owed her one. Big-time.
Father took one look at the invitation and—with a grumbling sigh—said, “You might as well go. Autumn is coming and you’ll be hard pressed with putting up supplies for the winter and keeping up with your new job. So make the most of it and enjoy yourself, for it will be your last party for a while.”
He tossed the invitation back on the table and went back to his charts and graphs, stopping only to add, “Oh, and while I’m on the subject…Camille, dinner was late last night. See that it doesn’t happen again. You’re responsible for running the household. Your mother would never have allowed the routine to become as sloppy as you have. She would turn over in her grave if she saw what a dung hill you’ve made of things. I don’t know why you can’t be more like her. I suggest you give less thought to your wardrobe and more to your responsibilities. How you expect to navigate the requirements of the Y’Elestrial Intelligence Agency, I certainly don’t know. You can’t be as scattered as you have been the past few months and expect to succeed. Now get busy.”
I bit my tongue, wanting to defend myself. But Father didn’t accept excuses. So I merely curtseyed and silently withdrew to the kitchen, biting back my tears. Menolly followed me.
“He didn’t…” She paused, then shook her head, frowning. “I’m sorry. I’d say it’s the grief talking but I think we wore out that excuse years ago.”
“Nothing I ever do is right. Nothing I ever say is right. But does he have to bring her into it? Does he have to constantly throw it at me that mother would be disappointed if she could see the way I’m trying to fill her shoes?” I knew I sounded bitter, but Father was hard on me—constantly. He coddled Delilah, and with Menolly, he was aloof but polite. He really didn’t understand her and didn’t even try. But me? I was the scapegoat, taking all of his anger since Mother had died.
Menolly wrapped her arm around me, her mass of copper curls tickling my shoulder. “I know. I know.” She glanced around the kitchen. “Why don’t you take a break? I can make sure dinner’s out on time. Leethe’s here tonight and she’s not about to let things slide. Last night, you had to do it all yourself with Tres’s help and that girl can’t cook her way out of an open cart.”
I wavered, wanting to take her up on the offer. But if Father found out she was covering for me, we’d both be in trouble and why should she get smacked down for a good deed? I shook my head. “No, you are risking your neck enough, with writing that invitation for me.” She had also brought it up from the post, mixed in with the other letters. “If you can just drag Delilah away from the barn in time to wash up and dress for dinner, that’s help enough. You know he’ll blame me if she’s late.”
Menolly gave me a warm smile. She shrugged. “Sometimes, I think it would have been better if Father was the one to—” She stopped. “Even I can’t say that. But you know what I’m thinking.”
I nodded. As much as I loved my father and wanted him to be proud of me, I had often thought the same thing myself. “I know. Now, go find Delilah. I’ll make sure Leethe has everything in hand and that dinner won’t be late again. I just pray she cooked something he likes.”
The next morning, I set off before sunrise, after breakfast. Father was already out the door. Of course, before he left I got a last minute warning to make sure everything was organized before I left. As soon as he was gone, I hurried to the kitchen and begged Leethe to make certain the house ran smoothly.
“You know he’ll get on me if anything goes wrong.”
Leethe, loving old lady that she was, patted my hand. “Go and have fun, child. You should be laughing and playing at the Court rather than running this household. You aren’t married yet, and you’ve a job and a vocation to the Moon Mother to tend to. That’s more than enough for three people, let alone one slip of a girl. I will make certain your father is happy—or as happy as the man can get.”
Hugging her tightly, I smiled and darted back to my room. I had waited to pack until Father was gone to make certain he didn’t want to see what I was taking. Because packing for a few days at the lake was entirely different than packing for a jaunt off in one of the upper-crust mansions. My father didn’t run into Jayne’s father often, and chances were the next time they met, Father would have forgotten all about my supposed visit.
Delilah was out shopping for the new job we were to start in a fortnight. I had lied to her, too. Delilah meant well, but she had a nasty habit of blurting out the truth, even when she meant to keep it a secret. Delilah was naïve, and Menolly and I did our best to shield her from the realities of life until we thought she was ready to take them on. I wondered if she ever would be anything but wide-eyed and optimistic, but I wasn’t going to ruin her outlook on life. It was nice having someone who could throw herself so thoroughly into the joys of life.
Menolly sorted out my walking skirts and a couple tops. “How many skirts? Tops? And should I even bother with undergarments?”
“I need my corsets. You know that. But…oh, three skirts and tops should do fine.” I sorted through my shoes. I would wear my boots, and take a pair of sandals along with me. I added a couple bath sheets, washcloths, and a hand towel.
“Blankets?”
I shook my head. “Shamas is bringing the bedding with him. There would be too many questions if I took a blanket or bedroll with me.” I added my makeup to the growing bag, and then my journal, which I kept hidden under a floorboard. Menolly knew where it was, but neither Delilah nor my father knew about it—the former in case she accidentally blabbed, the latter because he would insist on reading it and my goose would be spit, roasted, and gnawed to the bone.
Menolly reached out and took my hand. “I can’t believe it’s finally happening. You think he’s really going to ask this time?”
I smiled, feeling shy—and it wasn’t easy to make me blush. My heart doing somersaults, I nodded. “Yes, I think Shamas is finally going to ask me to marry him.”
The camp that Shamas had set up on the eastern shore of Lake Y’Leveshan was right near Erulizi Falls. The area was grassy, with a secluded grove nearby. At this time of year, we lucked out with only one other group camping nearby. And they seemed totally focused on teaching their children to swim.
The tent was large and a gay crimson, and inside, Shamas ordered his men to set up cots and soft down pallets to sleep on. A table and chairs sat near the fire pit, where the cook was basting several chickens, turning them over the fire at a slow, even pace.
I closed my eyes, leaning back against the grass. The moon was brilliant, shining down, and everything was quiet—the other camping group had already gone to bed. We had planned on a midnight dinner under the stars, then a stroll to the Falls under the moonlight. Erulizi, the goddess of love and passion, guarded the Falls, and I hoped she might bless us. We had a rocky road ahead, Shamas and I.
He was my cousin—perfectly acceptable in society. But what wasn’t acceptable was the fact that I was half-human…a windwalker…and he was higher placed in the Court and Crown. His mother, Olanda, was our father’s sister. She treated us kindly, but there was always the sense we were lacking. Our mother had said she felt like we girls were treated like country cousins, quietly tucked away in the corner so nobody would realize we belonged to the family.
Shamas and I had been pulled together from the start. He was handsome, with jet black hair like mine, and eyes that mirrored my own, as well. We could have been brother and sister, as far as looks went. And we both loved magic and moonlight. For two years, we had tried to ignore our draw, but one night, he had caught my hand and pulled me behind the garden gate for a quick kiss. I had pushed him away at first, but then, our eyes met and the next moment we were in each others’ arms. My heart vanished into his hands. For two years, we had lived through stolen moments and long, lingering looks. Hidden kisses behind curtains at family functions, and dancing even when we were exhausted, just so we could touch each other in public. Now we were ready to take the next step.
Shamas strolled over to where I was stretched out. His glamour was strong, he was magnetic and handsome, with a strong jaw and eyes that sucked me in every time I looked at him. He was wearing camping clothes—a spidersilk tunic over trousers, and his hair hung loose, falling to mid-back. A scruff of stubble covered his chin and as he dropped to the ground beside me, he let out a low laugh that set my breath to quivering.
I propped myself up on my elbows, staring at him. “We’re here. I can’t believe we’re actually here.”
He stretched out beside me, leaning over me. “Camille…we’ve waited a long time for this. I want you so much. I want you now and forever.” Reaching out, he stroked my arm, his touch setting me on fire. I closed my eyes. Sex and passion were essential parts of my nature—my father’s Fae blood came out in me stronger than in either of my sisters. I needed to be touched, loved, and tasted. Sex strengthened me. But until now, all the men had been mere lovers instead of beloved, and that made every difference in the world.
I leaned in, holding his gaze. “If we do this, there’s no going back. You know what our parents will say—well, yours. You know what the reaction in the Court and Crown will be. I’m below your station by my birth. My mother’s blood…my mother…”
My mother, Maria, had struggled to make certain her daughters never doubted who we were. She wore her humanity like a badge, proud of it in the face of discrimination. Even though she died when we were young, I always remembered her stories about coming from Earthside, and I always watched her stand with her shoulders back, dignified and confident in the face of the constant snipes thrown her way by Father’s relations. Aunt Rythwar was the only one who treated Maria like she mattered.
“Are you ready to face what’s coming our way?”
Shamas frowned, then rolled to a sitting position and wrapped his arms around his knees. He stared at the fire. “I know it’s going to be hard. I know that my mother will be appalled.”
Appalled was the word for it, all right.
“I know she cares for me because I’m her niece, but she treats my sisters and I like we’re tainted. Can you face this, Shamas? Because I need to know. I need to hear you say it aloud.”
Suddenly, I wasn’t sure. Until now, we had kept our love secret. Whenever someone made a rude comment about me or my sisters around Shamas, I noticed that he bristled. But not once had he stood up for us. And if he couldn’t stand up for his cousins, could he hack being my husband? Could he be as strong as Father was? Always standing by his wife and his children?
“I can do this, Camille. I can.” He held his hand out and pulled me to my feet. “I can face our detractors.”
The Moon Mother cast a sudden beam down to land square on his face and I gasped and gazed up at her, my heart and mind stilling. She was my Lady, she was, and she was working her way toward full. This cycle, I would be taking my initiation, if she had me, in the Coterie of the Moon Mother. My time as an acolyte would be over, and I would take my place as one of her Witches, with all the rights and responsibilities. I would also be starting my new job with the Y’Elestrial Intelligence Agency. It was a cycle of change and transformation, all right.
“Camille? Camille…” Shamas’s voice filtered through and I shook my head, realizing I’d been off drifting in my thoughts. “Where were you?” His voice was sultry as he cupped my chin. “You vanish sometimes, just…disappear from me. The Moon Mother taps you on the shoulder and you’re gone.” There was a catch in his voice. “I wish I could go where you go.”
I swallowed hard. There was no way to answer this. Shamas loved magic. He loved the night and the moon and the feel of enchantment riding high on the wind, but his mother had prevented him from studying the mystical arts. He was expected to take his place as a young nobleman in the Court and Crown, and enter politics. And Shamas hated politics.
