Song of the Ancients (Ancient Magic Book 1) Read Online Free
Author: Sandy Wright
pocket of his robe and drew out a small black box. "For you, a remembrance of your first ritual. Welcome to Sedona, Samantha," he said softly, pressing the box into my hand.
I pulled off the lid. A charm nestled inside, the sliver of a crescent moon, formed out of milky moonstone and threaded on a black silk cord.
"I try to bring a gift for first-time attendees," he said. "Rumor mentioned she wanted to invite you." He removed the necklace and motioned for me to turn around. When he tied the charm around my neck it felt hot. "It's a moonstone. Your birthstone." I held it away from my skin and the little moon immediately cooled.
He brushed my hair aside. "It's made from moonlight, as are you," he whispered, leaning in to kiss me.
I froze. He was sexy and seemed nice, but he was a stranger. My shoulders stiffened. I turned my head, and his lips grazed my cheek.
He straightened and stepped back. "I thought we had an attraction. Guess I was wrong." His anger twined itself around me like soot-filled smoke, smothering the last tranquil remnants of the ritual. "My apologies." He turned and strode away. It appeared he wasn't accustomed to rejection.
"What an ego," I muttered. Anxiety prickled across my shoulders.
I shivered and hurried to Rumor and her convertible.
"What is with him?" I stopped beside Rumor. "Does he act this way with all the newbies?"
"Uh, no ." Rumor unlocked the passenger door and gave me a thumbs-up sign. "I don't know why I worried about your social life. You're doing just fine on your own."
Remembering Nuin's stormy eyes, I wondered if I'd pay a price for turning him down.
Chapter 3: Strands of Destiny
In the next town, Nicholas waited until midnight to climb the stairs to the second-floor balcony of his aunt's house, cradling a black glass ball in one arm. Forewarned is always best , he told himself, although it grated to admit Samantha was important enough to make him worry.
When he shook Samantha's hand at the store, he saw. He had not meant to look. He usually tried to maintain a polite distance with strangers and keep himself shielded. People he met for the first time often described him as aloof, but it was a necessary pre-caution. On rare occasions, however, a casual touch broke through his barrier, piercing his head with a single burst of razor-sharp images. Yesterday, Nicholas had glimpsed Samantha's future. But he needed to be sure before he moved forward with his plans.
The power coursing through his blood was ancient. Even as a lad, Nicholas knew he was a witch, and his talents gave him an advantage. But such gifts were not without price: The blinding headaches, the illnesses, and the weakened immune system. Magic always charged a toll. His parents could not lower the cost or pay it for him. The young boy dabbled with his magic and experienced the pain of his impulsive behavior.
The man was much more cautious.
Still, tonight he could not help asking, who are you? He lit the candles, and his words formed cold puffs when he whispered an incantation to cast the protective circle. Drawing in the earthy scent of mugwort, he knelt in the center, closed his eyes and lifted his arms. "Earth and fire, water and breeze, bend your time to let me see. As I will, so mote it be."
The power roiled inside him, a brief, sharp wave of nausea, before it moved out to his extremities, making his fingertips tingle.
He lifted the sphere of black crystal to the full moon, cupping it in both hands so it absorbed the light from the flickering candles below, and the moon above. Frost turned the globe opaque. He leaned close and blew on its surface, rubbing his hands across it in slow spirals. The icy crystals cleared, and the globe glowed with a pure, dazzling white light.
Within, Nicholas saw a red mountaintop, a spindly pinon pine, wet and black with rain. Goose bumps rose on his arms, and he could smell the wet earth. He shivered and tilted the orb to one side and then the other until he could see her.
I pulled off the lid. A charm nestled inside, the sliver of a crescent moon, formed out of milky moonstone and threaded on a black silk cord.
"I try to bring a gift for first-time attendees," he said. "Rumor mentioned she wanted to invite you." He removed the necklace and motioned for me to turn around. When he tied the charm around my neck it felt hot. "It's a moonstone. Your birthstone." I held it away from my skin and the little moon immediately cooled.
He brushed my hair aside. "It's made from moonlight, as are you," he whispered, leaning in to kiss me.
I froze. He was sexy and seemed nice, but he was a stranger. My shoulders stiffened. I turned my head, and his lips grazed my cheek.
He straightened and stepped back. "I thought we had an attraction. Guess I was wrong." His anger twined itself around me like soot-filled smoke, smothering the last tranquil remnants of the ritual. "My apologies." He turned and strode away. It appeared he wasn't accustomed to rejection.
"What an ego," I muttered. Anxiety prickled across my shoulders.
I shivered and hurried to Rumor and her convertible.
"What is with him?" I stopped beside Rumor. "Does he act this way with all the newbies?"
"Uh, no ." Rumor unlocked the passenger door and gave me a thumbs-up sign. "I don't know why I worried about your social life. You're doing just fine on your own."
Remembering Nuin's stormy eyes, I wondered if I'd pay a price for turning him down.
Chapter 3: Strands of Destiny
In the next town, Nicholas waited until midnight to climb the stairs to the second-floor balcony of his aunt's house, cradling a black glass ball in one arm. Forewarned is always best , he told himself, although it grated to admit Samantha was important enough to make him worry.
When he shook Samantha's hand at the store, he saw. He had not meant to look. He usually tried to maintain a polite distance with strangers and keep himself shielded. People he met for the first time often described him as aloof, but it was a necessary pre-caution. On rare occasions, however, a casual touch broke through his barrier, piercing his head with a single burst of razor-sharp images. Yesterday, Nicholas had glimpsed Samantha's future. But he needed to be sure before he moved forward with his plans.
The power coursing through his blood was ancient. Even as a lad, Nicholas knew he was a witch, and his talents gave him an advantage. But such gifts were not without price: The blinding headaches, the illnesses, and the weakened immune system. Magic always charged a toll. His parents could not lower the cost or pay it for him. The young boy dabbled with his magic and experienced the pain of his impulsive behavior.
The man was much more cautious.
Still, tonight he could not help asking, who are you? He lit the candles, and his words formed cold puffs when he whispered an incantation to cast the protective circle. Drawing in the earthy scent of mugwort, he knelt in the center, closed his eyes and lifted his arms. "Earth and fire, water and breeze, bend your time to let me see. As I will, so mote it be."
The power roiled inside him, a brief, sharp wave of nausea, before it moved out to his extremities, making his fingertips tingle.
He lifted the sphere of black crystal to the full moon, cupping it in both hands so it absorbed the light from the flickering candles below, and the moon above. Frost turned the globe opaque. He leaned close and blew on its surface, rubbing his hands across it in slow spirals. The icy crystals cleared, and the globe glowed with a pure, dazzling white light.
Within, Nicholas saw a red mountaintop, a spindly pinon pine, wet and black with rain. Goose bumps rose on his arms, and he could smell the wet earth. He shivered and tilted the orb to one side and then the other until he could see her.
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