Saturday, August 15, 2015

CAVE OF DREAMS: Sneak Peek at the 1st Paragraph from each of the First 7 Chapters

Cave of Dreams 


Below, is a sneak peek into my new fantasy novel, Cave of Dreams. I've included the first paragraph or two from each of the first seven chapters.


Chapter 1
The Prophet & The Scribe
AD 500

Looking down the valley from the opening of the cave, through white flakes floating haphazardly towards the ground, Adair could see Erin’s apparition moving ever so slowly towards him, inching his way up the slope in the sluggish and unsteady movement of the aged. Adair had tried to assist his master, attempting to give him support and help along the final leg of his journey, but Erin had simply gazed up into Adair’s eyes, shook his head, and in a shaky yet determined voice, spoke softly saying, “This is my journey. I…must do it alone…”

Chapter 2
The Druid’s Journey
AD 500

The next two days and nights Erin spent planning and getting ready for his own treacherous pilgrimage, and in that preparation he also had time to remember and think back to what had brought him to this place and time.
Ever since he was young, he had had vivid dreams that sometimes came true. He thought back to what he recalled was his first. He had been only eight at the time and had had an unusually real and frightening dream about his older brother, Elimar. During one night’s sleep, he had clearly seen his brother stumble and fall from a cliff near their home. The next day, he’d warned him of it and begged him to be careful. He knew that Elimar often went to the cliffs to gather sheep, but Elimar did not pay any attention to his younger brother. Even his parents had laughed a bit asking him if he thought himself some kind of Druid prophet.

Chapter 3
Rebirth
AD 500

Adair had set out from the Island of the Druid’s, believing that his trip back to be with Erin would be much quicker this time, especially since he had taken a small pack horse along to carry his burdens. However, finding someone with a large enough boat to transport both he and his animal across the water, along with the difficulties caused by the severe winter weather, had worked against him. It looked as if the trip would take him a good ten days instead of the seven that he’d hoped for. This was a great worry to him because Erin needed him there exactly at the end of the current moon cycle. The extra three days could cost Erin his life, so Adair made up his mind to travel an extra four or five hours each day, starting early in the morning and not stopping until darkness had set in. He had to get there on time.

Chapter 4
Black-Haired Beauties
AD 500

His sight, as he dreamed and stumbled through a world beyond knowing, was like a patterned collage of images, moments, and times from the past, present and future. Most in color and as real as the creases in his own hand, but some in black and white, flat and two-dimensional like white cave drawings swirling about on black walls. Each picture held meaning and foresight, but only if he could truly see and understand them; only if he could sort them, classify and arrange them in a way that would bring insight and coalesce into prophecy.

Chapter 5
Fergus’s Tale
October 7, 2022

Even on her eighteenth birthday, Bea had wanted to spend some time working at the Druid & Wiccan Spiritual Center. It was located on her family’s estate where their old mansion had once stood. Architecturally, the Center was a very unique building. It was made of wood, stone, and glass, with sections of green turf laid out artfully across its exterior. It resembled a large rounded hill. Its shape and design had been derived from a famous real-life rock mound that stood behind the Iona Abbey on the revered Isle of Iona.

Chapter 6
Bea’s Story
October 8, 2022

The smell of scones, coffee and tea lingered in the air, and the metallic sounds of glasses, dishes, pots and pans being cleaned and put away emanated from the kitchen. Bea couldn’t help but smile as she watched her mother and father take over from Marta and her grandmamma. They had ushered the two masters of the kitchen into the living area, insisting that it was time for them to take a break. Of course Marta complained, but in the end, the two of them acquiesced and sat together on the couch. They had munched while cooking and serving everyone else, but they hadn’t eaten properly. Now, they could finally relax and chat a bit, while savoring a buttered scone slathered with Marta’s homemade wild cherry jam and sipping casually on their favorite blend of morning tea.

Chapter 7
The Mirror Image
October 4, 2010

Having awakened from an unsettled sleep and a long night of hellish dreams, Brenna stood next to the open window in a milky-white cotton shift that her acolyte, Abbey Creag, had given her. The fabric was loose and soft as it ebbed and flowed across her body in the early-morning, autumn breeze. Sweat still glistened on her sallow brow, but her heart had slowed along with her breathing - the nightmarish visions fading with each passing moment.


No comments:

Post a Comment