New Book Excerpt: Chapter 8 Of THE VORTEX: Book III of the Alban Saga

"Vortex bw" by ahisgett is licensed under CC by 2.0

The Vortex: Book III of the Alban Saga

Below, I've included the beginning three paragraphs of Chapter 8. Those of you who have read the other two books in the Alban Saga will recognize the characters mentioned in this section.

Chapter 8

Bea’s Quest

15 December 2026

 

 

The sound of birds nearby engaged in their early morning calls was the first thing that touched Bea’s senses. She felt drugged and dizzy and couldn’t open her eyes without the world spinning about her. She felt ill, but the bird songs calmed her. The first rays of the rising sun lit up the undersides of her eyelids, and she stretched to rouse herself and fight off her nauseating sickness. As she did, a slight breeze floated over her skin and caused what sounded like the rustle of leaves overhead. Flexing her fingers, she also noticed damp blades of grass beneath her. She clutched and pulled at them, continuing to fight her way back to consciousness. 

 

With her eyes still shut, she began to recall what had happened. She had just left Erin standing outside the Cave of Dreams and had used her magic, her staff, and the power of her mind to call up a Vortex. She had guided its direction and purpose with a vision of the location and time of her first destination. She was to travel inside the walls of the ancient city of Edinburgh on 1 June, 1566 and arrive near the base of a hill leading up to its great castle. Of course, she had never seen it during that time period, so Erin had helped her place the correct picture in her mind allowing her to arrive at the safest spot during the best time of day in order to avoid being discovered. She also remembered him telling her that on this first attempt at using the Vortex she might lose consciousness as she neared her destination, especially considering she would be traveling over such a long and difficult expanse of time. If she did, he urged her to allow herself to first recover from the journey and then determine if she had made it to the correct place and time – all this before beginning her search for Obsidian.

 

Not only was she nauseated from the journey, her whole body ached, including her head. It pounded terribly, but she had to ignore her symptoms as much as she could and force herself to become fully aware and mobile. She didn’t want to lay there incapacitated very long. So, she stretched and slowly raised the heavy lids of her eyes. Forcing them open and beginning to focus on the area around her, she sat up slowly and noticed that she was hidden within a small copse of trees on a sloping hillside. She was alone, at least for the moment. Glancing up the hill, she could see the walls of what looked like Edinburgh Castle.

 

BLACK GROTTO: Short Excerpt From The Beginning Of Chapter 21

BLACK GROTTO 

Excerpt

This is a short excerpt from the beginning of Chapter 21 that I'd like to share with you. Bea has been on her quest for several months and is going to what she believes will be her final destination before returning home. Don't worry, there won't be any spoilers.

Chapter 21

The Stones

February 13, 2023

The black, wet pavement passed beneath the humming tires of Bea’s dark blue Mini. Another road trip lay ahead. She rolled along in a meditative and thoughtful mood that matched the low hanging clouds and soft drizzle that covered her windshield. Her body was swaying slightly with each curve and dip in the road as she casually grasped the steering wheel with one hand; the other lay atop the leather knob of the gearshift. Almost without thinking, she changed gears at the whim of her car’s engine, the demands of the road, and her own need for power and acceleration.

Traveling north out of Glen Coe, Bea’s neurons hummed in sync with her car but journeyed faster and farther and covered more ground. She sensed that going back to her birthplace – to the Stones – would be exhilarating, sure, but also very unsettling. There was no way for her to know what would happen once she arrived. Her newfound spiritual connection to the earth’s deep magic in conjunction with everything that she had learned on her quest would more than likely unearth several new and unexpected experiences. The thought made her chuckle to herself as she realized…actually, her entire journey had been that way. “Why would this be any different?”

Today’s drive would be a little over two hundred miles. So she let go of her anxious thoughts and focused on her car, the feel of the engine, the lines on the ebony pavement, and the scenes that flew by her window.

Once more, she passed by the Three Sisters and continued farther north on A82 back through Fort William. She almost didn’t look up at Ben Nevis as she drove by, but finally glanced, just once. Her path then went through Inverness where she turned west towards the ferry terminal at Ullapool. Her tires then ceased to roll as she caught the ferry to the Isle of Lewis, finally arriving in the town of Stornoway. As it docked, she slipped back into the driver’s seat and was ushered off the ferry with only a short drive left to her destination, the Royal Hotel.

Bea pulled up in front of her family’s favorite old inn and parked her car on the street. She couldn’t help but smile as she glanced at its white-stucco exterior inlaid with rows of four-paned windows and capped by a flat charcoal-grey roofline. The building sat next to the wharf. Sailboats bobbed carefree in the water, and the hotel had always had a homey feel inside as well as out. She could already visualize the warm and rustic rooms with their expansive views overlooking the harbor. She had been there recently with her family, just prior to her eighteenth birthday, but she hadn’t been nearly as curious then as now. Her life had turned a corner, and she knew that her world would never look or feel the same.

BLACK GROTTO: Interesting News!

BLACK GROTTO 

Interesting News!

I wanted to mention something that was very interesting in relation to BLACK GROTTO. In the novel, Bea, who is the main character, is on a journey through Scotland to discover more about herself and where she came from. One of the many places that she travels to on her quest is an archeological site called Skara Brae on the Orkney Archipelago.  As I was reading BBC news, I noticed an article about a discovery on the Orkney's. The site that I mention within the story may end up being part of a larger archeological dig that could cause a re-write of our pre-history. It could be the actual cradle, or beginning, of our civilized culture.

Click here to go to the BBC page that has the article.

CAVE OF DREAMS: UPDATE

Cave of Dreams 

UPDATE

The main character in my new fantasy book is Bea. She is eighteen years old at the beginning of the book, and she must go on a quest across the width and breadth of Scotland to fully understand where she came from, who she is, and where she is headed.

There are many other important characters in the book: Marta Pottinger, Willam Brodie and his son, Aran, Bea's family, the Bauman's, Anu Grenn, and others. There are also several plot lines moving forward, and the beginning of each chapter has a date that helps you keep track of where in time you are. All of them will converge finally toward the end of the book.

I've just finished writing Chapter 16 and have started Chapter 17, and I know this book will be my most intricate and longest book to date.

I will let you know when it is done, but it will be a while, and I may enter it in some fantasy contests before then as well as have it read by some reviewers and editors.

Hope you enjoyed the update!