The Alban Saga series takes place in Scotland in the real world with fantasy incorporated within it. It also includes elements of mystery, time travel, Scottish history, and actual locales and famous sites within Scotland.
Book I of the series is Beatrice. Book II is Black Grotto, and The Vortex is the third and final book of the series.
I just finished Chapter 27, titled "FIRE & EVIL," so I should only have three or four chapters left to write. That means that I'm very close to the end and am definitely into the climax at this point, which is always great fun!
I don't usually like to include an excerpt from a chapter this close to the end of a book, but in this case, I think I can. So, below is a snippet from the beginning of Chapter 27!
As fall began to sweep across the Isle of Lewis, altering the circadian rhythms of every living thing, the temperatures dropped and the days became shorter. Summer's end always seemed to carry with it a bit of sadness, though autumn, in its own right, was still a magnificent time of year. It almost felt good to add an extra layer of clothing, cozy up to a peat fire in the evening with an elegant dram of whisky, and, because the nights were now longer and darker, it was also possible for the residents of Stornoway to view astronomical events unavailable to them during the long days of summer. The northern lights could sometimes be seen when the horizon was devoid of cloud or rain, coating the black canvas of the northern sky with vibrant brushstrokes of green, red, orange, pink, or yellow.
Furthermore, fall was typically a time when the locals had more time to relax and do things for themselves and with their families without having to deal with as many tourists. However, this autumn had not allowed them that luxury. It had been marked by the rise, once again, of the Stornoway Grove of Druids, led by their new High Priestess, Una Murray, and nothing had been the same in their small town since her arrival. And now, in a little over two weeks, it seemed that another event was to occur that, if the rumours were to be believed, could alter their lives even further. In fact, it was said that it was of such great import that, if it actually did come to fruition, its impact could be significant enough to alter not only how people lived in Stornoway but all across the globe. It was referred to as the Ascension Ceremony, and not a great deal was known about it outside the close-knit Druid community. The only thing that the locals knew for certain was that it was said to involve some type of transformation of the High Priestess and that it would occur very early in the morning on 18 September when the Harvest Moon began its journey across the sky.
With all the preparations and the arrival of throngs of people via planes and ferries, life for the High Priestess and her grove of acolytes continued at a frenetic pace, but it did not just affect them. The whole town had been inundated with more people than it could handle – even more than during the busiest of tourist seasons. In point of fact, the town’s population, which normally was about seven thousand, was currently over eight and continued to increase almost daily. Businesses were so swamped that they could hardly keep up, and the establishments that usually housed tourists had quickly run out of room. The town’s residents had to take up the slack and open their own homes to the newcomers.
Una Murray’s grove of acolytes had also become significantly larger. Their numbers had swelled from twenty or so to over two hundred, particularly as word had spread concerning the magical abilities of the High Priestess, the trainings that she’d been providing for her acolytes, and because of all the stories that were swirling about concerning her Ascension Ceremony.
All of which should have left Una Murray feeling extremely positive and confident, especially with so little time left before the ceremony. However, Obsidian, who was Una’s closest confidante, had noticed that the closer her leader was to the actual day, the more worried she'd seemed to be. Logically, Obsidian believed that the reason for this had to be that Una was merely having a very normal response to what would have been, for anyone, an astonishing, life-changing experience. After all, during the time Obsidian had known her High Priestess, she had never seen her behave in such a manner and had never known her to over-think or worry about anything, really. However, despite all the logic that Obsidian could muster to the contrary, she still was unable to shake the feeling that there had to be something else going on.
