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.
