Saturday Shorts: Aiden Elam Part Five - Super Powers

Hello Readers!  Here is the final installment of January's Saturday Shorts and the scenes told from Aiden's Point of View.  I may or may not be moving on to a different character, possibly from a different book series, next month.  Thank you so much for reading and once again, beware of typos :).  Also, you can read the rest of Aiden's tales on my Saturday Shorts Archive page.  Happy Reading!
-J.E. Johnson

P.S. Feel free to comment and let me know if there are any characters you'd like to hear from.  You never know, they might need your help to get my attention! ;)

PART 5: Super Powers

I woke up, screaming at the top of my lungs.  Only, there wasn't a sound escaping my throat.  The screams existed only in my nightmare, and in the real world, I only lie with my eyes wide open, gasping for air.

I kicked at my bed sheets, almost descending into panic when I couldn't break free.  The blankets had become twisted around me like a straight jacket.  Somehow, I managed to free myself and roll over in bed, curling up into a ball.  I was shaking and cold sweat coated my skin.  My eyes darted around the room, seeking out the dark corners made darker by the eerie light cast by Jack and Joey’s fish tank.  I expected ghoulies to come leaping out of the closet or from behind the dresser or from under my bed.  Gradually, my breathing slowed along with my heart rate and the acrid fear of the dream fizzled out with it.  The grey light of dawn was just beginning to peek through the blinds and I could hear Logan and Bradley, speaking in what they thought were whispers, arguing from their room.

Glad of the distraction, I crawled out of bed and snuck down the hallway, pushing their door open without even bothering to knock.

They both stopped their discussion and turned to look at me, Bradley scowling as usual.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Logan hissed.

Apparently, his brotherly concern from yesterday was all gone.  I shrugged and said, "Loud."

Bradley turned his nasty look onto our other brother.  "I told you you were making too much noise!"

"Me?!" Logan replied in exasperation.

And then they started arguing again.  Figuring I was safe for the moment, I scuttled over to get a closer look at what they had piled up in the middle of their room.  A few small cans of what might have been spray paint, some random Halloween decorations, lots of candy and a large, hand-made card.  That's when it dawned upon me.  Today was Halloween and Meghan's birthday.  They were getting ready to surprise her.  If anything good ever came out of Halloween, it was that Meggy was born on this day.  Smiling and deciding I was going to help, I knelt onto the ground and pulled the card toward me.  My brothers had snatched it away earlier that week before I could finish the picture I was drawing.

"Aiden!" Logan complained.

"Let him finish!  We need to wrap the candy anyway.  Meghan will be up soon."

For the next several minutes, we worked in relative silence, only the occasional disagreement rising up between my brothers every now and again.  At some point in time the door cracked open and Mom poked her head in.

"Oh, there you are!  I've started the breakfast, so be ready to go get your sister in fifteen minutes or so."

We worked for ten more minutes, Bradley and Logan doing a passable job of wrapping up the candy they'd picked out and me cleaning up the crayons and markers.  When we finally spilled out into the hallway, we were greeted with the delightful smell of French toast.  I breathed in deeply and smiled.  The nightmare from before was already a dim memory and I couldn't wait to wish my sister a happy birthday.

Dad was busy getting the twins fastened into their high chairs and Mom had started depositing freshly cooked slices of French toast onto a waiting plate.  Strings of black plastic cut-out bats and orange jack-o-lanterns hung between the cabinets, and Mom had to duck so she wouldn't become entangled in them.  Ghosts made of white tissue paper wrapped around lollipops dangled from the chandelier above the dining room table, one of them missing a googly eye.

"Logan, go yell downstairs for your sister," Mom said as she slid one final piece of toast onto the others.

Logan darted across the living room and Bradley started shaking the can he held in his hand.  Silly string, I realized, not spray paint.  When Logan was done yelling at Meghan, he replaced the trap door that marked the entrance to her basement room and then nodded in Bradley's direction.  Bradley took that as a sign and quickly made his way to the other side of Meghan's door, tossing a can of silly string to Logan on the way.

Before Meggy even reached the top of the stairs, Bradley and Logan pulled the trap door open and she emerged, blinking in surprise at all the decorations.  Two seconds later, she was ambushed by my brothers, silly string flying everywhere.

"Logan!" Meghan complained, "You totally set me up for that!"

She didn't seem too annoyed, however, because she was smiling even as she picked the sticky mess of black and orange from her hair and clothes.  I managed to weave my way through the chaos, walking up to Meggy and throwing my arms around her legs.  She was so tall I could never give her a real hug, not unless she was sitting on the couch with me.  She placed her hand on the back of my head and for a few seconds I let the comforting presence of my sister flood over me.  Tonight we would go trick-or-treating, and I would have given anything to have Meggy go with us, but she was going to a school dance with her friends.  I would just have to be brave.

After breakfast, Dad left for work and Mom got the rest of us ready for school.  She dropped the twins off at the daycare down the street before taking Bradley and Logan to school.  As we pulled into the drop off area of their school, I pressed my face up against the cold glass and gazed out across the parking lot.  Kids dressed as zombies, fairies, witches and superheroes made their way into class.  I was wearing my costume as well, but it wasn't nearly as fancy as some of the ones I was studying at the moment.

"See you after school!" Mom called out to my brothers before pulling out onto the main road.

After that, she brought me to my school, kissing me goodbye and telling me she'd be back later to pick me up.  I entered the classroom to find my schoolmates in the Halloween spirit as well.  Mrs. Warren and Miss Rodriguez were dressed up as a cat and mouse.  Maddie and Bella were wearing princess costumes, and Mira looked like an over-sized teddy bear.  Jake and Russell were dressed as the same superhero, one from a popular cartoon and not featured in the comic books I read.  We didn't do much that day besides play games, watch a movie and have a small party before our moms and dads picked us up.

I was ready to go home, even though going home meant trick-or-treating later.  Everyone was always trying to make Halloween fun for kids, as if the holiday didn't really hide creepy things in the shadows.  I knew better.  There were no friendly ghosts or sad monsters who just wanted to be your friend.  The ghoulies were real and they would hurt you if they got the chance.

Once Mom had made all the stops to pick up my brothers, we headed home.  We had an early dinner and then waited for Dad to get home.  Bradley and Logan couldn't keep still and they started chasing each other around the living room.  They looked a little ridiculous, especially Logan who had a hard time getting away from Bradley in his bulky cheeseburger costume.  Dad showed up ten minutes later, begging us to give him a half an hour of peace before he took us out trick-or-treating.  I felt my stomach tense up.  Thirty short minutes from now, I would be going out into the dark world where the ghoulies waited for me, and maybe even those really big scary ones I'd seen in my dream.

"Zap!" Bradley screeched, jumping out from behind the couch, his over-sized alien eyes looking demonic.  He had a fake laser gun pointed at me, the light on the end flashing red.

When my heartbeat returned to normal, I took a step back, holding up my hands.  Best to play along.

"I'll save you, Aiden!" Logan bellowed, jumping from the back of the couch and crashing into Bradley.

My brothers collapsed in a pile of sesame seed bun and shiny green alien skin.  In the next second Dad was yelling at them to stop rough housing and I took the opportunity to make my escape.  I glanced across the living room only to see Meghan heading toward the door.  She was dressed like a butterfly and wore a black dress for the dance.  Part of me wanted to rush toward her and beg her to change her mind; to convince her to go trick-or-treating with us, but she was already closing the door behind her.  I would have to make it on my own.

"Alright, that's it!" Dad proclaimed.  "I'm going to go change and then we'll get going."

Ten minutes later, Dad came striding down the hallway dressed as the Grim Reaper.

"Ready boys?" he asked in a fake, spooky voice.

"Yeah!" everyone but me exclaimed.

Mom helped Dad with the twins.  They were a pair of sock monkeys and their tails were long enough for Dad to keep wrapped around his hand.  I thought it was pretty funny.  So did Bradley and Logan.  But since Mom insisted on staying home, Dad insisted on these little tricks to keep an eye on all us boys, especially on Halloween night.  If that meant treating my rowdy twin brothers like a pair of hyper puppies on leashes, then so be it.

Finally, everyone was gathered with their bags for collecting treats and Mom was shooing us along.  She didn't like us to be out too late, so the sooner we left the sooner we could come home.  I was happy with that.

By the time we were all outside and making our way down the street, the sun had just set and twilight was staining the sky indigo and ink-blue.  Bradley and Logan ran ahead of us, continuing their mock battle from inside, and although Jack and Joey tried to join them, Dad's tight hold on their tails kept them always within reach.

"I don't think so, you two," he said through the black screen taking up the front of his hood.

I opted to stick as close to Dad as possible, gripping a section of his black cloak in my fist.  As we made our way down the block, I watched the shrubs along the side of the road and the bushes clogging people's yards.  For a while, nothing out of the ordinary stirred in the dark.

Each house on our street had a long driveway and the homeowners had done a good job of creating a spooky atmosphere by stringing fake spider webs everywhere or wedging foam headstones into their lawns.  Spooky music floated from cracked windows and jack-o-lanterns stood guard on front porches, the yellow candle flames in their throats flickering and making them look as if they were laughing silently at us kids as we scuttled past in slight fear.

If I didn't know the truth behind Halloween, that it was the one day of the year the ghoulies came out in hordes, I would have loved it all.  Despite that fact, however, I had yet to see a single ghoulie.  Just as we rounded the corner of our street and headed out onto the wider road toward the next block, I noticed something odd.  In the distance I could see the tops of the trees that clogged the swamp behind our house.  I had to blink several times to clear my vision, thinking maybe I was seeing things.  But I wasn't.  A strange red haze was rising up from the depths of the swamp, like the weird glow I'd seen surrounding the ghoulies.  Immediately my skin began to prickle.

"Bradley, Logan!  Let's go.  We still have three more streets to hit before turning back," Dad called out to my brothers, snapping me back to reality.

Shivering, I moved closer to him and the twins.  Something wasn't right about that strange mist.  Five houses later and we had moved closer to the swamp once again.   Bradley and Logan ran down the pathway of the next  house, Jack and Joey close behind.  I stayed right where I was.  There was a gap between this house and the next one, and I could almost see down into the bog through the space.

"Don't you want anymore candy?" Dad asked me.

I shook my head.  My bag was half full, and that would last me long enough.

"Alright, you can wait with me here then," Dad replied, putting his arm around me and pulling me close.

For a few moments I enjoyed the comfort of being nestled up next to Dad.  But when he released me, I inched closer to the edge of the road so I could see down into the swamp.  What I noticed next made my stomach turn.  The red mist had grown thicker and rose higher, almost as tall as me now, and I could see things churning along the edge of it: ghoulies.

"Dude!  That lady gave us whole candy bars!"

Logan's voice made me jump and I hurried back next to Dad.

Before long we were moving once again, visiting two more houses before finishing up with the cul-de-sac.  We were halfway done with our night.  I could do this.  I could make it through without letting the ghoulies get the better of me.

I spotted the first monster on our way down the next street.  It was as big as a house cat with long, batwing ears that looked half-rotted and long, yellow teeth that did not fit in its mouth.  Its dark skin hung from a bony body and it limped as it walked.  I grabbed Dad's hand and held on tight, reaching for a long eucalyptus branch protruding from a pile of yard clippings on the dirt shoulder of the road.

"Are you okay, Aiden?" Dad asked, turning to look at me.

I nodded and proceeded to use the branch as a walking stick.  After that, the streets practically crawled with the horrible little monsters.  Some resembled squirrels, others small dogs and raccoons.  They darted back and forth between the thicker landscaping of the yards, crossing the street like rats chased out into the open.  They mostly avoided the other kids in costume and their parents, and I felt myself cringing every time one came close to getting stepped on, or moved in to sniff at the hem of someone's costume.  I had never seen so many ghoulies before, even during past Halloweens.

As the night dragged on, more and more of the nasty things came out of the shadows like spiders hatching from an egg sac.  The soft glow of the street lamps cast them in tones of peach and orange and I could hear their low growls as they fought with one another under the cover of darkness.

"Last street boys!" Dad called out, tugging on the tails of my brothers and rounding Bradley and Logan up with his scythe.

"Oh, come on Dad!" Bradley groaned.  "Can't we stay out a little later tonight?"

"Nope.  We've been out long enough, and something's got your little brother spooked."

I blinked up at Dad in surprise.  I couldn't see his expression, but I could tell he was trying to study me through his mesh mask.  He couldn't see the ghoulies.  No one could but me.  Yet, he knew something was bothering me.  Feeling relieved, I scooted closer to him and wrapped my arms around his leg, burying my face in his cloak.

Logan and Bradley groaned again and shot me acidic looks, but I didn't care.  No one could see the ghoulies, and so far they hadn't hurt anyone, but that didn't mean they wouldn't.  The sooner we got home and were safe inside our house, the better.

We were lucky for most of the next street, but as we turned the corner to start making our way back up our own road, the old dog that lived across the street from Tully's house started barking wildly.  I glanced up as Dad moved us across the street and blanched.  The dog was surrounded by a pack of ghoulies, their ugly teeth bared and their skinny tails snapping back and forth.  I remembered the dog's owner calling him Bruno once, and I knew he was blind in one eye.

"Come on, boys.  He'll stop barking once we get past him," Dad reassured us.

I knew better.  He wasn't just barking, but whining as well.  The ghoulies were moving in closer and a few of them darted in to bite him on the heels.  He yelped and flattened his ears to his head.  My heart tightened and I stopped walking, staring across the dark street at the old dog.  Although the front yard wasn't fenced, Bruno always stayed in the yard.  Right now, I wished there was a fence.  A fence might have kept the ghoulies out.

One of the small monsters shrunk down on its haunches and then launched itself at the dog, landing on his back and sinking its teeth into his fur.  Bruno yelped again, his tail tucked between his legs.

Without even thinking, I moved, running across the street as fast as my feet would take me.  I wasn't able to move as quickly or as gracefully as I had in my dream, but before I knew it I was on the lawn.  What I planned to do I had no idea.  All I knew was that a rage had begun boiling inside me.  I still had the eucalyptus branch, so I lifted it up, hoping to use it to hit the ghoulies.  When I had it raised above my head I noticed something strange.  The blue glow covering my skin had grown brighter and was crawling up the stick, bright sparks shooting out like magic from a wand.

A loud snarl snapped my attention away from the stick.  Some of the ghoulies had noticed me and now had their black-pit eyes pointed in my direction.  Swallowing back my fear, I swung the stick, hitting the first one upside the head.  It screamed in pain as that strange blue stuff jumped from the stick and onto the ghoulie, sizzling over its skin and making it collapse to the ground into a fit of spasms before turning it to ash.  Shocked, I blinked at the stick for a few moments, watching the blue sparks dance some more.  Whatever this stuff was, it killed the ghoulies.

Setting my jaw, I went after the others, now backing the poor dog into a corner.  I swung my stick like a sword, smacking one after the other, sending them to the ground, screaming and twitching in agony before disintegrating.  Eventually, I got to all of them and Bruno was free.  He looked terrified and had a few bite marks on him but other than that, he seemed okay.  I dropped the arm holding the stick, my breath coming in sharp gasps.  The dog looked at me with his good eye, his ears still flat in fear but his tail wagging slowly.

"Good dog," I managed in a shaky voice, holding up my other hand.  The blue glow was gone and my hand shook a little.  Suddenly, I was very tired.

Bruno licked my fingers and I smiled.

"Aiden!  Aiden, get over here before that dog bites you!"

I shook my head, Dad's voice cutting through the ringing in my ears.  Funny, I hadn't noticed the buzzing sound until now.  I turned and looked at my dad.  He was standing on the edge of the yard, his hood thrown back and his face looking serious.  He still held onto my twin brothers by their tails, and Logan and Bradley were standing next to him, gawking at me as if I had grown my own tail.  And then I stiffened.  Had they seen what happened?  Did they see the strange blue glow on my skin?

With no other options, I shuffled over to them.

"Let's get home," was all Dad said, turning us all in the right direction.

"Dude, Aiden," Logan murmured as we headed up the street.  "What were you doing?"

"I can't believe you did that.  You know Mom and Dad always tell us not to tease dogs, especially ones that are barking at us!" Bradley put in, taking a hold of my stick and tossing it aside.

"Were you trying to get him to play fetch or something?" Logan asked.

So, they hadn't seen after all.  I shrugged, feeling that was the safest answer for the time being.

Ten minutes later we were all piling into the living room.  Mom greeted us all in her witch costume, asking us if we saw any ghosts or goblins on our nightly adventure.  Bradley and Logan got busy telling her everything, which gave me time to gather my thoughts.  Despite how terrified I was at seeing the strange red mist and then the armies of ghoulies, I was very proud of myself for helping Bruno.

"Okay, okay, you can tell me the rest in the morning.  You guys stayed out later than usual and it's time for bed."

My brothers groaned again but didn't argue with Mom.  Personally, I was more than happy to comply.  Fifteen minutes later my teeth were brushed, my pajamas were on, and I was tucked safe and sound in my bed.  As I lay there, waiting for sleep to come to me, I thought about that strange blue glow to my skin that had traveled along the stick I'd used to hit the ghoulies.  Below the sheets, I lifted my hand and splayed the fingers in front of my face.  The blue glow had returned, and small tendrils of brighter turquoise crackled along my fingertips.  I didn't know what this strange stuff was, but I knew that from now on, I wouldn't be so afraid of the ghoulies anymore.  With a self-satisfied smile, I let out a long sigh and closed my eyes, content in knowing my dreams would not be haunted again for a long while.

*****

Thank you for reading this third installment from Aiden's point of view!  Hopefully I'll have the next installment up soon.  In the meantime, discover the Otherworld with the first book in the series, Faelorehn.  The ebook is free on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo and Smashwords!  The audio book edition is also available from Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.

A New Post at Last and Title Reveal for the Next Otherworld Novel!

Hello wonderful world of readers!

Finally!  I am able to get onto my blog and get some posts written :P.  The reason I've been so absent of late is because one, my old laptop decided to stop functioning properly (could not access my blog to add posts to save my life) and two, I've been very busy with writing and writing events.  So, first off I think I'll start with a recap of the past month or so.

The Vegas Valley Festival of Books was not what I'd call a huge success, but it was a small book festival and I met some interesting and wonderful people while there.  Also, I got to see Las Vegas for the first time and I have to say, it was pretty awesome.  I can see myself going back again someday; maybe to next year's festival ;).

Secondly, for those of you who don't follow me on Facebook or Twitter, Ghalien is up on all the sites where ebooks are sold (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, iBooks, Sony and Kobo) and is also available from Amazon as a paperback book.  I'll be working on getting a link up on my sidebar.  Ghalien ended up being a novel-length book and a good chunk of it strictly consists of Cade's adventures during the summer between Faelorehn and Dolmarehn while he's away from Meghan.  I also delve deeper into Enorah's past in this one and you also get to meet a few new characters (one of them will be playing a pretty significant role in the next Otherworld novel told from Robyn's point of view . . .). 

Ah, and about that next novel . . . For so long I've been calling it "Robyn's story", even though I've had a title for it for some time now.  Perhaps I'm a little reluctant to share because Ghalien took so much longer than I thought it would to publish, and you were left with the title and cover image and no book in the foreseeable future.  I feel, however, that I'm ready to reveal the title for Robyn's story, if not the cover image (although I have that done as well ;) ).  With that being said, the title for Robyn's story and the next Otherworld novel will be Lorehnin.  For those of you who have already read Ghalien, you might have some ideas about what to expect.  For those of you who haven't read Ghalien, now might be a good time to start :).

As of right now, Lorehnin is somewhere in the 96,000 word count range, though that could change drastically as I tie up all the loose ends.  And yes, I'm getting close to the end, but it may take a while to read through and edit, so I plead for your patience.

With that being said, I'd like to spend a little time talking about my decision to take part in NaNoWriMo.  For those of you who know what I'm talking about, no explanation is needed, but for those who do not, feel free to read on.

National Novel Writing Month (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo)

November is National Novel Writing Month and it is a time of year for writers, newbies and pros alike, to sit down and get some serious authoring done.  Although I've known about it for quite some time, I've never taken part, maybe because of the way I write.  I usually go through spurts, where I might write 10,000 words in one week and then write nothing for the next one.  NaNoWriMo challenges writers to type 50,000 words in thirty days, so I was a bit leery about signing up.  This year, however, my local writing group encouraged me to do so, and so far I've managed to keep up.

Originally, I mapped out an entirely new project for NaNo, but that quickly went by the wayside as my other current projects - most notably the manuscript for Lorehnin - (and some other books that have been sitting on the back burner) insisted on attention.  So, I've been using NaNoWriMo to finish up this next Otherworld novel and to add some substance to my other books.  I'm also hoping that I'll be able to include the fourth Oescienne book in this pile as well, but no new plot twists have come to mind yet.

So as you can see, I've been quite busy.  I have a few events coming up, including the Tucson Festival of Books in the spring, and I'm going to try and get a booth at FaerieCon West in Seattle, which will take place in February, though plans for that have yet to be solidified.

I hope I'll be able to post more now that I have gotten past my technology glitch, and I hope to have Lorehnin out to you as soon as possible.  As always, thank you for all of your support and until next time, happy reading!

-J.E. Johnson

The Otherworld in the Mortal World - Episode Two

Now that Ghalien is finished and the manuscript is in the hands of my editor and beta readers, I've had a little bit of spare time to work on another Otherworld in the Mortal World installment.  The other day my two friends and I drove across the highway from my house and hiked down into the Black Lake Wetlands Preserve, the very place where Meghan encountered the faelah, the Cumorrig, and Cade for the first time.  Yes, the swamp behind her house really does exist, and so does the neighborhood where she and Tully live.  Of course, I did add a few extra details and I might have changed a few things, but if you ever wanted to visit the setting of the Otherworld Trilogy, you can do so on the Nipomo Mesa.

I have been visiting the wetlands since I was in middle school, but I have never been down there after dark.  To be completely honest, I'm not sure if I would like to visit at night, even if I had a group of friends with me . . .

The best part about the Black Lake Wetlands Preserve is that the traffic is practically non-existent.  In fact, I can remember seeing only a couple other people hiking in the area once or twice before.  Another plus is that the trees are very talkative, creaking and rustling in the wind and telling their secrets.  If you are looking for a natural place to recharge, this preserve is the place to go.  Maybe now you can understand why it made it's way into not just the Otherworld Trilogy, but into my Legend of Oescienne books as well.  If you've read The Finding or The Beginning, then you should be familiar with the Mystic Archedenaeh.  Denaeh calls the Belloughs of the Black Swamp her home.

Below I've included some more pictures and the video we created (just a reminder, this was filmed with my camera, so not the best equipment on the planet, and I have a fear of speaking in front of a camera (something I'm trying to get over :P)), but before I let you go to watch this little creation, I want to reiterate that although Meghan and her friends treated the Black Lake Wetlands Preserve as an extension of Meghan's backyard, there are rules that need to be followed if you should choose to visit (for example, fires are prohibited and there have been reports of bear activity in the area).  So, hopefully that doesn't scare anyone off, but I want to make sure everyone is safe should they decide to make their own little trip down into this Otherworldly realm . . .  With that being said, I hope you enjoy the video!

 

It may be daylight, but I've heard this place is crawling with creepy, Otherworldly creatures.  Best to keep a look out for them.

 

Okay, I swear something just moved down in the reeds, and luckily I have Laura to watch my back.

 

 

Unfortunately, Nino doesn't do so well in these sorts of situations . . .

 

 

 A wasps' nest we found on our hike.  Fortunately, they didn't notice us as we passed by.

 

 

 The canyon where Cade and Fergus fought with the mountain lion faelah in the beginning of Ehriad.

 

 

A eucalyptus tree that will soon join the others down in the canyon.

 

 

The point where the trail crosses the swamp.  It's dry now, but during the winter it can get pretty damp, hence the need for the board.

 

 

A few more trails you can take.

 

 

And now, the feature presentation!

 

 

 

 

Ghalien Cover Reveal and Teaser Chapter!

Hello Otherworld fans!
 
I hope you are all having a marvelous summer and that you are able to enjoy what's left of it.  I know many of you are impatiently awaiting the release of Ghalien, the second novella told from Cade's point of view, and believe me, I'm just as eager as you are to be done with it.  Well, I'm pleased to announce that the rough draft is complete and I'll be spending the next several days reading through it and making edits.  Once I have it where I want it, I'll be sending it off to my editor and beta readers.  I'm not promising any release dates yet because I'm not sure when it will be live.
 
What I can give you, however, is the cover.  A few months ago I posted two options here on my site and asked for you to tell me your favorite.  And the cover that received the most votes was the red one!  I don't have an exact count for you since so many of the votes were spread out over several weeks, but you seemed to like the red cover the most (and I must confess, I'm a bit partial to it myself ;)).

Also, I am including the first chapter of Ghalien for you to read.  Ghalien will be a little different than Ehriad in that it is composed of one longer short story and two extra scenes (I wanted to fit more scenes in, but it would have made the book far too long.  I'll have to set those aside for another novella in the future).  The first part, Ghalien, focuses on Cade's activities during the summer between Faelorehn and Dolmarehn.  The two scenes that follow are shorter but they are some of the scenes my readers requested.  The first one tells of the time Cade takes Meghan to the Otherworld to help her awaken her magic, and the second scene describes the events of the Beltane party at the end of Dolmarehn.  As of right now, the entire book comes in around 64,000 words, which is only 6,000 words less than Faelorehn.
 
Now, without further delay, I give you a sneak peek at Ghalien - A Novella of the Otherworld!
 
 -J.E. Johnson

Chapter One

Recollection

I was dreaming of Meghan when the harsh wave of dark magic tore me from my much-needed sleep.  The moment the shock of waking up to such a horror wore off, my anger grew hot and fierce.  My dreams were never reminiscent of pleasant memories from the past, for most memories I dared to recall were anything but pleasant.  But this one had been joyful and whatever unnatural faelah awaited me outside in the courtyard had ruined it.

Often when I slept I didn't dream at all, or the dreams would reflect the darkness I spent my time shying away from.  Simple, charcoal on paper landscapes that held no light or joy.  Lately, however, my dreams had stretched and contorted themselves into nightmares, horrific scenes of my mother's monsters tearing people to pieces.  No, not people, only one person: Meghan Elam.

Groaning, I scrubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands and tried to shake the horrors away.  How many days had passed since I last saw Meghan?  Oh right, just the one.  I had left her to heal from the wounds my mother had inflicted upon her.  I grimaced.  My mother . . .  Even thinking of the Morrigan in those terms turned my stomach.  She was no more a mother to me than an oak tree was to one of its acorns.  As soon as I was born, she cast me aside to fend for myself.  That is until she realized I could be of some use to her.  I had, after all, inherited my father's gift of battle fury, something that the Morrigan could use to her advantage.  So she had returned for me in the end.  And if it wasn't for my sister, I never would have succumbed to her wishes . . .

Enough Cade.  Those thoughts do you no good, I reminded myself as I rolled over, throwing my legs over the side of the bed in order to sit up.

"Fergus?" I called out, my throat dry enough to make me choke.  Once the coughing fit was over I remembered that Fergus wasn't with me.  He was in the mortal world guarding Meghan.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and drew on my magic.  It hadn't completely returned to me after undergoing my riastrad, but enough of it was there to accomplish my next task.

Fergus, I sent, the effort of reaching out to my spirit guide across the boundary between our worlds demanding my utmost attention.

Yes, he responded.  Meghan is well.  Her injuries are healing and she will rest a few days more before returning to school.  Only a small number of faelah linger on this side and I have been vigilant in my night hunts.  None shall harm her.

Thank you my friend, I sent back, breathing a sigh of relief and letting my magic return to where it resided next to my heart.

Before I could take much comfort in Fergus's news, however, a wave of cold, evil glamour trickled over my skin.  I clenched my teeth as the intrusive feeling left, hissing as the circular tattoo just above my heart burned like a poisonous brand.  Almost involuntarily, my arm snaked out and I pressed my hand to my skin, trying to rub the ache away.  It was no use.  The tattoo had been placed with the Morrigan's magic.  All of those she had enslaved bore the same mark and it was her way of keeping track of us as well as keeping us under control.  If the tattoo started to hurt then she was getting impatient.  I squinted through the darkness of my room and peered out the far window.  Sunrise was probably an hour or two away, judging by the deep, inky blue of the sky.  Guess I wasn't sleeping in this morning.  Once I set my mind to answering the Morrigan's call, the pain abruptly vanished.  I was tempted lie back down just to see if her magic would do anything to me, but I didn't really feel like playing games with my mother, not this soon after my expending my battle fury.

It took me longer than usual to get dressed.  Perhaps it had to do with my weakened state, but I think it had mostly to do with the fact that despite my misgivings, a part of me was always willing to irritate the Morrigan.  Bracing myself, I took a deep breath and looked into the mirror hanging over my bathroom sink, the flicker of candle light banishing some of the early morning darkness.  The mirrors of the Otherworld were clearer, somehow more revealing than those in the mortal world, and this one was no exception.  It had been a gift from my sister, one of the few fine things I kept in this ruined castle I called home.  That little detail would be changing soon, however.  Someday I was going to bring Luathara back to its former glory, but right now I had the consequences of a broken geis to deal with.

Sighing, I glanced once again at the figure staring back at me and winced.  Oh yes, warping into one's battle fury sure did a number on one's appearance.  The first thing I noticed were my eyes, their normal changeable green now a dull, pond-scum hue underlined by dark circles.  My skin was pale and my face thin and drawn taught.  I looked centuries older than I truly was.  Not that age ever really showed on the Faelorehn, but then not all of us had the gift of transforming into a berserker warrior bent on using every last physical resource to do the most damage possible.  Turning away, I shook those thoughts from my mind.  I never considered myself a vain person, but there was a difference between vanity and being horrified at what a fierce fight could do to my appearance.

Grabbing my heavy cloak, I blew out the candles and strode across the room.  I didn't bother making my bed or closing the door behind me.  No one ever came here, except for me, and if I delayed the war goddess any longer she might drive that painful magic deeper than the surface of my skin.

The morning greeted me with thick fog, wisps of it shredding away from the treetops and raining down in streamers of damp gray.  I guess it had taken me longer than I thought to get ready, because I could tell from the dim light that the sun had begun to rise somewhere in the east.  Bracing myself, I descended the stone steps and headed toward the opposite end of the courtyard.  About halfway to my destination a low, demanding cackle split the air, forcing my heart up into my throat.  I spun around, my eyes darting around the crumbling courtyard walls.  I expected to find a large black raven watching me from somewhere, so when my eyes fell upon a huge white bird a slight prick of surprise stabbed at me.

The bird tilted its head and regarded me with one eye, the eye that hadn't been damaged in some battle long ago.  It gave another one of those blood-chilling caws and then ruffled its feathers and shook, waiting for my next move.

"Tell your mistress I'm on my way," I growled as my hands balled into fists.

The white raven gave another croak before flapping its wings and disappearing into the mist.  As it headed east, I could have sworn it was laughing at me.

Speirling was waiting for me in the field, his dark ears pricked forward as he sensed my approach.  Letting out a deep whinny, he tossed his head and dug at the damp earth.  My misgivings melted away as my mouth curved into a smile.  As my fingers found Speirling's velvet nose, I was further comforted by his positive thoughts.

"You're always looking on the bright side, aren't you?" I murmured, pressing my forehead to his.

I didn't bother saddling him, since I was running late already and since I didn't really need a saddle.  A swift pace and five dolmarehn crossings later, Speirling and I found ourselves at the foot of the eastern mountains and on the threshold of the Morrigan's underground fortress.  Taking a deep breath that coated my lungs with ice, I slid from Speirling's back and ordered him to take refuge where he could.  No horse should ever have to cross into the Morrigan's territory, let alone follow me down the haunted crevasse that waited several yards ahead.  Wrapping my wool-lined cloak tightly around me, I took the first step down a path that would surely lead to pain.  Every instinct I possessed, and believe me, I possessed more than the average Faelorehn, bit and clawed and chewed at me to turn around and flee.  I could have, in fact I would have been smart to turn and forget the Morrigan and her evil demands.  My geis was broken and she had decided not to kill me, not yet at least.  But if I disobeyed her now, the first thing she'd do wouldn't involve coming after me.  No, she'd aim straight for Meghan and kill her, or worse.

Calling on my glamour to help fight my anxiety, I trudged on, kicking aside broken skulls and fighting the shivering chill that coursed through me.  Forever, it seemed, I walked, the walls growing steeper, the skeletons and mummified flesh of long dead animals becoming more frequent.  Fortunately the air was so cold it kept most of the stench at bay, but every so often a small breeze would stir up the scent of death and rot and I'd have to pause and swallow several times in order to keep from getting sick.

Finally, after what felt like hours, I reached the end of the narrow valley.  A great stone doorway complete with a skull-studded border, loomed before me.  On the branches of two dead, bleached oak trees perched three or four dozen ravens, all hunkered down against the cold, their stark blackness contrasting greatly against their bleak white and pale gray surroundings.  Not one of them uttered a sound or ruffled a feather.  Then, just as I reached up to touch the ogham letters adorning the stone doorway, one of the ravens let out a grumbling caw, setting all the others off.  I shot a glance upward, narrowing my gaze at the raven I hadn't seen before.  He was so pale that he'd blended in with the ashy rock behind him.

"Alahníl," I said, remembering the name of my mother's spirit guide.

Just then a deep rumbling sound rolled up from the earth and the door cracked open, exhaling a frozen breath of fear and death.  I got my panic and the overwhelming urge to shiver under control before I looked back up at the white raven.

"I take it you told the Morrigan of my arrival," I stated more than asked.

All I got in return was a self-satisfied grumble.  Forgetting the birds, I turned and faced the yawning darkness before me.  I had no idea how long the tunnel was, or if there was a tunnel at all.  Like many of the caves found in Eile, this one was a dolmarehn.  But instead of leading to another part of Eile or even to the mortal world or some other realm beyond our own, this one led directly into the Morrigan's cavern.  Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and stepped into the darkness, wondering if I was making the right choice and wondering what horrible, unconscionable thing my mother would have me do for her next.

* * * * *

Quick May Update

Hello readers!  I thought I'd just publish this quick post to let you all know what has been going on with my writing lately.  I'll also be sending this out in a newsletter as well since I haven't sent one out in quite a while.  With that being said, here are a few things you should know:

Currently, I've been busy with my day job (starting in June I'll have a few months off, so I plan on writing a lot more then) and getting ready for another book event.  On May 25th and 26th I'll be taking part in the Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival.  Lately I've been trying to think of ways to build a local following for the Otherworld Trilogy and the Oescienne Series, since the setting for both stories are set in my home town, and I thought the Strawberry Festival would be a great way to do so.  If you are going to be attending, be sure to stop by booth # 159.  I'll have paperback books for sale, posters, buttons and bookmarks to give away, and maybe a raffle or two.

Earlier I mentioned my time off this coming summer and that I'll be using it to get some writing done (okay, hopefully more than just some writing done . . .).  I've been receiving a lot of email lately with questions about the fourth Oescienne book, so that will most likely take priority.  However, I have been consulting with my Muse about more Otherworld books (Cade's second POV short story, of course, and Robyn's and Enorah's stories).  I should also mention that some ideas for future paranormal series have been coming my way as well . . . more on that when I've got an actual manuscript in progress ;).  In a nutshell, I look forward to a very busy summer and fall :).

Finally, YA and adult fiction novelist Elle Casey is in the midst of her Springtime Indie Book Giveaway.  Feel free to check out her list and sign up to win some of the wonderful books being offered!  I've donated five ecopies of the Otherworld Trilogy Omnibus Edition, so if you know anyone who might be interested, do pass the information on!  Here is the link to the list of books: http://ellecasey.com/promotions/elle-caseys-springtime-indie-book-giveaway/

Well, that's all for now!  I'll try and get some more photos up from the L.A. Times Festival of Books soon, as well as a video clip of my interview with KBEACH ;).  Until next time, happy reading!

-J.E. Johnson

Map of Eile

Hello readers,

I've spent the last two weeks getting Luathara ready for publication and also formatting the Otherworld Trilogy Omnibus Edition.  Like I said in my last post, I'll hold off on some of the other Omnibus extras for now, but I will, however, share the map of Eile with you.  This map is a bit different from my other maps, in that I took pictures of a painting I made some years back, then used text boxes in Word to splice it all together.  After I had the base, I cut and pasted sections of previous maps and drew up some symbols for the dolmarehn and the castles and such.  Anyways, I know maps aren't absolutely crucial, but I hope you all enjoy this one nonetheless.

-J.E. Johnson