Glade of the Emeralds
Glade of the Emeralds is a spellbinding fantasy tale about an aging and fading meadow sprite, the last of her kind, struggling to save Angelic from an arranged marriage to an unknown man (or creature) from the other side of the Province of Gems.
For many winters Glade has been posing as a chambermaid at the Black Keep, serving Duchess Agatha of Onyx House and her granddaughter, Angelic. She has been in hiding since the beginning of the rule of a nefarious demon known only as the Diamond Lord who has outlawed the use of all magic and set in motion the hunting of magic folk for their fur, wings, and feathers. The practice of charms, spells, magic, singing, dancing, art of any kind is punished by the cruelest of deaths. Huntsmen, seeking the bounties for these treasures, roam the dying and forbidden forests and woods.
The land has fallen into a plagued state. There are no flowers, birds no longer sing, fruit has almost stopped growing altogether. Worst of all, babies of all animals and people seldom live much longer than a few days after birth or are so deformed as to appear as monsters and are murdered before they take their first breath.
Once a beautiful and prosperous kingdom ruled and cared for by an alliance of noble families such as Ruby House, Amethyst House, Sapphire House, and Emerald House, it is now a place of torture, death, sadness, and pain. Members of Emerald House, the wealthiest in the land, were put to death under false charges of crimes not committed.
Angelic, a girl of sixteen winters, has been pledged to marry an unknown nobleman from Topaz House in a matter of days, against her will.
Unable to use her waning magical powers or to call on her now dead kin from Emerald House, Glade must devise a way to interfere with the upcoming wedding and at the same time have Angelic whisked away to safety. And where would that place be? The Diamond Lord seems to know all, even the future.
Can she use a few charms without notice? How can she do what needs to be done without the help of kin or other magic folk?
Glade is willing to sacrifice her life rather than see Angelic spend her life in sorrow. Will she need to pay that price?
Read a sample - Chapter Six
The Grand Duchess of Onyx House, Agatha Black, walked slowly through what had once been a lush green garden of blooming pink roses but was now overgrown with large weeds having stickers the size of a man’s thumb.
The bones in her back and legs ached. She leaned on her cane and looked around for a place to sit down. She spotted a stone bench then shuffled over to it. Sitting down gingerly she let out a gasp of relief.
“So, this is how it will end,” she said aloud to no one. Tears welled up in her old eyes, spilling out down her cheeks.
She knew the Messenger from Topaz House would ride as swiftly as the wind to return to his masters and tell them the good news about the acceptance of the marriage proposal between Angelic and one of their sons. Which son hadn’t actually been stated and the old woman couldn’t remember how many sons the Amber Duke had. Perhaps she never knew to begin with. All Houses now seemed so separate, so closed off from the other families.
Agatha thought back on when she was a young girl, younger than Angelic was now, being invited to attend a ball in honor of the sixteenth winter celebration for a young man at one of the noble Houses. Was it Topaz House, Opal House, Emerald House? Once again, she couldn’t recall where but she could still see in her now misty memories the beautiful gown she wore, white satin, embroidered with dark blue roses among golden vines sewn around the waist. The dark blue roses to show she was from Sapphire House. She had danced that night until her toes swelled up in her ill-fitted white leather shoes.
A sad smile worked its way to her lips, turning up the edges of her mouth.
Back then there had been pink sparkling wine to drink, sweet yellow cakes to eat and more handsome young men to dance with than she could count. All looking for healthy young women to marry to ensure their blood line would endure.
A young man, tall and straight, with black hair and a charming smile, dressed in a black military uniform with gold buttons, had asked her to sit with him after she declined his offer to dance. She agreed to his offer. He led her out double glass doors to a lovely yard of freshly mowed grass where they sat down.
He told her his name was Emeric Black, of Onyx House. He told her stories of his family, their dark gleaming castle in the forest. He pointed out the stars in the night sky, naming them as he did. His voice was deep, his manner so certain for a young man.
Emeric had kissed her, time and time again, so sweetly, so kind and gentle. She trusted him with her entire soul, certain she would melt into him and they would be lifted up to the heavens together.
That is, until his father found them.
“Emeric, my boy!” His father had shouted at the top of his lungs for all to hear. “What have you done?” then he had put his head back and laughed long and hard. “You have chosen a wife! And a fine one at that! The wedding shall be at the full of the Four Moons! What a feast this will be. I’ll go inform her House straight away.”
Then the Duke of Onyx walked back into the ballroom to make the marriage announcement of his son, Emeric of Onyx House, to Agatha of Sapphire House.
She had looked at Emeric in disbelief. He smiled, put his arms around her waist and tried to kiss her again. She put her hand up and said, “Wait.” He shook his head no, took her hand, kissed it, then took his gold ring with the onyx stone off his little finger and slid it on her middle finger.
Agatha never saw her home again.
The wedding had been big, lavish and joyful, there at the Black Keep. Roasted pigs, turkeys, pans of baked herbed vegetables and buttered potatoes. Spiced red wine and beer flowed like water. White cake with blue roses, to honor Sapphire House. There were even strawberries, the last she’d see in her lifetime.
Her dress had been black, made from a gossamer fabric that made it appear as if the very stars had been woven into it whenever she danced or moved across the room. She was convinced it was somehow magical. If anyone saw such a thing today there would be well-founded fear that those enforcing the laws against such things would storm the wedding reception and arrest everyone.
Once she had been removed from the merrymaking and placed in her bridal chamber to await her groom, she had carefully removed the dress and packed it away in a trunk.
Emeric had been a kind and gentle lover on their wedding night and as the years went by she grew to love and depend on him. She gave him three sons.
That was forty winters ago. There were no laws against song and music then. She had been able to dance with her father one last time before saying goodbye. Now all forms of music, song and dance were outlawed. Gone, just like the strawberries.
Her beloved husband of twenty-five winters dead too soon, as was her oldest son, Emeric the younger. Doctors had said it was the plague but she was certain it was Lord Abaddon’s doing so that there would be no one from Onyx House to sit on the Diamond Council. She still mourned for her husband and son even though it had been so many winters since they’d gone on their Journey to the Moons.
Agatha stood up slowly and started the long shuffle across the field of weeds toward the Black Keep. Her mind raced, sorting through old images of days past, working to find the memory of where she had hidden her magical wedding dress. Once she located the gown, she wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to do with it but it had to be of some use now. Maybe her marriage to Emeric had been a happy one because of the dress. Maybe she had given birth to strong healthy sons because of that black and twinkling star gown. Maybe she was still alive because of it.
She needed Glade’s help now. Yes, she thought, more now than ever before. Now was the time. She would have to tell Glade she knew about her being a sprite. Something needed to be done for Angelic before she was sent off to Topaz House to ensure she didn’t end up like so many other girls these recent years, married off to bitter, mean husbands only to give birth to demons.
It was time for the return of magic, even if it meant the possibility of the ruin of Onyx House.
