The Seven Realms

Once upon a time I conceived an idea for a book. It was about three women, friends, who have a run-in with a fairy godmother who grants them a wish. Treating it as a joke, they decide to wish to meet their dream men and end up in the magickal world of the Seven Realms. Each of them land in a different realm where they have many adventures and, yes, end up with the men of their dreams.

While I did make a healthy start to each of the three stories, I realized that the story should span a trilogy, not just a three-in-one story, and if I was doing that I might as well go the whole hog and do a book for each of the Seven Realms.

So I did a bit of back story on the fairy godmother and the prologue that will be included in each of the three books. Then I did some background on the men of the Seven Realms and a brief rundown of the realms themselves. Unfortunately, I had a lot of other stuff going on at the same time so I kind of abandoned them.

Today’s excerpt is from the prologue.

"Pull over!" Fiona ordered.

They'd been passing through the small town at a leisurely pace, looking for somewhere to pick up some supplies, when she made her demand.

"What? What is it?" Taylor asked, even as she pulled the battered Honda Civic alongside the curb.

"You expect to see this kind of thing in the city . . ." Fiona muttered, already opening the door.

"What's going on? Are we there?” The sleepy question came from the back seat.

"I don't know what's going on, Eva, Fiona just -- oh, I see what her problem is. C'mon, I think she's going to need some help."

The two young women exited the car to follow in their friend's wake as she confronted a group of teenagers who were hassling a little old lady.

"What's the matter with you kids?" Fiona was yelling. "Go white wash a fence or something."

They were stereotypical teens, shaggy hair ranging from dirty blond to dark brown, wearing long sleeved tee-shirts despite the summer heat, jeans sagging loosely from their hips. They'd surrounded the elderly woman and were taking turns plucking at her shawl, causing her to drop the bag of groceries she was carrying.

Coke bottle glasses sliding down her nose, Fiona waded into the thick of them, pulling them away from their victim.

"Oh, just chill, would you? We're just having a little fun."

"I think you've had enough fun for one day. Now get out of here before I call the cops. And pull up your pants!" she yelled after them as the threat of the police sent them running.

Taylor and Eva were already picking up the woman's groceries that had spilled. By a miracle the bag itself had survived.

"Are you all right ma'am?" Fiona asked gently.

"Hoodlums, the lot of them," the old woman said, shaking her head. "But no matter, what goes around comes around."

"I think we found everything," Taylor said, holding the bag of groceries. "Do you live nearby? Can I carry these for you?"

"Such nice young ladies," the woman said, beaming. "I live just over there." She pointed towards a side street and without another word, headed in that direction.

Taylor looked at her two friends, then shrugged and followed, Fiona and Eva trailing behind.

The woman stopped at a neatly kept, white frame house. Lush rose bushes grew on either side of the covered porch that was just wide enough for a pair of rocking chairs on one side and a porch swing on the other.

"Wait here," they were instructed. Taking the bag of groceries from Taylor, the woman disappeared inside the house.

"What should we do?" Eva asked in a quiet voice.

"I guess we should wait," Fiona said. "Maybe she wants our help filling out a police report."

They didn't wait long, the woman returned carrying a tray with three glasses and a pitcher of lemonade, so cold it was already beaded with moisture. "Sit," she ordered.

Exchanging somewhat amused glances, they sat - Taylor and Eva on the porch swing, Fiona in one of the rocking chairs. The old woman poured the lemonade and passed them each a glass before sitting down herself in the other rocking chair.

"It's not just anyone who'd help out a stranger," she said. "Such kindness in today's world deserves a reward."

Fiona was already shaking her head. "We didn't help for a reward, we did it because it was the right thing to do."

"Nonetheless, I'm bound to even the scales. It's one of my duties as a fairy godmother."

Taylor and Eva looked at each other, then back at the woman. "Fairy godmother?" Eva asked.

"That's right." She nodded vigorously, her grey curls bobbing wildly. "Esmeralda Wicks, fairy godmother. Though not many believe in such things any more, more's the pity."

Fiona cleared her throat. "Truly, Esmeralda, there's nothing to balance."

Esmeralda eyed her shrewdly. "You think I'm a dotty old woman, don't you?" When they made a half-hearted protest she waved her hand to stop them. "That's all right. You'll learn different soon enough. Now listen carefully." She leaned forward in her chair.

You don't believe in my magic now, but you will. Tonight, you will gather around a fire. And when you look up into the sky you will see a very special star, the wishing star. To reward your kindness I promise you this. Whatever wish you make tonight upon that star will come true. But mind it's a personal wish, something frivolous that will benefit only you. None of that world peace nonsense. You will be touched by magic.

Fiona blinked and looked at the empty glass in her hand.

"A glass of lemonade seems a poor repayment for your kindness, but if you're sure I can do nothing else . . ."

"No . . . I . . ." Giving her head a little shake, Fiona smiled and set her glass on the tray. "The lemonade really hit the spot. I wish we could stay, but we have a bit of a drive ahead of us and we still have to pick up a few groceries."

Taylor and Eva both also smiled and thanked the woman for the lemonade and then the trio walked back to the car.

"I have the strangest feeling I'm forgetting something," Eva said, once they were underway again.

"That's so weird," Taylor said. "I was just going to say the exact same thing."

"Well hopefully it's not anything that should be on our list," Fiona said, waving a piece of paper in the air. "We're only going to be at the cottage for three days, and I'm not wasting any of it making runs back into town."

The others made noises of agreement. They'd been planning this girls' weekend for months and finally their schedules aligned to make it a reality. With their busy schedules they were finding it harder and harder to connect and they were determined to make the most of their long weekend.

Forest Realm

Today we have the third of my Seven Realms excerpts, this one (as the title suggests) is from the beginning of the forest realm story. If you missed the other two, you can find the jungle realm HERE and the desert realm HERE.

In a nutshell… three friends on their way to a vacation catch some teenagers hassling a little old lady – of course they come to her rescue. But it turned out the little old lady was a fairy godmother and granted them a wish as their reward. It was to be used for something personal, and the three wished to meet the men of their deepest desires.

Fiona could hear birds chirping. She opened her eyes, frowning when she realized it was still dark out. Blinking rapidly she sat up, feeling around for her glasses. She could feel dirt and leaves and small sticks, but no glasses. They were heavy enough that she'd know if she was wearing them. God, she hoped she hadn't lost them, they were expensive as hell.

The last thing she remembered was sharing a bottle of wine around the camp fire with her friends. Or was it two bottles of wine? It certainly wasn't enough alcohol to cause her to wander off by herself into the woods. She was more careful than that.

Wait, there was something else ... that old woman they helped earlier in the day. What was her name? Estella? Esperanza? No ... Esmeralda, that was it!

They saw a falling star and for some weird reason they could hear the old woman's voice. Something about being given a wish to use on a star ... "To reward your kindness I promise you this: whatever wish you make tonight upon that star will come true. But mind it's a personal wish, something frivolous that will benefit only you. None of that world peace nonsense."

After hearing Esmeralda's voice the three of them had laughed it off, deciding to wish for their dream lovers to come to life, or some such rubbish. Fiona didn't know what the others wished for, but she'd always had a thing for the elves in The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings movies, so it seemed only natural to wish for an adventure to help a dispossessed Elfin lord who would fall madly in love with her.

Fiona snorted. "As if."

The birds continued to chirp and she could hear a breeze rustling the leaves above her. She tilted her head back to look up and listen. How deep into the woods had she traveled? Surely she should see at least a hint of the stars or moonlight. Why was the dark so all encompassing?

Squelching down a sudden frisson of panic, she got to her feet. It was just clouds, she told herself firmly. There was a storm front moving in, that's all. Dark, heavy clouds were obscuring the moon and stars. It happened all the time.

Then why were the birds singing, a niggling little voice asked her. And where was the smell of moisture in the air?

"Taylor? Eva?" she called, ignoring the voice. If she was out here then her friends couldn't be too far away. "Guys? I hope one of you has a flashlight, it's dark as hell over here. Wherever here is. Guys?"

All at once she remembered her watch. Raising her wrist to eye level, she pressed the little button that would activate the light. Nothing happened. Holding the watch to her ear, she listened to the faint ticking and then tried again. Still nothing.

"Guys? I'm in real trouble here."

Fiona shivered, despite the warm breeze. This time she was unable ignore the panic starting. Hands held out in front of her, she shuffled forward a few steps, stopping dead when she felt the sun on her face.

"No," she whispered. "It's too soon. I'm not ready."

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Finnovarr paused to get his bearings. This is what came of taking a shortcut. First he lost his horse, and now ... it was a shameful thing for an elf to admit, but he appeared to be lost. Somehow he'd left the narrow trail he'd been following and now he had two choices: continue in the direction he was going and hope he picked up the trail again, or retrace his path back the way he'd come.

Having no idea how far back he'd wandered from the trail, retracing his path was out of the question. He'd already been out here too long, he couldn't afford the time. As long as he kept heading east, he should still be able to find the shrine in time.

A flash of blue caught his eye and he frowned. Too big for a bird, but what else could it be? He became more cautious, keeping watch for anything untoward. Then he scented it.

Finn's head snapped up and went on full alert. Magic. He could smell it on the air. Why would he be smelling magic out here?

He found out a few feet later when he stepped into a clear space in the trees. There, in a shaft of sunlight, a woman slumped next to a tree.

Her long curly hair shone with a fiery glow in the sunlight. The style of her clothing was strange, dark blue trousers and a brighter blue, the blue he'd glimpsed through the trees, strangely designed tunic that clung to her like a second skin. She reeked of magic but it was fading.

He stood in the shadows provided by the trees, watching her. Whatever trouble she was in, he couldn't afford to get involved. He was on a mission; he didn't have time. And yet he lingered, unable to just leave her there.

Jungle Realm

Last Friday I introduced you to my seven realms series, starting with the desert realm. This week I’m sharing the beginning of the jungle realm. It’s the same premise, just a different setting.

Three friends were on their way to a vacation when they caught some teenagers hassling a little old lady – of course they came to her rescue. But it turns out the little old lady was a fairy godmother and granted them a wish as their reward. It was to be used for something personal, and the three wished to meet the men of their deepest desires.

Evangeline Covington couldn't remember the last time she'd had such a wicked hangover. She groaned, but didn't feel up to opening her eyes yet. It wasn't like they'd had that much to drink last night, two bottles of wine between the three of them - she must be getting old.

She felt damp. There was something digging into her back and the distinct smell of greenery in the air. She had a sneaking suspicion of where she was. Cracking her eyes open slightly, she slammed them tightly shut again, her suspicions confirmed. They hadn't made it back to the cabin last night - she'd slept outside.

"Fi? Taylor? You guys awake?" Even the sound of her own voice made her wince.

There was no answer. With another groan she rolled to her side so the sun wasn't in her face and tried opening her eyes again.

Frowning, she stared at the bright red flower in front of her nose. She didn't remember there being flowers blooming in the woods, especially not such exotic looking ones.

Feeling a slight chill, she levered herself into a sitting position and took a good look around. "What the hell?"

Hangover forgotten, Eva got to her feet and stared around in disbelief. This was not the woods full of pine trees surrounding the cabin on the lake. In fact, this wasn't a forest at all, it was more like a jungle.

Several different varieties of palm and other exotic trees towered upwards, hung with trailing vines. The undergrowth seemed to be filled with broad-leafed shrubs and ferns. An endless variety of colorful blossoms rioted around her.

Eva staggered, reaching out to steady herself by holding on to the trunk of a palm. "Where am I?" she whispered.

More importantly, how did she get here? The last thing she remembered was sitting around the camp fire with Fiona and Taylor. They were drinking wine and made a toast to friendship. Then she'd spotted the evening star and . . .

"Esmeralda!"

She remembered hearing the old woman's voice, something about making a wish. They'd treated it like a joke and decided to wish for their perfect mate.

All her life Eva had loved adventure stories, especially ones set in exotic locations. Her favorites were by the old romantic fantasy writers - Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. Rider Haggard, A. A. Merritt - with their tales of lost cities set in the jungles of the world. In her deepest fantasies, ones she'd never shared with even Fiona or Taylor, she'd dreamed of being swept away by her very own jungle lord.

"This is crazy!" she said firmly. "Hello? Anyone?"

People didn't just wish for something like that and have it happen. Someone was playing a joke on her. A very bad, practical joke. There must have been something in the wine that knocked her out so someone, or a couple of someones, could transport her to the nearest zoo and leave her in the middle of the African exhibit.

Eva leaned against the palm tree for support. Which was just as likely as being transported to an actual jungle. What else had Esmeralda told them?

"I'm a fairy godmother, but no one believes in magic anymore, more's the pity."

"Magic," Eva repeated, trying the word on for size. Esmeralda was right. People didn't believe in magic any more. Maybe if they did she wouldn't have such a hard time believing in it now.

A cool breeze swept through the jungle and she shivered, her damp clothing amplifying the chill. The tops of the trees were starting to wave and when she looked up she caught a glimpse of dark clouds building.

"This is so not fair!"

She needed shelter from the oncoming storm and fast, judging by the smell of rain in the air. With any luck she could curl up and go to sleep, awakening to find this was nothing more than an alcohol induced, very vivid, dream.