Eradonis: Legend of the Black Rose

Copyright © 2011 by Narisha Rajnandan.

ISBN:          Softcover                                 978-1-4653-5951-3

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4653-5950-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

0-800-644-6988

www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk

Orders@xlibrispublishing.co.uk

302696

Contents

Chapter One Unexpected Discovery

Chapter Two Empress of Arydress

Chapter Three Island Of Gods

Chapter Four Ruins

Chapter Five Temple by the Sea

Chapter Six The Prophecy

Chapter Seven Night in Aradeya

Chapter Eight Black Puma

Chapter Nine The Labyrinth

Chapter Ten Crossing Roshsham

Chapter Eleven Wild Sea

Chapter Twelve Lost Memories

Chapter Thirteen Revelation

Chapter Fourteen A Secret Revealed

Chapter Fifteen Ancient Sands

Chapter Sixteen Death’s Gate

Chapter Seventeen Vigor

Chapter Eighteen The Oldelleon

Chapter Nineteen The Lava Room

Chapter Twenty The Black Rose

Chapter Twenty-One Reunited

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my parents

Mr & Mrs S. Rajnandan

Thank you for your patients & support.

&

My two brother s

Nichal

&

Nishen

Intro

Arabella, Alaric’s first love was caught in the middle of a war between the Tricksters and the Looms. Although the Great War had brought about Arabella’s death, their children Yoshi, Jitz, and Lafera were heroically saved by Freya, the Goddess of Magic.

Arabella’s death was a traumatic loss to Alaric, causing him to lose his way. Fortunately, Ryvelle crossed Alaric’s path and saved him from this peril of despair. Freya placed the family on the Island of Gods to live in peace. A thousand years passed and Ryvelle and Alaric’s love manifested into a beautiful baby named Odeya.

Soon after her child’s birth, Ryvelle returned to Eradonis. Curiously, her secret was revealed to Alaric by an unnamed source. Odeya was not his child. She was the daughter of Adonis, the god who had ordered the death of Tricksters. Grief stricken and filled with rage, Alaric devised an evil plan to kill the innocent child. To save her, Ryvelle hid her precious baby in the Forest of Aradeya. Knowing that Alaric would always be a threat to Odeya, Ryvelle trapped him in a tomb sealed with the ancient symbol of warning to prevent curious minds from releasing him. Disappearing into the deepest corner of earth, Ryvelle’s memory faded from time. Odeya grew up peaceful and happy with a foster mother who worshipped the gods for the precious gift that had been laid upon her doorstep, unaware of the history of her birth or her parents, Adonis and Ryvelle, the former Guardian of the Blood Rose.

Odeya’s destiny had been written…

Chapter One

Unexpected Discovery

A silhouetted figure emerged from the path in the misty morning. Sunlight penetrated the forest, brightening the cobblestone trail leading to an enchanted temple in Aradeya Forest. The temple had been built in honor of and was protected by a powerful sorceress named Lavaria, who was fearless and extremely powerful—a person not to be double-crossed.

Eight mystical pillars, inlaid with magic, shimmered blue whenever a witch or sorceress drew near. They stood like frozen soldiers, leading to a solid wooden door at the entrance. The doors portrayed an ancient symbol, warning intruders that an unbreakable spell protected this temple.

Wearing a white cloak, the silhouetted figure hesitated, pondering if she should proceed. Taking a deep breath, she courageously placed her quiver hand on the symbol. Bands of fire outlined strong tapered fingers, meeting at the bottom of her palm, and the door swung open.

Mystified, she entered the temple, her footsteps silent as she crossed the marble floor. Looking around, she was still amazed at the beauty, even though she had spent the first seven years of her life here. The cloaked figure walked toward the Priestess as the temple doors closed. Startled, Haniel, the temple Priestess and Odeya’s foster mother, completed writing the last spell in the Ancient Book of Spells and turned as Odeya removed her cloak, revealing a navy blue gown with a V-neck and long tapered sleeves.

Odeya my child, it is so good to see you! Haniel said, surprised. You have grown into a most beautiful young lady with the same dark green eyes and snow white hair as your mother. I can’t believe that so many years have passed since you left the temple. How is Avril?

She is well.

Come. I have something very special for you. It is a book with rare spells.

Odeya’s eyes lit with excitement as she followed Haniel to her private quarters to retrieve a thick book with a strange symbol on it.

This book was written exclusively for you, Haniel said. You are the only one who will possess these rare incantations. But be warned. Do not be careless with them. These spells must only be summoned in times of great need.

Haniel handed the book to Odeya. When her hands touched it, a light surrounded her slender figure and a gentle breeze blew across her youthful face, making her hands glow. Then wondrously, a beautiful black tattoo appeared on her hands.

The book is very powerful, Haniel warned.

Seeing the tattoo come and then disappear within Odeya’s body, the Priestess smiled. Its appearance assured her that the book had found its rightful owner and would be safe from evil.

Odeya looked up to find that her foster mother had vanished. She was excited and afraid but curious to know more about her gift. She walked into the dining hall and sat at a long oak table. As she set the large tome down, her hands caressed the cover, memorizing the feel of newly-cured, blue-dyed leather and the indentations of the carefully carved, gold-embossed lettering that read Lexion. She wondered where she had seen this before, and a few seconds later, realized that the same ancient symbol was emblazoned on the temple door. Excitement ran through her veins as she opened the book and gazed at printed words:

~ Chaos ~ Earth ~ Water ~ Fire ~ Air ~

The Bringer of Chaos

The Creator of Earth

The Waters of Life

The Dancing Fairies of Fire

The Sky of Spirits

The Souls of Heaven

As she read the titles, she wondered what they meant and eagerly turned the page, finding a spell that would summon the Lexion. Excited, she read the next page, which told how to hide the book from other witches by creating a sphere, using magic water. Odeya went to work making the sphaera aquae, a water sphere. The spell called for specific ingredients, and she searched the room, finding an empty bottle to which she added salt, ancient sea dust, pure water, moonlight drops, and one drop of sea mist. When she finished, she chanted the words of the spell and poured the magic water to the floor, creating a sphere. Odeya then dropped the book into the sphere. It disappeared and the bottle refilled itself.

Smiling, Odeya explored the temple, finding a slightly worn, black leather bag and a bottle containing moonlight drops. The label read: For twelve hours sleep, use one drop, for twenty-four hours, use two, and so on. Placing the bottle into the black bag, she walked toward the door, but as she reached for the handle, she heard a voice calling her name. Odeya turned and scanned the room, but no one was there.

That strange, she said aloud. Is anyone here? When she received no reply, she shook her head. I must be imagining things.

Nevertheless, she knew that strange things often happened in the ancient temples. She walked toward the front to investigate a light, coming from beneath an enormous white marble statue of Adonis. The God of war, he was worshipped and loved by the people of Eradonis. The statue held two swords pointing toward the ground. The words, written on the base below the statue were in the ancient language and read ‘ale re delo.’ Odeya did not know their meaning.

Feeling uneasy, she decided to leave, but as she walked away the light grew brighter, drawing her back. Curiosity warred with fear, and she remained frozen in place as she mentally argued with herself. Finally, curiosity won, and she returned to the statue, hoping to discover what was creating the strange light. Examining the base, Odeya realized that she would have to move the statue to reveal the source. As she thought about the words to the telekinesis spell, she heard a sound and swung around, her dagger in hand. She saw no one as her eyes scanned the room and listened for anything that might betray a presence, but the room remained eerily quiet.

I must be hearing things, she thought.

Shaking her head at her own nervousness, she cast the spell. The statue rose up a foot from the floor and moved aside, revealing a trapdoor. Light seeped around the edges.

That’s odd. Why would someone put a trapdoor under a statue?

Steeling her resolve, she nervously opened the trapdoor, flooding the room with bright white light that momentarily blinded her. Odeya blinked until her eyes adjusted. When they did, she spotted a ladder. Fear battled with curiosity, but she had to know where the passageway led and what was hidden there. Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the first rung and was amazed when her foot broke the surface of some type of liquid… magic water perhaps?

Holding her breath, she climbed down the rungs until she passed through the thin liquid layer and cautiously took a small breath, discovering that the air below was fresh and sweet smelling. She breathed a sigh of relief and stepped off the ladder to look around. The light was coming from a chamber further down the passageway, and she cautiously moved toward the source. As she approached the open door of the chamber, apprehension washed over her. She looked inside the room, discovering that the light was leaking out around the edges of a solid oak treasure chest. The light engulfed the room and passageway as though searching for something. A chill ran down her spine.

What does it want?

She had to know what was inside. Entering the room, she approached the chest and discovered that it was not locked. She set down her bag, and as she placed her hand on the lid, a sudden calmness swept through her as warmth from the box penetrated her body. Her fear disappeared like morning dew under the sun’s warming rays, and she opened the chest. The light within shot forth and momentarily penetrated every cell of her body until, suddenly, everything went dark.

Odeya whispered a spell, summoning three light orbs. They hovered in the air around her head, lighting up the room. A tiny Bo staff lay inside the chest, and when she took it out, it grew to full-size. The staff was a martial arts weapon, rarely found in Eradonis. She examined the glistening blade at its end, and its power made her skin tingle as a magical symbol appeared on both hands. She stared at the symbols in awe and wondered what they meant.

Returning her gaze to the staff, she examined the runes and the three symbols engraved there, but Odeya was unfamiliar with the language. Leaning the staff against the chest, she looked into the box once more and picked up a scroll, breaking the seal. As she did, a gust of wind blew through the passageway, and Odeya felt her fear return. Had she awaken something or someone when she broke the seal? The scroll was written by a guardian and read:

ehe yenruoj ot eht kcalb esor sah nageb, tfig that lliw dnefed ht kaew nehw ssenkrad sllaf nopu eht dnal.

Roughly translated, it meant: The journey to the Black Rose has begun. It is a gift that will defend the weak when darkness falls upon the land.

She could not believe what she had just read. Two more lines appeared, but she was unable to translate them. Holding up the scroll, she looked closer and saw a map to the fabled Black Rose, believed to be a myth. Could it be true? Does the Black Rose really exist? As she pondered the meaning of her discovery, Odeya heard footsteps, too loud and distinct to be mistaken for anything else. Rolling up the map, she placed it into her black bag along with her travel-stained cloak, then removing the magical white cloak from a deep pocket in her gown, she threw it over her shoulders.

Closing the bag, she grabbed it with her left hand and the staff with her right, before returning to the room with the ladder and climbing it. As she stepped onto the temple floor, she was surrounded by tall, muscular guards with dark blue hair and stern expressions. Searching her memory, she realized they must be Paladins, an ancient society of temple guards.

One guard pressed the point of his sword against her chest.

The map must be returned to the chest for safekeeping before the Priestess returns, a guard to her right said in