Healer

It was coming.

Wisdom concentrated on
building up his magic. Between Josephine’s updates on the King’s whereabouts,
Easton ordered the men to start lowering lifeboats.

“Keep yer magic
charm!” Easton waved aside the prince’s offer to use the necklace. “A sailor’s
place is the sea! And we’ll use it even if it ends us! Josephine! Yer
grandfather’d have my head if ye don’t hurry up!”

The young man had just
swung over the edge to the rope ladder when the King’s massive claw shot up
next to the ship.

“As’yna!”
Wisdom cursed, unprepared at the sudden move.

He thrust his magic
toward the oncoming claw, knocking it back to give the men more time to jump
into the boats.

“Cut the lines!”
Easton ordered.
“Prince!”

Wisdom readied himself
for another blow.
I won’t be able to stop it!
As the claw came down once
again, he readied all his remaining energy.

A flash of silver and
black darted from the surface. Almost too quick to follow, it passed just
beneath the joint.

Wisdom waited. Easton
waited. On the rope ladder, Josephine remained transfixed on the stilled claw.

Then it collapsed.
Like a sliced column, the severed claw toppled into the water. Spray doused the
already dripping men while turbulence below sent the ship grinding against
sandy bottom.

“Josephine, get down
from there!” Easton cried when a second, smaller claw smacked against some of
the riggings. Its pincher tangled on the rope ladder. When it pulled back, the
rope snapped.

“Jose!” Wisdom dove
for his thrown friend, shifting in mid-air. The speedy change pained his body
as blood united both hawk and wolf forms.

Still, he was too
late. With the netting wrapped around the claw, it receded beneath the white
caps, taking the young man with it…

Blue Moon Rising Trilogy

How it all began…

Book
One
in the trilogy,
Wisdom
,
begins the journey of a young boy who discovers the reason behind a secretive
upbringing and introduces us to a world of creatures, magic, and an imbalance
in Nature.

www.WisdomNovels.com

Published by Foreseers
Productions™

Richmond, VA USA

This novel is a work of fiction.
Any resemblance to an actual person, living or
dead,
is entirely coincidental. The characters, names, plots and incidents are the
product of the author’s imagination.

Copyright © 2015, Bonnie Watson

All rights reserved; no part of
this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Bonnie Watson.

Cover Design by Bonnie Watson.

Copyright © 2015 Foreseers
Productions ™ (Trade Paper)

Printed in the United States of
America

Author’s Website: www.WisdomNovels.com

A warm thank you to everyone who supported me

and
helped make the story grow. You are all my greatest fans.

HEALER

PROLOGUE

There were not many
instances Chronicles felt he had forgotten something. And yet, in the midst of
preparing his people to invade human territory, he realized for one fleeting
moment that he had.

As he stood on the
mountaintop overlooking the forested paradise of Crystal Valley, he tried to
recall his former homeland back at Ettotu’s Glade. The renowned location for
the shape-shifter race of
Lo-ans’rel
, known as Healers, was just south
of his people’s current position.
 

He let his thoughts
wander, remembering….

Ettotu’s Glade was a
close-knit community of forests in the land of
No’va
. It flourished from
the multitude of Healers, for they were quick to manipulate their surroundings
into a place of supreme tranquility. There were no borders to contend with, no
need for lookouts. Nature provided all, from food and shelter, to the
spider-spun clothing worn day to day. In return, Healers made certain the
balance between plant and animal remained intact, even extending their talents
to human farmlands throughout the surrounding area.

Fields brimming with
large quantities of vegetables sent families into
a frenzy
of pouring and mixing, until the proper formula was complete and passed into a
bowl. As Healers waited patiently, hidden in the guise of various animal forms,
their sensitive ears would prick at the hopeful words, “There be Healers close
by!”

Then the bowl, filled
to the brim with savory liquid, was placed within an appropriate distance from
the house to watch the different animals emerge from hiding. It was during one
such feeding that Chronicles met Greverlend. Those lovely garnet eyes held many
an adoring gaze, but it was Chronicles’ heart it won.

In his true form,
Chronicles stood just shy of a fully-grown human, with one oddity that
distinguished
Lo-ans’rel
from humans – the ears. Reflecting the same
skin tone, their pointed tips darkened with a tuft of white fuzz. At the
approach of another, one flicked back like that of a wolf to tune in distinct
movements.

It was Greverlend.

“As beautiful as
Nature can be, nothing compares to you, my dear.” He turned and, slightly
bowing, took her hand to place a kiss atop her creamy flesh.

“Always
the gentleman.”
She allowed him to
thread a few fingers through her wavy brown hair. Ears laid back in content.
“Father reviewed your request today.”

“And?”
He laid a hand over her swell of stomach. It would be
another four months before the child was due, but already Chronicles could feel
excitement. To become a parent and pass down the
Lo-ans’rel
ways was a
major accomplishment. As shape-shifting was their way of life, it took great
patience to teach a young Healer, and Chronicles felt he was ready to present
himself as an exceptional father.

Greverlend sighed.
“The shift in magic doesn’t connect with humans. It’s something stronger,
chaotic even.”

Strands of light gray
hair swayed over his forehead in the passing breeze, and Chronicles ran a hand
through it to set it in place. The idea of engaging humans was not something
new.

But when one falls
in love?
His thoughts were filled
with skepticism. “Chaotic, you say?” Chronicles stepped aside in a pace to
better collect his thoughts. “Meaning…it’s corrupted? Is that not what’s
happening to us now? I’m just a little concerned that we may be tangling with
something Nature is reacting against. Have you
seen
what a half-breed
Lo-ans’rel
looks like? And now the change in magic – I ask how he thinks it’s
non-related?”

Greverlend laughed.
“Having a human’s child doesn’t mean corruption. Our blood is still the same.
They can still shift.”

“Barely.
It just worries me that Windchester isn’t thinking
this through.” The image of a fat, squatty clan member came to mind. Such an
obscurity to their normally sleek look made for a poor excuse as a
shape-shifter, and he made sure to mentally pass the image to his mate.

She shook her head.
“I’m fairly certain Providence wouldn’t have picked my father to be clan leader
if he didn’t know what he was doing. The future of our people may depend on
this, as our numbers are already too thin.”

“Providence…” The day
of his disappearance had left Greverlend’s father in Chronicles’ stead.
Chronicles never understood why
he
had not been picked. Was it not the
clan’s decree that father pass along leadership to his firstborn? “I just don’t
understand the lot of it. But perhaps you’re right. Maybe he saw something in
Windchester I may have missed.”

A sudden shift of
energy coursed through the earth. Although never directly moving the soil
beneath their feet, they both staggered back as though it had. Ears flattened
in alarm. The energy moved quickly, and was soon gone.

“Chronicles…”
Greverlend’s voice grew frail with uncertainty. “That wasn’t Nature. Something
else is drawing power.”

He put a protective
arm around her to hold her close, and cursed in silence why he could not
pinpoint where the energy was traveling. He decided to open his thoughts to
clan members within the area, mentally asking each what they felt. Just as
confused as he, none had an answer but one – the advisor Eumaeus.

Speaking only within
the mind, he answered,
There’s
been some
trouble in the human realms lately, something about a rogue shape-shifter or
some nonsense! Some of them are even reacting as though they’ve never seen us
before.

Odd,
Chronicles thought back.
What about that pull of
energy?

Apparently, they’ve
sent a magic-user to speak with Windchester about it. They’re working out some
sort of plan to alleviate the confusion but
—Eumaeus’ thoughts were interrupted when Greverlend took hold of
Chronicles’ arm in a fierce grip.
 

Ignoring the Healer
still connected to his thoughts, Chronicles followed his mate’s terrified gaze
to a trail of smoke billowing through the distant trees.
Or is it?
He
wondered, watching the dance of transparent gases distort the forest canopy
into a liquefied haze.

No
no no
!
Eumaeus
screeched
,
enough to startle Chronicles back to the
current conversation.
This can’t be!

Where is
Windchester!
Beside him, Chronicles
could sense Greverlend connecting her thoughts to the other as well. The need
to seek out her father was strong.

A flurry of birds
scattered into flight. They were all Healers fleeing at the first flicker of
red and orange flames. Leaves curled into black ruin. It did not take long for
the fire to spread. Soon, branches toppled with thick black smoke churning the
sky. Children screamed, scrambling to find family members while couples sought
each other in various shifted forms.

“Get out of the forest!”
Chronicles pushed Greverlend away.
“Hurry!”

“What of you!” but at
the crash of tree falling against tree,
then
slamming
to the ground, instinct took over. Their unborn child was a priority and, with
one final glance to her mate, Greverlend fled in the form of a doe.

Even as Chronicles
searched for those in need of help, their thoughts stayed connected. She, at
least, was safe. For those still lingering, it became a game of dodge and
cough! Wounded Healers choked from the smoke. Chronicles himself fell to its
ravenous fumes in a fit of coughing. A crack from
above,
and the Healer had just enough time to dive sideways to avoid a flaming branch.

Where’s my
daughter?
came
the thoughts of Windchester.

Safe!
Chronicles allowed him to sense her connection before
he was entirely satisfied.

I’ll get the rest!
Get yourself out! Don’t wait! It’s coming!

Chronicles could
barely register his leader’s words before a string of flames swept through the
clearing. The ironic movement of fire made no sense, as though something else
controlled it. Only when it had finished dividing the ground did it rise up in
a great wall of lapping orange and red waves.

That’s when he saw
it
.

As swift as it came,
the memory went.

It
was gone.

Momentarily confused,
Chronicles shook his head at the uncanny flashback. What had
it
been?

Humans,
Chronicles finally concluded.
They’re the reason we
had to leave. They’re the reason we must take it back!

A spec of white
surfaced the forest canopy from below.
A White Wing
, he realized as it
lifted off into flight and began circling ever higher. The
Harma
‘
Keyarx
temporarily left his line of vision to fly up behind the rocky slope. When a
great wind
billowed
his robes in the course of
landing, he knew it had approached from behind.

Chronicles needed no
introductions to know who started speaking.

“At your word, we are
ready to proceed.”

“I am most grateful to
you and your kind, Rusha,” the
Lo-ans’rel
leader greeted without
turning.

The harpy joined
Chronicles at the cliff’s edge. Though he kept his wings at ready, he relaxed
the top feathers around his face and shoulders. The similarity to humans when
his plumes lay flat caused the leader to purse his lips in a scowl. If not for
the dark patterns crossing under each eye and down the cheek, Chronicles would
have dubbed the creature
human
whether he was or not.

Again, he tried to
recall the memory that had plagued him a moment earlier, to no avail. The need
to finish all preparations outweighed the possibility that something was amiss.

“Once we receive word
from either my son or Jangus, we will proceed according to plan.”

Rusha shot him a
quizzical look. “I would have thought you’d keep Jangus here in case your son
failed to report back.”

The Healer sighed.
“Shy would do better to know there are limitations to my patience. Sending
Jangus was a reminder of that.”

“You
want
them
to confront one another?”
 

They stood a moment
more until, used to the Healer’s lack of immediate response, the harpy took it as
a sign to leave and pushed from the ledge into flight.

Chronicles watched him
go, waiting until the White Wing was well below the cliffs before shifting. A
silver glow enveloped his form,
then
faded with
renewed transformation. In the form of an owl, the leader followed the harpy’s
path and headed for the valley below.