Reliquary's Choice: Book Two of The Celtic Prophecy (20 page)
Read Reliquary's Choice: Book Two of The Celtic Prophecy Online
Authors: Melissa Macfie
The stairs creaked with his slow step. His face came into my field of vision. His strong brow and cheekbones, his dimpled chin, blue eyes I’d thought to be the color of the clear ocean, now the color of ice, devoid of all emotion.
Her mouth went dry, new beads of sweat formed on her brow, her heart felt like it would burst from her chest. “Liam!” Brenawyn hissed wrenching herself out from beneath Sinclair’s grasp and pivoted away. “You’re dead. I buried you, you son of a bitch!”
Liam vaulted onto the dais but was blocked by a befuddled Sinclair. “Let me past! Ye may think ye found the priestess … they may think they’ve found the sleeping lady; but in truth t’is only my wife ye’ve found.”
Look for
Oracle’s Curse
Book Three of
The Celtic Prophecy
Coming in 2017
~~~
This past year has been exciting as I began, in earnest, to explore the world of publishing and marketing my fantasy series, The Celtic Prophecy. With the release of Fate’s Hand and Reliquary’s Choice ten months apart, I’ve learned the most rewarding aspect of this venture has been building a relationship with my readers. In the months to come I will be sending out newsletters alerting readers to sales, contests, and new releases. By going to my website,
https://melissamacfie.com
and subscribing to my newsletter you will receive an advance short of the next novel in The Celtic Prophecy series,
Oracle’s Curse.
The short preview should be ready for release in December, 2016. You can also connect with me at
www.facebook.com/celticprophecy
where I periodically publish excerpts, list my appearances, and giveaways.
A review is the most valuable gift you can give an author. Honest reviews are an invaluable tool for authors, helping them to become recognized for their work and helping them to connect with readers who are looking for new authors and interesting new books to read. If you enjoyed this book, I would whole-heartedly appreciate it if you’d take the time to leave a review when you reach the review link at the end of this book. If you do write one, please send me an email at
[email protected]
so I can thank you personally.
Artistic license was used in choosing the gods featured in this novel. While they are all of Celtic origin, they are not from the same country of origin. This was intentional to further diversify names. A list of gods and their specific origins are in the glossary.
I would like to acknowledge the anonymous aid I received from the Irish Translation Form on the Irish Gaelic Translator website. Their translations lend a nuanced authenticity to this novel. The responsibility for any incorrect usage or phrasing falls to me.
I would also like to acknowledge the tremendous encouragement and support I received from my friends, especially Maria Vazquez Gesumaria, Trish Buckley, Dr. Andrea Bassie, Diane Lang, John Nartowitz, Dr. Jack Bradley, Ruth Dershowitz, Ana Cunha, Sebastiano Stellato, and Manuela Sampedro. Thank you for requesting progress updates, listening to me, more times than not, doubt whether I could get the book finished by deadline, and who thankfully reminded me that I needed to enjoy life and not take myself too seriously. A special, heart-felt thank you goes out to the Thirsty Thursday crowd; our weekly meetings kept me sane.
Lastly, I would like to acknowledge my family, starting with my husband, Donald Andrew Macfie Jr., to whom this book is dedicated. If ever there was a man supportive of his wife, then he is it. He is patient and generous, picking up additional responsibilities with nary a complaint. I realize that I am a chore to live with especially, though more often if I’m being truthful, when I am finishing a book. I grow more inward, distant, and filled with self-doubt; but he was always there championing my efforts, bolstering my self-esteem, and making me laugh.
My daughter, Elizabeth, continues to be a sounding board for character development and story progression. Without her, I’d be stuck in the first fifty pages of Fate’s Hand, knowing where I wanted to go but seeing no path to get there. If any of my readers have an issue with the characters—blame her. I jest! I can see her reaction as she eventually reads this. Seriously though, she helps me wade through the miasma, and see how and why things happen as they do.
My son, Donald, encourages me to strive for greater heights, periodically checking in to review whether I am following through on the marketing plan for my series laid out by my publisher, Karen Hodges Miller. He is a marketing major, so it’s not as strange as it sounds. Those calls usually happen after midnight, which probably is the most productive time in the day for both of us when the minutia of the day ceases and we are left with just our thoughts. He is probably thankful I didn’t have any questions on the male point of view for this book, though I can safely say that it was just a temporary reprieve.
No matter what else I achieve in this life, being a mother is my greatest accomplishment.
Celtic Gods, Goddesses, Creatures, and Places
Addanc:
Welsh primordial giant
Aine:
(AHN yuh)
Irish goddess for fertility
Aerten:
(EYER ten)
Cornish, Welsh goddess of fate
Agrona:
Celtic goddess of strife and slaughter
Amergin:
(AYV-r-ghin) Milesian bard and Druid who sang a magical song that allowed his people to land safely in Ireland
Badb:
(Bahv)
Irish goddess of war, often assumes the form of the raven
Belanus:
Celtic god of light
Blodevweld:
(blo-DOY-weth)
Betrayed her husband by supernatural means which led to his death.
Bres:
(BRESH)
Tyrannical ruler of the Tuatha Dé, defeated at the second battle of Magh Tuireadh
Caer Ibormeith:
(Keer YEW mayth)
Pan-Celtic goddess of dreams and prophecy
Conmaicne Rein:
The site the Tuatha Dé Danann landed in Ireland.
Cernunnos:
(KER noo nohs)
Pan-Celtic god of the Hunt
Danu:
Mother of the Tuatha Dé Danann; Mother Earth
Dearg due:
(
DAH-ruhg DU-ah
)
Irish female faerie known for seducing human men
Dian Cecht:
(DIE-an KET)
god of healing and regeneration
Finvarra:
(VEEN varra)
Irish High King of the gods
Fir Bolg
:
(FEAR-bolg)
Settlers to Ireland who lived peacefully until the coming of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the first battle of Magh Tuireadh.
Formor:
Magical race who settled in Northern Ireland. Fought against the
Tuatha Dé Danann in the second battle of Magh Tuireadh.
Gancanagh
:
(Gan-Kana)
Irish male faerie known for seducing human women, said to emit an addictive toxin
Mandred:
Cornish god, draws the All Power to the one who speaks his name
Milesians:
The last group of settlers to come to Ireland. After the third battle of Magh Tuireadh, a truce is made where they would occupy the upper world, whereas the Tuatha Dé, the world below.
Neit:
(NYIT)
Irish god of battle
Nimue:
(NIM oo ay)
Cornish, Welsh goddess of the moon
Nuada:
(NEW-ah)
Twice king of the Tuatha De’ Danann
Oghma
:
(OH-wam), Scottish/Irish god of communication and writing; known for inventing writing. In the Celtic Prophecy series, the god of memory.
Ratis:
Anglo-Celtic goddess of protective fortifications
Sidhe:
(She)
Irish descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann
Sluagh:
restless spirits of the dead; in Fate's Hand, embodied as hounds
Sreng:
(share-EN)
Fir Bolg warrior who cut off Nuada’s arm in the first battle of Magh Tuireadh
Taliesin:
(tal-YES-in)
Welsh god of magic, music, poetry, wisdom, and writing
Taranis:
(TA ran is)
Continental goddess of death to whom sacrifices were offered.
Tir-Na-Nog:
(TIER na noog)
realm of the gods
Tuatha Dé Danann:
(TOO-ha dey DAHN-en)
Children of the goddess Danu
Gaelic Words and Phrases
a chuisle:
(
a khish la
) term of endearment meaning my heart.
Eiliminteach:
(EE le men tie k) Elemental
Fire Feasts
Samhain:
(
SAH wen
) Celebrated on October 31 marking the beginning of winter
Oimelc:
(
I melg
) Celebrated on February 1 marking the beginning of spring
Beltaine:
(
BEY al TIN ah
) Celebrated on May 1 marking the beginning of summer
Lughnasadh:
(
LOO nah sah
) Celebrated on August 1 marking the beginning of autumn
Celtic Gods and Goddesses.
http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/Celtic/deities.html
22 June 2016.
Celtic Shamanism
.
http://www. sacredfire.net/shaman.html
. 5 July 2016.
The Howe Caverns
.
http://www.howecaverns.com/index.php.
22 June 2016.
“Howe Caverns Unveils New Discovery Tour Opening Areas of Cave Not Seen in 100 Years.”
http://howecaverns.com/files//Howe-Media-Day-OnSite-Materials-4-21-15.pdf
. 22 June 2016.
“Races.”
Magic and Mythology
.
http://www.shee-eire.com/Magic&Mythology/Races/Page1.htm
13 June 2016.
Samuels, Jerry. “They’re Coming to Take to Me Away.” 1966.
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=675
. 22 June 2016.
Spence, Lewis.
Druids: Their Origins and History
. United States of America. Barnes & Noble Books. 1995.
Squire, Charles.
Celtic Myths and Legends
. Bristol. Parragon. 1998.
Wood, Juliette.
The Celtic Book of the Living and Dying: The Illustrated Guide to Celtic Wisdom.
New York. Chartwell Books, Inc. 2012.
For most of her life, Melissa Macfie has pursued artistic endeavors such as drawing, painting, and sculpting. She holds a M.Ed. in English Education from the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, and has spent the last sixteen years as a public school English teacher. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, Donald. Their children, Elizabeth and Donald, are grown and pursuing their own dreams.
[1]
riddle