The Advice Girl

By L. A. Shaw

(Book One in the Dalara Series)

Kira and Sophia have been best friends since they were five years old. They share an apartment together, and tell each other everything.

Everyone loves Sophia, and she is often called "the advice girl" by people who know her. Kira believes she knows her friend better than anyone. But in a mysterious accident, Sophia loses her life.

Kira is mourning the devastating loss when she finds a note addressed to her from beyond the grave. Kira realizes she doesn’t know her friend as well as she thought, as she starts to uncover the truth. She falls into a deep depression, confused and lost, until a visit from a strange man puts her in the middle of a war between two secret societies.

Kira soon understands that she is in danger, and doesn’t know who to trust. She has to fight for her own life now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L. A. Shaw
• Release date: Mar 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452492612

L. A. Shaw

I'm from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. I recently moved to Salt Lake City, Utah last year. I love writing, it is my passion. It comes as naturally to me as breathing. It's how I express myself. But I love being creative in general.I just finished writing my first eBook, The Advice Girl, and I am currently writing the sequel, Invoked. They are both part of my series which is titled The Dalara Series.Check out my twitter and blog for updates!What others have said about L. A. Shaw:"There is no denying that Ms Shaw is a talented writer and has a promising career ahead of her as an author." - Leanne (Magic of Reading)"Shaw's characters are very realistic, and I can identify with them on complex levels." - Jennifer (The Bawdy Book Blog)"L.A. Shaw will go places, I tell you. (Plus, she’s a totally delightful human being, which makes me even more anxious to read more of her work.)" - Ems (In which Ems Reviews Books)

Book preview

The Advice Girl

By

L. A. Shaw

Smashwords Edition

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PUBLISHED BY:

L. A. Shaw on Smashwords

The Advice Girl

Copyright © 2011 by Lauren A. Shaw

All Rights Reserved.

Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission.

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

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

Cover Art Copyright © Unholyvault | Dreamstime.com

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Prologue

The sun was setting in a glorious and graceful dance upon the stage of the sky. Even though that stage was still decorated with curtains of pink, the midnight blue backdrop had already started to wash the remnants of the day away, forcing the sun to take its final bow. A solitary figure stood in front of the entrance to an ancient temple of worship, his shadow now fading to black against the archway stone. He pulled the dark hood closer for protection against the cold October wind that began to sting his face. The stress from the previous months was catching up with him, but he was content in knowing that he would only be weary for a few minutes more. Soon this nightmare would be over and he could go home.

He watched the sun finally disappear behind the rolling French countryside of his homeland. He had traveled all over the world, but had seen nothing to compare to the beauty of what he just witnessed. Much of his childhood had been spent lingering here until dark. Watching that same sunset over the same hillside left him warm with nostalgia, and a longing for his untainted youth. For a moment, he even second-guessed himself, and what he was about to do.

Before he allowed his emotions to put him at unease he turned to go inside the temple. Carefully he walked across the sacred ground that was used only for such ceremonies that was about to take place. He could see in his peripheral the other members, his brothers, giving fire to the lanterns that hung along the walkway into the temple, before silently following him inside.

The one great circular room opened up to a vast cathedral ceiling, stretching upwards to the night sky. Ornately carved wooden beams supported the ceiling, which was decorated with painted frescoes dating back hundreds of years. They were meticulously restored, and seemed to glow in the soft light from the candles that lined the room. If one were not fully aware of time, you would certainly lose all sense of it here. Before the Vindicated Saints had claimed it for their own ritual purposes, the temple and its grounds were once a monastery, a place of quiet contemplation, peace and solitude. Now if one happened to look down, one could plainly see the dark red stains that refused to disappear on the cracked stone floor. It was left up to the imagination to guess what lay between the cracks, or even underneath.

The man continued walking until he reached the front of the room, and slowly turned to face the nine other loyal members who had gathered silently with him this particular night. The ten men were collectively known as the most powerful disciples of the Vindicated Saints, a secret society that had existed through the same bloodlines for almost five hundred years. These men were all connected to the same founding ancestors, but the society had now grown to include members all over the world, allowing the society to have firm roots in many different religions and social cultures. Their appointed leader, Markus, was now taking his time to look every member directly in the eyes before speaking. Gentlemen, his rich, silky voice reverberated around the room, Tonight we will finally be free of the last known talent found by our enemies at the Guild of Aurora. We have captured him after months of elusive torment, but we all know the Guild cannot hide them for long. They always make a mistake. They are always found by one of us in the end. We all know what this ceremony means. We will all get to rest for a while until new talent is found and has to be destroyed. So… let us proceed with what must be done.

The men began to chant the sacred words used for this particular ritual, the ones for human sacrifice. The words they had chanted so many times before this. The words they all knew by heart. Markus invisibly pulled out from his robe the jeweled dagger that would be used, and held it up to catch the light from the burning torches in the room. The silver point gleamed brilliantly, reflecting the fire as the rubies glowed a deep crimson red. Markus breathed the incantation to purify the blade.

Bring him to me, he bellowed out, his voice echoing against the walls. The men before him still chanted, lowering their voices down to faintly heard whispers.

The door to the temple swung open with force. Two other cloaked men, known only as elite assassins for the VS, dragged behind them a handsome man of around thirty years of age. He was unconscious, his head swaying back and forth, with his hands and feet bound tight with rope. The two men made their way down the aisle in front of the other members, who parted to let them through. They dropped him with a sickening thud, directly in front of Markus and the waiting blade humming with invoked energy.

Inject the serum so he will awaken and join us… then you may leave, Markus hissed to the assassins.

The men did as they were told and quietly left the room, shutting the door behind them. They were not allowed to witness the event. The other members, focused on the victim, had stopped their chanting when the man on the floor opened his eyes and looked around in disbelief. When the shock subsided, he realized with horror that it was the VS that had taken him captive. He cursed himself under his breath. He knew he should have been more careful. He knew they were onto his whereabouts, but he had to see her before he ran again. The Guild had adamantly warned him, but his love for Anna and her piercing sky blue eyes would not allow him to leave without saying good-bye. Now it seemed he was going to die for it. His own brown eyes closed in pain and regret. Not regret for trying to say good-bye, but regret that he would never get to tell her that he loved her. Markus saw the gesture and smiled, he was used to seeing these things in his victims over the years. It was the last yearning of a soul before death. Watching it was a special moment to Markus, because it made him feel like a god.

Daniel… so glad you could finally join us, he laughed maliciously as the other members closed around him in a tight circle. Any last words…? Markus spoke softly now, crouching like a predatory animal over Daniel’s bound body. He was holding the singing dagger above his heart, and looking him squarely in the eyes. The men around him were chanting again, different words but with more force, and a faint white glow was emanating from Daniel. It moved slowly to shape itself around Markus, and spiraled outward to the other members. The ritual was performing its purpose, draining the unique life force inside of Daniel, and moving into the others. The other members already felt stronger and revitalized, but they would not break concentration just yet. Daniel frowned sadly, he was fully aware of what was happening. He gathered the last of his energy to look at Markus and said, You may take my life you demons, but you will never have my soul.

Markus smiled back wickedly and thrust the raised blade downward into Daniel’s beating heart. The force of the light that escaped the wound temporarily blinded the men, and the entire room was showered with a pure white radiance. Everything sparkled. The men were lost in ecstasy and did not hear the sigh of a name that escaped Daniel’s lips before it was over, Anna. Upon his last breath, all the light in the room vanished, leaving only a faint line of it that now moved upwards to the ceiling, disappearing slowly toward the heavens. Markus watched the lingering line fade with a scowl on his face. He knew what it meant. Love had saved this dead man’s soul, and Daniel had made his way back to the Light. The sacrifice could not claim his soul, but it did claim his life. The triumph was the new energy that pulsed through Markus’s veins.

Markus stood and pulled the dagger out of Daniel’s body, wrapping it in a black velvet cloth, and replacing it back inside his cloak. He looked at the other members who were now smiling in relief that the VS could chalk up another win against the Guild. Markus nodded to them, and they all bowed their heads in conclusion to the sacrifice. Then he led them outside, back into the bitterness of the chilled night air. Except now, the air did not sting his face, but seemed instead to caress his more youthful appearance. The stress and anxiety were wiped away, and replaced with a glow that only the sacrifice of a powerful talent could accomplish. It was done. The last known hope of the Guild was dead. He could go to sleep comfortably tonight. The Vindicated Saints had secured their control for a little while longer. How much longer, none of them knew. They had no idea of the girl that was about to change everything forever.

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Chapter One

A loud buzzing noise had made its way into a quite lovely dream I was having. It took only a split second for my subconscious to realize what it was. I struggled to let go of the warmth of fairyland, and switch over to the imminent coldness of reality. I rolled over and started swatting at things on my nightstand, knocking everything off in the process, before my fingers found the snooze button on the alarm clock. Just five more minutes, I murmured to myself still half asleep. In what seemed more like five seconds it started its terror again. I cannot imagine the sound of anything more dreaded than an alarm clock. It could even be used as a form of torture I thought dramatically. I lay there for a moment before finally deciding to face the day and just get it over with. I tossed the white down comforter