Of Kelpie Lullabies

By Alycia Christine

Short Story. Keiranna is the last of her clan cursed to survive in a hellish land of exile. When a mysterious messenger offers a way to lift the sorcerer’s curse in exchange for her protection, Keiranna must decide if risking her life is worth his dubious promise of freedom. After all, the messenger’s magic stone might indeed prove strong enough to break the curse, but it is also powerful enough to attract the attention of every twisted fae creature in the Split. And Keiranna is only the first to catch the relic’s scent.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alycia Christine
• Release date: Jun 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781941588161

Alycia Christine

Alycia Christine grew up near the dusty cotton fields of Lubbock, Texas, with a fearless mutt for a dog and a backyard trampoline that almost bounced her to the moon. She fell in love with fantasy and science fiction books when her father first read them to her at age ten. Her love of fiction writing blossomed during her time at Texas A&M University. Alycia’s fiction has received wide praise for its unique characters and vivid storytelling. Her award-winning art photography has been featured in Times Square. When she isn’t writing or shooting photos, Alycia enjoys long talks with her husband, drinking copious amounts of tea, and coaxing her skittish cat out from under the living room furniture. Find her at AlyciaChristine.com.

Book preview

Of Kelpie Lullabies

Alycia Christine

www.purplethornpress.com

Contents

Of Kelpie Lullabies

Meet the Author

Also by Alycia Christine

Bonus Material

Copyright

In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmitting of this book, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than brief passages excerpted for review and critical purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [e-mail]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

Of Kelpie Lullabies

Blistering black winds whipped around Keiranna, clawing at her clasped cape as she crouched upon the Watcher’s Rock. She slapped wild raven tresses away from her gaunt face and surveyed the scene below her again. Three times the sun had greeted her through the sooty clouds and still there was no sign of her quarry. She knew none but the bravest messengers would risk riding along the Split Spine Mountains and that meant a long time between decent horsemeat meals. She sighed and tried to ignore her surly stomach’s complaints. Some days even starvation seemed a better choice than her usual fare of polecat.

I wish my waking hours were as comforting as my unconscious ones, she grumbled to herself. She tried to sing the lullaby from the previous night’s dream. "Boldly call upon the height, Battle cries throughout the night. Victory will come some way,