Aurum Tales

By Esther Tadesse

Zina, a young goddess from the realm of Aurum, discovers she is also a sorceress; a powerful being from a race that was deemed extinct long before her time. As she studies the history of her bloodline— away from the prying eyes of her traditional mother— she gets caught up in a whirlwind romance with the bad boy prince of her realm: Renee. What seems beautiful on the surface isn’t always the case when you look beneath. Zina learns this the hard way when her exciting summer takes an unexpected turn as true intentions are revealed, hidden truths are discovered, and family secrets are spilled.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Esther Tadesse
• Release date: Oct 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781999521400

Book preview

AURUM TALES

AURUM TALES

By Esther Tadesse

Aurum Tales, written and published by Esther Tadesse

Edited by Sion Tadesse

First Edition

Copyright 2018 Esther Tadesse

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below:

[e-mail]

Book Cover Design by www.ebooklaunch.com

eBook ISBN: 978-1-9995214-0-0

DISCLAIMER:

This is a pure work of fiction. Any names, characters, settings, businesses, places, events, times, and incidents, are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental.

For more information about special discounts available for bulk purchases, sales promotions, fund-raising, and educational needs, contact Esther Tadesse at

[phone] or [e-mail]

Visit the author’s website: www.thediaryofagoddess.com

This book is dedicated to the one who brings out the goddess in me.

My best friend and partner in everything.

J.D.B

"A goddess is a force of nature;

unstoppable like water,

passionate like fire,

flexible like air,

and grounded like the earth."

–Esther T.

Chapter 1

There comes a time in a person’s life where they are faced with the pressure of making a grave decision. The type of decision that lies between two extremes. The type of decision that could affect the outcome of their entire day…or life.

Yes or no?

Up or down?

Grape jam or strawberry jam?

C’mon kid, you’re holding up the line. An annoyed voice from the back of the shop spoke up.

I’ll take…strawberry. Zina finally pointed towards a rack of fluffy looking pastries at The Sacred Donut, her favorite dessert spot in the realm of Aurum.

She watched, with wide eyes, as the baker selected the one she pointed to and wrapped it in fancy tissue paper.

To go, please. She piped up.

He packed it neatly into a clear container that had the shop’s logo plastered on top.

Thank you. She beamed at the baker, who was already dealing with the next customer.

Outside, the weather in Aurum was as breathtaking as ever. Blue skies, the color of a robin’s egg, a warm, orange sun that made the entire land shimmer, and fluffy, white clouds that looked soft enough to sleep on. The air was neither cold nor hot. The wind blew at just the right speed and the lush, plant-covered mountains surrounded the entire realm like a wrought-iron gate. Tall, crystal-blue waterfalls could be seen from a distance, outside of the main metropolitan area. Flowers bloomed in every corner, creating a sweet-smelling aroma that was fixated in the atmosphere since the dawn of time. In the Northern part of the realm, the Royal Palace stood tall and proud. Its white exterior with gold trimmings, a stark contrast to the blues and greens of the natural world surrounding it. Over time, the realm of Aurum had developed many nicknames. Some called it Heaven, others called it Zion. But to the gods and goddesses who lived there, they called it home.

Zina carried her dessert all the way back to her cottage, making sure to keep her hand steady so the icing on top stayed intact. At the age of 100, she was the youngest of 6 and the only girl in her family. Her five older brothers, all members of the Royal Army, were currently away at a training program. It was just her and her mother at home; her father had been out of the picture since before she was born.

Mom, I’m home! She entered through a small door in the back.

I’m in the basement!

Dropping her bag on the kitchen table, she made her way towards her mother’s voice. Her family was not rich. At least, not in the monetary sense; but thanks to the generous royal family, they weren’t entirely living in poverty either. There were different levels of status in Aurum but no one was allowed to be completely poor. It would make the greatest realm in the Universe--the land of the almighty gods and goddesses--look terrible to the other realms and the kingdom would never prohibit such a thing. But those who didn’t lack in wealth, usually lacked in kindness. The members of the God and Goddess Society, also known as, the elites were the richest families in Aurum. They had the strongest bloodlines and each member of each family had some sort of title, accompanied with heightened, supernatural abilities. Everyone else in Aurum was considered regular.

Zina’s family was one of many labeled under the latter. It never bothered her that she didn’t have a title. There were thousands of other gods and goddesses that didn’t carry one. What bothered her was the rude and unnecessary treatment the regulars experienced on a daily basis by most elites. All gods and goddesses posses the natural ability to teleport anywhere within the realm as well as move any object with their minds. Telepathic communication between loved ones was another ability they shared. Any other ability beyond that meant they most likely had elite status.

Zina opened the side door that led to the basement and carefully walked down the dramatic, steep stairs, making sure she didn’t shift the dessert nestled comfortably in its box.

Her mother was busy shuffling through boxes, sitting on her knees. Patches of dust were smattered on her face. Like most goddesses, regardless of age, she looked like she was in her twenties. Gods and goddesses didn’t start aging until they were past their 10th millennia. Only then, would the first signs of aging appear; a few grays here and there, a couple of laugh lines deepening around the mouth area. But even aging depended on your bloodline and status.

Mom? What are you doing?

Her mother looked up at her from under thick, black lashes. Her dark mahogany skin was tight across her high, cheekbones and wide, almond shaped eyes. Her hair, black as the night sky, which she usually kept down in loose waves, was now bundled atop her head in a loose knot.

Hey, love. I figured I’d start clearing this basement out before the boys get back from training. Her mother kept her face buried in the box she was looking at.

"Oh, okay. But…I thought the training was supposed to last all summer until harvest season. There are still—

She looked down to count on her fingers.

—five more moon cycles until they get back, Zina stated. By the way, I brought you a pastry from the new bakery downtown.

Her mother’s neck cranked around and her eyes lit up. Ooh! That looks amazing. Thank you, darling. And no, there are only 2 moon cycles left, so I need to get this done fast. The only other person she knew that had a bigger sweet tooth than her was her mother.

It irritated Zina to see her mother on her hands and feet, rifling through old boxes. She wished they could afford to hire someone, like the elite families, to redo their basement, but that was a complete fantasy. Sometimes she wished her mother worked in one of those big offices in downtown Aurum. She was a hard worker, raising six children by herself. Along with the help of her eldest son, she built the house they lived in, brick by brick. That type of work ethic must have seeped into the family’s DNA because Zina and her brothers were the exact same way. In the right environment, she knew her mother would thrive. But that was the price that came with being a regular citizen of Aurum. You had to abide by the elite’s stupid rules.

Everyone in Zina’s family worked hard for everything. Her brothers had to hustle twice as hard to get into the initial training program of the Royal Army. They all finished top of their classes and worked their way up through the ranks. Zayne, the eldest, was a captain; Zolo, the second oldest, was a lieutenant; and the final three, Zealan, Zeffer and Zerco, a set of triplets born 2 centuries before Zina, were all entry level soldiers. Priority admission always given to elite entrants based on the abilities they possessed. It was the way things always were in Aurum.

Oh, this brings back memories. Her mother was holding a huge book, bound in black leather with red writing on the cover.

What is it? Zina asked, walking over to her. They exchanged items; the book for the pastry.

It’s your grandmother’s spell book. She used to always say she was half-witch or something like that. But we all knew she was half-crazy. Her mother laughed, old memories appearing in her mind.

Zina frowned, an unsettling feeling taking place inside her.

You never mentioned anything about this to me before. She opened the old book, the content written in Tarem, the ancient language of the gods and goddesses.

I never mentioned it because it’s completely and totally irrelevant. My mother is not a half-witch. She’s a goddess with a wild imagination…Oh this is divine. She spoke in between bites, clearly enjoying the delectable treat.

Zina thought about her grandmother, the only living relative outside of her immediate family that she knew of. Her mother was her grandmother’s only child and birthed six grandchildren for her. Each year, Zina’s grandmother would spend two months of the harvest season with them, and then head back to her home for the remainder of the year. It was an odd cycle of family traditions, but Zina never questioned it. Until now…

Maybe I should go take it to her. Zina offered, It will probably make her really happy.

Her mother waved a hand through the air,

That won’t be necessary, Zina. She has so many of these at home she’ll probably misplace it the second you give it her. Crystals, prayer beads, spellbooks, healing potions; all of it. It’s her thing.

Zina wasn’t sure what to think of that. In the back of her mind, a voice was trying to speak to her. Silently asking her to confess to her mother all of the weird