Sacred Grounds: Endless, #2

By Maria Siopis

Rachael O'Connor is trapped in the mortal realm again, and no matter how hard she tries she never accomplishes her goal of crossing to the divine end. However, this time is different. Rachael doesn't proclaim her innocence in front of the judge as she has done in the past. Instead she embraces the journey to another era no matter how painful it is. In this journey Rachael battles dark forces that will produce heartache and pain, yet she is willing to sacrifice everything to be with Elizabeth. Is she going to find out the true meaning or will she be forced to assume another life when she faces the judge? One person holds the answers, but Rachael has to listen. Will she? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shadoe Publishing
• Release date: Oct 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393267324

Book preview

SACRED GROUNDS

A Novel by Maria Siopis

E-Book Edition

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Published by:

Shadoe Publishing, LLC for

Maria Siopis as an E-Book

Copyright © Maria Siopis October 2020

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SACRED GROUNDS

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PROLOGUE

The journey back to the human realm was the most difficult part of metempsychosis, the transmigration of the soul from one incarnation to the next.  The lights were blinding, the screeching sounds deafening, and Rachael O’Connor’s memory was flooded with human lives full of regret and pain.  She was familiar with the speedy trip but she still felt everything as she descended to Earth.  All the previous lives entered her mind like collage pictures, though she wanted to forget some of it.  She closed her eyes in an attempt to erase the unwanted images, yet her memories intensified, and her last reincarnation came into full view like a motion picture.  She was a captain on a pirate ship falling for the most devastating woman she ever met.  Rachael wasn’t expecting to love as intensely as she did, her character was that of a tough female who safeguarded her emotions, but her life came to a crushing stop when she met Elizabeth, who was unforgettable in a holistic way.  It wasn’t just her attractiveness or her perfect body, full enough to accentuate her curves, it was the sweetness that seeped out of her and almost magically trapped Rachael to a world of wants, desires, and lust.

Their meeting was arranged by the gods, Rachael was certain.  Why else would she find Elizabeth stranded on a ship that cruised the seas with no command?  Why was she destined to meet her and fall for her if it was not the gods’ intervention?  Rachael, in the most simplistic terms, got the whole meaning of her life, that was filled with longings so immense and unbearable that they made her body physically hurt.  Her nipples pushed against the soft fabric of her cotton shirt and she experienced an agonizing tenderness that only Elizabeth’s lips could relieve.  She peered at the void and the Earth came into full view now, in a few seconds or minutes her return would be complete.  Was she ready to meet the only person that mattered in eternity?  Yes, and she would commit every atrocity to earn her passage to mortal life over again.  The pain eased as she was in close proximity to her new destination, that appeared as challenging at the one before.  The small globe below began to expand in dramatic dimensions, and Rachael realized that her new life was about to start.  It was fairly modern times, the streets, the cars, the buildings indicated as much.  Perhaps she thought she would do better living in a modern society, yet she knew instinctively that she would commit sins to gain access to mortality and be with Elizabeth again.  She closed her eyes one last time and she was eased on to a bed next to a warm body.  All her memories and recollections of previous lives were gone for good, and shapeless dreams filled her uneasy sleep.

THE APPEARANCE

She spat three times to the left and three times to the right as her black straight hair followed her movement and consequently concealed her facial expression.  The petite blonde who was talking with her a few minutes ago looked at her curiously but said nothing.  When the tall, heavy set woman standing at the top of the stairs at her front door stopped emitting saliva, she uttered with irritation, pointing toward her front lawn.

That’s the cause of my troubles, she exclaimed.

The petite blonde turned, as it was expected, and spotted a black cat crossing the lawn.  She was pretty with a glittering coat, or was it the sun that made her appear so?  Nevertheless, there was something peculiar about the cat that made her stand out.  Her color was one.  She never saw a cat with a coat like that.  Furthermore, the cat’s posture and behavior were odd.  Her full tail was standing tall, her nose pointing to the sky, and she slowly progressed across the lawn as if she wasn’t afraid of humans.  When the beautiful creature disappeared behind the gates the blonde woman turned to face her friend again.  Although she was still unable to fully understand the significance of the cat, she didn’t intend to ask.

It’s bad luck and only troubles rise when such a cat crosses your path.  She is the cause of my wife’s death, she proclaimed, wanting to be insightful.  We have to get rid of her before she brings more misery to our block, she continued, as if her rant made perfect sense.

The blonde woman, who was no more than thirty, was agonizing to find a response.  She knew that her friend was hurting but blaming a beautiful creature for her recent loss was unthinkable.  Not now in the twenty-first century where beliefs like these were buried and forgotten centuries ago.  What could she possibly cook up in her head to say to her other than I’m sorry again for your loss and please let me know if you need anything?  She ignored the suspicious statements of bad luck and stated her condolences with the necessary tones of concern and melancholy.

I’m sorry again for your loss.  Please let me know if you need anything else.

You can’t see it now, but beware when she crosses your path, she replied.

The blonde woman instinctively touched her belly as if to reassure herself of the safety of the baby she was carrying in her womb.  She then hugged the tall woman and navigated her way to her home down the street.  There was no sign of the black cat she saw moments ago.

THE LOSS

Diana Pinetelli placed the receiver on its base and sat down on a stool in the kitchen, picking up her cup and sipping the coffee she had made early in the morning.  She was in no mood to talk with anyone, yet she had done it with ease and control.  She promised not to lose it, not yet, not until the funeral was over.  She was still in disbelief at the events as if they were indeed unexpected.  Her