The Other Side of Midnight : The Prophecy

By Karen Rivello

(Book 1)One prophecy, two families; one moon, two worlds; who will survive? A curse has spread across the Elvin realm of Waters Edge and only the 'chosen one' from the human world can stop it. One hundred years after the prophecy was foretold, on the night of the harvest moon, the small village celebrates its bountiful year never suspecting that their ancient lore was about to unfold. Though none believed, it could not stop the events from unfolding, and only a few who had been unwillingly drawn in could hope to stop the Elvin prince that had betrayed his own. As the power of the Elvin king wanes, the shadow dragon has also returned to the human world, leaving the pools open for more evil and vile things to pass through, and unless the two worlds pull their armies together, none may survive. How many must perish before the prophecy can be fulfilled

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257277834

Book preview

The Other Side of Midnight : The Prophecy

The Other Side of Midnight

The Prophecy

By Karen Rivello

COPYRIGHT

Registration Number / Date: TXu 1-674-096

February 11, 2010

Title:  The Other Side of Midnight – The Prophecy

Description: 1v

Copyright Claimant:

Karen G. Rivello, 1961-

Date of Creation: 2010

ISBN 978-1-257-27783-4

Cover Photo:  Night Sea Sky - by Daniel Wiedemann

Cover design work by George and Karen Rivello

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my boys, Daniel, Joshua, and Jordan, who asked for such a book, and this is what they got.

The Other Side of Midnight

‘A hundred years shall pass away ‘til the harvest moon shines bright, to lead her back to Waters Edge to the other side of Midnight.

Now Spring and Summer have come as one, darkness rears yet trembles. Then Autumn brings the Lily home and the armies stand assembled.

Life will be decided in the throes of wars fought hard, so the heart will be the keeper of the gate the light will guard.

To turn back now will seal the pool and never more rise the mist. The worlds to be divided for the fate of loves first kiss.

To restore the pool the heart must sink deep within its depths, and then the One will be revealed atop the thousand steps.

The prophecy has been foretold of They with Elvin blood. To bear alone the heart of light until the waters flood.

Those who come to see the truth will be as once before, Then Darkness shall be taken and the valley be restored.

The mist will once again arise and the trees shall all take flight, taking back the land they left in the darkest vales of Midnight.

Once the heart has fallen the gate will close to all, to the other side of Midnight no more shall come to fall.

One will stand, the other will fall; the heart will take its rest. It brought them back to the land of lore, the land that bore their quest.

An Elvin Prophecy

CHAPTER ONE

This story takes place when the doors to other worlds still opened by some enchantment and elves were still myth and yet still truth, and reality was somewhere between the two….

April looked out of the back of the old cart as it bounced to a stop; the ride back from town on the dusty road had parched her throat and she looked forward to a cool drink of water. She pulled back a loose strand of blond hair and tucked it behind her ear, then jumped out of the cart as it stopped at the post and walked to the well in front of the old stone house that had been in the Summers family for a hundred years. She dipped a tin cup into the bucket and took a long refreshing drink, the water tasting sweeter than any other spring around. April smiled as the cool water refreshed her dry throat and a drop trickled down her chin. She wiped her mouth and fondly thought of all the rumors surrounding this old well.

Long ago, for saving the life of an Elvin prince, the elf king had enchanted the land and springs of this farm up to the edge of the wood, all of the Summers property. And it did seem that their farm had the best fruit trees around, even the small crops her father planted did extremely well. Over time though the stories had faded and lost much of their mystery and charm, but April loved them nonetheless and wanted to believe they were true.

She took another drink and savored the cool sweet water as her gaze rested on the edge of the tree line where the ‘woods’ started. There were more old stories, though not all of them were good. Once a year at the end of harvest, deep in the woods in an open meadow, King O’nan used to hold a banquet in honor of the elves, something the king said would bring lasting fortune to the lands. Then, and only during the harvest moon, it was claimed that the elves could be heard faintly singing on the breeze, luring some of the young maidens away from the banquet to a small cave at the far side of a smaller meadow never to be seen again. It was then rumored that they were to marry with the elves, a thing most folks were against so forbade their daughters to go to the harvest celebrations, though young maidens still disappeared.

After the sixth year of this ‘intermarrying’, the king’s infant son also disappeared along with some of the young maidens, so he outlawed the harvest banquet and put a bounty on all elves found in the world of men. Some said it was the sign of a curse for marrying with the elves that his son was taken, or still yet it was a sacrifice of some sort, and the last story being that the young prince was taken by a shadow-dragon for a much greater cause. That was a long time ago and all traces of the elves, the king’s son, and any shadow dragon had completely disappeared.

April sighed as she thought about it, what a sad story. She would love to meet an elf, even marry one she mused, though she wasn’t sure she believed in them or not; even if her family and farm had something to do with all the tales; and that’s just what they were to her, old tales.

The Summers family made a good living by selling the rich produce they grew. And since their livestock ate the food from the farm, the eggs were heartier and the milk sweeter beyond comparison. Many folks from town bought their goods, causing a few bitter words between some neighboring farmers who tersely stated that the elves had cursed it instead, and anyone who ate the bounty would suffer. However, their mother, Mary, knew how to appease the grumbling, by giving them a little extra in their purchases, which indeed did help. The Summers women also made preserves and baked goods to sell at market, and once word got out of how good they were people came from other townships to stock up for the coming winter.

The smell of plums cooking from inside the old stone house brought April out of her reverie and back to the present. She wiped her forehead again with a wet hand and anticipated the heat she would be subjected to for the rest of the evening. The kitchen had a rather large stone hearth to cook on which really made the house very warm; it was nice in the cold of winter, but in the dead of the summer heat it was miserable. She finished her drink and stood staring at the house as her father took the horses to the barn. Twilight was settling in and it would be a long warm night. There were lots of plums to cook, mash, and then separate the juice from pulp. The pulp became very tasty plum butter, and the juice was used to make plum syrup…or plum wine, by far a favorite of those who had tasted it.

April grimaced as she looked down at her hands, they would be purple for days after she finished with the plums and the Harvest dance was next month, not that she would miss it for purple hands though. She smiled as she thought of the dance. She would have liked it if Norman Weller had asked her to go, but she didn’t expect him to, or anyone else for that matter.

She sighed. She’d had a crush on him since she was quite young, though it appeared he didn’t even know she existed, however she couldn’t have been more wrong. Norman had more than noticed April and for reasons beyond his control wasn’t allowed to court her, which caused great strife between he and his father who would have no connection between the Summers family and his own. Norman was the eldest son of the next farm over, a half hour by road, ten minutes if you ran through a section of the woods, (which he’d done many a time to spy on the blonde beauty).

Living on a rural farm had its disadvantages but April didn’t mind. She liked the open spaces, especially the woods. The old and beautiful wood which their farm butted up against was the same wood that the elves were rumored to have vanished into, and believed by most folk to be haunted, so needless to say it didn’t get many who were brave enough to venture in. April’s family was among the few who did. 

April leaned up against the stone well and stared out into the thick woods behind their house; she had walked those old woods many a time; it was her place of refuge, of peace and quiet, and now she wished she were there. The smell of cooking plums beckoned but April’s muscles were still sore from working the fields with her father. Having no son left her, the oldest, to help with the men’s work, to which she didn’t mind too much because it made her strong; she could pull a day’s work as good as any. But still she enjoyed those moments were she could just lie in the meadow, hidden by the clover, and stare up at the branches that caressed the sky, or the clouds that floated lazily by and dream, sometimes of Norman. She knew they would never be but it didn’t stop her from dreaming. He would be a fine catch for a husband. His frame was tanned and muscular from the hard labor of working a farm and he stood at least a head taller than most men; but his facial features were most striking, his looks could have beguiled the truest of maidens, and his eyes could make even the hardiest of men feel weak. He reminded her of the tree harvesters that came down the river on their rafts following their logs to the carpenters’ village on the river banks a fortnight farther down the valley.

On occasion April had fallen asleep in a meadow deep in the woods watching the clouds and it had given her the strangest dreams; of fairies dancing in the treetops and elves making merry in the open glen, urging her to join them. At the end of every dream, a handsome Elvin prince waited for her to come to him, but every time she would get close, something always woke her; mostly her younger sister Lily just before it appeared she was to be kissed. It irritated her but she never scolded Lily, because then she would have to share her dream, and that she would never do. And strange enough, she could never remember what the prince looked like.

Lily always chastised April though for falling asleep in the woods, teasing in a serious way that fairies would carry her off and they would never see her again. Even her grandmother, Nana, would occasionally join in, saying it was because she looked like one of them that they would take her; or that she was a long lost heir to the king of the Elves and they would come back for her on the harvest moon. April thought it was amusing but secretly longed for the romance and mystery of it to be true; secretly, she gave much thought to it.

The stories were not just among April’s own family either. April and her younger sister Lily were both teased as being such ‘heirs of the elves’, for they both had long, thick blonde hair and very petite beautiful features. April’s hair was down to her knees and Lily’s was already below her waist, their mother never having cut their hair since birth at the insistence of their grandfather. He said elves didn’t cut their hair because it gave them their power so mother humored him, or so he thought; but she had her own reasons.

Lily’s hair had a touch of red giving her blonde locks an amber look, while April’s shone golden. Lily’s eyes were an emerald green and April’s as blue as the summer sky. When the girls were little they use to wear their hair down, but the older they got the towns women use to say it was indecent and brassy, so mother made them wear their hair in braids and rolled up (to keep it from getting in the way she would say). Now folks had never seen the beauty of their hair as young women, and it would have to stay that way for it would only have inflamed their jealousy all the more.

And because their features were so fine and dainty, just like you might think an elf would look, their father said this would probably hinder them in getting a husband. Men would think the girls incapable of doing hard work or having babies; (maybe that’s why April had not had any suitors as of yet she thought), it sure wasn’t her lack of beauty. Maybe it was that James and Mary Summers were too lenient in letting their girls go into the woods alone, not holding to the town’s stories of hauntings and disappearances. It did make the boys feel somewhat different about the two girls. 

The Summers lineage were the first to settle the region and had lived in that old house for as long as there had been a settlement and before, and they had never passed along any stories of ‘haunted’ woods. As a matter of fact, James’s grandfather had told him stories to the contrary. The elves were real and the friends of the Summers family. The first winter his ancestors were there was very hard and they would have perished if it were not for the elves and fairies. There was an unspoken bond between them. So at harvest time on the full moon and each year after, there were dances and marvelous banquets and lots of singing in the old woods. But as far as anyone disappearing on the harvest moon, he wouldn’t say. His grandfather would always stop short at that part of his tale and when James would ask about it he would say it was something his father would have to tell him when the time was right, and he did. James would also have to tell his daughters when the time was right, but he had not wanted to. So his father had indulged in telling his granddaughters all the old stories, except the one that their father was suppose to tell them, and it became a sore issue between the two men. April knew her grandfather was one of the biggest storytellers around, adding information like he knew it first hand; this always amused Lily more than April. But April was loyal to her father; she never pushed him to tell her more than he was willing and it left her wondering if the stories had any truth. If it were just a myth, why did it bother him?

Stories or not, April couldn’t get enough of the old woods. She and Lily always went with their father on hunting trips or just to gather firewood; it gave them the opportunity to gather wild berries for their mother too, which would fetch a high price at market. Other people would never dare to enter the wood where the berries grew. It was too close to a cave that a few older hunters, who dared, use to say they heard singing coming from. It was during these visits that their father would tell them the old stories his grandfather use to tell him, and he would recite an old Elvin prophecy. He said he didn’t know what it meant, but his grandfather use to tell him he had to memorize it and pass it on to his children, or the Summers lineage would cease to exist and their farm would fall into ruin. His grandfather was very convincing too.

Because of their lack of fear for the woods and the stories surrounding it the Summers family had become social outcasts. It wasn’t enough gossip though to keep people from buying their goods, but it was enough to alienate their children from their own social pack. Still, with all the teasing, April couldn’t resist the allure the woods held. It was like she was being drawn in, compelled to follow some unseen power. She couldn’t explain the feeling, though she tried once to Lily, only to be scolded all the more to not go in alone.

The notions that the townspeople held made April laugh; ‘no one really knows for sure what the truth is,’ she mused. She choose not to believe the old tales of the wood being haunted, it was such a wonderful place to her. It had never frightened her, or any Summers family member for that matter. Lily was the only one who seemed concerned with the way her sister talked about being drawn to the wood. What if the old legends were true and it was starting all over again. It was one reason Lily never left April alone too long in the woods.

April was snapped out of her daydreams again by the clanking of pots, so without further delay she trudged inside the house where she was greeted by the thick smell of plums. Her grandmother was stooped over a pot, stirring the plums so they wouldn’t scorch while her mother and Lily were already straining a batch and pouring it into containers then sealing them with cheese cloth and hot wax.

Well, have you finally come to help the women? Lily teased.

April sometimes hated helping her father with the men’s work but she had become quite adept and physically fit doing so. Contrary to her petite frame, her body was lean and strong. 

I’ve been doing a fine job out in the fields. I’d like to see you do the men’s work and tote around a bag of fruit on your back all day. April’s words were short; she was hot and tired but knew there was still plenty to do so she said nothing more and bit her lip as she sat down to help.

Lily had not meant to insult her sister, but with the terse words she didn’t know what else to say. Mary wiped her hands, being satisfied the plums could wait, Yes, you do a very fine job helping your father April. Now, suppers on the stove, let’s sit down a bit to eat and rest, the plums can wait for a while. She smiled at her husband who’d just walked in. Nana, come, eat, the plums can wait.

James’ mother set the ladle down and pulled the pot out a little away from the fire then walked over and took her place at the table. The girls helped their mother bring dinner over and they too sat down, then they quietly bowed their heads and waited. James started, Lord, we thank thee for all your bountiful blessings. This has been a good harvest, we ask that you bless this food and…Amen, he raised his head but lowered it again as Nana spoke.

And bless the Harvest moon, let its light shine bright to lead the eldest home. Then Nana raised her head and began to eat. April and Lily looked at each other and then glanced at their father, who had just shot their grandmother a terse look. It took a second for April to realize that he knew what Nana was talking about.

The silence at dinner that followed felt awkward at first, then April gathered up enough courage to ask, So, what did you mean by that prayer Nana…the bright harvest moon leading the eldest home? she tried to ask it in such a way that seemed light hearted and innocent, not disrespectful, but just a simple question of inquiry. 

Nana looked up slowly and stared at her son for what seemed an eternity. James shifted in his chair and ignored her; so she spoke, slowly and with purpose, addressing her son, You know the prophecy James, yet still you don’t understand it. You have casually taught it to your daughters, but you haven’t stressed the importance of remembering it, and you haven’t even finished telling them the story. How will she complete the task if she doesn’t know it?

James shot his mother an angry look, Mind your tongue mother, the prophecy will be fulfilled, but not by one of my own, Nana started to say something but he cut her off as he waved his hand in the air. I don’t want to hear anymore, and he shoveled the last few bites into his mouth in silence, brooding. Then with quick loud movements, he put his empty plate in the wash tub and went upstairs to his room, feet pounding heavy on each step.

The women continued to eat in silence, but April was dying to ask Nana some more questions; they knew more about the legend of the prophecy, and she would know too. She would wait though until the timing was better. She wished grandpa Summers were here, he would tell her what she wanted to know. He was always telling them about the prophecy and that some day it would be special to them. She’d never really understood it though, believing it was just a story he had made up to keep in line with all the other ones. And father wouldn’t be too willing to give up any information, though he’d already given more than he realized, one of them was suppose to fulfill a prophecy...the eldest was suppose to be led home. Wasn’t she home already? April’s love for the old stories piqued her curiosity all the more, especially if they were true.

James had talked less about the prophecy and legends of the elves ever since his father had died seven years ago. They were gathering some wood from the base of a rock cliff, when the girls discovered a cave behind some tangled vines covered with beautiful red flowers a few feet away. Grandpa became excited and mumbled something about the prophecy and insisted it had to be the cave and he wanted to explore it. When the men tried to pull the vines away to open up the mouth, the vine grandpa was pulling on released a fragrant odor from one of the flowers pods right into his face. He started to cough and wheeze so much so that they had to stop; then feeling quite ill they took him home. That night he came down with a fever and all of Nana’s knowledge and medicine was useless, within three days he lay dead. It devastated the family so that no one ever went back to the cave to explore.

April still remembered Grandpa’s last words to them, ‘remember the prophecy…and the cave’. Now it gnawed at her. What was it about the cave that excited grandpa?  She wondered if it really had anything to do with the prophecy, grandpa had apparently thought so. Her thoughts raced, an idea began to form in her head.

They cleaned up the dinner dishes and then sat to finish the plums, which took another couple of hours. It was long past bedtime when everything was cleaned up and put away. April had scrubbed her hands until they felt raw and she still couldn’t remove all the stains from the plums; only time would take it off.  Lily didn’t seem to mind a bit that her hands were a light shade of purple.

Nana retired to her bedroom on the lower level of the house as the girls and Mary trudged up stairs to their own rooms. After changing into their nightdresses, Lily climbed into bed first but April sat in a chair by the window and stared out at the moon. If there was going to be a harvest moon it would be on the day of her twenty-first birthday, which was also on the night of the Harvest Celebration; the legends said that’s when the elves celebrated and young girls would supposedly disappear. She would have to find the cave before then if her plan was going to work.

Lily interrupted her thoughts, You know you shouldn’t waste the oil, winters coming.

April smiled at Lily, Always the thoughtful one, aren’t you. She trimmed the lamp and lay down beside her sister. Do you ever think of the prophecy Lily?

The moon wasn’t full yet and it didn’t offer much light so April could not see the expression on Lily’s face, but she did notice the long pause. Well sometimes, though I’m not sure I believe it, I suppose I do, but now… she paused again and sighed slightly, I never thought that it had anything to do with us; does it?

The way Lily had asked the last part made April wonder too. Grandma had sure changed the way she thought about the prophecy with her last statement; ‘how will she complete the task if she doesn’t know.’ It appeared she was directing it towards her or Lily, but she wasn’t sure, though she did say eldest. Lily got tired of waiting for an answer so she just rolled over and soon enough her soft breathing gave away that she had fallen asleep.

April started to recite the prophecy in her head of what her grandfather had told her but she got about halfway and couldn’t remember the next line. She said it over and over, hoping it would jog her memory, but it didn’t. She would have to take her chances and ask Nana tomorrow.

She continued to recite what she knew until she finally fell asleep, but it wasn’t a restful one. She felt as if she had dreamt all night when she awoke the next morning, and it had been a rather unpleasant dream. Throughout the whole dream she was being chased by a large shadow of a dragon with a huge horn in the center of his head. She could almost feel the heat