The Burning Secret

By Jonnie Tull

On the island of Draiochta magic had been forbidden. So when a young girl named Isabelle was born with the ability to control fire her mother knew she had to keep her abilities a secret. As Isabelle grew so did her powers until one day tragedy strikes and Isabelle is left on her own. She finds solace with a seer living at the furthest edge of th

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jonnie tull
• Release date: May 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781087877617

Book preview

Chapter 1

Carnage littered the hills and valleys of Draiochta when the rebels made their way through. The entire population of the island from the northern mountain villages to the southern coast were fighting for their lives and their magic. This war, of sorts, was nothing like the ones you might have heard about in stories. There were no swords leaving wounds that stained the ground scarlet. They fought this war with magic. Bodies were soaking wet and drowned on dry land. People disappeared, buried 10 feet underground in a matter of seconds. Corpses burnt beyond recognition from a fire created within a palm of hand. All these were things you’d see walking through the battlefields of this war. The smell of burning flesh filled the air over the entire island for months. It smelled almost like a pig roasting over an open fire but with a hint of sulfur. Humanity fogged the air around leaving a feeling of dread in its wake.

The rebels never cared who they hurt, though. They would ransack a home simply for the fun of it. They were silent and invisible. Deadly and deceiving. They wanted endless magic, but most of all they wanted the throne. Without a king, without a ruler, they could do as they pleased, killing and looting, until they had everything they wanted. Filling their veins with the blackest of magic.

The ruler of Draiochta, King Abraham, was at a loss. How do you stop an entire group of people when they were getting more and more powerful with every death they caused? His troops were dwindling by the day, and his people were scared. How do you prevent the inhumane killing of his innocent subjects for their magic?

The King was out of options, and the island was on the brink of being lost forever. Realizing he was out of options, he requested an audience with the Seer. Of the few who could claim to see the future, the seer and her family were the only ones on the island who had the true gift. He knew if she couldn’t help him, the rebels would overrun the castle. He and his family would be killed along with countless innocent villagers.

The King paced impatiently in his chambers until she arrived. Annalee was beautiful with long straight dark hair and emerald, green eyes. She was tall and slim and walked like she knew exactly what needed to be done and no one was going to get in her way. Entering the king's chamber, she set up a small round table with a floor-length, deep purple velvet cloth over top of it. It was filled with bottles of all shapes and sizes, and a small pouch filled with animal bones and herbs sitting in the center. Meticulously picking a spot in the center of the large room, she sat down cross-legged on the floor. A tall, red candle was lit and placed at her feet.

Come sit with me, Your Highness, and give me your hands. In order for me to find the answers you seek; I need to know what you desire the most. What questions you need answered.

The King walked across the room unsure of what was to come. He sat across from Annalee and cautiously took her hands.

I’m not sure it’s very appropriate for me to be sitting in here touching you with no one else present. The king mumbled, but he gently held her hands anyway. I’m sure your aware of the devastation caused by this war. I need you to help me stop it and to save my people. I want all the bloodshed to cease and my people to finally be feel safe again.

She closed her eyes once she knew what she was looking for and took several deep, cleansing breaths. After a moment her eyes burst open. They were no longer the emerald green they were a moment ago. They were milky white, and a faint glow radiated behind them. Her voice came out eerily deep.

The fires, earthquakes, and floods are approaching quickly now. Only a sacrifice of substantial proportion can prevent the destruction of the island. Magic will be the key to your salvation and also the key to your demise. A box must be created to consume the evils that lurk within your people. The Box needs to be protected from all who would come to seek it. The future is still unclear, and your family will always be at risk, but the island will survive. Do not underestimate the future heir, for she will be the one to save or destroy you.

Her eyes closed again, and her head fell to her chest. The candle at her feet blew out, and she was motionless for several minutes. Her head flew up and she was gasping for breath. The King scrambled backwards in fright, knocking the small table over and spilling the bottles to the floor. Her now wide-open eyes were back to the enthralling emerald green they once were.

Analee bowed her head and whispered,

I know what you must do your highness, many will not like it, but it will keep everyone safe. Are you ready for the island to hate you and your family for the rest of your reign?

The King rose to his feet still unsteady from his fright. He stretched his hand toward Annalee to help her to her feet. A smile spread across his face as he looked into her sparkling eyes. He was eager to finally have answers. I'm ready to do whatever I need to do to keep my family safe and the island safe. He closed the gap between them, admiring her beauty he found it hard to concentrate on her words.

The Seer turned to grab a bag that now laid under the upturned table. Reaching inside she pulled out a box that was engraved with intricate flames of gold, waves of silver, hills of emerald, and winds of glass. There was a large ruby at the center of the lid where all the designs met. It was mesmerizing to look at but gave off a terrifying aura of dark magic.

This is the Boca Cosanta. It’s shrouded in black magic which I don’t like to use normally, but I am afraid you have no other options.

She carried the box across the room toward the King who stood there nervously after she mentioned black magic.

Sir, we are going to need every living member of your family, and I'm going to need my daughter to help me. This is going to take a lot of magic, but once it's done, the deaths will come to an end and there will be no more bloodshed. Delighted, a smile lit the King’s face. Of course, I will send for your daughter and gather my family at once! What exactly is this going to do? The king asked as he swiftly made his way toward the door. Opening the door, he found his most trusted guard standing stone like in front of the door. He ordered him to fetch the family and Annalee’s daughter. He took his leave and disappeared into the long dark hallway leaving the King and Annalee alone once again.

Annalee took a weary breath. It's going to remove magic from the island and its people. Your family and any future heirs sharing your bloodline will be unaffected. Mine will also continue to keep our gift as your payment for our help. But other than that, every person not in the room is going to be stripped of their magic. She looked at the King sadly. You will still need to make sure no one is creating potions and charms once this has finished. You must do this at any cost. They will undo what we are creating tonight if they continue.

Shaken, the King stood in the large doorway and stared at Annalee. Get rid of magic? Is that even possible? She could tell he was regretting his hasty decision from the pain that was set into his eyes. She could watch the war of emotions as they flashed briefly on his face. In the end, he simply turned and left the room. If it will end this war, I want it done.

Left alone in the King’s chamber Annalee’s shoulders drooped as she willed herself to walk over to the open window to look out at the village one last time before the island would change forever.

The door opened a short time later making Annalee jump. King Arthur and his young son walked into the room. The prince was obviously nervous never looking up from the floor.

The rest of the family will be along shortly. Also, my top guards should be arriving at your home any minute to retrieve your daughter. What else do we need to do to complete the spell?

We need a secure room that looks out to the village. The space where the Box will rest needs to remain untouched and protected. We also need five bowls. One filled with earth, one with fire, one with water, one with air, and the largest with salt.

The King turned to the servants that were standing behind him practically hidden behind his muscular body. He instructed them to retrieve the necessary items for the ritual.

He motioned for AnnaLee to follow him as he headed down the hallway and started to ascend a beautiful spiral staircase. The large wooden door at the top opened into a round room lined with pillars. There was a large window looking over the village and clear to the ocean shores that surrounded the island.

Several guards and servants entered the room shortly after us. They set up five pedestals, one in the center and four equally spread around it. The box sat in the center and each outer pedestal held a bowl with one of the specified elements inside. The rest of the royal family had arrived just as the servants had finished setting everything up for the ritual. Then two guards and a young girl who was almost identical to Annalee entered. The small girl smiled and ran into her mother’s arms.

Did you bring it my love?

I’ve got it right here, Mother

The young girl pulled a dagger from her bag and laid in it her mother’s hands.

Annalee held the intricate jewel-encrusted knife that had belonged to each matriarch on her family tree. She directed everyone to a space around the circle. Her daughter Cateline held the large bowl of salt and they made their way around the circle in silence. The Seer grabbed the hand of each royal family member and sliced it with the dagger. Her daughter dutifully held the bowl to gather their royal blood to add to the salt. They started with the king, sliced his hand, and let the blood drip from his palm. The queen was next, then the princess and finally the prince. Annalee then sliced her daughter’s hand and her own and added their blood to the bowl. Cateline went to stand next to the prince in the circle so that her mother could continue the spell. She smiled at the boy, who was still holding the hand with the cut. His eyes were full of unshed tears. She could tell he was frightened, so she grabbed his uninjured hand, and they watched as her mother cast her spell of black magic.

She made her way around the circle filling each bowl with the salt and chanting.

To save the land and save the people, we remove the gifts that the gods bestowed upon this place and its people and protect them in the Boca Cosanta to stay until the world can prove itself worthy. We sacrifice our blood to protect the magic and continue to wield our gifts until we can right the wrongs that have been done upon the people and upon our home.

After the bowls were full, they began to radiate a bright light. Beautiful glittering colors swirled in the air above their heads, and then into the box. The intricate designs brightly shimmered from the bottom and working their way to the large ruby on top. The ruby suddenly beamed a bright white light into the sky. The lights in the castle and the village went dark. After a moment the beam dimmed, and it was over. The Island was cleansed. Never to be the same.

Every person could feel the pull of energy in the air and then a deep emptiness. The candles flickered back to life and it was like the whole world let out a deep breath.

Annalee and her daughter gathered their items quickly and left the castle without another word. The King returned to his bedchamber leaving the tower room untouched and slept without a worry for the first time since the wars started.

Chapter 2

My name is Isabelle, and something happened when I was born that shouldn’t have been possible. I was born with the ability to control fire. My mother used to call me her little fire princess. Ever since I can remember I've been working with my father trying to learn to keep my powers under control and a secret. Using any form of magic was a crime punishable by death, but someone being able to wield elemental magic was unheard of outside the royal family. I didn’t even want to begin to imagine what they would do to me or my family if they found out.

My mother knew she needed to protect me. One morning when I was little, she left home early in the day and made a trip deep into the woods. She never told us where she went, but when she returned two days later, she held a radiant dark purple stone jeweled necklace. It was set into a platinum oval pendant with a chain that, would reach clear down to my belly button. The necklace was gorgeous, but my favorite part was, if you looked close enough at the stone, you could see flames moving inside of it. It helped suppress my powers and let me live a life without fear.

The raids started shortly after the war ended. They terrified my mother ever since she was little. After I was born, the fear was almost too much for her to handle. She never told me what the King and his guards were looking for, but I knew even as a small child it had something to do with magic. I don't know how my mother always knew when they would come, but we were always ready for them. My father spent months digging a tunnel under our one-bedroom house. It led out into the middle of the woods and was nearly a mile long. The door hid under a large wooden chest with metal hinges in the main room of our house. It was crafted from dark oak wood and beautiful designs carved into every inch. Designs I have never seen before and ones that my mother refused to talk about. My favorite was an enormous eye on the top of the chest. Sometimes late at night I would look down from my loft and see it glowing in the dark like it was watching over us as we slept. When she did talk about it, all she would say is that it used to be her mother’s, and she got it to hold her most precious trinkets. 

I can still remember the smell of the dirt in my nose while my mother and I would sit in the tunnel just under the trapdoor. The feeling of