The Turning Eclipse: Book One

By Miranda Iwan

Two months ago, she was a normal mermaid girl. Now, Farrahbell was like a god to the supernatural. All she wanted was to be normal again, but could she do what it takes to regain normalcy? She wasn’t sure. She had a war to win, but the dark fairy queen wasn't going to make that easy. Winning a war, protecting her people, saving the world, and falling in love: sure, it’s so easy—any sixteen-year-old could do it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796017182

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Copyright © 2019 by Miranda Iwan.

Library of Congress Control Number:              2019902037

ISBN:                  Hardcover                     978-1-7960-1720-5

                            Softcover                       978-1-7960-1719-9

                            eBook                            978-1-7960-1718-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only. Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 02/20/2019

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CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

I would like to dedicate this book to my husband Anthonie, and my two beautiful daughters Markie and Roo. I would like to thank them for their love and support.

I would like to thank my sister in law Alex for the amazing photography. I would like to thank my friend Jessica for letting me use her name (it was totally her idea). I would also like to thank my favorite uncle, Marc for scaring the crap out of me when we were kids. Telling me stories about vampire mermaids. That is what gave me the push to go in the direction I chose for this book. And last but not least I would like to thank my Grandma Joddie for recovering the hardrive that saved me a whole lot of time. I was thinking I had lost a lot of progess on my book.

PROLOGUE

In a new era, half the world’s remaining human population was completely oblivious to what was happening to the world around them. So out of the woodwork and from under the sea, all around, came the mythical and supernatural creatures alike. A thousand years ago an angry warlock placed a curse upon the Fay (Good Fairies), a millennium later the curse comes to life. Now the fate of the world, humans or otherwise, rest in the hands of a young girl. That girl was born of land and sea. The first of her kind, one hybrid more powerful than the rest. This is her story…

Chapter 1

I can’t tell you exactly when all of this started. A war I wasn’t meant to be a part of but was born into anyway. It reminds me of Romeo and Juliet, in a way. My story is quite different due to the simple fact my future love and I don’t blindly off ourselves. Giving you the heads up, this world you’re about to walk into through my eyes isn’t the world you know. You must be wondering who I am, so let me stop right there and introduce myself. I am Farrahbell, Daughter of Derrick Truce, ironic enough that my last name is Truce; again, giving too much detail away.

Today is June 6th, 2016. It’s my 16th birthday and the day I am given my warrior rights. I know, what could I possibly mean by warrior rights? I am a female; mixed up gender roles anyway. Considering my people are a very private, very invisible people, not invisible like if you were standing right in front of me you couldn’t see me kind of way. Oh, believe me if we were in front of each other you’d see me alright. But invisible as in not many people know we exist. Anyway, sorry for getting off track, that will happen from time to time. In my, for the lack of a better word, tribe the strongest of women are our warriors, the wisest of men are our seekers, healers, speakers, and above all our rulers. Weak and well, stupidity don’t last long among us and we’re not the only ones out there.

To give you a better understanding of the story you’re about to read, I am what you would call a mermaid. Truthfully though, if you’re going to call me anything I would appreciate it if you just called me by name. Farrahbell is a strong name, I think. My father, Derrick is on the Council. Being a warrior is a great honor among our people. I am both excited and nervous.

We are in a constant battle to stay alive and keep us from disappearing all together. There aren’t much of us left. When I said we’re not the only ones out there, I merely meant supernatural, or magical. Merfolk on the other hand are thinning out. Our species is just one tribe. We know of vampires, werewolves, witches, and fairies. It’s a question of who all knows about us. The council has allied its self with a secret human council to defend ourselves and the humans. I, myself have never met anyone whom wasn’t of the Merfolk persuasion. My father has kept me sheltered from all of this.

Getting back to the here and now; turning 16 was supposed to be a big deal yet with how I was feeling about being at constant war that seemed to surround my people and consume them. I didn’t know if I was truly ready. I mean physically I was ready but mentally I had a lot yet to learn. It was going to be a very long couple of years. You get your warrior rights at sixteen and then start your training. You do not see any real battle until you’re 18. Or so our law was written, but of course my luck changed that.

I was in my room when my father found me. He was a very well put together merman. He had long brown, greying hair, and his chest had intricate designs he had put on himself at a time before I was born. His eyes were solid brown and his smile was a place you could call home. His inner strength was compassion; he knew when our people were in need before we did. He was smart but even so I rarely understood him. He raised me alone. He told me my mother died shortly after was born. He doesn’t talk about her and I stopped asking questions a long time ago.

Farrahbell, why aren’t you dressed, you’re not even the least bit ready.

I know, Father, but how can I accept such an honor and still be so confused about all that I know. I can’t possibly be ready for this life you want me to lead. The life the council sees me leading.

My young Farrahbell, all of us have a purpose we must fulfill in this life and the next. Do you think I was ready to be a speaker when the council asked it of me? I was a nervous wreck, like a ship only not so sunken. Just remember our waters are as blue as the skies, our schools as bright as the knowledge within them, and our spirits sore like angels. You are strong my daughter and it’s time you put your strength to the test.

Father, I really don’t understand what it is you mean.

Farrahbell, the time has come, you are grown. You must get ready now. The ceremony starts in an hour. We mustn’t be late for such an event. Now get ready, I shall leave and be back for you in a short while.

My father never made any sense, which is probably why they chose him as the speaker. His confusing monologues and riddled sentences are meant to be meaningful, but I just couldn’t get them down.

Looking around my room, annoyed me. My father still thought of me as a little girl sometimes. Nothing in my room has changed since I was just a young mermaid. My stoned walls were a sea green, my window seat was still filled with dolls made of coral and seaweed. I have accumulated a collection of daggers over the last couple of years that sat over on a stone table by my huge coral framed bed. One dagger was engraved with my initials that my father gave me when I turned twelve. He said it was sent to him from a friend. I’m not sure of what friend. I assumed it was from his time above the surface. Our people can visit the human world, but only at the time of an eclipse. And they can only come back at the following eclipse that only happens once a year. If they fail to return within two years’ time, they lose their chance of ever returning home. I couldn’t imagine wanting to be up there. Everything that I have learned in my studies about that world was dreadful. Things such as cigarettes, that kill your lungs, or oils that kill off my people and the creatures which share our home. Plastics that choke the life out of seagulls. I couldn’t fathom why such things even existed. But to the human world, I myself, was meant to be a mythical creature. Somethings just are.

Finding the right top was proving to be a difficult thing, especially since my tailfin and scales kept changing color due to my emotions running haywire. But I decided on my black shells with silver studded pearls across the top. It went amazingly well with my full charcoal hair which I now wore in a single elegant braid down my back. The silver studs brought out my eyes; they were a soft grey that looked almost