Purple Flame

By Renée Rameshwar

In a world of halflings there is one girl that will stand out from the rest. Raylene seems like any teenage girl, well at least you think she is until she is named the next Queen by the goddess Artemis who grants her with her power. With new powers being awakened she has to find the gems so she can use her new powers or they will tear her apart. With evil dwelling in their mist as her brother, Ezekiel goes crazy attacking people. Will she and her guardians be able to handle what’s coming or will it be their downfall. Will she be able to save everyone and her brother? Only time will tell.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781471718106

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Published by Lulu Publishing & Limelight Publishing

Copyright © 2021 Renée Rameshwar

All Rights Reserved.

This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, brands, media, incidents, and events portrayed in this book are fictitious.  Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is unintentional and coincidental.  Quotes & references listed at end.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means; electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the copyright owner and publisher.

Cover design by Anthony M. Grimaldi, JourneyManDesigns

journeymandesigns.artstation.com

Edited by James Greenfield @ Limelight Publishing

ISBN 978-1-4717-1810-6

Also by Renée Rameshwar: Practice Makes Perfect

www.lulu.com/spotlight/renee-rameshwar

limelightpublishing.com

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I wish to dedicate this book to my family and friends that put up with my constant craziness while writing. To my parents, Raheela and Mahendra for always saying if you want it, go get it. My sister Raina that dealt with my imaginary stories. Also, to my friends Saraswati, Antonella, and Kamare for the support. Thank you, without all your guys support this story would have never come to life.

Chapter 1

Dark...

It’s so dark.

Where am I?

I can’t see anything. Wait, what is that in the distance; that purple light…why is it getting closer?

Maybe I should move away, but it feels so nice and warm. I think I will just sit in the light and close my eyes for a moment. It feels as if the wind is rushing past my face. Wasn’t I just sitting down? My body feels like it’s falling…wait I am actually falling. Wait. Nooooo! I am going to hit the ground. Am I dreaming?

Stop!

I stopped falling. I am dreaming, but where am I? It looks like I am in the mountains. The snow looks like it has just fallen on the peak; it’s so white. Why am I here? It feels as though I know this place, like a memory from long ago. The trees are no longer green and all I can see is white everywhere. I think I can slowly float down to the ground. The cold chill of the wind feels nice against my skin, like when someone you love kisses your cheek.

My feet broke the fresh creamy snow; the cold engulfing my bare feet. I guess I should walk around and see the area. A dark figure is in the distance not too far from me, so I start walking towards it. It feels like I’ve been walking for hours in the snow; my feet sinking and getting stuck, weighing me down. I’m not getting any closer to the figure. It’s starting to get really cold, my fingers are turning blue, and I can no longer feel them.

My eyes are starting to get heavy. I think I should sleep here, but if I do, won’t I die? Am I really dreaming or is this really happening? Before my eyes closed fully, a purple flame came out from the snow blazing at full heat, wrapping around my feet first, then moving up my golden-brown skin, around my silk nightgown, and ending with my long ebony colored hair, as if it’s becoming my second skin. The flames are not burning anything; it’s so warm.

Raylene, A woman’s voice? Who is that? Who is calling my name?

Daughter, open your eyes and face your goddess. Listen to my story, for you will carry its power with you.

I can feel the power in her voice. I don’t dare to oppose it, slowly opening my eyes to behold a beautiful woman facing me. Her hair is the same ebony color as mine, yet it has spiral curls that frame her oval face. Her skin looks so smooth, not one imperfection in sight; if I touch it, it must feel like silk. Her pigmentation is white as the freshly fallen snow. Her lips, that speak with such authority, are glossed with a strawberry red color, yet it’s her eyes that you can’t seem to miss; an dark emerald color that is enhanced by the coal-colored liner that goes perfectly around her almond-shaped eyes. She is dressed in a sage green silk dress that dips in the front, exposing her breast and clinching at her waist, falling gracefully down her hips, and covering all the way to her feet. The color of her dress brings out her eyes even more. From what I can see, the only attribute we share are our ebony-colored hair that I inherited from my mother, who is long gone.

Raylene, she speaks my name again.

Jumping out of my daze, my full attention is now on her voice. Before she can speak again, I feel myself lean forward and yell,

Who are you!

Oh gosh, she’s so gorgeous. She looks at me for a second, before responding with a smile,

You know my name, child; the name of your ancestor, the blood that flows through your veins. You know me as Artemis, little one.

I could feel my eyes widen. I was facing the actual goddess. The mother of all our clans. Why is she in front of me? Oh no! I just yelled at a goddess! I know my face is showing the confusion, as well as the questions I wanted to ask. Why are you in my presence? The expression on her face suggests that she knows. She begins to laugh, her voice resounding like a melody, as if she is singing.

Do not fear child. I come to tell you the story that initiated it all, for your ceremony is soon to come. You will need to know the truth before you decide your future. Let us go back to the past, to the time of Icaro and I.

Before I could respond, the area began to become distorted. We were no longer on the ground. Our feet, which were touching the snow, were now floating as we ascend higher and higher until we began to fly through the air. Artemis’s flames still surround my body, so I do not feel the frost of the wind against my skin. We were flying so fast that it felt like seconds before we stopped in mid-air.

Artemis explained that, in the beginning, there existed the power of the heavenly beings, the demons who dwelled beneath the earth and the fairies of the forests. Some of the heavenly beings, demons, and fairies would give humans power as a reward for their actions, making these humans no longer human, but halflings.

Information I was aware of for I come from a family of halflings. The powers given to your ancestors are passed on through generations, but to find out if you are the one that will inherit the goddesses’ powers and be the new ruler that brings together the clans, you have to go through a ceremony when you turn 18.

My eyes watched as Artemis started to move; her slender hand raised to extend her pointer finger. My eyes followed the direction she was pointing. I spotted a dark figure like the one from earlier. This time the figure began to become clear. I could now make out that it was a man carrying freshly picked flowers; however, I had no idea where he could possibly have gotten them from, as it was winter. I watched the man walk down the snow-covered path for about a mile, then he stopped, as he was blocked by the Crimson Mountains. I knew this because, for years, I have heard many stories of the Crimson mountain and how whatever lands on it turns a red color and how the gods shared their power through its core to keep the earth beautiful. The man stood there for a second, admiring the height, before taking out an ax.

Wait; was he planning to climb the mountain? That’s a 1,000-foot climb to reach the top. He lifted the ax high above his head, then swung as hard as he could, to break the mountain's surface. Before starting his climb, he put the flowers in his bag carefully so that they wouldn’t get damaged. He continued to lift the ax and swing it, to bring himself higher. Is this guy crazy? He’s climbing barefoot, and with no harness? By the time he reached the top, the sun was getting ready to set, its orange and red hue reflecting on the mountain. He bent down onto his knees and carefully took out the flowers and placed them down onto the red snow, that covered the whole mountain. He looked up to the sky and, in a deep voice; almost husky sounding, spoke to the goddess,

Dear Artemis, I come to give you these flowers. I ask for nothing. I only wish to share their beauty with you.

There was no answer from the goddess. When I looked over to see her face, she was smiling and her eyes were shining.

Keep watching little one.

So, I turned back and watched. Her purple flames came from the sky, surrounding him, and carried him back down to the bottom of the mountain, placing him on the