NOHEMI: The Chosen One

By Ivana Pranjic

In the opulent realm of Mandalkos land, ruled by the esteemed Dagfin, fortunes, and ambitions collide as countless covet dominion over the wealthiest domain in the land. Among this turmoil of power and greed stands Macarius - a valiant warrior, a loving father and husband, and a trusted commander to his lord. His world dramatically spirals into chaos when Destiny graces his beloved daughter, Nohemi, with its fickle touch. A gift bestowed upon Nohemi by the guardian Akira, whose presence holds a significance that is as mysterious as it is powerful. Torn between the fierce loyalty for his long-time friend and lord, Dagfin, and the heartrending love for his only child, Nohemi, Macarius faces a chilling dilemma. His decision will shape their fates and the future of Mandalkos land. "Nohemi: The Chosen One" by Ivana Pranjic is a mesmerizing saga of friendship and betrayal unfolding amidst the stunning landscapes of Mandalkos land. Prepare to be swept into a world of treachery, enchantments, and epic warfare, richly infused with the charm of medieval times. Strap yourself in for a breathtaking journey where the unpredictable is the norm, and every page is an invitation to intrigue. Unveil the intricacies of love, loyalty, and destiny in a tale that proves why the chosen ones are, indeed, extraordinary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ivana Pranjic
• Release date: Oct 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223760825

Book preview

Chapter 1: The Legend of Ardininia

THE BLOOD ON THE SNOW had turned a bright, crimson red that was quickly absorbed by the many crystalline flakes on the ground, each thirstier than the last. It made one wonder how a thing made of water could be so thirsty for blood. For untold centuries, the snow consumed the lives of countless travelers, warriors, soldiers, and merchants, never discriminating between good and bad, poor and rich.

To the snow, they all had the same crimson color.

Today, too, it had the same color. Today, too, it was itching for the life of a soon-to-be-mother! The cave was beginning to turn red from the blood leaking out of Conleth.

Come on, Conleth! Just another push! said Tethys, trying to focus through all the screaming from Conleth. She looked at Conleth and gave her a gentle shake. Keep your eyes open! Look at me! Stay with me! Don’t you dare leave me in this godforsaken place! We have made it through the forestland. This is nothing! Now, give me a good push. The baby is almost out!

Conleth screamed, emptying her lungs of all the air they held. The air was thick with condensation, making itself comfortable on her exposed stomach. This was the worst she had ever felt. She wanted to cry, but her tears had dried up from the constant crying. Agony and pain seemed to be her only companions in this aching journey. The only thing that she could do now was to scream.

Her throat was going numb. She couldn’t tell whether it was because of the ice-chilly air or the constant screaming, not that she cared about the reason at this point. Her screams rang through the cave, running into every crack and beyond. The blood-curdling howls grew louder as the pain crept through her body from her abdomen to her back to her thighs. Everything hurt. Her breathing was getting ragged as she inhaled and exhaled the frozen air around her.

Just hang in there! It’s almost out! cried out Tethys, her eyes focused on the incoming baby.

Conleth’s throbbing, ear-piercing screams were slowly losing their authority, fading out as she began to drift in and out of consciousness. She had been bleeding for some time now, her blood reaching the edges of the cave. All she could hear was a muffled voice.

‘Is that Tethys?’ she thought to herself, regaining consciousness for a few seconds and immediately releasing another deafening scream that rattled the icicles hanging at the edge of the cave.

SNAP!

A few of the icicles, aided by Conleth’s scream, had broken free from the roof of the cave and had buried themselves in the snow with a THUMP, barely missing the horse that was tied at the entrance.

Tethys looked back, taking her eyes off the baby, trying to wriggle out of the womb, half out of Conleth, and into the darkness that consumed everything outside the cave. She could see Tala, the horse, standing there on top of a few sheets of snow, feeling restless and uneasy.

Was that you, Tala? What do you want, girl? I’m busy, so you’ll have to wait! she said to the horse as she turned her attention back to Conleth.

Tethys was an old lady. Her grey hair and wrinkly skin matched her aging eyes. Everyone knew her in the village, and most young girls called her Grandma or Grandmother. This wasn’t the first time she was delivering a baby; she had done it countless times before. Back in the Mandalkos land, she was one of the women who knew how to do these things, and she had been doing it for most of her life.

However, this was the first time she was doing this in such conditions. The ground beneath her was soft and crunchy, thanks to all the snow that covered it. She had laid a piece of cloth on the snow for Conleth to lie on. In her haste and inexperience with caves, she did not realize that a little way inside the cave, the ground wasn’t covered with snow, and conditions were somewhat better. She hadn’t dared to go that far in the cave as she knew there would be no light that far inside.

Tethys had tried her best to stop the blood, but after a while, she had given up, knowing that there wasn’t much she could do to save Conleth. She applied all her past knowledge and guided the baby out. Her exposed hands were growing numb from the cold. Her sight was ready to give up on her, and her ears were sore and tired from Conleth’s constant screaming, which intensified as it echoed through the empty cave.

Tethys knew that the baby would need something warm after coming out. In this icy cold cave, there was no warmth except for that which came from the bleeding mother. Seeing no other alternative, she soaked a piece of Conleth’s trousers in a pool of blood. After cutting the umbilical cord and detaching the baby from the mother, she wrung the cloth and wrapped it around the baby.

Hey, Conleth. Look, your baby! Tethys showed the baby to a half-conscious Conleth.

Conleth looked toward Tethys. She couldn’t see anything, and as her sight slowly left her, she could only hear Tethys’ diminishing voice. She was ready to give up, tired and weary of this constant struggle, but hearing the baby cry, her motherly instincts kicked in, giving her a renewed will to live.

She tried to reach out her hand, wanting to hold the baby in her hands, but her energy was drained, and her body was wrought with dying pain. Her arms and legs felt heavy. She couldn’t feel anything below her abdomen. Panic crept over as the reality of being paralyzed began to settle in.

Tethys moved the baby toward a near-motionless Conleth. Tethys could feel death clawing at Conleth and would’ve given her up to fate were it not for Conleth’s low-toned but still ragged and painful breathing. She rested the baby on Conleth’s chest, picked up Conleth’s hand, and moved it across the baby, hoping that Conleth could at least feel her baby and its heartbeat before she died.

It’s a girl! she exclaimed happily while simultaneously trying to hold back her tears, foreseeing Conleth’s slow and painful passing. Hold her; feel her beating heart. My mother told me that a dying mother’s soul inhabits the body of its youngling. Feel her heartbeat, and you’ll be able to come into the body of your child. You will live through and with her!

Conleth calmed down a bit, letting out a smile as she heard Tethys speak. She couldn’t make out what Tethys was saying, but her voice was calming. Conleth could, ever so slightly, feel her hand being rubbed across the baby’s soft body. She could barely feel anything by this point, but the beating of the baby’s heart made it to her.

Conleth was afraid to close her eyes, more afraid than tired. With every passing moment, she could feel her body getting heavy and her soul slipping out. She feared that if she were to close her eyes now, she wouldn’t be able to open them again. It was taking everything in her just to keep them open. She didn’t want to die.

She wanted to see her child grow up, wanted to know what had happened to the Mandalkos land and return to it to see if there was anything to return to. Her memories started flooding in; moments of her childhood and the days in Mandalkos land came flooding back. She remembered the smell of the flowers as she would pluck them while playing in the fields. She wanted to go back to those times; she wanted to go home.

‘I have to keep my eyes open. I have to keep them open even if the light of the surroundings fades out,’ she thought to herself, putting all her energy into the task.

Unfortunately, the surroundings were not getting dark. They were as illuminated as they were a few moments ago. Slowly but surely, her eyes were giving up on her. Moments later, she breathed her last breath. The air in the cave stood still, and Tethys sat there quietly sobbing, holding the baby and letting her feel the warmth of her skin and falling tears.

Regaining her composure, Tethys gently stroked Conleth’s forehead, And so, you have inhabited the child’s body! May the souls of the mother and child become one!

She looked at the girl, now in her hands, crying as babies do. I shall name you Nohemi, the beautiful soul! You shall...

She stopped for a moment as her ears caught a hint of a thundering sound coming from further inside the cave.

‘Cavalry! That sounds like the thunder of a cavalry charge!’ she thought to herself, remembering the sound the day her land was raided.

She looked at Tala, who was getting restless, trying to break free of the reins that tied her to the cave. ‘But horses can't possibly charge through a cave! What evil charges at me from the depths of this icy cave?’ she wondered.

The sound grew closer and closer, echoing through the cave, seemingly shaking the entire structure to its core. Then, as soon as it was upon her, it stopped. It was silent, nothing but the hailing wind howling outside the cave.

She strained her eyes, peering into the darkness that lay ahead of her, trying to see where the sound came from. Then, she saw it! A set of eyes, gleaming eyes, that seemed to hang in the dark, midway between the roof and the ground.

Flashback

COME ON! THIS WAY! cried out Tethys, grabbing Conleth’s hand and dragging her away from the sight of their burning village. We have to catch up to the group! Can you see them? I cannot see through this dust and smoke!

Conleth pulled herself together. This wasn’t the first time she had found herself lost in the midst of a raid.

There, look, at the bottom of the hill! called out Conleth, pointing in the direction of a fleeing mob directed by one of the Mandalkos land elders.

Conleth and Tethys raced toward that mob, trying their best to avoid being seen by any of the raiders. They knew that if they were caught, there was a fate worse than death awaiting them and their clan members.

The weak would most probably be killed off along with the old villagers. The rest, after the raiders had had their way with them, would either be sold into slavery or used as slaves by the raiders.

So, gathering all their might and wits about them, Conleth and Tethys made their way to the group. By the time they reached the fleeing villagers, all of them had reached the small hilltop, behind which lay the foul forest of Ardininia. Everyone knew the raiders or any sane person would never willingly enter that place.

But as they say, desperation and caution are seldom allies.

Conleth and Tethys caught up to the group and slowly but hastily made their way down the slope. Conleth looked back at the burning Mandalkos land covered by a cloud of smoke. She knew that Macarius and his horde would be victorious against this rabble, and until they were, Conleth followed the group down the hill and into the forest.

They were safe for now!

They could wait at the edge of the forest and would return to the Mandalkos land after a day or two had passed.

‘The raid would surely be over by that point,’ thought Conleth as she sat down holding Tethys’ hand.

Around her, the villagers slowly penetrated deeper into the forest, making sure that they didn’t venture far in the hopes of going back. Others were settling down, finding shelter where they would be able to hold out for the time being.

CAVALRY!!!! someone shouted from the other side of the tree line.

Conleth got up, adrenaline rushing through her body as the thundering sound of the charging horses reached her ears. Panic set in throughout the camp as people started fleeing in all directions.

The raiders were daring to come into the forest!

Conleth helped Tethys get up, and both of them ran deeper into the forest. They didn’t care where they were heading; as long as they were getting away from the horsemen, they would be safe. Pushing through the panic-stricken, fleeing crowd, Tethys and Conleth ran as fast as they could.

Slowly! Slowly! cried out Tethys, resisting the pull from Conleth. The morning run and the stress were too much for her old body, which was starting to ache from joint to joint.

Come on, Grandma Tethys, we do not have time! We cannot stop, else we will be run over by the raiders! called Conleth, still pulling at her and trying her best to ensure she stayed on her feet.

The running crowd was pushing and shoving as they went. Conleth firmly planted her feet on the ground, knowing there was the risk of being pushed to the ground and getting trampled by the fleeing crowd.

Tethys looked at this young and fierce girl standing in front of her. Her long black hair was tied up, her resolve to survive evident in her light green eyes. Tethys knew that Conleth was a hard-working girl with the resolve to move mountains.

So, she summoned the last of her courage and followed Conleth. By this point, the group was out of sight, but Conleth led the way; she seemed to know the direction. After around an hour or so of running, avoiding branches and roots that were sticking out of the ground, they finally found some village members.

As Conleth came into view, a villager rushed at her.

Was there anyone behind you? Were you followed? he asked, fearing the raiders would have followed this young girl into the forest.

No, replied Conleth, unsure whether she was followed or not. In any case, she wasn’t going to tell a panicked man that she might have led him to his potential death.

Silence gripped the group for a moment, and then, the man spoke again, Good, we cannot hear anything. The forest...

Cavalrymen do not charge into trees, you dimwit, spat out Tethys, exhausted and tired from the running. "You lot ought to know this by now. Running around like