The Lady in White
Book 1
By Red Morris
Copyright 2013 Red Morris
Prologue
Raven was so tired she could barley see straight. After a long night at work all she wanted to do was take a night hot bath to soothe her aching muscles and go to bed. She closed the door behind her with a sigh and kicked off her shoes. Wandering into the kitchen she decided to pour herself a glass of wine and headed to the bathroom.
A half an hour later she pulled herself out of the tub and stumbled into her bedroom. Her soft bed and pillows calling to her with promises of rest and rejuvenation. As she climbed naked under the covers she laid back on her pillows with a contented sigh and was asleep before she even knew it.
She didn’t usually dream, but that night she had the most vivid dreams about magic, huge muscle bound warriors, and evil creatures. They all seemed so real that for a moment she wasn’t even sure she was dreaming. Just as the images seemed to fade away as she watched, she heard an elderly woman’s voice floating around her saying that her destiny awaited. Destiny? What destiny is there for an ordinary girl from Texas?
Chapter 1
King Jace stood next to his throne silently as he watched his closest advisors and friends mill around the council chamber as they did every year at festival time. Jace occasionally looked to the center of the room as if waiting for something to appear only to grow frustrated a look away. With a look at the setting sun through a window the King sighed. Another year gone by, his people’s magic all but gone and still the Lady in White had not come as was told.
That was why the king and his men were in the council room, for two hundred years ago the people of Lore had started to loose their magic. Magic that was just as important to their existence as air. The prophecy said that in the time of great need the Lady in White would come to Lore and restore the magic to the land before the people faded away with it. The King began to wonder if she ever would truly come. Or that maybe even with their longevity, it would not be something that he would see in his lifetime, and at 500 years old he didn’t know how much longer he would be around.
Perhaps she would come during the rule of his son. The King’s inner musing were brought to a halt when a scream filled the air, and a flash of light filled the room.
Chapter 2
Raven woke with a start. An intense pain had pulled her from her peaceful sleep and ripped a scream from her lips. She tried to open her eyes but was only able to see a bright white light that hurt so much to look at she had no choice but to close her eyes as she tried to figure out what was happening to her. Before she could make heads or tails of what was happening the pain was gone.
She took a long shaky breath and sat up. The first thing that she noticed was that she was no longer in her room or even in a bed. She was in fact laying naked in the middle of a large room. As her senses returned to her she heard whispers from people around her. Considering her current state of undress she was happy for her long thick hair that made it simple to cover up the important parts as to save some of her dignity.
Raven looked up and met the blue eyes of an older man, a king, if the crown on his head was any indication, looking at her with awe and something she couldn’t quite name. A moment passed between them when all of the sudden a smile lit up the king’s face and he shouted at the top of his lungs. WE ARE SAVED!!! Everyone in the room started to cheer loudly, then almost as one, everyone, including the king, bowed to her.
What the hell is going on, Raven asked herself. She looked around the room at all the bowed heads, maybe fifteen in all, looking for some sign as to where she was or what was going on. She didn’t recognize anyone or anything in the room. If anything the décor and the way some of the men were dressed in kilts she would have said she was in some part of Scotland. But she couldn’t be have traveled all the way to Scotland in her sleep?
Raven decided that no matter where she was something strange and possibly supernatural was happening. It was the only thing that explained her sudden appearance in the room of strangers. Was she in another dimension, another planet, or had she traveled back in time? Raven noticed that the men began to raise their heads and she looked back to the king. Surely he had to have some idea of what was going on.
Just as Raven was about to ask her first question the large door to the chamber opened, and an old woman with slowly walked into the room. Bingo! Raven thought, in the stories its always the oldest of the elders who knew the secret happenings of times long forgotten. And this woman looked a lot older than everyone in the room. This woman was who she needed to talk to. The king could wait.
Chapter 3
Despite her naked state Raven rose to her feet and walked toward the old woman who had stopped about six feet away from her. Sending thanks once again to her hair for hiding so much of her body, she stopped about a two feet in front of the woman and gave a slight bow to show her respect. The old woman didn’t move or say a word, only the slightly widening of her eyes gave away her surprise at the new comers behavior. “ Excuse me ma’am” she began in what she hoped was a respectful and subdued tone, “but can you tell me where I am or why I am here?”
The old woman was Nada, one of the only remaining seers left in the realm of Lore. She herself had told the prophecy two hundred years ago about the coming of the Lady in White. But as to why the woman was directing questions to her instead of King Jace, she had no idea but she almost wanted to giggle at the look on the King’s face. The Lady’s total dismissal of the King and the respect shown to Nada was not a normal thing. All bowed to the King first. But not the Lady in White.
Nada’s thoughts reminded her of the gift she carried in her bag. First things first she thought to herself. She smiled kindly at the girl in front of her and said, “ Yes my dear I know why you are here. But first please take this.” Nada reached into her bag and pulled out a snow white cloak. She had made it by hand two hundred years ago in preparation for the Lady’s arrival.
Raven smiled at the old woman and accepted the folded piece of cloth. Letting the material unravel she saw that it was a cloak. She gave the old woman a large smile and quick thanks as she quickly put it on. There was a silver clasp that sat just below her collar bone and had to arm holes so she wasn’t completely trapped in it. It was warm and soft and smell like a summer breeze.
As Raven finished getting herself covered the old woman walked to the center of the room and raised her hands, quieting all the whispers that had been going on during her and the Lady’s exchange. The noise stopped almost instantly and the men looked at Nada with hope in their eyes. In a strong loud voice Nada said. “ I Nada of The Eye, told the land of Lore that in a time of great peril a woman would come to us and help us to save our world. And now at a time when magic is almost gone from the world that woman as come. All give praise to the Lady in White.”
Raven’s eyes popped open wide at Nada’s words. Magic? Prophecy? They wanted her to save the world? This Nada lady must be insane if she thought that Raven could do anything to save an entire world. As Raven started to stammer her objections Nada turned her kind eyes back to her.
“You my Lady are in the land of Lore. Two hundred years ago I had a vision, and in that vision you came at a time when our world was almost destroyed and brought magic back to the land, saving the lives of all its people in the process. You are the Lady in White.”
Raven stared at the old woman in shock, then to the dismay of the room she fainted into the old woman’s arms. Hearing the old woman say. “Your destiny is here.”
Chapter 4
Raven snuggled deeper into her pillow, not wanting to wake up just yet. What strange dreams she had, had. They had seemed so real. The faces of the old woman and
the king stood out in her mind vividly. Not yet fading into memory like her dreams usually did. Her mind raced with questions and she gave up trying to fall back asleep.
She rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. What she saw made her sit straight up in bed. This wasn’t her room. Where was she? Raven looked around at the beautiful room. On the wall to her left was a vanity and a matching dresser, across from the bed was a fire place, and to her right was…………the little old lady sitting in one of two large comfy looking chairs. And the old woman was smiling at her. Raven jerked so abruptly with surprise she almost fell out of bed.
Nada tried not to laugh as the young woman righted herself. The look of shock on her face was very amusing but she didn’t want her to think she was laughing at her. Nada waited for her to speak first, giving her time to catch up with her thoughts.
Raven’s heart was beating a mile a minuet as she stared into the eyes of the old woman. A patient smile crossed her wrinkled lips and Raven began to relax. So it wasn’t a dream after all, this was real. Deciding the more knowledge she had the better equipped she would be to deal with whatever lay ahead of her she tired to calm her chaotic thoughts.
Raven had always loved paranormal stories. Vampires, werewolves, witches, magic, and other dimensions had been the things that grabbed her attention at a young age and held tight thru her whole life. She had often wondered what she would do if anything like that would ever happen to her. She counted her blessing for every book she had ever read, for it could only be her open acceptance of all things not normal that made it to where she could handle her situation with out screaming like a lunatic to go home. In the stories once you were sent somewhere by the power that be, you usually stayed there.
That thought gave her pause, stuck here? The thought should have had her trembling in fear for her future, but with no family or friends to speak of there wasn’t much she was giving up. She had always wanted to live in a world so unlike her own, and it seemed that now she did.
Just as Raven was getting used to the idea of all her dreams coming true, Nada’s words from when she arrived trailed thru her mind. “a woman would come to help us, and save our world.” That sent all her happy thoughts right down the drain. These people were expecting the impossible of her. How was she going to tell them she couldn’t save them? What would they do when they found out? What would the king do? The phase ‘off with her head” ran thru her mind and sent her pulse racing again. Raven chided herself for her over active imagination and once again faced Nada. “Hello.” she said hesitantly.
Nada had been sitting quietly watching the expressions pass over the Lady’s face. She had gone from scared to hopeful to sad to determined to happy then right back to scared again. Eventually she settled on wary and met Nada’s gaze and sent her tentative hello. “ Hello my Lady. My name is Nada. I am a seer of my people and I am here as a guide and to answer any questions you may have before we begin our journey.” Nada waited for the Lady to speak again but she seemed to be tongue tied. Taking pity on the poor girl Nada spoke again. “Last eve you asked me if I know where you were or why you were here. I can answer both questions. You are in the land of Lore. In the Crystal Palace, the home of King Jace and Queen Vea. You have been brought here by powers whose names were lost generations ago, to save the land and return magic to its people before they fade along with it.“ Nada was surprised to see the girl look down at her hands almost as if she was ashamed.
Raven looked down at her hands and fidgeted, pulled the sheet higher up her chest she worked up her nerve to tell the Nada that she had no magic or special skills or knowledge that she could possibly use to save here and her people. Telling herself that it was just like a band aid, better to get it all out there from the beginning and deal with the consequences. Raven met the old woman’s eyes again and in a sad regretful voice said “I am so sorry but I can’t help you. I don’t have any magic, and I have no idea how I could possibly save one person let alone an entire world.” Raven looked back down at her hands and waited for Nada’s out rage.
Nada understood the girls confusion. She had no idea of her density or the power that lay within her but Nada could feel it. Slowly but surely getting stronger. She stood from her chair and went and sat next to the woman on the bed. “Do not fret child, you have magic, I can feel it with my own. Maybe you never knew it was there or maybe being here has given you the ability itself. I don’t know the answer but I do know that you are the Lady from my vision and you will save us. Fear not, I will be with you every step of the way.”
Raven looked at the old woman in shock. She could feel her magic? In her books it was very common for one magical being to be able to sense another. So maybe she was right. She still wasn’t sure if she believed Nada but she guessed that it was something that they would both explore together. Having Nada as a teacher and friend somehow made Raven feel calm about her situation even with so much unknown.
“Now,” Nada said with an excited voice, ‘what would you like to do first? Eat or bathe?” Nada’s question was answered when Raven’s stomach growled loudly. They both stopped and looked down and Ravens stomach then back at each other and laughed “Food it is then.”
Raven greatly enjoyed her breakfast, or well lunch, since it seemed she had slept half the day away. She and Nada had spent a long time going back in forth with questions. Nada’s being about what kind of person she was and what knowledge she did have about magic. Raven’s being mostly focused on the trouble the people of Lore were facing. Raven felt the more she knew about the problem the better able she would be to help. She couldn’t do anything, magic or no magic, if she didn’t even know what was going on.
Nada had told her that to the people of Lore magic was like life’s blood. Everyone had it and everyone needed it. Her people had always had very strong magic keeping them in touch with their world and living in harmony with the planet, but as the people’s magic started to fade the planet had also started to die. It seemed that the planet and its people were so connected that one could not survive without the other and magic was the glue that held it all together. It didn’t all make sense to Raven but Nada was so sure about her answers that Raven took the information as fact and accepted it.
After lunch Nada went and opened a door that Raven hadn’t noticed next to the vanity. “In here is the washroom if you would like to bathe. I will go and find you something to wear until we can get you to the dress maker to have your own gowns made.” with a soft smile and a swish of her skirts Nada left Raven to her bath and her thoughts.
By the time Raven emerged from the washroom she felt no closer to figuring out the plight that had been set before her. Deciding that more questions was first on her agenda she looked around her room to see if Nada had returned. She was standing next to a wardrobe on the right side of the room apparently hanging up the white cloak she had give Raven the night before. “Shall I have to wear the cloak again?” Raven asked with a laugh. A soft chuckle left Nada and she turned to face Raven. “No my dear a simple dress will do to meet the King.”
Meet the king? Did she have to? She groaned inwardly. While Raven always tried to be respectful she was sure she wasn’t well mannered enough to go before a king. But considering she was the Lady in White and obviously not from around her maybe they would go easy on her, she hoped.
Nada walked to the bed and picked up a piece of white fabric, that she assumed was a dress. With Nada’s help she was dressed and ready to go meet the king a lot quicker than Raven had expected. Remembering the kilts some of the men had worn last night Raven had been slightly fearful that she would have to force herself into a corset or at the very least and very uncomfortable dress. But much to her relief both of those thoughts were wrong. It was soft free flowing dress that reminded her of some images she had seen of old Greek clothing. Greek dresses and Scottish kilts…uh huh. Shrugging her shoulders that it was better than a corset she shimmied the gown over her head and down her body. Nada went around and made sure it would
hang right, stating that she was pleased she was able to find something that fit Raven so well. Then Nada pulled a pair of small white slippers from under the bed, brushed out Ravens long red hair and they were ready. Giving Raven one last supportive smile they left the room and went to meet the King.
Chapter 5
Raven was extremely grateful for Nada’s presence as they made their way thru the maze off halls. She was sure she would have gotten lost several times if it hadn’t been for the little old woman walking beside her. They did not speak much as they passed paintings and tapestries. Finally they came to a large rotunda. At the back of the rotunda was a large ornate set of double doors, that were being guarded by two men.
As they neared the door, the two guards bowed to them and reached back to open the large doors so that they could enter. Raven tried to keep her mouth closed and her eyes on where she was going, but she failed. The throne room was huge. Like a large ballroom with its white marble floors and dozen of candelabras lighting the room. Raven didn’t have too much time to take in the beautiful room for sitting at the other end of the room was King Jace and Queen Vea patiently waiting for the two to approach.
The two women stopped several feet from the royal couple, and following Nada’s lead Raven bowed in respect. The King nodded and signaled for them both to rise. “ My Lady” the King said “as the savior to our people you bow to no one, not even me.” Raven was shocked to then see both the King and Queen rise to their feet and bow to Raven. Why were the bowing to her? She was so confused.