Song of the Ancients (Ancient Magic Book 1) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Sandy Wright
Samantha. She wore a loose white gown, molded to her body by the rain. She swayed in a circle of lanterns, her arms raised to the stormy sky. The wind whipped her unbound hair across her face and hid her expression, but her movements were those of celebration, a wild jubilance in time with the whipping wind of the thunderstorm.
Nicholas' groin muscles clenched and surged with heat in response to her dance. He cursed his weakness but did not look away. A sleek raven glided onto the pinon branch, shaking its wet wings in agitation, drawing his eyes away from the dancing woman.
In the shadows below the tree, a figure watched Samantha, his eyes full of her. The man Nicholas hunted.
Chapter 4: Song of the Ancients
The cellphone on my bedside table began to vibrate just before sunrise. The shop was closed on Sunday and Monday, so it couldn't be work. I put it to my ear and cleared my throat.
" Good morning Starshine. " Rumor warbled. "Get up, get dressed, wear your boots, we're going hiking."
I groaned. "Did your parents teach you every old hippie song they knew? You'd better be bringing coffee."
Barely an hour later we were in the convertible, sipping lattes and watching the rising sun turn the red rocks other-worldly crimson. The towering formations enclosed the town like the ruins of an ancient fortress wall. I could understand why the locals said they had supernatural power.
When Kamaria had first mentioned magical energy, I'd scoffed. But since the full moon ritual, I'd been undecided about energy and magic. Maybe there was unusual power here.
I pulled a brochure out of my bag, brandished my latte toward the red mountain in front of us, and lectured in my best peppy, tour-guide voice. "According to local lore, Cathedral Rock is one of five major vortexes in Sedona. Each site has its own personality. Some radiate male, yang energies, active and energizing. Others are female, calming and tranquil yin."
I studied Cathedral Rock. Definitely male. It looked like a larger rock wall had been blasted apart, leaving vaguely phallic slivers of rock jutting through the center.
Rumor pointed to a flat spot between two spires. "Up there is where we're going. It's steep but only about two miles round trip."
She parked near the bottom of the formation and handed me a hydration pack filled with water so I'd have both hands free for climbing. I pulled a couple of things from my purse, including lip gloss and a pen, and stuck them in the pack.
The faint trail rose through the center of the formation on steep, slick rock. The only way to tell the path was by cairns spaced along the way. Over the years, hikers had etched holds into the rocky face. We used our hands, feet, and occasionally our knees, to make the climb.
I leaned against a boulder to catch my breath, and studied the thin spires looming above the trail.
"Geologists call those skinny pieces volcanic intrusions," Rumor said, stopping to pull bandanas from her pack and wetting them. "Most of the area was once an ancient seabed with subsurface volcanoes. When they erupted, molten magma forced its way into cracks of the sandstone. Over time, the softer rock wore away, leaving these volcanic spires."
I wiped my face with the cool cloth and considered Kamaria's comments the evening before last. "Besides turning the soil this bright red, a high iron content attracts lightning. The iron plus the shape would explain the strikes." I turned to Rumor. "Kamaria says it has magical energy. What do you think?"
"She's not the only one who feels the area is unusual," Rumor said. "The Native people think those rock spires work like satellite antenna, connecting to one of those mountains out in the middle of the valley called Vision Butte. Tribal medicine men have used the site for hundreds of years for vision quests and ceremonies. Cathedral is state land, but Vision Butte was decreed sacred. No non-Native visitors."
"Do you know which one is Vision Butte?"
Rumor shrugged. "No
Nicholas' groin muscles clenched and surged with heat in response to her dance. He cursed his weakness but did not look away. A sleek raven glided onto the pinon branch, shaking its wet wings in agitation, drawing his eyes away from the dancing woman.
In the shadows below the tree, a figure watched Samantha, his eyes full of her. The man Nicholas hunted.
Chapter 4: Song of the Ancients
The cellphone on my bedside table began to vibrate just before sunrise. The shop was closed on Sunday and Monday, so it couldn't be work. I put it to my ear and cleared my throat.
" Good morning Starshine. " Rumor warbled. "Get up, get dressed, wear your boots, we're going hiking."
I groaned. "Did your parents teach you every old hippie song they knew? You'd better be bringing coffee."
Barely an hour later we were in the convertible, sipping lattes and watching the rising sun turn the red rocks other-worldly crimson. The towering formations enclosed the town like the ruins of an ancient fortress wall. I could understand why the locals said they had supernatural power.
When Kamaria had first mentioned magical energy, I'd scoffed. But since the full moon ritual, I'd been undecided about energy and magic. Maybe there was unusual power here.
I pulled a brochure out of my bag, brandished my latte toward the red mountain in front of us, and lectured in my best peppy, tour-guide voice. "According to local lore, Cathedral Rock is one of five major vortexes in Sedona. Each site has its own personality. Some radiate male, yang energies, active and energizing. Others are female, calming and tranquil yin."
I studied Cathedral Rock. Definitely male. It looked like a larger rock wall had been blasted apart, leaving vaguely phallic slivers of rock jutting through the center.
Rumor pointed to a flat spot between two spires. "Up there is where we're going. It's steep but only about two miles round trip."
She parked near the bottom of the formation and handed me a hydration pack filled with water so I'd have both hands free for climbing. I pulled a couple of things from my purse, including lip gloss and a pen, and stuck them in the pack.
The faint trail rose through the center of the formation on steep, slick rock. The only way to tell the path was by cairns spaced along the way. Over the years, hikers had etched holds into the rocky face. We used our hands, feet, and occasionally our knees, to make the climb.
I leaned against a boulder to catch my breath, and studied the thin spires looming above the trail.
"Geologists call those skinny pieces volcanic intrusions," Rumor said, stopping to pull bandanas from her pack and wetting them. "Most of the area was once an ancient seabed with subsurface volcanoes. When they erupted, molten magma forced its way into cracks of the sandstone. Over time, the softer rock wore away, leaving these volcanic spires."
I wiped my face with the cool cloth and considered Kamaria's comments the evening before last. "Besides turning the soil this bright red, a high iron content attracts lightning. The iron plus the shape would explain the strikes." I turned to Rumor. "Kamaria says it has magical energy. What do you think?"
"She's not the only one who feels the area is unusual," Rumor said. "The Native people think those rock spires work like satellite antenna, connecting to one of those mountains out in the middle of the valley called Vision Butte. Tribal medicine men have used the site for hundreds of years for vision quests and ceremonies. Cathedral is state land, but Vision Butte was decreed sacred. No non-Native visitors."
"Do you know which one is Vision Butte?"
Rumor shrugged. "No
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