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  s

  BOUND

  By

  BLOOD

  THE AWAKENING

  By

  C.H. SCARLETT

  BOUND BY BLOOD Copyright © 2009/2012 by Casey Harris/L.A.Harris/C.H.Scarlett All rights reserved. All rights reserved, except for use in promotional review, the reproduction or use of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, by technologies now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the Author, Casey Harris, Swoope, Virginia, 24479. [email protected] The story is fictional. Names, places and any similarity to persons living or dead are entirely coincidental. Cover Art © 2001/2009/2012 Casey Harris

  C.H. SCARLETT/CASEY HARRIS 2001/2009/ 2012

  This book is dedicated to…

  My children, Justice Steele, Storm Lee, and Serenity Spring

  Without you, I wouldn’t have tried so hard.

  *

  My husband Jeff,

  For being patient and not complaining when supper never hit the table because I was writing.

  *

  To the original Crone, everything a best friend, a spiritual sister, could be and more, Janice C. aka Zeus

  Because you believed in me and forced me to believe in myself.

  *

  ~GLOSSARY~

  Awakening ~ Every female Vii must undergo an Awakening. The period that this happens in may vary. When it does happen, the Vii’s body and mind undergo dramatic changes. Her body enters stasis for three nights; a metamorphosis of sorts occurs while her beast and female spirit become one. Her birthright, powers, and prophecies explode into being. See Awakener. See Vii.

  Awakener~ Every Vii has an Awakener. It is a particular mate; who is called to her once her body releases a scent, which is a signal that the time of her Awakening has come. The Awakener will use blood and a bonding ritual that will invoke her true nature within. See Awakening. See Vii.

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  Banes ~ means weaknesses

  Beal- Tene ~ An annual festival announcing the coming of spring, rebirth, and fertility-- when many of TEŔAH join together knowing that they are all connected through the Great Goddess and God. It was symbolic of all species, clans, and bloodlines joining. It was symbolic of a magical unity of realms.

  Beast ~ Can refer to an animal that an immortal shares soul with, or can refer to just an animal, such as a horse.

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  Cryptos ~ Their bodies leak a poisonous gas. Their blood and excretions are known to poison and destroy vegetation. Their forms are rotting corpses with skin still attached, dried, tightened, and shrunken to the bones.

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  Dark Matter ~ The essence of evil. Much of it is still a mystery but it is known that it works like a plague, poisoning one’s spirit and soul, making one’s being evil. If something is born strictly from Dark Matter, it has no soul. Dark matter has been known to destroy universes, worlds.

  Dim, dimming ~ the ability for an immortal to mute or overshadow the things about themselves that make them stand out as immortal. For example, they may dim their energy so that it is not noticed by others of the same or a different breed. Or they may dim their eyes so that they do not glow. It helps them blend in and be unnoticed.

  Drãelac ~ an evil spirit who lacks flesh but hungers for it. It possesses the flesh and without flesh, it has no true form.

  Drągýn ~ equivalent to earth’s Dragon.

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  Essence ~ the fire that resides in the blood and spirit of anything having life. The fire of emotion, of energy.

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  Fãeŕé ~ creatures which can be compared to an earth’s Fairy. They are only a few inches in height. They wear transparent pastel colors that sparkle with or without the light. Trails of Fãeŕé dust are dispersed from their energy and softly cascade downward. They love to free fall and they live among poisonous flowers that predators instinctively avoid.

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  Hadãe ~ is the fire and cleansing realm of the underworld. The deceased can pass through the fires of Hadãe in order to be cleansed from their old life and prepare for a new one. Viis can go here to renew themselves until they gain the gift of Awakening. Hadãe is considered to be the Essence of the Goddess.

  Half Breeds ~ These come into being when one of Evil breeds with something other than a pure Evil bloodline, for example, if one of Evil breeds with a Phãegen. What comes of it is something which cannot sustain the power of Evil so they have more weaknesses. For instance they cannot complete a shift nor can they control their minds when they have shifted. (See Lessers)

  Hysŕa ~ the master bloodline of horses, winged horses, and horned horses.

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  Imprint~ Anything using energy has an imprint, especially where magic or power is concerned. It’s like a finger print, a particular energy specific to each and every living thing. Immortals can pick up on this and track power to its original source.

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  Laying Claim ~ This can be done physically or in name only. It is a rite of power over a person allowing others to know that they belong to one of power, are under their protection and are linked to their powers.

  Lessers ~ Lower than a half breed. They are usually what arises when a Half Breed attempts to create something, either purposely or from the aftermath of their actions. They have little power and are usually the first to be the pawns of Evil because they are expendable

  Lycãon ~ Are but one clan of the twelve bloodlines. Those of the Lycãons were wolves, who share spirit with a Strygĩ man or woman. The beast in them dominates, as they keep secluded inside the borders of their mountainous realm, away from the other eleven families.

  Lyderk ~ masterful creatures. They can appear as a person, animal or a bright shining ball of light like an orb. They hypnotize their victim by whatever image necessary, then drain them of all their essence or lights. They do this by tapping into their victim’s thoughts and the deepest part of their soul. When they can find no weakness in their prey, a means to tempt them with, the Lyderk change themselves into orbs of darkened light. The light serves as a default way to hypnotize an enemy.

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  Memoire doors ~ Ancient rooms much like a tomb, which hold the secrets of individuals of great power or importance. Someone who is guided can enter these rooms and watch the past play before them like a movie. Sometimes ones of power keep precious things here or things which hold great power.

  Moppãe ~ children. A breed is called this when they are the youngest species compared to their master bloodline or the world around them.

  Madness ~ Some immortals begin to suffer from this and it is greatly feared. It affects each one differently but the source of it is believed to be the Dark Matter, either directly or indirectly.

  Mulra ~ They were once Phãegens who had been turned by one of Evil’s many Vampére breeds. Since they had died violently and were usually already weak minded and mentally disturbed, once awakened to their new nature, their minds would become prisoner to that moment of violence. They looked like Phãegens, however their afflictions or wounds, caused at the time of their mortal death, stayed with them. They traveled closely allied with the Obryss.

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  Noŕa~ lesser. They are about five feet high and are usually bald or balding. They usually run around on all fours and can make themselves invisible especially when they feel threatened. They are perverse Lessers who once were human. They were unfortunate enough to have been turned by an Evil Vampére or to have survived an attack. It is hard to know what he or she looked like before they became a mutant, trapped between what used to be human and what was not meant to be evil.

  NORSŔAH ~ The
y live in the Realm of the Chrystalis and are the master bloodlines of the Phãegens. It is said that they are the guardians of the universe. They protect and feed the Realm of Chrystalis, which keep the energies TEŔAH moving properly.

  Nosufur ~ Highly intelligent, devious, and Evil. They are born of Dark Matter. They are ruthless killers who just do so for sport. They have absolutely no body hair, skin which ranges from gray to stark white, and have fangs like a snake which hold venom.

  Nosophoros ~ Nosophoros means they are plague carriers, which is exactly what they do, carry a plague that kills mortals and slowly kills immortals. They lay eggs to create new spawn if they have enough corpses rotting to feed them through their generational process. They are much larger than the Noras and just as fast. However, their skin is weaker which means in battle, they are easily punctured. They have no healing ability which means their blood, black ooze, seeps out and poisons whatever it touches. If a warrior is cut in battle and the blood infects it, the warrior will slowly die, painfully. Their venom can paralyze their prey so that they can eat and feed on them alive. Their prey feels everything.

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  Mist ~ (also called vapor) is a means of transportation by an immortal. They simply dissolve into light moisture, a mist, in order to go from one place to the next.

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  Pagães ~ truths which have been hidden by those of power who wished them so.

  Pavŕa ~ Ancient word for father. Origins are unknown but suspected to be Phãegen.

  Phãegen ~ They are the Moppães (children) of nature. They worship a God and a Goddess. They are not immortal but can live for hundreds of years.

  Pridŕyk ~ The evil version of the Lycãons. Their souls are possessed with a Drãelac (see glossary) and are not true wolf.

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  Quickening ~ Happens during intercourse when the essence or energy of two immortals merges or when their souls intertwine. This causes the environment around them to change, their passions to heighten and the friction between the two to become something like euphoria. It is during this phase that a male may gain pleasure, direct contact with the energy of the Goddess through a female made in her image. For the greatest of all essence to be experienced, a female must be brought to this state so that the male can channel it from her.

  Obryss ~ constant blood drinkers. Even when their bellies are full they still have a need for more blood. They torment their victims by making loud sounds like a firecracker and frighten them by moving objects, much like a poltergeist. Sometimes they are confused with being nothing more than a poltergeist. Their shapes shift, from black shadowy mists to the seeming of small children crying out in the forests alone. It makes it difficult for their prey to attack them, since they seem to be innocent one minute and deadly in the next.

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  Sanies ~ blood that is corrupt or poisoned. It’s a word that when used, is a great insult, especially to someone who is of pure blood because it means that their blood or bloodline is tainted, unworthy.

  Sandalwood ~ A deep, earthy, musky scent which some immortal Strygĩ and Lycãon males naturally give off like cologne. It’s very intoxicating to females, almost addictive. The older and more powerful the male, the stronger the scent.

  Sephŕel ~ The Sephŕel are shy little creatures with golden skin, hair, eyes and wings. Males are silver. They stand about three feet high and are obsessed with spinning and weaving. They sing enchantments over the material they use, a type of web, which is released from their finger-clawed tips. While they sing the song of their spells, the web changes to thread, becoming strong, enchanted, and unbreakable.

  Shift, shifting ~ Changing from one form into another, for example, when a Lycãon changes from man to wolf.

  Skin Walkers ~They assume the identity of another by feeding from their flesh and blood. In this way, they are able to assume their image, voice and actions. They must continue to feed from the individual and the individual must be kept alive in order for the Skin Walker to hold on to their image.

  Strygĩ ~ A type of Vampyŕe. They have high metabolisms and burn energy quickly. They need essence to survive but if blood is not available then they can acquire it from other things such as the energy of trees, grass, and the world around them.

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  Templus ~ a temple.

  TEŔAH ~ is the universe and planet in which this story takes place. It is made up of realms and dimensions.

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  Vapor ~ (See Mist)

  Vampére ~ Evil Vampires whose soul is replaced or filled with Dark Matter. They never feel satisfied, and when hungry they become rabid and murderous.

  Vampyŕe ~ Vam- to drink and Pyre--fire: means to drink from fire. Essence is fire. They are not evil. Example-- Strygĩ

  Vaŕlok ~ live in tribes. They are the half-bred spawn of a Pridŕyk and another of a lesser evil. They cannot complete a full shift. When they do shift they may become trapped between man and wolf. Then their minds are lost to madness and they become rabid.

  Verms ~ furry worms used to predict the weather. If storms were coming, verms would go gray and stiff. If cold was coming, they would thicken and turn white. If warmth was on the horizon, then the Verms shed their fur and began spinning their cocoons.

  Vestibule of Scrolls ~ A place in the higher Realms where the history or (pagães) or written testaments are kept on each living thing, from their beginning to end. Since rarely anything is written in permanence, some things written in the scrolls are probability while other things are only hinted at since they have not yet come to be.

  Vii ~ a female having some gifts before she has experienced her Awakening. See Awakening.

  Vlachŕa ~ The most ancient and eldest of the Lycãon clan.

  ~Prologue~

  Somewhere between worlds . . .

  Time: Somewhere in the unknown, yet very far future

  The Crone moved slowly throughout the dark of the cavern. Her body wobbled against the ravages of realm and of time. Her eyes were wise regarding the folds of the world and all its many dimensions. Her thoughts were young, despite the reality of her condition, aware and awake to the truths spoken no more.

  The passion and truth of the old ways stirred within her ancient soul. She embraced the many pages of its truth, known not even to those who believed in them now. Such memories were fleeting, broken, and erased by the hands of power, which held claim over the many worlds in its present state.

  Yet she remembered. Yes, she remembered them always.

  And with such memory, she walked through the dark tunnels of the hidden caverns, silent and thinking. The ancient language carved on these walls told the stories of the past and of prophecies yet to come.

  How sad it was for beings to not know that they were here, these writings. Even the mortals, who explored these dark corridors, overlooked them--the hint of what was written forever in stone unnoticed and unseen.

  She realized it would be hard for them to witness the writing, since time’s cruel hand had eroded it so. But if one looked with a true heart and gifted eyes, the writing would emerge as new as the night it was carved there.

  The Crone’s heart was true, and her eyes were gifted.

  So what could the Crone see? Within the dark tunnels were hidden doors carrying the history of those of power and magic of long past, of those who helped shape this world and so many others.

  These were the stories of those who dedicated their lives to an ongoing battle, which still went on between the Veils and the worlds the Veils coveted. And those tales, those truths cried and whimpered against the dark . . . to be told once again.

  Memoire doors, which lined the dark corridors she traveled, are something like tombs, she mused, though without the bodies that normally would inhabit them. No, instead of bodies they held the truths of lives and of memories. They held the legend of their deeds and of the prophecies that were promised to come.

  Those who were like her needed great respect for the ones honored in this sacred place.

 
Without that, their saga could not be discovered. Their revelations would never be known. Their names and deeds would be forgotten . . . .

  The Crone felt the chill of the energy here. She bowed her head, lowering the torch in her hand. She had respect. She had honor. And she would never forget . . . .

  The young one with her joined in at the Crone's side. She had been curious about the stories the Crone told around the fire pits of her people. Perhaps she felt something already, stirring here, in the dark of this place.

  The Crone, feeling the young one’s anticipation, shook her staff toward the walls. A bright blue flame burned away the dust and corrosion. Slowly it faded into the blackening dim. A soft breeze blew through the caverns. It tickled the silvery strands of the Crone’s hair, brushing them against her gray cheeks. Her dark eyes began to softly spin a hoary light. It drifted across the walls in the pattern of a dainty web.

  The Crone said, “There was a time when mortal and immortal lived together in harmony. Realms opened to other realms. Portals were but an open entrance to the next dimension. The doorways between worlds were never closed. When the Great Goddess was heard clearly and had voice, when the Great God looked proudly down upon all living within the worlds and had for it an ear. When magic was alive and power was felt and known. Such things were known and cherished in the initiation of this universe. Such things are forgotten about now.” The Crone’s hardened face suffused with the wanting of yesterday. Her voice was haunting as she remembered a time that seemed forever ago. Her words expressed her memory. She yearned for when life was everlasting and beautiful. And she prayed for when life would be so again . . .