Carnelian

By B. Kristin McMichael

Carnelian

Copyright © 2014 by B. Kristin McMichael

All rights reserved.

January 10th, 2014 Smashwords Edition

Lexia Press

P.O. Box 982

Worthington, OH 43085

ISBN-10: 0-9891218-6-0

ISBN-13: 978-0-9891218-6-6

Cover design: Alexandria N. Thompson

Cover Picture and necklace design:
Lunarieen

Editor: Kathie Middlemiss of Kat’s Eye
Editing

Proofing: Ashton M. Brammer

This book is licensed for your personal use
only. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
electronic or mechanical means without written permission of the
author. All names, characters, and places are fiction and any
resemblance to real, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

If you did not purchase this book or get it
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This book contains references to specific
brand-name products and/or trade names of products. These
brand-name products and/or trade names are trademarks or registered
trademarks and are property of their respective owners. Further,
references to specific brand-name products, companies, or trade
names do not imply that the owners of said products or companies
have endorsed this book.

Summary: Mari’s past is deeper than she ever
imagined. Going off to college opens her eyes to her past in time
for her to decide her future.

To Stand Beside Her

The Blue Eyes Trilogy

The Legend of the Blue
Eyes

Becoming a Legend

Winning the Legend

Day Human Trilogy

Day Human Prince (Spring
2014)

Day Human King (Fall
2014)

Chalcedony Chronicles

Carnelian

Chrysoprase (coming in
2014)

For William- Your time here was
too short. We met you and said goodbye on the same day. You will
forever be our little boy.

Prologue

In the dark
shadows cast by the torchlight, a young,
dark-haired man knelt before an altar. There was already a stone
statue sitting behind the lit candles. Methodically, he placed each
statue he had found over the past week beside the one already
there. He had called upon every god he could remember. His country
was at war with the east and with the south. Endless fighting ruled
the days and the nights. They were strong, but it wouldn’t be
enough. There would be no end. The current king had overthrown the
late king, and there was chaos from outside and from within his
country. Without an heir, the current king would not last long
either. Rulers were changing; beliefs were changing. Yet the change
didn’t bring peace. They were still at war. His country was
crumbling.

His personal guard stood at the entrance to
the cave. They were too far outside the city to be in a real
temple, but this cave was the closest he found. Even in the barren
desert, the people still worshiped their gods. His best friends
knelt beside him each on one side. The man to his left passed him
back the stone they had been carrying for the past few weeks. This
was their last chance. When they began their march again, it would
be to war.

The young man knelt and waited. His life was
devoted to his country. He would do anything possible to save the
people, his family. He kissed the deep red stone amulet crusted in
blood in his hand and he continued to pray. He bowed his head in
respects to the old gods, the overthrown gods, and the current
gods. He was pleading to anyone that could help him. Rubbing his
fingers over the smooth stone, he closed his eyes and kept
repeating the same line over and over.

“Gods, help us before it’s too late.”

Chapter 1

Welcome to
College

I had the
perfect idea of what going off to college would
be like. I’d move into the dorms on the first day I could. My
family would come and my mom would cry over me growing up;
especially since I was her only child. They would hang around, not
wanting to leave, and finally I’d have to shoo them all out,
reassuring them that I’d be okay. That’s how everyone pictures it
going. Yet, here I sat, a day late, staring at my new home for the
next four years, alone.

My mom and grandfather made the seven-hour
trip north with me from Chicago to Minneapolis, but Grandfather got
called away on business and my mom had to go with him. He was her
ride home after all. Grandfather was in the antique business and
had a lot of wealthy and powerful clients. I was used to them
calling him away at a moment’s notice by now. I drove the last two
hours to Lake Superior and Castor, the nice college town that
Morton Carole was in. I chose to go to school far away and now I
regretted it as I sat outside the campus dorms, debating my first
steps toward being grown up.

Independence. That’s what college was to me.
I’ve spent my entire life with my grandfather and mother, and yes,
my mother was the hovering type. I never was allowed to go on trips
with my friends, or even leave the city without her by my side. She
worried every day about my walk to school. She hated cars and was
afraid I’d get in an accident. Luckily, grandfather convinced her I
would need a car here at college, so I was not without wheels now.
She never seemed to lack for something to worry about.

Sitting in my used Civic, looking at the
massive dorms with people flowing everywhere, independence scared
the crap out of me. Right now, the one thing every recent high
school graduate wanted was staring me in the face, and I yearned to
give it back. I was turning out to be the most timid college
freshman in history. Thank you, Mom!

After taking a deep breath, I steadied my
growing nerves and finally turned off my car to go to the
registration table sitting outside. I gathered all the courage I
found and exited my car. The large square brick building in front
of me would be home for the next four years. It was intimidating
yet exciting at the same time. College was the peak of growing up,
and I couldn’t wait any longer. It was time to start a new chapter
in my life.

The registration table was set up with
several college students sitting around waiting. The fifteen-foot
walk to the table was excruciating. I felt like everyone that
passed was staring at me, the scared freshman. In reality, probably
no one even glanced my way. The official move-in day was the day
before, and I missed the opportunity to be lost in the masses of
new students. I was late on purpose. Figuring the crowds would be
less, I planned to arrive today with my grandfather and mother to
help. I crossed the parking lot and waited. A beautiful,
long-legged brunette sat talking to the girl next to her. They were
obviously friends, as the brunette kept talking and the other girl
kept nodding along, never getting a word in edgewise. I stood and
waited.

“I’m sure by the end of the week he will be
coming back to me. He always does. You know he can’t find anyone
better than me,” the brunette assessed.

Poor guy
, I wanted to add. I had grown up with girls like the one in
front of me. Everything about her was fake, from her eyelashes to
her boobs. Private school at St. Maria’s had prepared me for two
things at the same time: fake girls and dealing with the people you
never really want to be associated with. This girl was exactly
that.

I coughed to get their attention, I didn’t
need to learn more about the poor guy that the girl had her sights
set on. The brunette looked up, surprised that I was there.

“Marcella Navina,” I told the girl, pointing
to my name on the list.

“Oh, a new freshman,” the brunette said as
she held out her hand to the girl next to her. The second girl was
digging through a box looking for the correct key. Finally, she
found it and handed it to the brunette. “Welcome to Morton Carole.
If you need any help, feel free to ask. We’re all happy to help new
freshman.” I somehow doubted that. “You are in Murdley, which is on
the opposite side of the dorms here.” She said Murdley with
disgust, as if she couldn’t imagine who would want to be stuck in
the studious dorm. She held out her hand and her minion placed a
map in it. “You can either go through the courtyard, through the
connecting hallways, or around the outside to get there. Room 215.
Good luck, and welcome to college.” A smile was plastered across
her face, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I gave her my best fake
smile back as I took her keys and map. I didn’t really need the
map. I had already memorized it weeks ago.

Still within hearing distance while walking
away, I heard as the brunette added, “I hate freshman. They always
think they’re better than the rest of us. Did you see how she
talked down to us?” I had no choice but to talk down as they were
seated. She wasn’t the brightest, I guessed.

“I hate fake people,” I added under my
breath as I found my way back to my car.

I opened the trunk and looked at my few
belongings. I had packed only two suitcases and two boxes. Good
thing the dorms came furnished. I stared at my sparse possessions
and sighed. The fact that I was on my own for the first time was
starting to sink in. I looked ever my things, picked the lightest
box first, and took a deep breath. Time to walk the gauntlet.

It’s strange how you can pack your life into
such few boxes. It took me a total of three whole trips to my car
to bring my life into my new room. It also didn’t take long to
unpack it. In less time than it took to drive to my college, I was
moved in and officially now home. As strange as it was, this
ten-foot-by-ten-foot space with two beds, two dressers, and two
closets was now my home.

I sat on my bed and stared at the empty bed
across the room. My roommate, Sim, would arrive later today. She
had been gone all summer in India and would be later in arriving
than me. I was excited to meet her, but being alone didn’t bother
me. My mother and grandfather often left for short weekend trips
while I was growing up, always under the direct care of our maid.
Adding to it, the dorm website said that Murdley was the quiet
dorm, for those that wanted a bit of quiet in college. I didn’t
mind this in the least. In fact I didn’t get stuck in Murdley like
most of the students, I chose this dorm. I didn’t want to live in
the party dorm, Mordoch, which was on the opposite side of the
square from Murdley. The dorms at Morton Carole were actually four
buildings connected to form a square with an inner courtyard;
Murdley was one wall of the square with Mordoch on the opposite. I
was completely happy to find my room didn’t even face the inner
courtyard. I would get all the quiet I wanted in my room, and maybe
a little bit more.

Outside my window, which faced the campus’
winding paths that meandered between large, ancient trees, Morton
Carole students were wandering around. Most probably arrived
yesterday and were already making friends. I didn’t know a single
person attending Morton as I was miles away from home and all my
high school friends. It was a bit scary to start over, but it was
for the best. I was really only going to miss a few of my friends,
and they wouldn’t ditch me for going off to some small school in
the middle of nowhere.

As I puttered around my room, trying to find
something to do; a massive maple tree outside my window caught my
attention. It looked like the perfect reading tree. I could sit
outside and feel the breeze instead of being stuck in my stuffy new
home. I wandered down to the tree with my book under my arm. A
reading tree was exactly what I needed. I could find time to make
new friends and fit in later, after I got through my latest
novel.

I opened the book to where I left off. It
was new and the pages crisp. Most of my books were a bit tattered
from multiple readings, but not this one. It was the third in the
latest series I was hooked on. I bought it new when it came out two
days ago, and I was already almost finished with it.