The Changeling Princess

The Changeling Princess

A Young Adult Novel

By

Jackie Shirley

The Changeling Princess

Copyright © 2013 Jackie Shirley

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks to Carol von Raesfeld (The von Raesfeld Agency, Henderson, NV) for her editing assistance.

Without her support and encouragement, none of my novels

would have been published. I am forever in her debt.

My thanks to Dorothy Hardy for the fabulous cover design.

You have brought the changeling princess to life.

MAJOR CHARACTERS

Janis French, Changeling. Member of the Vascadon Clan

Wade Wilson, Witch. Member of the Zandar Clan

Sherri Brown, Changeling. Janis’s best friend. Member of the Dustan Clan

William and Betty French. Parents of Janis French.

Pauline French, Janis’s grandmother. Member of the Vascadon Clan

Missy and Izzy, Janis
’s adorable housecats

MINOR CHARACTERS

Mildred Wilson, Witch. Wade Wilson
’s aunt. Member of the Zandar Clan

Bruce Dalton, Changeling. Sherri
’s boyfriend. Member of the Aston Clan

James French, Pauline
’s husband, Changeling. Member of the Vascadon Clan

Richard and Martha Greer. Janis
’s grandparents. Members of Vascadon Clan

Ezra and Ezell. Evil Warlock twins and members of the Bosdo Clan

Ms. Forbs, Mist. Member of the Bosra Clan

CHARACTERS FROM THE PARALLEL UNIVERSE

Drog and Zanza, residents of Castle Town

Gorbra, ruler of Castle Town

Queen Neela, evil Witch. Ruler of Haven Town

Cayland, evil Sorcerer. Ruler of Cayland Town

Borgof, courageous leader of the Zema Witches Clan

Yolla, daughter of Borgof

Andra, High Priestess of the Zema Clan

Princess Meea, Fairy Queen of the Enchanted Forrest.

The Senior Elder in the Forest of the Mistazoids

King Tabia, evil ruler of the Kingdom of the Dragon Riders

Kazanza, majestic Dragon, ruler of Kazanza Island

Ishba, Keeper of the Records at Crystal Island.

Queen Subaza, evil ruler of the Kingdom of Vadraza.

Nardo, Queen Subaza’s evil brother.

INTRODUCTION

Stories of humans with extraordinary powers have existed since the dawn of recorded history. One such power was the ability for humans to transform their shapes at will. These humans came to be known as “Changelings” or “Shape Shifters.”

Another unusual power was the ability to mix plant and animal parts to make powerful potions to unlock the secrets of nature. These humans came to be known as
“Witchmans” now commonly referred to as “Witches.”

The most unique power was the ability to morph into mist and float through the air. These early humans were called
“Mistazoids,” but they eventually came to be known as “Mists.”

The human race prospered and populated every livable surface on the planet. Humans with special abilities remained small in number and kept their powers a closely guarded secret. All that remains in the twenty-first century are the fairy tales that parents read to their children.

This is a story of a young girl Changeling who is plucked from a life of mediocrity and endowed with the skills of the ancient Ivarrs, legendary warriors with unimaginable powers. When the Changeling is paired with a powerful male Witch, the young warriors prepare themselves for battle against an invasion of Demon hordes from a Parallel Universe. When the Portal of Darkness is opened, the fate of the entire human race rests solely on their shoulders.

CHAPTER 1

The horde of evil creatures was never-ending. I attacked the first dragon rider, severing the dragon’s head with one swipe of my sword. The dragon fell to the ground, but the rider morphed into black smoke and flew back into the Portal. The three remaining dragon riders flew high into the air and began cracking their whips in unison. The air was filled with gargoyles and all kinds of strange-looking creatures, surrounding me from all directions.

I sat straight up in bed.
Wow!
I said to myself.
I’ve had a lot of strange dreams, but this one was really far out.

I wasn
’t going to let the dream bother me. Today was special because it was the 21st of January 1960, the day before my sixteenth birthday. I couldn’t see into the future, but it was an exciting time to be alive. Many Americans believed that the 60s were going to be the dawn of a golden age.

Missy, my gray tabby, was lying at the foot of my bed. She looked up for a moment as if to say,
‘Why are we up so early?’ She did a little stretch before she curled back into a ball and closed her eyes.

I leaped out of bed and headed straight for the mirror on my dressing room table. The first thing I did was turn sideways and gaze at my shoulder length auburn hair. I took a deep breath and said to myself
,
I want my hair to be longer
. I smiled as I watched my hair grow all the way down to my waist—a length I had never before obtained. I laughed and Missy raised her head again. My morning was off to a great start.

Next on my agenda was changing the color of my hair. I took another deep breath and focused on a single thought.
I want my hair to be darker.
I watched as my auburn hair slowly darkened until the color resembled a shiny piece of coal. “This is fantastic!” I sputtered out loud. I placed my hand over my mouth, but I couldn’t stop giggling. I was really happy with my progress.

My final test was to try to make myself invisible. I cleared my head and went into deep concentration
. I want to be invisible
. I watched as my body become more and more transparent. I could see right through myself, but I wasn’t invisible.

I broke my concentration and everything returned to normal. I was no longer transparent and my hair receded up to my shoulders. The color returned to auburn, but I didn
’t care. I wasn’t crazy about being a brunette anyway. I really liked having my hair down to my waist, but it was out of the question. I’d have no way of explaining the sudden growth to my classmates at school. I could just see some stupid girl yanking on my hair because she wanted to show everyone I was wearing a wig. I turned my head and saw that Missy had crawled to the head of the bed and curled up on my pillow. It was obvious she wasn’t interested in anything but sleeping.

I was born Janis Ann French in 1944 in Charleston, South Carolina. I am the only child of William and Betty French. I stand five-feet-five and I weigh 120 pounds. I
’m nice looking, but I can’t compete with girls who are drop dead gorgeous. I never gave it a second thought because being a raving beauty wasn’t really important to me.

I always made it a point to blend in with the crowd. It
’s extremely important that none of my classmates knew that I possessed unusual abilities. Amongst my family’s Clans, I’m known as a Changeling, a shape-shifting creature that can change its shape at will. Changelings are popular in fairy tales and horror stories, but none of my classmates have the slightest idea we’re real.

I was born into a family of Changelings and we are members of the Vascadon Clan. At a very young age I noticed that I could do things other children couldn
’t.

“
You must be very careful,” my mother told me. “Don’t show off in front of your friends by doing anything to alter your appearance. If your friends know what you can do, they’ll think you’re a freak.”

When I was very young, there wasn
’t a lot I could do to change my shape. I managed to get rid of some ugly freckles and I was able to make my ears a little smaller. I also liked to eat and I was able to keep myself from looking chubby. Oh, what my girlfriends wouldn’t give to have that special ability! I’ve always been a happy child and I’ve never given a second thought to the fact that I’m different than other kids. I like having a secret and every day is like playing a special game with my friends. I know I could do things to show off, but I’d never do anything to hurt anyone’s feelings. My parents are extremely proud of me.

*
* *

I made a beeline for the kitchen and rummaged through the pantry. I finally decided on a bowl of shredded wheat, but I cut back on the sugar to keep my weight down. I had just sat down to eat when my mother walked into the kitchen.

“You’re up early this morning, Jan. Excited about your birthday tomorrow?”

“
I sure am, Mom. I keep thinking about my sixteenth birthday and I couldn’t go back to sleep. What time will Dad be home today?”

“
He’s leaving work at noon. He’s taking the rest of the day off because he knows you have a million questions. We’ll spend the entire day with you and then we’ll all take a nap. We want to be alert for your midnight ritual of maturity.”

My thoughts were running wild as I tried to envision the midnight ritual. All I had been told was that at the stroke of midnight on my sixteenth birthday, I would inherit my full shape-shifting powers. Some scary thoughts entered my mind, but I
’d always been told my abilities were a blessing. My parents had only issued one stern warning: “Never, under any circumstances use your abilities for evil. The wickedness will consume you and will end up destroying you.”

“
The thought never entered my mind, Mom. I would never want to hurt anyone.”

“
I’m glad to hear that. Did you notice anything different this morning? Some of your new abilities may be beginning to take root.”

“
I sure did. I grew my hair all the way down to my waist and then I turned it jet black. It didn’t last very long because I lost my concentration.”

“
That’s to be expected. Your abilities should mature after the midnight ritual of maturity.”

“
I know, but the important thing is to be able to keep them under control. It would be a disaster if I ended up doing something stupid and exposed my new powers to my classmates.”

“
The fact that you’re talking about it is a good sign. It shows how mature you are. Your father and I are very proud of you.”

I couldn
’t resist smirking. “I guess I’m a wonderful daughter. You and dad are really lucky to have a terrific child like me.”

My humor caused my mother to laugh.
“You have a great sense of humor, but I also know you’re very mischievous. I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of some smart-mouthed girl who decided to pick on you. You could make her life miserable.”

“
You never picked on anyone, did you, Mom? 1 bet you were an angel when you were in high school.”

My mother tried to conceal her grin, but the look on her face was a dead giveaway.
“You’re hiding something, aren’t you, Mom? Come on, tell me about it.”

“
Well, there was this one girl who was really nasty. Her favorite pastime was telling lies about people behind their backs.”

“
And you taught her a lesson, right?”

Mom was still trying to contain her composure.
“Kinda.”

“
Kinda how?”

“
Well, she had some embarrassing warts she kept covered and I found a way to expose them.”

“
I bet you used your shape shifting-skills and exposed her warts.”

My mother laughed.
“Yes, I guess I couldn’t help myself. They called her ‘Warthog’ after that and no one listened to anymore of her lies.”

“
I love it! I always knew you had a mischievous streak in you too.”

“
Okay, I admit it, but you’re playing with fire when you use your powers for your own personal gain. More than one Changeling has been run out of town because the townspeople thought they were in league with the devil.”

“
I would never do anything to make you ashamed of me, Mom.”

My mother and I had always had a wonderful relationship. I was going to do my best to make sure it stayed that way.