Hi, guys! I've decided to give y'all a sneak peek of the next book–the second part of The Curse of Poseidon–and give y'all a little more information about Ash! I've done so much work for these books, and I want to share almost everything I've done with them without giving away spoilers. So, here we go! Enjoy the sneak peek! Remember, this was written in 11th grade, so it's not the best. But I still had fun with it!
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Visiting the crab dock came before the ruthless training session. Caleb didn’t mind at all returning and showing the ghost, Evelyn, and Ash around it. Makenna, on the other hand, needed some time to think. While Caleb distracted Ash, Evelyn, and the ghost, she journeyed to the crab dock’s original dock – the right one – and sat down. Putting her dress over her knees, Makenna pulled them in close to her body and stared at the estuary. Raeven and Silvey felt that the situation with Ash was bothering her, so they joined her on the dock. Raeven perched up on the fairy’s shoulder, quieter than usual, and Silvey had her bum plopped down right next to hers. She wrapped her feelers around Makenna’s wrist, and they together studied the estuary. After about five minutes of quiet time, with the exception of Caleb’s excited voice in the background, the Metamorphic Fairy turned her head and glanced at the fairy dog.
Lifting her hand, she scratched Silvey gently behind the ears and asked her, “Who am I, Silvey?” Her voice was gloom. Makenna obviously wasn’t very happy, not after learning the brain injury she gave Ash was fatal. She also missed Tracey like crazy. She hadn’t even been able to apologize to him after he accidentally destroyed hers, his, and Merlin’s breakfast on Coutarine Island. That felt like ages ago, but it was really only a few days. A wave of negative energy suddenly zapped through Makenna’s body like lightning, and under her breath, she whispered, “Tracey. He-He’s in trouble.”
“You okay, Ma-Makenna?” a voice suddenly asked behind her. It was Ash. Evelyn and the ghost were still with Caleb on the crab dock’s wooden overlook. Before Makenna answered the Wizard Fairy, she thought back to all the times she lied. This was one crisis where she had to be honest.
With a shake of her head, she said, “No,” and turned her body so she could look at Ash, “It’s Tracey. I feel he is in trouble, terrible trouble. If it wasn’t for me…” She stopped though midway through her sentence when she saw Ash, “Oh, Ash.” Ash looked even worse than he did an hour ago. This totally reminded Makenna of what happened to Tracey last year when he was dying.
Ash’s entire body, from head to toe, had paled to the point that it almost looked white. He appeared to be even more distant than before. Crusader was in the scabbard on his back with his shield, but even the scabbard and shield itself had turned pale. Time was running out for Ash.
After examining her friend up and down for a little bit, Makenna stood and came within reach of him. She took his shoulders so she could look into his blue eyes. Unlike the rest of his body, they had not turned pale. They shone the bright blue they were before she hurt him. Makenna took Ash’s shoulders and started to frantically bat him up and down: on his chest, tummy, arms, and face.
As she did this, she frightfully said, “We’ve got to get you to the hospital!”
Ash tried to stop her, “Makenna,” but Makenna continued, “I can’t let you die! You’re too young!”
“Look at me,” calmly spoke Ash, and he took her by the wrists, “Ca-Calm down. I-I’m okay. It’s not me-me that matters right now; it’s your trai-training. We’re going to sta-start it right here, and then we-we’ll take it to the beach. Do you understand?”
“But…” Makenna protested.
“Do you understand?” Ash asked her again, “My friend back on Cou-Coutarine Island, the Wi-Wizard Fairy, would pro-probably say the sa-same thing.”
“How am I supposed to travel to the Triangle though when we haven’t even seen him yet?” frightfully spoke the Metamorphic Fairy, “I’ve wasted enough time, Ash, and it’s now costed you your life! If I travel back to Coutarine Island myself and seek out the Wizard Fairy, then maybe he can save you!” Of course! Why didn’t she think of that before? If what she heard about the Wizard Fairy was true, then surely he would be able to save Ash! With this thought in mind, Makenna ripped her wrists free from his grasp and sprinted towards the other end of the dock.
A tiny gasp was heard from its ramp, and then the voice of Evelyn yelled, “Stop her!” at Ash, but it was too late.
Fifteen-year-old Makenna Delling dove off the dock and landed right in the estuary! Even though she couldn’t fly yet because of the Sunset Delay spell, she could still swim. Luckily, it was high tide. The estuary led to the ocean, so it literally was her one-way ticket back to Coutarine Island. She had to do this. Ash’s life, as well as Tracey’s, depended on her. Makenna kicked her legs and swam quickly through the estuary. Crabs crawled around on the sand below her and tried to pinch her, but they failed every time.
Back on the crab dock, Ash, Silvey, and Raeven ignored the new group of people walking down the crab dock’s path with buckets, nets, and fishing rods and hurried up the dock’s ramp. Ash grabbed Evelyn in the process and set her down on his shoulder. Raeven landed on his head.
Ash sprinted towards the overlook when they reached the top of the ramp and yelled at his friends, “We’ve got to stop her!” Everybody nodded in agreement, even Raeven. Seeing them, the approaching group of people froze right on their tracks and stared. Ash grabbed hold of the overlook’s rail and started up the staircase.
He, Raeven, Silvey, and Evelyn joined Caleb and the ghost at the top and quickly explained to them what happened. “She’s crazy!” Caleb yelled, “We can’t let her swim to Coutarine Island with the Octopus Man on the loose! We’ve got to stop her!”
Nodding, Ash peered down on his pale body and clenched his fists. It took some time, but finally, he was outlined by faint, green magic and lifted into the air.
Silvey extended her feelers and flapped her little wings. She soon hovered next to Ash. Nodding at him, she watched as Raeven and Evelyn hopped off the dock and also started to hover. Together the fairy dog, Wizard Fairy, Megabat, Evelyn, and even the ghost flew forward, over the marsh and towards the ocean. They almost left Caleb behind.
On the crab dock’s overlook, he lifted his hand and yelled at them. The ghost was the only one who heard him. He gasped at the sight of Makenna’s brother stranded on the overlook and immediately returned to it. He wrapped his arms around Caleb’s belly and lifted him into the air. Caleb’s eyes widened as he lugged him in the direction of the others. Behind, the group of people who had come to the crab dock for some fishing appeared on the overlook’s deck and watched as they flew away. Nobody spoke. They couldn’t. This was too remarkable to be true. Finally, after about a minute or two, a young man lifted his hand and waved goodbye to the group. His wife stared at him.
With Silvey and Raeven at his side, Ash left the crowd and soared down to the estuary. A Great Blue Heron in flight almost ran into them, but they moved out of the way just in time. When Ash, Silvey, and Raeven reached the estuary, they soared over the water and searched for Makenna. Yet, she was nowhere to be seen. Ash moved a bit slower than Silvey and Raeven. He seemed to be a bit more tired. Just ten minutes into the flight and already he was out of breath, but he tried to get it back. “Wha-What’s going on?” he frightfully asked. As soon as he said that, all Hell broke loose. The light surrounding his body faded, and he splashed into the estuary. Splash!
Silvey whirled around when she heard this and barked, “Ash!”
“There she is!” Raeven suddenly yelled from the front of the line. Lifting his claw, he pointed at the water. There was Makenna. She swam close to the estuary’s surface, kicking her legs as fast as she could, and didn’t see Raeven flying over her. The friends were approaching a kayak with a fisherman in it who was fishing. His radio was playing, and he hummed along to a song as he dropped his lure into the water. Seeing him, Raeven immediately started to freak out, “Mayday! Mayday! Fisherman at six o’clock ahead!”
Silvey paid no attention to him. Right now, her focus was on Ash. Still hovering, she extended her feelers into the warm water. They wrapped around Ash’s arms and pulled him to surface.
As soon as his head broke out of the water, he coughed and yelled at his friend in a choked voice, “Sil-Silvey! My-My pow-powers! So-Something’s wrong with my-my pow-powers!”
“Try flying again.” Silvey gently told him, and Ash did, but he only failed. The faded, green light surrounded his body for a split second, but then it started to flicker. After a few more flickers, it went out completely.
Ash suddenly let out an excruciating yell. He clutched his head as hard as he could, “My head!” Shaking it, faded, green sparkles bounced off his hair and fell into the estuary. The pain grew worse and worse. “AHHH!!” Ash screamed at the top of his lungs. His head started to slip back underwater, but Silvey made sure that didn’t happen. She couldn’t pull him out of the water though; he was too heavy. Right in front of her eyes, her friend’s skin paled even further, to the point it actually was white. Just before she could give up hope, a figure emerged under Ash and took him off her hands. It was Makenna!
She heard Ash’s cry and immediately rushed back to help him. “Don’t worry, Silvey!” she called to the fairy dog, “I’ve got him.”
“We’ve got to get him out of the water.” Silvey shakily spoke back through telepathy, “But how? It’s high tide. No random sandbar is going to appear here for now.”
“Relax.” Makenna spoke in a calm voice, “I did hear a canoe washed up on the sandbanks around here during our last storm. Half of it is supposed to be in the marsh. If we can find it, we’ll be able to pull it out and put Ash inside.”
A flapping sound was heard, and Raeven joined the party, “Um, guys, before we deal with this random canoe, what do you think we should do about that fisherman?” Here, he held out his claw again to point out the kayak and continued, “Should I give him a good Megabat Swapping Special Sandwich? How about the Raeven Special? I’m up for anything.” He shouldn’t have said that though because before he knew it, both Makenna and Silvey cracked evil smiles and glanced at him. Raeven froze at the sight of their faces and stumbled back a few feet, “Uh oh.”
“‘Uh oh’ indeed.” Makenna told him, “Remember that day on Folly Beach, Raeven, when you wreaked havoc in McKevlin’s Surf Shop? Why not do the same here?”
Raeven lifted his foot and glanced down on it like he was looking at a wristwatch, “Oh darn it all! Would you look at the time?! It’s time for my nap!” He tried to fly away, but Makenna’s voice stopped him.
It changed from evil to desperate. “Raeven, please,” she begged, “Ash is dying. You do not even realize how serious his brain injury is. I don’t know how much longer he’s going to last if we don’t help him. Look at him.”
Raeven’s dark eyes shifted from her to the pained, white figure in her arms. He couldn’t say no to that. After a moment of silence, he finally took a deep breath and said, “All right. I’ll try.”
Apparently those words were the best words Makenna’s heard all day because she cracked a smile. Silvey did too.
Above them, Caleb, Evelyn, and the ghost stopped and confusingly peered down. What on Earth was going on?
With a nervous look on his furry face, Raeven turned to face the fisherman and gulped.
Makenna soon gave him a gentle push forward and said, “Go on. We don’t have all day.”
“Give me a minute! Geez!” Raeven sounded quite annoyed by her probing. Finally, he flapped his wings and soared towards the boat the fisherman sat in. Makenna, Silvey, Caleb, Evelyn, and the ghost watched from behind.
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Who is Ash (Coutarine’s Greatest Warrior)?
Overview:
Ash is a mysterious character who appears in Metamorphosis 2 and is mentioned in Metamorphosis 3 and 4. He’s an eighteen-year-old Scottish, carefree, wingless Wizard Fairy who lives on Coutarine Island with his horse, Harmony. Ash was trained by Selene, and he helps protect both the Human and Fairy worlds from dangerous threats.
Like Tracey, he lost his wings due to an infection, after a hailstorm shattered them and took his family away. He was only seven years old when that happened and was temporarily an orphan until Selene took him in...kind of like Tracey with Merlin. Unlike Tracey, though, Ash does not mind not having wings. As long as he has his sword and shield, he’s cool. He helps Makenna and Tracey get started on their journey to defeat the Octopus Man (Poseidon).
Ash was born in a fairy realm in the Highlands of Scotland. Aside from being mostly Scottish, he also has a bit of Celtic in his background. His accent is very distinct, so it is sometimes hard to understand him. He is known as “Coutarine’s Greatest Warrior.”
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Personality:
Ash is a clumsy, carefree, young fairy who always tries to add a positive thought to dire situations. However, he can be very serious about his job, because he knows he has very high expectations. He cares greatly for both the Fairy and Human worlds.
Ash struggles around women and other magical beings and people. He fears that he’ll make a fool of himself. He quickly warm up to Makenna and Tracey because of their similarities and ages. He likes being around other teenagers and people in their early twenties. He becomes good friends with Tracey, because Tracey has a dream to someday be a Wizard Fairy like him. Ash used to be just like him. He’s not extremely calm and ninja-like like Tracey, but he is a very skilled fighter. Therefore, Ash has attributes compared more to those of a knight rather than a ninja. He’s very wise and responsible.
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Skills:
Ash has knight-like skills. He’s exceptionally good around horses, and he’s an expert when it comes to archery and swordsmanship. He can navigate places easily by simply listening to nature. He also has a talent for botany. He loves his sword and shield. He’s almost never seen without them. He actually loves his shield more than his sword.
Ash knows almost everything about horses. He can speak to them and figure out what they are thinking. In a way, Ash himself is a horse whisperer. He learned all his skills and magic from Selene’s training.
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