By Water Reborn : A Short Fantasy Romance

By Bargo, Holly, Ms.

Book Id: WPLBN0100000573
Format Type: PDF eBook:
File Size: 0.4 MB
Reproduction Date: 6/24/2017

Title:	By Water Reborn : A Short Fantasy Romance
Author:	Bargo, Holly, Ms.
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Fiction, Drama and Literature, Romance
Collections:	Authors Community, Romance
Historic Publication Date:	2017
Publisher:	Hen House Publishing

Member Page:	Karen Smith
Citation APA MLA Chicago Holly Bargo, B. M. (2017). By Water Reborn : A Short Fantasy Romance. Retrieved from http://www.self.gutenberg.org/

Description
This is a tale of honor and obligation, of instinct and restraint. When the fae huntsman Asher obeys a royal command to capture a mate for the prince, an elderly widow's life ends in water and is then transformed to youthful immortality by water. Dependent upon the huntsman who captured her, Gwen must come to terms with an afterlife that offers one very important choice: accept the huntsman or not. This short story contains mature content which may not be suitable for readers under 18 years of age.

Summary
This is a tale of honor and obligation, of instinct and restraint. When the fae huntsman Asher obeys a royal command to capture a mate for the prince, an elderly widow's life ends in water and is then transformed to youthful immortality by water. Dependent upon the huntsman who captured her, Gwen must come to terms with an afterlife that offers one very important choice: accept the huntsman or not. This short story contains mature content which may not be suitable for readers under 18 years of age.

Excerpt
Gwen inhaled the soft air, fragrant with the scent of lemon groves and some pretty pink and yellow flowers she didn’t recognize. As she climbed the well-groomed trail that led to the top of a scenic overlook, she wished Douglas could have been there with her on this long-anticipated holiday in sunny Italy. She sighed and paused to rest her aching knees and hips. Getting old sucked. She passed a young couple entwined around one another and taking advantage of the romantic ambiance of dappled shade scented with verdant growth and the distant rush of the sea. At the top of the hill, Gwen found a bench and took a seat, glancing back at the young couple and silently wishing them well. She and Douglas would have enjoyed an Italian honeymoon all those years ago, but they’d had to make do with a funky smelling cabin in a state park. The intervening years afterward offered no respite in the demand upon their modest incomes. Gwen sighed again, glad she had made this trip in honor of her deceased husband. She smiled and turned her face skyward as though worshiping the sun. “I’m here, Douglas, just like we planned,” she whispered. “It’s as beautiful as we imagined.” A warm breeze tossed her short gray hair and she raked the strands back with her hands. “I wish you were here with me.” As though he were, the breeze slid along her cheek in a soft caress. She sighed and decided to take comfort in the ethereal presence of what she fancied was her husband’s spirit. Unheeded, a single tear trickled down her cheek. Gwen quietly enjoyed the gorgeous view and absorbed the warm sunshine of late May on the Amalfi Coast. She assumed the shimmer making her eyes squint was just sunlight flashing off the Tyrrhenian Sea. From behind the shimmering portal between dimensions, Asher watched and waited. He’d felt her presence in the Old World the moment she stepped foot off the aircraft. So had Umberco. “She is not what I anticipated,” the prince murmured, his voice cool with disappointment. “She was born of humans, has lived as a human, and expected nothing but humanity for herself,” Asher replied. “She knows nothing else.” “She is old.” “Yet, given unto her true heritage, she may be reborn.” Umberco snorted. Asher watched and waited. He’d been sent to find this female and bring her to her true home—and Asher never failed a quest. Surely no mere human female could thwart him. “She must fall,” Umberco said finally. “She will rise soon and lean over the railing,” Asher said. “All tourists do. Patience, your Highness.” Umberco snorted again. As predicted, the woman rose from the bench. She dusted off her shorts and stretched to ease the kinks in arthritic joints and stiff muscles. The plump shape of her proclaimed her less than fit, a condition that never failed to puzzle the immortal fae who watched her, who knew nothing of aging metabolism and weaknesses. The woman inhaled deeply and, as expected, leaned over the railing to gaze upon the crashing waves below. Gwen grunted and toppled forward as something struck her forcefully between the shoulders. Her hands, weakened by age and arthritis, failed to prevent her from hurtling over the waist-high railing. A scream echoed against the rocky cliff and she realized it was hers even as certain death lay at the end of her long fall. She closed her eyes and cried out, “Douglas!” Pain, sharp and blinding, slammed through her body as she crashed into the sea. She did not hear the shouts and cries of concerned bystanders who watched helplessly as she plummeted toward death. Her mouth opened and saltwater rushed in, filling her lungs and belly. Just for a second, the tiniest sliver of time, Gwen’s eyes opened and she saw nothing but the blue green swirl of sunlit water above her. The fae portal shimmered just below her and Asher reached through. Grabbing a handful of her shirt, he yanked and found himself with an armful of wet, elderly, human female. “Is she dead?” Umberco inquired. “Yes.” “Has her soul departed?” “No.” “Good. Snare it before it does, else she’ll not survive the afterlife.”

Table of Contents
This is a short story with fewer than 9,000 words. It has no individual chapters.