Ambrosia's Story (8 page)

Serena and the pixies took to the air. Their
hearts felt heavy as they looked down at the burnt remains of what
had been home for so long.

When they reached the fire’s point of origin
there was no need for them to search further. Ambrosia’s father lay
on the ground just inside the fire line. His face and body were
covered in a layer of black ash.

Serena got just low enough to see that he was
still breathing, but very shallowly. His heartbeat was weak and she
knew that without immediate help he would not survive.

“Stay here and keep an eye on him,” Serena
told her pixies as she hurried back to fetch Mirabella.

* * * *

Mirabella, Ambrosia, Rom, Ellie and Bean
returned with Serena. Mirabella landed on top of Daniel McDonald's
stomach. She placed her hand on his chest. He has an awful lot of
smoke in his lungs. He is very weak, but I think I can help
him.”

Despite his years of cruelty Ambrosia could
not help, but want him to live.

“Ambrosia, I will use my powers to heal him.
It will take several hours to work. As soon as I do the healing
spell, we will place him upon Jollah’s back. Ellie can use a spell
to erase his memory. Jollah will leave him just inside the human
world and when he awakens, he will have no memory of any of this.
He will have no memory of you.”

“I understand,” Ambrosia said. “I wish I was
the one who could forget him. Please, Mirabella, just help
him.”

Mirabella hovered inches above Daniel
McDonald's body. She closed her eyes, spun slowly in a circle and
recited a healing spell:

Oh Goddess of Nature

Goddess of Light

Give unto me the power to make this
right.

I give the gift of health and life.

Mirabella stopped spinning and twirled her
wand in a complete set of circles. Fairy dust fell down onto Daniel
McDonald. Within moments, his breathing returned to normal and his
heartbeat strengthened.

Rom and Ambrosia struggled to get him onto
Jollah’s back. There were several failed attempts, but they were
finally able to get him situated.

Ellie stepped forward wand in hand. She
placed the glowing wand upon his forehead and said these words:

As I erase one letter away

You’ll forget the secret of the Mystical
Forest and forget you have a daughter today

And when the last letter is erased and
burned

Our secret to you will never return.

“It is done.”

“Thank you, Ellie. Majik, please lead Jollah
to the path that leads into the human world. Once there please
leave him somewhere he can easily be discovered,” Mirabella asked
of her friend.

Ambrosia watched them go. Despite the ruin
that surrounded her, she felt hopeful. All the darkness in her life
was getting further away with every step Jollah took.

“Goodbye Daniel,” Ambrosia whispered before
she turned away from him for the final time.

* * * *

As Mirabella and the others prepared to move
toward their new life, something dark arose from the ashes of the
Tree of Life. A giant shadow fell across the charred remains of the
land.

Merth breathed in his first taste of air in
decades, tainted with smoke and ashes.

Landing on the darkened ground, he looked
around him. The world that he remembered was gone.

After stretching the soreness from his wings,
he went in search of his lair. Merth was well over 30 feet long.
Most black dragons were of average intelligence, but Merth was much
smarter making him much more dangerous.

His stomach growled with hunger. Soon he
would need to find food to sustain him.

Merth was the last of the black dragons and
his soul was as dark as his scales. As he approached his lair
Merth's dark eyes glistened. Unlike most dragons, there was no
goodess within Merth. Before Merth's birth dragons lived in peace
with the inhabitants of the Mystical Forest.

Legend has it that at the moment of Merth's
first breath the sky turned black and the air grew heavy. The
hearts of those who called the Mystical forest home filled with
fear. Until the day that he was sealed up in the Tree of Life by
the Great Fairy, he had brought only terror and bloodshed.

The Tree of Life's branches connected the
Mystical Forest to the powers of the earth. Many believed that it
was in some way also connected to the heavens. The Tree of Life's
history spanned through the Stone Ages. Its history was intertwined
with divinity and immortality.

Merth's stomach growled loudly demanding it
not be ignored. Leaving the darkness of the cave, he took to the
air. Nothing stirred. He saw nothing move, nothing that showed any
signs of life. He landed on the smoldering grass and began to sniff
the air. It was difficult to smell anything but smoke, but Merth
caught the scent of singed flesh. Following his snout, he found a
small herd of deer. The deer had been trapped by the fire and had
died a painful death.

Merth scooped the largest deer into his mouth
and began to chew hungrily. Moments later, he spit bones onto the
ground and scooped up the next one.

Once he'd finished eating, his belly
satisfied, he took to the air in search of the living

* * * *

Mirabella, her fairies, the pixies and
sprites could easily fly across the river, but the others were busy
finding well-shaped acorn tops in which to make the trip. They
found small twigs to use as oars.

“Ambrosia, you will need to ride upon Majik
across the river and Rom will ride Nadia. Jollah will lead the
way.”

“How will we protect the village like
Mystical Forest was protected?” Ambrosia asked.

“The Mystical Forest is wherever we are,
Ambrosia. We are what makes it magical. As soon as we find a place
to call home, we will cast a protection spell. They last for
hundreds of years.”

Bean and the others began to put their acorn
shells into the water and climb in. Luckily, the water was shallow
and calm.

As they set sail Mirabella looked back one
last time at the place she had called home for over one hundred
years. She felt a twinge of sadness, but knew that their future lay
ahead.

Looking down at her loved ones as they
paddled across the great river she could not help, but smile. As
long as they had each other, everything would be all right.

A new beginning awaited them ... as did a
darkness like they had never known.

About the Author

I am a mommy first and have been blessed with
three beautiful children, Elijah Blue, Chloe Gayle and Adalee
Elizabeth. My children are the inspiration for all that I do. I am
an environmentalist, or as I like to refer to myself, an Earth
Warrior! I am also a journalist, newspaper columnist and author. I
live to be moved, inspired, and brought to tears - at heart I am
the most incurable of romantics. I am the stuff of which dreams are
made ... .or nightmares ... I can never quite remember which.

Facebook - Author
page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tammy-Marie-Rose/266309573430093

Blog:
http://tammymarierosesshadesofgreen.blogspot.com

Email:
mailto:[email protected]

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