Beltane E-Book

Katelyn Costello

• Herausgeber: Katelyn Costello
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Serie: The Frituals Saga
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 65

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

On the last day of classes, those that live around Cabineral Lake come together to celebrate Beltane and the start of summer. Shauna, Taytra, and their closest friends prepare for a night full of dancing, spectacle, and joy. But what is a celebration without someone getting into trouble?
With the end of lessons looming upon them, Philippe is distant, and Shauna isn’t sure if it is because of her or the unknown of the future. While Taytra took part in the Beltane celebrations last year and is more than content to watch her sister enjoy the night, others have a different idea.
Set before the events of The Frituals Saga, Beltane offers readers a chance to experience the life, traditions, and joy of Cabineral Lake before the rise of the Dark Ones.

Leseprobe

Katelyn Costello

Beltane

A Frituals Saga Novelette

First published by Katelyn Costello 2023

Copyright © 2023 by Katelyn Costello

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

First edition

ISBN: 9781736959862

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy Find out more at reedsy.com

Contents

I. SHAUNA

1. Afternoon

2. Sunset

3. Twilight

II. TAYTRA

4. Evening

5. Dawn

6. Morning

About the Author

I

Shauna

1

Afternoon

“I want to thank you all for a great school year. It wasn’t always the most productive, but I think it is safe to say we all learned something this year.” Ms. Graham stood at the front of the class and smiled at them before wiping away the last review questions. She turned back to them and sighed. “To my most senior class, you will have completed your schooling in about fifteen minutes. Once the sun sets this evening, you will be an adult. You will continue to learn things every day, but this is the last time you will sit in a structured lesson. I hope you will take the memories of this class and what I tried to teach you into your everyday life.”

Shauna glanced over at Safiya. They’d heard this speech from Ms. Graham every year, but it felt different now that they were being addressed.

“We’re done!” Safiya squeed.

“Hush, don’t ruin the moment!” Ward hissed from a few rows over.

“We aren’t ruining it, just commenting on it,” Safiya said. “Ow!”

“Shhhh,” Andrew said, gently tugging on Safiya’s braids. Some of the younger students swivel in their chairs to look at the group—looks of youthful disdain on their faces. But honestly, Shauna couldn’t care any less. She could feel the excitement tingling in the tips of her fingers. She loved every minute of her classes but couldn’t hide her glee. Tonight was the start of the rest of her adult life.

“I know this is a day full of nervous energy. I would ask you to focus for a few more minutes.” Ms. Graham glanced over to the little quartet. “One last test. And all of you will be free.” She said pointedly as she pulled out a pile of parchment. “This should not take you over ten minutes.” She moves between the different age groups and passes the tests out. “Bring your test up to my desk when you have completed it. If you pass this, you are free from your lessons for the rest of the year, or for my last years, you are finished with all your lessons, and I will not see you in the fall.”

The test fluttered down in front of Shauna, and she quickly filled in all the questions. As Ms. Graham said yesterday, Shauna remembered most of these questions from the fall, and even what she didn’t remember wasn’t hard to figure out now that they had spent the year learning everything. This test was a reflection of everything they learned over the last several months. Yarrow for fever or cold. Put eggs in a lime-water solution to keep them fresh longer. Queen Moraine is in her two hundred and seventy-third year as queen. She took over after the first war of men and elves dethroned her sister Chima.

Shauna looked up and saw Gleason leaning across the aisle toward her. “Bug off,” she whispered, twisting the paper away from him. “If you can’t figure it out by now, you deserve to stay in lessons.”

His face darkened, and he opened his mouth to snarl one of his ever-so-original clap backs when Ms. Graham wrapped her knuckles on the chalkboard. “Master Gleason, would you like to stay in my class for another year? That—” She pointed from his paper to the way he was leaning toward Shauna “—is an easy way to be in lessons for another year. Something I am sure your father will not appreciate.”

Gleason’s face flushed a deep burgundy color, and the muscle in his jaw ticked as he contemplated whether it was worth it to snap a reply.

“Good luck with that,” Shauna said, signing her name at the top of the page with a flourish and moving to the front of the room. She waited in line behind some of the younger students. Shauna let herself take a moment while waiting to look around the room one last time as a student. The idea that she would never need to sit in a lesson finally hit home. Maybe I should have taken longer to do the test. She thought, realizing it would all be over too soon. Safiya was near the bottom of her test as well, her test hanging over the edge of her desk as she wrote something at the bottom of the page. Philippe, who sat behind Shauna, had his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as he tried to figure out a question. I wonder if he got stuck on some of the healing terminologies again. she thought, hoping their review session last night was beneficial for him. Though they did get—distracted.

She scanned down the row and saw Ward staring at her. He looked from her to Philippe and gave her a little eyebrow wiggle. She quickly glanced away from him so she wouldn’t laugh but felt her cheeks flush red.

“All set, Shauna?” Ms. Graham asked as she moved to the front of the line and handed her teacher the test. Ms. Graham only took a minute to scan the answers Shauna had written and compare them to the rubric on her desk. “Great job, Shauna.” She said, writing an A+ at the top of the paper with a bright green stylus. “I hope you have a splendid night tonight celebrating and start to your summer.” She passed the paper back to the girl, and Shauna headed out of the little schoolhouse. Shauna pauses in the doorway for a moment before crossing the threshold.

I am no longer a student. Her heart pounded at the thought as she moved across the dirt road to the little garden in the center of town.

As if the Goddess knew they were getting ready to celebrate the start of summer, the sun had finally broken away from the days of clouds that had hung over their heads. The sun beat down on the back of her neck as she crossed the street to sit on a little stump by a fire circle and waited for her friends to come out.

Safiya was the first out. “Can you believe it? We are done with classes!” She asked, flopping onto the ground beside Shauna, her long black braid snaking over her shoulder.

Shauna’s cheeks hurt from the smile she knew she wouldn’t be able to wipe off her face all night. “I know. Today felt like it took two minutes and ten years.” She looked up at the white, fluffy clouds overhead. “Do you think those will clear out before tonight?”

“I hope so. I don’t want to keep track of a cloak, too.”

“Why would you need a cloak? Remember? Bonfire. They are pretty big, and you know, hot?” Ward said as he plops down on the ground beside them.

“You actually passed. Wow, I am impressed. I thought Ms. Graham would keep you there for the rest of your life.” Shauna laughed.

He laid back and covered his eyes. “Don’t say that too loud. My mother might grab onto that and never let me leave.”