Read Online Lemon Pies and Little White Lies by Ellery Adams - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ellery Adams
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longer human.”
“That’s just one version.” Suzy tapped on another pieceof parchment. “According to this author, Merlin is sealed inside a cave, but I’ve also read other interpretations claiming that he was imprisoned in a large rock or locked away in a glass tower. And while Nimue is angry and grief-stricken in the document you’re examining, she’s power-hungry and triumphant in the version I have here.”
“Nimue.” Ella Mae couldn’t stop staring at the illustration. “The Elders told me about a woman named Nimue a few months ago. Apparently, she was an enemy of Morgan le Fay’s. Though Morgan put Nimue under a sleeping spell hundreds of years ago, rumors have been circulating across the UK claiming that Nimue is awake and bent on revenge.” Ella Mae shook her head. “Of course, that’s ridiculous. Some crazy woman is using the name to scare people. She probably read the same books we’re reading.”
Ella Mae returned to her reading. After finishing the segment on Avalon from Women of Arthurian Legend, she reached for a tattered book of indeterminate age entitled The History of Water Spirits: From the Greeks to the Celts.
She and Suzy read in silence for over an hour. Other than the crackle of the fire and the whisper of turning pages, there were no other sounds. Finally, Ella Mae looked up from her book, and said, “According to this, Morgan le Fay was also the Lady of the Lake. She left Avalon to offer her services to Arthur following Merlin’s disappearance. When Arthur refused to listen to her counsel, she retired to her castle on the coast. Both she and Nimue are referred to as powerful water spirits. The priestesses of Avalon all seem to have some connection to water.”
“I stumbled across a passage about that too,” Suzy said. “In this sixteenth-century poem, the Lady of the Lake is known for being as changeable and destructive as water, but then the poet adds half a dozen stanzas describing how thesewomen could heal and stimulate crop growth using water. So, depending on what you choose to believe, these ladies either worked together to help their community or they used their magic to flood whole villages.”
Ella Mae closed the book she’d been reading and sighed. “These stories are always contradictory. I remember how shocked I was when I first learned that Morgan le Fay wasn’t evil. She was merely portrayed that way by male writers who didn’t approve of her wealth, intelligence, or influence. The same could be said of Nimue. Is she, along with the other priestesses of Avalon, being rewritten as villain because she’s a woman? And if water is their strength, then what’s their weakness? What overcomes water? Fire? Earth?”
Suzy drained the wine from her glass and shrugged. “All I’ve found is a cryptic hint about alchemy. Not the turning-stone-to-gold kind, but ancient alchemical charts and recipes alluding to defeating a person who is able to control a particular element.”
“Element,” Ella Mae whispered the word. “What if there’s an entire group of women who are also water elementals? What if they’re like Hugh?”
Suzy pulled a face. “We shouldn’t leap to any conclusions. We’re just gathering information right now, remember?”
Ella Mae motioned for Suzy’s laptop and searched for the footage of Nuckelavee that showed the clover-shaped eye. “I don’t think this is a random occurrence. I think it’s a message, and I believe it’s meant for me.”
Suzy stared at the image on the computer screen. “If I’m not helping customers, I’ll do more research at the store tomorrow.” She failed to stifle a yawn. “There are a few rare-book databases I can check out. I’ve never read about a group of our kind creating storms. In the meantime, what will you do?”
“Throw myself into work. Founder’s Day will be herebefore we know it, and if I can gather enough of our people in one place, we might be able to change our future for good. I’ll
“That’s just one version.” Suzy tapped on another pieceof parchment. “According to this author, Merlin is sealed inside a cave, but I’ve also read other interpretations claiming that he was imprisoned in a large rock or locked away in a glass tower. And while Nimue is angry and grief-stricken in the document you’re examining, she’s power-hungry and triumphant in the version I have here.”
“Nimue.” Ella Mae couldn’t stop staring at the illustration. “The Elders told me about a woman named Nimue a few months ago. Apparently, she was an enemy of Morgan le Fay’s. Though Morgan put Nimue under a sleeping spell hundreds of years ago, rumors have been circulating across the UK claiming that Nimue is awake and bent on revenge.” Ella Mae shook her head. “Of course, that’s ridiculous. Some crazy woman is using the name to scare people. She probably read the same books we’re reading.”
Ella Mae returned to her reading. After finishing the segment on Avalon from Women of Arthurian Legend, she reached for a tattered book of indeterminate age entitled The History of Water Spirits: From the Greeks to the Celts.
She and Suzy read in silence for over an hour. Other than the crackle of the fire and the whisper of turning pages, there were no other sounds. Finally, Ella Mae looked up from her book, and said, “According to this, Morgan le Fay was also the Lady of the Lake. She left Avalon to offer her services to Arthur following Merlin’s disappearance. When Arthur refused to listen to her counsel, she retired to her castle on the coast. Both she and Nimue are referred to as powerful water spirits. The priestesses of Avalon all seem to have some connection to water.”
“I stumbled across a passage about that too,” Suzy said. “In this sixteenth-century poem, the Lady of the Lake is known for being as changeable and destructive as water, but then the poet adds half a dozen stanzas describing how thesewomen could heal and stimulate crop growth using water. So, depending on what you choose to believe, these ladies either worked together to help their community or they used their magic to flood whole villages.”
Ella Mae closed the book she’d been reading and sighed. “These stories are always contradictory. I remember how shocked I was when I first learned that Morgan le Fay wasn’t evil. She was merely portrayed that way by male writers who didn’t approve of her wealth, intelligence, or influence. The same could be said of Nimue. Is she, along with the other priestesses of Avalon, being rewritten as villain because she’s a woman? And if water is their strength, then what’s their weakness? What overcomes water? Fire? Earth?”
Suzy drained the wine from her glass and shrugged. “All I’ve found is a cryptic hint about alchemy. Not the turning-stone-to-gold kind, but ancient alchemical charts and recipes alluding to defeating a person who is able to control a particular element.”
“Element,” Ella Mae whispered the word. “What if there’s an entire group of women who are also water elementals? What if they’re like Hugh?”
Suzy pulled a face. “We shouldn’t leap to any conclusions. We’re just gathering information right now, remember?”
Ella Mae motioned for Suzy’s laptop and searched for the footage of Nuckelavee that showed the clover-shaped eye. “I don’t think this is a random occurrence. I think it’s a message, and I believe it’s meant for me.”
Suzy stared at the image on the computer screen. “If I’m not helping customers, I’ll do more research at the store tomorrow.” She failed to stifle a yawn. “There are a few rare-book databases I can check out. I’ve never read about a group of our kind creating storms. In the meantime, what will you do?”
“Throw myself into work. Founder’s Day will be herebefore we know it, and if I can gather enough of our people in one place, we might be able to change our future for good. I’ll
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