First Chapter: The Atlantean Horse by Cheryl Carpinello #FirstChapter #ChapterOne

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The Atlantean Horse

Title: The Atlantean Horse: The Feathers of the Phoenix Book 1 Author: Cheryl Carpinello Publisher: Silver Quill Publishing Pages: 149 Genre: YA Paranormal/Supernatural

Blurb

Ancient Mystery…Mystical Prophecy…Biblical Horsemen One Epic Task The Task: Retrieve the Five Feathers of the Phoenix to raise Atlantis so its people can return home. The Chosen: Cousins Rosa & Jerome embark upon a perilous and personal quest to retrieve the first Feather. Rosa’s special gift, kept far in the Past, will be revealed, and Jerome will discover his. The Opponents: The Four Deadly Horsemen of the Apocalypse will stop at nothing, not even murder, to possess the Feathers. Join Rosa & Jerome as they risk all in their search for the First Feather!

Book Information

Release Date: September 23, 2022 Publisher: Silver Quill Publishing Kindle: 149 pages; $5.99 Amazon: https://amzn.to/3eHdTmT

Chapter One

Chapter 1 – Stranger It’s late April here next to the foothills on the edge of the Denver suburbs, and yesterday’s storm dropped two feet of snow. Overnight, it turned into a roaring blizzard plummeting temps below zero. The snow has moved on, but not the biting cold. The wind gusts not only create impassable drifts, they keep the wind chill factor far below freezing. Even sheltered behind this window in my darkened living room, I find myself rubbing my arms for warmth. Outside, newly leafed trees fight against the ice coating their branches, a fight lost for several. The crackle of breaking limbs echoes through the glass. I shudder from sadness at the thought of the new life coming to an end so soon after emerging. But that’s Colorado for you. Here the weather changes from one day to the next, sometimes from one hour to the next. For the second day, schools are closed. My friends are inside playing video games or chatting online hoping that the afternoon will be calm enough for sledding and snowball fights. I’m usually one of those. Nothing like a wet spring snow and a roaring ride down the hill below my house. I might even talk my dad into sledding, if it’s not too dark once he and Mom get home from work. I’m not a fan of the snowball fights—though my cousin Jerome, who lives across the street, is—after having my nose broken by an errant snowball. On these days, I can still feel the impact, the pain, and the blood running down my face and throat. A warm liquid that is nothing like a cup of hot chocolate, soothing as it goes down. This almost gags me even now. Usually I welcome Mother Nature’s little tantrums, but not this late. A wet chill hangs in the air, and in my body, refusing to let go. And today, in particular, I long for the stifling heat and that burning orb of the desert sun on my skin. Heat so thick I can see it rising in twisting streams from the blistering sand. And the sun literally baking my body, my hair, my skin. Never thought I’d wish for that again. I don’t hear dead people anymore, and that makes me sad. You heard right, sad. After all I went through with Tut and Hesena in ancient Egypt…thirteen thirty B.C. to be exact…I miss it. Well, let me rephrase that. I don’t miss the dead who talked—complained is more like it—before Tut came to me. I miss Nana’s gift that let me help Tut find Hesena, his love, and helped him restore his family’s good name. Those others, the ones who wanted a second chance at life, are gone now. I’ve even gotten through almost two years of school without the other kids wondering if I’m ever going to be sane. I’m sure they’re as relieved as I am that those dead don’t interrupt my classes or my tests. A small part of me even misses the challenge of defeating General Horemheb, though not the almost dying part. Glad I took my driving test before this storm came. Tomorrow, with any luck, I’ll get to drive the Jeep to school for the first time. I was one of the last in my junior class to get my license. Grandpa’s early birthday gift of car insurance cleared the last hurdle. Using all of my savings from my part-time fast food job, I purchased a used Jeep last month. I may even give Jerome a ride to school. At 15, he still has another year to go until he can get his license. Movement at the end of the block catches my eye. I blink several times to be sure what I’m seeing is real. A man out walking in this weather. I watch as he stops and hesitates at each house he passes. What in the world? It’s a miracle he isn’t frozen where he stands, dressed as he is. Instead of a winter coat, long pants, and boots, he’s wearing a dark blue tunic over what looks to be…no way! But it is, lightweight pants in a powder blue. He has no hat, and the wind’s blowing through his dark brown hair without stopping. And sandals! Talk about not dressing the part. Nobody in their right mind would be out in this freezing weather dressed like that. At least no one I know. Something’s going on. I run my fingers through my dark blond hair with its fading sun-bleached strands mixed with those dyed emerald green. Puzzled, I massage my scalp, determined to push out the tickling in my brain. I haven’t felt that for a long time. The stranger slows as he reaches my driveway, pausing to look down at his hand. He looks at the curb and then at his hand again. He takes a step toward the house, stops, looks at my house, and then at his hand once more. As I watch, I see his chest expand as he draws in his breath and straightens his body, adding a couple of inches to his height. He resumes his approach to my front door, standing there almost as if he isn’t sure what to do. Instead of waiting for him to make a move, I open the door, cringing as the cold air penetrates my heather grey sweatshirt and blue jeans, chilling my body. “Hello there,” I say through the screen. “Can I help you?” He stares at me, opens his mouth, but closes his lips tight. I wait. He opens his mouth again to speak, but doesn’t. Instead he continues to stare at me, really stares hard. The heat from his black orbs threatens to melt my skin. I take a step back. My skin cools. No. It’s not possible. The tickling in my brain continues. “No,” I say. Yes, Rosa. I am real, but not real. I shake my head violently in an attempt to rid myself of the voice inside my mind. Too late. Who was it who said be careful what you wish for? I’m still here, Rosa. We are waiting for your help. “No,” I say out loud. “I can’t help you.” The one who gave you that golden ankh sent me to you. I finger the ankh made of solid gold that hangs around my neck. My gift from the Window of Appearances. My gift from Ankhesenamun and Tut. The gold warms my hand as it always does when I touch it. Silently, I move my hand from the ankh to my hair fingering an emerald green tress, an acknowledgement of my ties with ancient Egypt. She also said you have her eyes. And you do, the greenest emerald in all the worlds. Taking a deep breath, I wonder—for the first time in two years—at the ties that bind me, ties I now think of as a gift rather than a curse. She said you would help. She said you could help because you walk in two worlds. “What…what do you want?” Idiot, I tell myself. You know better than to ask that question. This time the man speaks out loud. “The time is now.” I finger the ankh again, squeezing it, absorbing the warmth. “Time for what?” “It is time for Atlantis to rise again. It is time to gather the Feathers of the sacred Phoenix bird to set the island in motion.” I blink as images of a sunken island and fleeing people, animals, and birds fill my head. “What…what do you want from me?” “You are the one who must gather the Feathers on the Sun Days and bring them to the Atlantean Horse so that my people and my land can once more be united. It’s been too long, and our people wish to come home.” “Me?” My eyes widen in disbelief. The man nods. Putting my hands around my head, I try to block out the hundreds of voices from the visions running rampant through my brain. Voices crying out for help. A shiver travels down his body shaking me out of the trance. His hands vigorously rubbing his arms prompt me into action. “Get inside. You have no business being out in this weather dressed as you are.” I open the screen door and move to the side to let him pass. No, don’t start. Don’t say a word. She sent him here. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. I know what I’m doing. I hope. I glance around the neighborhood to be sure no one else, especially Jerome, is around. Maybe I’m the only one who can see him, like Tut. “Thank you, Rosa,” he says, continuing to briskly rub his arms. “She didn’t tell me that your world is wrapped in ice.”

About the Author

Cheryl Carpinello

I’m a lover of mythology, myths, legends, and tales from the ancient/medieval worlds. I enjoy exploring how these have transcended time/space to influence our world today. Myths and legends don’t fade away; they are just repackaged for a new audience. As a high school English teacher, I continually challenged my students to find connections between today and times long gone by. Some took more digging than others, but the connections were always there. One of my favorites, Star Wars, borrows several concepts from the Legend of King Arthur. The Star Trek series goes even further back into the mythology of ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt as well as others. I write Arthurian Legend for young readers and teens (I never refuse to let mature readers enjoy my stories!). These stories exhibit what I consider to be cornerstones of that Legend: Courage, Honor, Loyalty, and Friendship. My tales from Egypt and my new series Feathers of the Phoenix meld the ancient/medieval worlds with today. The Atlantean Horse (Book 1 of Feathers of the Phoenix) also brings the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse out of the Bible and into the modern world. They and my main characters are after the feathers of the Phoenix in order to bring Atlantis alive again. P.S. I believe in magic and Unicorns!! Website Link: https://www.cherylcarpinello.com Blog Link: http://carpinelloswritingpages.blogspot.com/ Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/ccarpinello Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.carpinello1 Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2924554.Cheryl_Carpinello Instagram Link: https://www.instagram.com/ccarpine1/

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