Brighde redefined, p.1
Brighde Redefined, page 1
Table of Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Pronunciation
About the Authors
Book Club Questions
Brighde Redefined
Copyright © 2023 Leslie Sommers & Janice Sommers. All rights reserved.
4 Horsemen Publications, Inc.
1497 Main St. Suite 169
Dunedin, FL 34698
4horsemenpublications.com
info@4horsemenpublications.com
Cover & Typesetting by Autumn Skye
Edited by Gayle Staggemeyer
Linebreak Image Pendant drawn by Niki Tantillo
All rights to the work within are reserved to the author and publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 International Copyright Act, without prior written permission except in brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Please contact either the Publisher or Author to gain permission.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023935701
Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-64450-962-3
Hardcover ISBN-13: 978-1-64450-963-0
Audiobook ISBN-13: 978-1-64450-964-7
Ebook ISBN-13: 978-1-64450-965-4
Dedication
Leslie—For Uncle Stephen
Janice—For my loving brother, who spent his nights reading our book.
Acknowledgments
It really takes a team to write and publish a book. First and foremost, we want to thank Alexa Bitsko, our editor. You’ve been our voice of reason and guidance when we were lost. We are so happy we found you and look forward to working with you on all of our books. 4 Horsemen Publications—Thank you for taking a chance on us and making our dream a reality. Nancy and Katie—Thank you to you both! Your photos of Switzerland made it so much easier to remember the landscape around the Academy. Eden, Zachary, and Anabel—Thank you for inspiring the characters and allowing us to borrow your names! Jake—Don’t worry, you’ll be up next! Valerie—Thank you for being you and telling us your true feelings! (Seriously, though, it’s greatly appreciated.) Rita and Lauren—Without your input and help, we would have been stuck many, many times. Kristen—Thank you for your knowledge about pigs and your advice. As always, thank you to our readers—We hope you love Bridget and come back for more!
Chapter 1
“Oh, my goodness! He’s so cute!” Annabelle gushed over Bri’s new, tiny, black kitten.
“Look at those paws,” I commented. “He’s practically a mountain lion!” I took a swig of my iced tea.
“Lyle! Lyle! Come here, cutie,” Annabelle said in a baby voice. What was it about animals and babies that turned us into high-pitched mush machines?
“Annabelle, he’s a man, not a mouse,” Cole said, deepening his voice.
She stuck her tongue out at him. “He’s just a little kitten. It’s biologically impossible for us not to gush over him!”
I cooed. Lyle jumped at the feather toy Bri dragged across the floor.
Annabelle, Bri, Cole, and I were sitting in a circle around Bri’s room, entertained by her new pet. We were enjoying the last night of our high school careers drinking soda, eating junk, and chatting about the summer. Tomorrow morning, we’d be walking across the football field as they called out our names with over two hundred and fifty of our classmates at graduation.
“I can’t believe I’ll be heading off to Cooper Union in the fall,” Cole said, changing the subject.
“It’s weird to think that after tomorrow, we won’t be in high school anymore,” I agreed.
Bri nodded her head soberly. “This is my last summer as a counselor-in-training. As of next year, if I go back, I’ll be a full-fledged counselor.”
“Well, I’m excited,” I cut in. “I can’t wait to be done with OCHS and start my last summer as a kid. By the end of August, I’ll be an adult.”
“Yeah, I can’t say I’m too nervous. I mean, we knew this was going to happen at some point,” Annabelle pointed out.
“But after this summer, we won’t hang out anymore,” Bri said sadly.
“What do you mean?” I exclaimed. “We’ll hang out all the time, over breaks and the occasional weekend. Plus, we can FaceTime.”
“It’s not the same,” she replied.
“I’ve never known you to be nostalgic, Bri,” Annabelle smiled. It was true; I would’ve pegged Annabelle as the sappy one.
“What about you?” Cole asked me. “Switzerland. That’s the trip of a lifetime.”
Two days after graduation, I’d be flying halfway across the world with my parents to visit the good old town of Adelboden, Switzerland. To everyone else, it was a graduation gift from my family, but in truth, I’d be spending my summer training to control my powers and learning the history of the Amulet so I could fulfill my destiny as a Cuardaitheoir, a Seeker. Just one secret on a mountain of information I had to keep from my friends. It sucked, honestly. It would be easier if I could tell them, but I knew how dangerous that could be.
“It should be pretty rad. I mean, every other country is practically an hour away by train. I’m going to take a tour of all the villages I can and get wood carvings of all of you. I’m going to miss you all like crazy,” I responded.
Bri tsked and leaned in for a hug. Annabelle joined in, and I pulled back to look at Cole.
“Hug?” I asked, half-kidding.
“I guess I’ll miss you too,” Cole said, hugging me back.
“And you know I’ll email you like crazy, so it won’t even feel like you’re gone,” he said as he pulled back.
“Thanks.” I scooped up the tiny, fuzzy creature. “I’m going to miss you most of all,” I said in a high-pitched baby voice. He purred loudly, brushed his face against mine, then hopped from my hands.
“As much as I would love to stay, I have to head home,” Cole said, standing. “See you all tomorrow.”
“Wait, I’ll come with you,” I said. “Bye, you two!”
Cole held the front door open for me as I hit the bottom step.
“So, have you talked to her?” I asked Cole as we left Bri’s house.
“I’ve sent emails, but no responses yet,” he replied. There was a note of pain in his voice, the same one I heard in my own whenever I spoke about my ex-boyfriend. It’d been months since I’d heard from Trip, let alone seen him. After the Findlays up and left Corbin City last December, a hole had existed in our social circle. I was the one who had ended things with Trip, but I still wished things had been different. I wanted a second chance to fix what had broken. It got minutely easier every day, but there were days when all I could do was keep from walking in front of his house. It’d been dark since they left.
“I’m sorry,” I told Cole.
“I’m guessing you haven’t heard from him either?” He stopped in front of his car door. “Because if you have, you could ask him about her for me…” Cole’s eyebrows drew up, and his eyes widened as he gave me puppy eyes.
I gave him a hug. “I know. I haven’t spoken to him, but I miss him too.”
As much as I missed my ex, Cole missed his doubly. He’d expected Deidra and her family to return at the end of winter break, but they never showed. Instead, he got a quick email saying something along the lines of Love you, miss you, and I don’t know when I’ll be back. Grandma’s too sick to be alone right now. I knew that to be a load of crap. Trip had turned eighteen just days after they left, which would have engaged his powers. I bet he was off somewhere with Tomas searching for the Amulet half while I was stuck finishing high school.
Cole and I had promised that if we ever heard from them, we’d tell each other.
“I’m sorry. I wish I had something for you,” I offered.
He shrugged. “I know. I wish the same for you.”
“But hey, tomorrow is graduation, and we have that party on the beach to celebrate. You still going?”
“Yeah, are you?”
“That’s my plan,” I smiled.
He half-smiled back. “Good. See you in the morning.” Cole got into his car and left. Drenched with sweat from the humidity, I walked half a block down to my car. It was only a few weeks into May, and it was already sweltering at night.
A figure was resting against the hood.
“Took you long enough to say goodbye,” Cay said.
“After graduation, I don’t know when I’ll be seeing my friends. Forgive me?” I replied, a touch annoyed.
“Doesn’t matter. Just remember, you can’t have much contact with them after you leave. The less people who matter to you, the less likely they’ll be hurt—”
“I know, I know, when Beira’s warriors come after me for the Amulet,” I cut in. To be honest, I only half-believed anyone else besides Deidra was after me. We hadn’t seen any warriors, fighters, or militia since the big reveal a few months ago.
I pulled the necklace from underneath my shirt collar and stared into the moonlight.
“I can’t believe you still wear it. What a stupid thing to do.”
“What else am I supposed to do? Mom doesn’t know that I found it, and I can’t risk leaving it in the house. At least this way, I can always protect it,” I answered.
“But who will protect you?” Cay retorted.
“I can protect myself,” I said simply. The car locks clicked as I opened my door. “Need a ride?”
“Sure.” He got in and buckled his seatbelt. “You know, I won’t be in Switzerland with you. I can only protect you here right now.”
“You told me you and Logan were going to Switzerland,” I reminded him as we pulled away from the curb. “To find Andrew’s family.”
“Yes, but I can’t do that without you. You’re the Cuardaitheoir. I can search the ends of the universe hunting the Amulet down, but ultimately, it will only respond to you.” He paused. “Don’t you feel it?”
I didn’t give him the satisfaction of an answer. It was true that when I took the Amulet off, a part of me went cold. When it was pressed against me, my blood sang with joy and comfort, and without it, I felt sick and weak. Honestly, the reactions I had worried me, but I chalked it up to being the Seeker. If this blood bond happened to all the descendants, then what the hell was I needed for?
“Bridget, I know you’re scared about the next step of training, but I promise you, the trainer you get will be the best. Our family doesn’t do second-string,” Cay said, interrupting my thoughts. “Well, most of the time.”
I groaned, exasperated. “Are you ever going to let my dating history go?” I turned toward the high school, just blocks away from Cay’s house. “I don’t even miss him anymore.”
“Don’t you? You think you’re so sneaky, but I see you. I know you’ve been obsessing over your emails to see if he messaged you.”
“I’m completely over him.”
“Are you really?” Cay asked as I pulled into his driveway. “Because we can’t let anything distract you from this mission. It’s the single most important event of your life.”
“Why bother graduating, then?” I snapped. I was tired of this argument, and Cay was wearing thin on my patience.
He turned to face me. “Listen, Bridget, I know Logan and I have been driving you insane with everything lately. And I know the dick meant the world to you, but I have to know you’re completely focused on your job. If you aren’t… well, it could mean your death.”
So overdramatic. I hated it when he brought up my mortality. I always thought that if I got hurt, Cay would just heal me, but he’s been making it explicitly clear I would have to rely on myself. That was what scared me. I still felt like the new kid on the team, and I was getting shoved into playing the game alone in front of a crowd.
“I’ll be fine,” I responded.
He opened my door and got out. “Are you sure?” Cay asked.
“Yes,” I said firmly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight,” he said, closing the door.
Was Trip still a distraction for me?
No.
Was I lying to everyone, including myself?
Hell, yes.
“One more picture of my graduate,” Mom chirped cheerfully the next morning as I stood in front of our fireplace in my graduation gown. I smiled and froze for the flash.
“Last one, Mom,” I said. “I need to get to school to check in.” The last thing I’d want is to be late for graduation.
“Just one more! Put your cap on,” she replied. Dad moved from his perch on the arm of the couch, handed the mortarboard to me, and I put it on. I almost didn’t care if it looked right.
“It’s crooked,” Mom pointed out. I sighed loudly.
“Sam,” Dad jumped in, “she has to go. You can get more shots afterward.”
Maybe I wouldn’t be late to my high school graduation after all.
“Fine,” she said, relenting. “We’ll see you later.”
“Bye!” I grabbed my stuff and dashed out the front door, my gown flapping in the summer breeze.
I unlocked my car and dumped my stuff on the passenger side. The interior was sweltering when I got in. The worn, black leather seats threatened first-degree burns on my legs as I sat. I sighed. This was my doing. I’d only been practicing my powers with Cay or Logan (which felt like every waking minute). When I was alone, I slacked off, giving my powers the freedom to wreak some havoc. Doing anything else was a lot more fun than the consistent reminder that I may have warriors, dragons, or whatever else to potentially slay.
I closed my eyes and focused on the mental image of sinking my feet into the cool ocean as it lapped against the shore. I practically felt the gentle caress of the wave as it dragged itself over my toes and back out to sea. The image proved worthy, and the sun dimmed from a cloud passing over. There was immediate relief, and I opened my eyes again.
Too bad my seats were still on fire. I checked the dusty clock on my dashboard. Noting the time, I backed out of my driveway and hightailed it to school.
I wasn’t sure what I was feeling when I pulled into the parking lot, surrounded by most of the seniors, dressed in red and white gowns. This place had been my home for four years. I was somewhere between excited and scared, but I was ready for the next step in my life. Fellow graduates walked past my car to meet in the gym and say their last goodbyes.
I wouldn’t be seeing these people again.
A wave of sadness and nostalgia washed over me. Part of me would miss my classmates, the people I’d interacted with for the past twelve years. I felt lost knowing they wouldn’t be back come the fall. Then again, neither would I.
“Hey!” Bri said through my open window. I jumped.
“Sorry! Are you coming out, or are you planning on melting in there?” she asked. I closed the window and grabbed my purse.
“Sorry, feeling a little…” I trailed off as I got out of the car.
“Yeah, I feel it too,” she admitted. “It’s weird knowing I won’t be seeing Dan Zachariah shoot spitballs in math anymore.” We headed across the lot toward the gym where the graduates were assembling.
“Or George King dating a new girl practically every week.” After the Halloween dance last year, Annabelle and George dated for a few weeks, but they called it quits before Thanksgiving. “Bri was right. He was a drooler,” she had confirmed after they broke up.
I thought about the people I’d kissed in the past year. My heart ached for a little romantic attention from a certain rival Seeker, but I knew that would never happen.
“You know, I’m going to miss this place,” Bri exclaimed as we piled into the gym. I took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
“I’ll see you afterwards?” I asked. She nodded and went to find her male counterpart. The principal had us stand in alphabetical order by last name, so it was a bit chaotic trying to find our partners among the sea of red and white gowns.
I stood next to Matthew Monroe, Dina McMillan, and Cay, drowning in the noise of the conversations bouncing off the gym walls.
“No, I didn’t do my hair this morning. Why bother? It’s just going to get flat anyway,” I heard one girl say to her friend.
“I know. You’re so lucky. I wish my hair straightened,” her friend replied as she pulled on her own corkscrew curls.
“Did you bring it?” Chris Jacobs’ voice boomed. I looked up, mildly interested in the topic.
“Of course,” Krish Patel said, pulling out a stash of silly string from his sleeve. I shifted my gaze, having expected harmless pranks like that.
