Child of the Loch (Child of the Loch Series) Read Online Free PDF

was also leaving behind my best friend. I could hardly bare it but Hank would stay with my mother. He would be her companion and protector while we traversed to the mythical land of the Loch. At least, I would have my father. He would accompany James and me into the Loch.
    It soothed my soul to a degree to have my father along for this adventure. Not only did I need his support, I needed his expertise. My father knew the life of a Lochoan royal and defender of the clans. I had to learn in days what took him the first half of his life to learn. No pressure, none at all.
    The plans were made. I was really going to rule the Loch and I was committed to marry a man that I only knew through a strange sixth sense. The blood pumped in my ears as I packed a few items in my large pack that I used to go camping. I felt like I was about to have a heart attack or stroke.
    The day started when my father and I both hugged my tiny mother. While they said their “good-byes” as most couples do with kisses and tears, I hugged the overgrown Hank. As an experiment, I touched my forehead to his. My gifts were becoming more and more apparent in these days following my birthday.
    We were connected for a brief moment. The loyal Hank vowed to protect my mother and would miss me dearly. With extra large tears rolling down my orange-hued cheeks, our expedition to the Loch began.
    My father, who knew the way better than anyone, went first and guided us through the thick woods behind my house. Our bundles were light at first but we were laden with everything needed for a lengthy and strenuous trip. We packed everything imaginable with the intent of as much comfort that could be afforded as well as preparing ourselves for any hardships along the way.
    I was dressed in jeans, tucked in to heavy work boots, and a thick flannel shirt of my father’s. My hair was plaited into a messy braid so that the branches would not be tangled in my thick, curly locks. I would need all the comfort and fortification I could muster for the trek ahead.
    True fall only days away came early with a chill in the air and the overcast sky turned mid-day into midnight. Fat, cold droplets of rain came from the gloomy anvil clouds, streaking through the multi-colored leaves wetting everything they touched including all of us.
    My beloved forest sang with life and mud. So much mud, that we were ankle deep where ever we stepped. The trees were leafless further in and the sloshing, dead leaves mingled with the earth making bricks of hard, shoe sucking clay. We could not stop for fear of sinking into the bowels of the earth.
    We trudged deeper and deeper into the woods with no sign of animal kind. Even so, we were on the guard for wolves and snakes. The temperature had not been cold enough to stop our slithery friends from making an appearance and I, for one, hate snakes and reptiles of any kind, for that matter.
    For a while we heard the distant howls and snuffs of animals. I sent out silent prayer to the Lord of Light for them to stay away from us and not stop us from completing our mission. My appeals must have been heard, because the animals kept their distance. It was so strange that my companions and I wondered out loud why we had not seen any life in the forest. There were not even birds. They had stopped their incessant songs and could not be seen.
    All the whooshing of the leaves and the thumping of descending branches halted at a distinct clearing. Only the rustling of the falling leaves and the rush of an unseen stream bore witness to the entrance to the Loch and her world. The thick brush unveiled the mouth of a cave. It was large enough to fit a small house inside. I could see the winding tunnels within it. 
    The cave hummed with magic and I felt it traveling through my rigid body. The magic created a stinging sensation similar to prickles of a sleeping foot. It was irksome but not truly painful.
    There were no bats or insects in the earthy cave which though tall was not