Water: The Mermaid Legacy Book One
Surrender to the power of the water…Alex knows she is different. She’s plagued by nightmares that feel shockingly real and an intense restlessness she cannot explain. As the long hot summer holidays stretch before her, Alex seeks out adventure in the rugged mountains of Injasuthi.But during a camping trip to the mystic jade pools, Alex meets Merrick, a boy who tells her the shocking truth about herself, and Alex's nightmare is about to become reality. Because Alex is no ordinary teenager…she is a half-mermaid and her adventures are only just beginning.The first book in The Mermaid LegacyBook One: WaterBook Two: Fire
Читать Water: The Mermaid Legacy Book One онлайн беплатно
Surrender to the power of the waterâ¦
Alex knows she is different. Sheâs plagued by nightmares that feel shockingly real and an intense restlessness she cannot explain.
As the long hot summer holidays stretch before her, Alex seeks out adventure in the rugged mountains of Injisuthi. But during a camping trip to the mystic jade pools, Alex meets Merrick, a boy who tells her the shocking truth about herself, and Alexâs nightmare is about to become reality.
Because Alex is no ordinary teenagerâ¦she is a half-mermaid and her adventures are only just beginning.
WATER
Natasha Hardy
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2013
Copyright © Natasha Hardy 2013
Natasha Hardy asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the authorâs imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © August 2013 ISBN: 9781472018076
Version date: 2018-10-30
NATASHA HARDY began writing when the adventure of her life had turned dark and gloomy, as all adventures must at some point, in order for them to be a true adventure. It was in the depths of the winter of her adventure that she found a way, through writing, to escape into the sun.
Like most escapes it turned into an adventure all of its own, where characters have their own problems to solve, albeit far more complex problems involving mythical creatures that arenât meant to exist, and expect far more than they reasonably should.
Her escapes, for there are many still to come, are sparked by the adventures she has had in the wildly beautiful South African bush, seasoned with the true stories of the explorers who make up her ancestry, and woven through with the intrigue, and sometimes sheer madness, of living in Africa.
She now spends most of her time â happily â in a world of words, and the rest trying to keep up with her full time doctor, part-time rock star husband and their two gorgeously mischievous little boys.
She would very much like to chat to you at natashahardybooks.com.
To my husband and boys who are the sparkle and magic in my life, my family for their unending love and support, and to the Light that shines on in the darkness.
A huge thank you to:
My English teacher Mrs Allison, for showing me the magic of words.
Victoria, my HQ Digital editor, and overall guide through one of the most exciting and daunting experiences of my life.
The editing team for seeing the potential in Water and helping me to make it into the best story it could be.
The design, marketing team and technical team, for turning my dream into a reality.
My friends, for the encouragement and laughs you have given me along the way.
Contents
Prologue
Weâd been running for days. The children were exhausted and I was worried that weâd lose some of them if they didnât rest soon.
I still seethed at the betrayal. How could they?
The fathers of some of these precious little ones who were so trusting and so young!
Slavery at that age would mean theyâd never really remember freedom, which of course was what the slave traders wanted. If a person couldnât remember freedom then freedom was not something theyâd long for, not something theyâd fight for. They would be happy with their lot in life, content to live as animals, owned creatures.
I didnât have the energy left to expend on fruitless anger. Anger that I could do nothing with because we were in a hopeless situation and should I have the opportunity to confront these monsters my worst fears would be realised, and all would be lost.
Weâd crossed the river sometime around midnight when the moon was directly above us and I was pushing to get to the dark slash of forest that signalled a vague hope of rescue.
