Momentous Leap

By Gabriella Bradley and Taryn Jameson

Just before Christmas, a strange woman orders Valencia to create a love potion… A stranger enters Valencia's apothecary and orders her to concoct a love potion, something she had never even thought of creating… If she refuses, the woman, who introduces herself as a queen, threatens to turn Valencia's family into toads. Valencia has no choice but to do the queen's bidding and travel to the dangerous Anura Grove to fetch a mysterious grimoire, then go to the queen's castle to prepare the potion. To Valencia's consternation, once she has the grimoire in her possession, a troop of giant frogs appear, led by a huge blue toad. But there is something familiar about the blue toad, something she cannot quite place…

• Language: English
• Publisher: eXtasy Books Inc
• Release date: Jan 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781487430337

Book preview

Just before Christmas, a strange woman orders Valencia to create a love potion...

A stranger enters Valencia’s apothecary and orders her to concoct a love potion, something she had never even thought of creating... If she refuses, the woman, who introduces herself as a queen, threatens to turn Valencia’s family into toads.

Valencia has no choice but to do the queen’s bidding and travel to the dangerous Anura Grove to fetch a mysterious grimoire, then go to the queen’s castle to prepare the potion.

To Valencia’s consternation, once she has the grimoire in her possession, a troop of giant frogs appear, led by a huge blue toad. But there is something familiar about the blue toad, something she cannot quite place...

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Momentous Leap

Copyright © 2020 Gabriella Bradley and Taryn Jameson

ISBN: 978-1-4874-3033-7

Cover art by Martine Jardin

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by eXtasy Books Inc

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Momentous Leap

12 Days of Christmas 2020

By

Gabriella Bradley and Taryn Jameson

Chapter One

Valencia sat on the sill of the wide-open window in her bedroom. The slight breeze drifting inside held a hint of frost. She sucked in a deep breath of the crisp, clean air, not minding the icy bite of it, and gazed at the sleepy town below.

It was near midnight, and the people of Saltwich were nestled inside their homes. A blanket of snow covered the streets with more falling softly, the flakes glistening in the moonlight like shards of crystal.

Strings of lights decorated the many homes and streets, strung from lamppost to lamppost, glowing in a myriad of colors against the stark white of the fallen snow. The effect was stunning, the magic of the holidays intensifying the impact.

Valencia had always loved Christmas, though some called it Saturnalia. Regardless of beliefs, the holiday continued—the traditions passed down through the generations from the early Earth colonists. Even the people indigenous to Starelia, the planet she lived on, held similar festivities—the Celebration of Stars, in honor of their world. December twenty-fifth was a significant day for all, and it was fast approaching. After the first colonists from Earth had arrived, the Starelians had adjusted their calendar to coincide with Earth’s traditional celebration.

Valencia did not care what the holiday was named. Her own parents called it Christmas, so that was what it was for her, and she loved this time of the year. The festivities started on the twenty-fifth and lasted twelve days. There was even a song written for it. Valencia began singing the song softly so as not to wake her parents. When she came to ten leaping lords, she giggled, her mind filling with images of frogs hopping from lily pad to lily pad across a pond. The lyrics really were quite silly. How could any true love give someone ten leaping lords? Or most of the other gifts mentioned. Did not matter. The twelve days were traditional, and her parents always gifted all their kids and grandkids something special on each of the twelve days.

Valencia sighed and turned away from the window, then crawled into bed. True love... Was there even such a thing? She smiled wistfully, the song still thrumming in her mind. True love... true love... true love... my true love gave to me... ten leaping lords...

He rode toward her on a white unicorn, its golden horn gleaming under the light of the moons. Every night she waited for him, this man of her dreams. His features were so perfect, he could only have been conjured by her own imagination. Her heart kicked up a notch. He was breathtaking, her prince, with his long white hair blowing in the wind, his angular features determined, his beautiful sculptured lips set in a grim line. The unicorn reared. He calmed the animal, then he dismounted and strode toward her. A flare of heat blazed in piercing cerulean eyes when he gazed at her. It held her rooted to the spot, her blood a pounding roar in her veins.

Clothed in rich blue velvet trimmed with gold braid, he looked every inch the prince her mind had created him to be. Holding out both hands to her, he approached, then knelt. My princess... my heart...

The way he called her his heart in that deep, sexy baritone voice caused her breath to hitch. Valencia reached out to grasp his hands, but as soon as their fingers touched, he disappeared in a cloud of black mist, an army of huge frogs left on the ground in its wake. They began to chase her... She glanced behind her. They bounced, leapt, and were gaining on her, especially the biggest one. But that one was blue. A blue frog? And what was that on its chest? She giggled. A big tattoo. Now she had seen everything, blue frogs with tattoos? It was almost as tall as her and carried a spear, and it wore pants. Fascinated, she stopped and turned completely, facing it. It reached out to her with its stubby fingers and...

Valencia jerked awake to the sound of the window closing and her mother’s chiding voice.

Valencia, I swear you will catch your death of cold the way you leave this window open. Come on now. It’s time to get up.

She cracked her eyelids open and grimaced at the sunlight pouring in through the parted curtains. Sorry, Mama, I didn’t sleep well. And you just pulled me out of a great dream, and now I don’t know the ending.

Great dream... seriously? What the hell was it with the frogs anyway? They were creepy, slimy critters, but they sure as hell tasted good. Valencia suppressed a shudder. The image of the life-sized creatures must have stuck in her brain thanks to that infernal song.

You spend far too much time dreaming, girl. Your brothers and sisters have already left, and you will be late for work if you do not hurry and get dressed, her mother scolded.

I’m up... I’m up. Just let me grab a shower first.

Her mother raised a brow, then nodded when Valencia finally stood. Breakfast is waiting for you downstairs, she said over her shoulder as she left Valencia’s room.

Valencia scooted to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She bundled her hair under a shower cap to keep the heavy mass from getting wet. Her long hair was a nuisance. Besides weighing a ton, it took hours to wash, brush, and dry. She desperately wanted to