Worlds of Obsession (Celtic Otherworlds) Read Free Page A

exactly she was holding in her hand.  She could run to catch the train if she had to.  Carefully, she broke the plain metal foil seal and opened the envelope.  Inside was a single sheet of paper, folded three times, and covered with a large, sprawling, hand-written script.  She spread the paper on the table and smoothed it down.
     
                  Miss Johnston,
                  I regret that I cannot be there in person to explain to you everything that is about to unfold for you.  I can only take comfort in your strength of mind, body and spirit, and know that you will use it to your advantage.  Though I wish I could be there to guide you, alas, I cannot.  Do not be afraid, but please travel right away to Glasgow, Scotland.  There, find the large stone house on Brighton Street, with two old oaks in the yard.  All of your questions will be answered in time, but I will tell you this now: you have much to learn, and a new life awaiting you.  The book will perhaps serve as an orientation, but is by no means complete, or entirely accurate for that matter.  Read it, but know there is so much more…
     
                  It wasn’t signed. 
    Liv put the letter down on the table with a frown and a slightly shaking hand.  What. The. Hell?   Was this some sort of practical joke?  She eyed the brown package suspiciously before picking it up and turning it over a few times in her hands.  No markings of any kind.  She carefully tore open the wrapping and pulled out what was indeed a book. 
    The Celtic Myths and Legends , by C.L. Dryfus. 
    It was old, that much was obvious by the worn leather cover , and when she flipped through the pages, a musty smell floated through the air.  She shut the book and set it on the table with a shrug, then read the letter again, trying to remember if she might have any weird old aunts or uncles still around who might just be batty enough to have sent it.  Probably not, especially since she had been adopted by her grandmother when she was no more than a toddler, and all her older relatives, if she had ever had any, were most likely either dead by now, or she had never met them. 
    The mystery would have to wait though, because she was going to be late for work.  She grabbed her bag and the big travel mug of coffee and hurried down the block to catch the train, thankful she lived so close to the red-line. 
    Her job was awful… she would rather be doing just about anything else besides working in internet advertising.  All day long she thought about the role she played in annoying computer users all over the world with pop-up ads they didn’t want to see.  This job had to be really bad for her karma, but at least getting there was convenient, and the money was good enough that she had managed a modest savings while she looked for something better.  What that something better was… well, she hadn’t exactly decided yet.  She adored writing, and history, travel and adventure, art and music, but what kind of job had all that?  Or any of that, really… 
                  When Liv arrived at the office, bursting through the doors after sprinting from the station in record time, she could feel the tension in the air immediately, a much different kind of tension than she had felt that morning in her apartment.  The usual milling around and chatter that filled the open-plan space was missing, and an almost eerie quiet seemed to have descended on the entire building.  She had just set her things down on the desk in her tiny cubicle when one of the guys from I.T. walked by.  “Hey Liv, there’s a company-wide meeting staring in five.  Doesn’t look good.  From what I heard earlier this morning, we might all be packing our things.”  With a frown, Liv took her coffee and followed a bee-line of her co-workers to the large conference room down the hall, where she quickly slid into one of the upholstered swivel chairs. The CEO, whom