~ In today’s world ~
image by:haveseen@shutterstock
Montauk Lighthouse
A beautiful lighthouse in Long Island, New York, USA, where Julie and Mark have their second date.
Visit it here: https://montaukhistoricalsociety.org/montauk-point-lighthouse/
Blue Diamond, Chapter 4:
At the top of the stairs was the small round beacon room, with walls made of glass. In the middle were two strong lights, which flashed every five seconds.
I walked around the room. My fingers played on the glass windows. Mark observed me, a look of satisfaction in his eyes. I stopped in front of him, watching his face in the blinking lights. He smiled, and I saw him get closer between the flashes of light. He reached me and grabbed me, kissing me passionately. I could feel him smile and it made me giggle into his mouth. We lingered for a few moments, before he slowly pulled back.
“Dinner?” he said.
“Absolutely!”
Chocolatarium
A chocolate museum in Edinburgh, where Julie has her bachelorette party.
Visit it here: https://www.chocolatarium.co.uk
Dark Flame, Chapter 6:
A guide greeted us with cups of dark chocolate. Then, we walked together through a place called the Jungle Room, where we held a fresh pod. When it was in my hands, I let my magic penetrate the fibers and show me the chocolate that would materialize from this—I could almost taste it, the delicious melting flavor, mixed with vanilla. It took me to the real jungles—and to the place where chocolate was invented long ago. Distant ancestors of the people who lived there now sat around a pot, trying out the bitter drink for the first time. The flavor was coarse in my mouth.
We walked on, learning how chocolate is made, trying a single-origin chocolate, then making our own souvenirs.
I made Mark a chocolate heart, wondering what he and the guys were up to right now. I sent him a picture of Kendra’s sour face when she had a go at Aztec chocolate, at the end of our visit.
“They were a people with endurance. Clearly!” She shook her head, putting down the drink, her hair dancing around her. I caught the look in the guide’s eyes.
Urquhart Castle
Castle in Loch Ness where Julie gets a stone for a location spell. An important historical monument.
Visit it here: https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/urquhart-castle/
Blue Diamond, Chapter 12:
Urquhart Castle stood on a small extension of land at the edge of the shore, with its tower overlooking the loch from above. Wide-open fields surrounded it, and the clear water of the loch created a mirror image of the snow-covered hills on the other side, giving the castle a dramatic background. It looked a lot larger than the photos I had seen.
Conic Hill
Hill in Loch Lomond, where Kim comes to deal with her grief. Part of West Highland Way in Scotland.
Visit it here: https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/lochlomond/conic-hill.shtml
Merlin’s Creed, Chapter 6:
The walk up was short. The trail led through hundreds of stairs in a dense wood and then all the way above the tree line, to the top of the hill. I followed it and turned only when I reached the peak.
A sigh escaped me. The view was spectacular.
The loch stretched into the distance, with many small islands in it. Wild, rugged mountains surrounded it on all sides.
I took a seat on the ground. And there, in one of the most stunning places I’d ever been to, I started to cry.
The bundle of tears that was stuck inside me exploded.
Christ Church College
A college in Oxford University, where Kim and Seth study.
Visit it here: https://www.chch.ox.ac.uk
Forbidden Road, Chapter 4:
The night was cold, but the moon was shining brightly when Seth and I got out and walked across the quad.
We had to take it slow. The damp fabric clung to my skin, making it difficult to walk. I would have magically dried it, but I was not going to take the risk…
Seth seemed happy to walk at my pace.
Above us, I could spot a few stars through the mixed colors of the college night lights, which were soft and gave the Gothic quad a look of mystery and enchantment. It had also rained while we were inside and the floor we crossed shimmered like marble from the small drops.
Fictional: Guild Halls
Formal place for the Guild’s assembly. Believed to be built on the mythical island of Avalon—King Arthur’s final resting place.
Dragon Fire, Chapter 18:
My heart raced as I walked on a long, thick carpet that covered the marble floor. I glanced up at the ornamented ceiling, which reminded me of a classic arts museum, or a massive country house from the Regency period. Mark walked silently beside me, his hand in mine the entire time.
We turned down a long corridor with portraits of mages on the walls—all wearing the ring of the head of the Guild. Statues of famous witches from the past stood between some of the portraits. Laura observed, dazzled, as we passed through.
At the end of the corridor, a flight of stairs led to a double door… We walked up and through the door.
The hall was massive; the amphitheater looked much wider than it did from outside. Arched pillars supported the dome and created an open corridor around the seating area. Chairs were arranged in rows in half of the hall, forming a semicircle divided into two. The entrance opened to a passage that led up to the stage, separating the rows. White and blue lamps spread light from the floor upward, and the clear sky showed through the skylight, right above the stage in the middle. There was only one chair.
~ In the past ~
image by:ardanz@shutterstock
Fictional:
Haven
Beautiful village, originally built by the fairies. A place of peace, from which Seth is able to send a discreet message to warn Fergus Mór.
Forbidden Road, Chapter 9:
At the gates, they stopped by the sign that welcomed them to the small village.
Dear Passenger,
You are entering a territory of peace. Be prepared to surrender any weapon you carry with you, or choose another path.
“Haven the pearl” was what travelers called it and it lived up to the saying. It was small. Built by the fairies before the Curse, it looked like a place from a dream. It had ornamented arches and pillars carved of marble. Delicate fountains with small statues decorated the public squares. It felt like it was part of the woods, and the woods were part of it.
Camelot
Originally a village that was burnt down shortly before Avalon’s Curse, it later becomes the capital from which King Arthur rules. It is a sophisticated and backstabbing court, with political intrigues and secrets. A large part of the importance of Camelot is the Round Table.
Secrets of Camelot, Chapter 7:
Alone now, next to the Round Table room, I decided to go in. I needed something to distract me.
The thick woven carpet swallowed the sound of my footsteps as I walked in.
The place was bright, with the sun shining in through the large windows. Beautiful, ornamented chairs with tall backs and embroidered cushioned seats were set around a large stone table with a wooden top.
The construction was impressive. The knights’ names were engraved in silver plates on the wood. Gawain’s was right next to Arthur. I let my fingers move on the polished table under my husband’s name.
Kardoel
Home of King Uther Pendragon. A great castle in his time, and an even greater ruin after his death.
Secrets of Camelot, Chapter 4:
You could tell that the battle here had been horrible. Two of the towers still stood, looming above what was once a courtyard, but their adjacent thick walls were badly broken in many places. Another tower had fallen down, and its top lay horizontally on the ground. The roof of the great hall had collapsed inward. We passed the remains of vaulted arches that could have once decorated a balcony. Several small buildings were in different states of disintegration.
The low sun cast long shadows everywhere we went. As I stepped between the ruins of a wall, their eerie stillness suddenly reminded me of tombstones.
There was something altogether ghostly and forlorn about the whole place. I liked that. It had character.
Benwick
Home of Ban and Vivienne. A strong castle that stands against the tumults of the world outside it.
Secrets of Camelot, Chapter 19:
It was always wonderful to come to Benwick. Nothing ever changed here. As if the place was immune to the drama that Camelot created. The corridors were warm, and servants I recognized led me and Kay to the great hall. The decorations stood exactly the same as they always had, and the familiarity of it all made me feel immediately at home.
But there was something eerie tonight.
I couldn’t put my finger on it. I first noticed it in the silence of the servants when they saw me. Then, the fact that some of the torches hadn’t been lit, and the hallways were gloomy and quiet. As if Benwick hid a sinister secret under its mask of warmth.
Amesbury Abbey
Ancient abbey where Guinevere likes to come to find peace, and where the engravings that relate to the Grail are discovered.
Secrets of Camelot, Chapter 2:
There used to be an older abbey where Amesbury now stood. Some of the buildings were constructed on its ruins and you could see the original stones in certain places, though not all of the old remains had been rebuilt on, or even found.
The sky was overcast, and small drops started to decorate the trail.
“Almost there,” Anna said reassuringly.
We reached the far end of the path, where she stopped by a rectangular space on the ground that looked like a horizontal tombstone.
“We were clearing this area to start a new herb garden, when we found this.” She motioned to the stone.
It was old, and I could see the nuns had cleaned it, but some moss remained. It had a drawing of a large chalice, and a few lines written in Hebrew.
Everlands
image by:warm_trail@shutterstock
A magical cave where time stands still. Owned by the fairies, it allows them to travel forward in time.
Secrets of Camelot, Chapter 21:
We stopped there. In front of us was a forest that stretched as far as the eye could see. A stream stood between us and the trees, with a wooden bridge that crossed it and a path that led into the woods.
Soft mist covered the ground around the forest. Crystals decorated the walls everywhere, that glowed in white, yellow, and purple hues and lit the place as brightly as the fresh morning sun. I could only assume that they were magical.
“I’m…lost for words,” I said to Morgan.
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