Curse Of The Highlands: Book 1: The Water Conjurer – Hughes, David

“Are you Fran?” her father asked. “I am” she nodded, her spare hand on her hip. “How are you, Lord Eoghan?”. “I’m, uh, well, thanks. Do we know each other?”. “No”. “Then how do you know who I am?”. “I’ve traded in Haelsburgh. Our furs sell well there, as do the nets I weave. Nice people, lovely mead, and better fish than the River Sect”. “That’s kind of you to say, and I’m sorry we’ve never spoken before” he nodded politely. “Think nothing of it. We’re usually just in and out, and your hall can get rather busy, but I’m sure you’re not at my house because you need fishing gear.

So, tell me, what has happened to Sebastian?”. “He’s been attacked” he began, and she pursed her lips anxiously. “He was robbed, and is injured, but our companions are escorting him to Upriver to seek medical attention”. “That bloody fool” she said, running her tongue over her teeth.

“I told him it was a bad idea. We’ve enough here to winter and are far enough away from the road to stay out of trouble, and the Gods only know there’s enough of that going round. Is he badly hurt?”. “Nothing a rest and check over won’t fix” her father reassured. “We told him that we’d find you and make sure that you’re safe”.

“Well, sod that! I’ll go get my things”. She walked towards the house with long strides, opened the door and closed it behind her firmly, leaving them stood bemused in the clearing. “She’s a fiery one” Terin remarked. “I’d hate to be Sebastian when she gets hold of him”. “She seems quite trusting” Geneivia added. “We’ve barely spoken and already she’s decided to come with us. We could be anybody”. “Except we’re not” her father replied. “She recognises us. Familiarity breeds trust”. “I was always told it breeds contempt” Terin shrugged.

“Both true sentiments, but different lessons for different situations. Let’s help tidy the yard for her. If nothing else, it’s something we can do to help”. They set about the task and made quick work of it. Geneivia gathered the loose bits of wood and tools, putting them in the shed outbuilding and shutting the doors by twisting the wooden block nailed into the right door.

Terin cleaned the ash from the fire pit before sliding a metal sheet over the top to prevent it from flooding, and her father swept the area, picking up debris as he went.

Copyright © 2025 by David Hughes All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction.

The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. David Hughes asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. David Hughes has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book. First edition This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy Find out more at reedsy.com OceanofPDF.com To my beautiful wife, my children, and to anyone who has ever given me the inspiration to keep writing. Thank you. OceanofPDF.com “But who would create a rift?” Geneivia asked. “Why would someone want to do this?”. “Power, perhaps” Oracle said. “Darkness can corrupt by promising a great many things.

I may be wrong, but I suspect there is a shadowed entity already here, or someone with the capability of summoning one”. “The shadow in the woods Terin spoke about” she gasped, and Oracle nodded. “Yes, Child, but I sense no rift here. This entity is either very strong to be so far from its entry point into the Mortal Realm, or it is being fed to sustain itself”.

“How does it sustain itself?”. “I think you know the answer to that”. OceanofPDF.com OceanofPDF.com Prologue “What was that?”. “What was what?”. Karim listened but heard nothing save for the cry of a faraway bird. Sighing, he ran a hand through his black, shaggy hair and scratched the back of his neck.

“The woods play tricks on us all, Ammar. Just let that bear”.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “Curse of the Highlands: Book 1: The Water Conjurer” by Hughes, David, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 2bf1f3d4cc197217
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 3,049,132 bytes (2.908 MB)
• Title: Curse of the Highlands: Book 1: The Water Conjurer
• Author: Hughes, David
• Pages: 206
• Language: English (en)
• Digital Edition Created: 2026-03-11T19:26:42+00:00

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 341.89 minutes
• Total Words: 68,378
• Total Characters: 381,741
• Average Words per Page: 331.93
• Average Characters per Page: 1853.11

Most Frequent Words

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Table of Contents

• Page 8: Prologue
• Page 12: Chapter 1
• Page 17: Chapter 2
• Page 28: Chapter 3
• Page 40: Chapter 4
• Page 47: Chapter 5
• Page 59: Chapter 6
• Page 71: Chapter 7
• Page 80: Chapter 8
• Page 91: Chapter 9
• Page 104: Chapter 10
• Page 118: Chapter 11
• Page 134: Chapter 12
• Page 145: Chapter 13
• Page 155: Chapter 14
• Page 168: Chapter 15
• Page 181: Chapter 16
• Page 192: Chapter 17
• Page 200: Chapter 1
• Page 203: A Word from the Author
• Page 204: About the Author

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