Water: The Mermaid Legacy Book One

Water: The Mermaid Legacy Book One
Natasha Hardy

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

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 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 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.

WATER

Natasha Hardy

Copyright (#ulink_a4d391ab-f2ef-514c-8702-3e26e914bfb5)

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 author’s 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 aren’t 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 – happily – 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 (http://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

Cover (#u773250d5-b404-5088-bf84-5802c5cd158f)

Blurb (#ua7463809-57c0-5cf5-9551-6d727c328498)

Title Page (#u00147f68-e4dd-5a7f-acc1-0a3446fc2b8e)

Copyright (#ua5277e2e-4bb1-5126-a3e4-d3d5fc364ac9)

Author Bio (#uf2917356-3b12-55ea-a4a6-1a96f02a33cb)

Dedication (#u9d35fbd7-7c4f-51e7-8555-c2af20b45287)

Acknowledgements (#u444e3b30-05b7-57da-bc4f-be00f6bade63)

Prologue (#u2b681e9e-58ee-5fb9-a94c-3a2df14fe5ed)

Chapter 1 (#u9e0f04ec-3ebf-5f17-aed8-7a82b3027976)

Chapter 2 (#u17cbdf53-9074-511f-bb4d-7a439627d080)

Chapter 3 (#u1c4d3401-f550-5c2c-8064-e65c66fd4572)

Chapter 4 (#uaaeed93a-b3d6-5b4a-bf32-d98951a9fe3a)

Chapter 5 (#u7e7c29e2-66da-57f6-a97d-98c8c9f40a25)

Chapter 6 (#u3bc74c80-8d60-5b96-a5a7-e9a9e734c09c)

Chapter 7 (#u739da378-e272-5174-b841-693cfe116907)

Chapter 8 (#uad52c725-dcaf-5846-9d28-29a3757ca7af)