Excerpt:Suddenly a hand shot out of the wall ahead of her, giving her no time to react or slow her pace as it grabbed her shoulder. Kari pulled at the fingers, tugging at their grasp, trying to hurry. She had to escape the damn water!
Lightning sparked along her claws. She raised her hand to attack again, intending to cut the fingers right off of her.
A familiar voice growled, “Do it and we’re dead.”
Kari froze long enough for the hand to pull her straight into the wall. She stumbled through and fell face-first on something hard and cool.
Groaning, she rolled onto her back and looked up into the sweat-dotted, strained, and frowning face of Guine. Above him hung a ceiling of some kind of jagged, translucent, blue rock.
“Why did you stop?” he demanded rather angrily. “I said we had to keep moving, didn’t I?”
For a moment Kari thought she was still waiting for the water to overtake her. That filthy, disgusting-smelling, murky water. Slowly she realized they had changed locations again; now they were in some sort of cavern. Completely dry and relatively safe, at least for the moment.
Kari jumped up and bared her teeth at Guine. “You didn’t say if I stopped that would happen!”
“Why would I say, ‘don’t stop’ if that wasn’t a vitally important thing to do?!”
“You’re often unclear and exaggerate!” she snapped back.
They glared at each other for a long time. He was mad, but she was madder. He had not been very upfront with her about this wretched maze, and that enraged her. She did not need the Catalyst to fuel her anger; her heart thrummed against her ribs, taking all of her breath with it, and it had not stopped since that first room.
The danger here was real, and yet intangible. She had faced so many people who wanted her dead, or worse. But this place would kill her at the slightest mistake.
Finally, Guine sighed, his face relaxing into exhaustion. He turned away from her.
“It doesn’t matter now. It’s done. But now…now we face a problem.”
The walls were just like the ceiling, seemingly made of something crystalline. Ahead of her, she could see an opening in the circular room.
“What problem? Besides being in this yutemi you’ve created, that is.”
Guine chose to ignore her snappy tone. “We got off-track. Things will change now. I can find the way since I did make this as an option, but now it will take us longer.”
Kari’s gaze slowly trailed back to him. He’d said…what? Two or three days? Without food.
Now it would take longer?
“Just how much longer are you talking about, Guine?” Kari hissed.
He shrugged, not quite nonchalant, but rather resigned. “Maybe tack on a week. At the very least.”
Kari’s mouth dried. Already her stomach rumbled; now that the adrenaline had passed through her system, she was hungry. She wasn’t stupid. She knew her body would be capable of going quite a long time without sustenance, but that long? And what of their water supply?
She felt for the bag, but her fingers were too numb to reach inside for the waterskin. The cavern suddenly seemed very small.
“Guine…”
“Thirst will not be a real issue,” Guine said as if he had read her mind. “When I designed this way, I made a room for myself so that I could survive if I slipped up. There will be a room ahead that provides fresh, drinkable water. Hopefully, we can store enough to last us the rest of the time if we ration it.”
“And what about food?”
He hesitated. “The room…also has a solution for that. For humans. There’s no way we could know it would work for you, or at the very least not kill you.”
Kari stared past him. The only exit out of the cavern they were in was a single tunnel that turned sharply into darkness.
“I will not die in here, Guine.”
“I don’t intend for you to,” he said wearily. “But if things were serious at all to you before, it’s worse now.” He walked to one of the walls and sat down. “We should rest before we go on. Exhaustion and stress make the mind do stupid things.”
Kari didn’t move. She thought of a time long ago when she had left behind Snow Shade. Then she had perhaps gone a day or so without a real meal. It was like torture to her, weakening her body and senses until she had come across something to eat.
She could have adjusted to the idea of three days with no food. But more than a week?
A Bewitching Guide to Halloween
Playlist- The Storm Breaks by Valerie Storm
Interactive Map of the Haunted Hotels of Michigan
Flash Fiction- Ruins of Beauty by LS Delorme #FlashFiction #HalloweenShortStory
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This
possession was turning out to be an unqualified disaster.
Aria
was now lying on a gurney in a dimly lit grey hallway with fluorescent lights
that flickered, buzzed, and crackled. She was naked except for a thin paper
blanket on top of her. She was also stuck in a flesh coffin. To make things
worse, a woman in one of the rooms wouldn’t stop screaming.
This
scene around her should have been playing out in some backwoods hospital or
abandoned insane asylum, where her body would belong to someone about to be
lobotomized. Instead, her host was actually a beautiful 40-year-old model who
was a patient at the posh and luxurious American Hospital of Paris, there for
elective cosmetic surgery. This had been what she was expecting, to inhabit a
body where the consciousness was subdued. Instead, she was momentarily stuck in
a body where the resident soul had decided to take a little break, and so Aria
couldn’t get out. If it didn’t return fast enough, she could end up having
surgery while fully conscious.
The
possession had started out normal enough. Aria had sheltered herself in one of
the “blank” rooms at the Academy in a sensory deprivation tank. When her
consciousness had left her body, it had been drawn to the target woman, and she
had entered her mind. She didn’t know how they achieved this little feat. She
was only a Tier 3 possessor. Aria had no idea what level one had to be in order
to learn the details of how they did what they did, but she didn’t really care.
She was happy working in her unit, where she was assigned to “catalytic”
possessions in order to “tip” certain marked individuals. They would then
influence the mark in the way that the Academy directed. In return for
providing this service, the Academy gave her everything she needed and almost
anything she wanted. The cost of her beauty products alone probably ran into
the thousands per month.
But
for this assignment, Aria had awakened to find herself in an anesthetized body.
This wasn’t strictly the problem. She had possessed people who were sleeping
before, as well as those who had been drugged. In fact, drugs were often used
to help initiate a possession. But in all these previous possessions, the
residual soul was still present, and Aria used the resources of this soul to
move the body around, just as she would move her own body around. But this time
it was different. She could see, feel, and hear, but that was it. For the moment,
she had no actual control over her vehicle. This was particularly problematic
because one of her special talents was using her voice and the grace of her
movements to influence others.
The
volume of screaming increased as a door down the hall was opened, and a man
stepped out. He was dressed in green scrubs, a surgical gown, and a
bouffant-style white gauze cap. A light blue mask covered his mouth and nose.
Aria’s head was angled to the side, so she couldn’t see his shoes, but they
squeaked as he walked. He was wearing glasses that reflected the dim light
around them, giving off an unnatural golden rose glow.
“Ah,
they were right, you are beautiful,” he said as he came to stand next to her, a
smile in his deep baritone voice.
Despite
her circumstances, Aria felt a flush of pleasure. She couldn’t speak or move,
but at least her host seemed to be beautiful, and beauty was power. Even if she
didn’t have her voice, maybe her beauty would be enough to protect her from
whatever was happening.
Aria
was intimately aware of the influence of beauty. She herself had been a
beautiful actress before the Academy recruited her. Her golden eyes and auburn
hair had enchanted many men in power. It had driven a few over the edge. Her
beauty had been her calling card, and she had protected it. She had even had
abortions during her acting years so that she could keep her figure. If she was
in her own body, she knew she could easily control this man. She would have to
pray that the beauty of her host would be enough to do the same thing. She
might even be able to project her own beauty through her eyes, even if she
couldn’t really move them much.
“And
you do look a bit like Isabella Adjani,” he said, cocking his head to the side.
His voice was breathy, and his tone had softened and changed.
Being
as beautiful as she was in life, she was used to being hit on, chased, and even
stalked. So she recognized the tone of the man’s voice. It was a mixture of
lust, love, anger, longing, and resentment. It was a dangerous mixture, but also
very useful if manipulated correctly.
The
actual words of his statement took a second more to register, but once they
did, Aria felt a flash of irritation at the owner of her host body. She had
been sent into this woman just because the woman looked a bit like Isabella
Adjani. Her mark, the person that she was supposed to “tip,” had been a “fan”
of Adjani but in the old-school definition. Fan, as in fanatic. He had been
obsessive to the point of planning to kidnap her. This wasn’t well known, but
the Academy was stellar at data collection of all kinds. What also wasn’t well
known was that the mark was now a surgeon here at AHP. She had a feeling that
she might have just met him, and, for the moment, she couldn’t really
capitalize on it. This meant that her assignment was likely to go on longer
than it needed to, and when she came back to her body, she would need days to
get her skin back to being properly moisturized.
“Having
trouble speaking, love? That must be very frustrating for you,” he said to her as
he reached out and touched her face. This was neither normal doctor behavior
nor normal mark behavior.
“Let’s
just get you rolled on into the operating theatre,” he continued, moving behind
her and moving the gurney forward. As he did so, he reached out again and ran
his hand down her neck toward her breasts, but he stopped before reaching them.
“No,
it wouldn’t be right to do something inappropriate, would it?” he whispered in
a tone that suggested otherwise. Then he laughed and used the gurney to push through
the swinging doors of the room nearest to her.
Bright
lights hit her eyes as she was rolled into the operating theatre. From where
she was lying, she could see another gurney on the other side of the room. A
naked old woman was on it, rigid and unmoving, with one hand hanging above her
as if clawing at the air.
“She
was beautiful once, too,” said a woman’s voice. The voice came from behind her,
so she couldn’t see her, but her voice was soft and sultry. It was a warm water
voice but with a lilting quality that came across as almost fairy-like.
“But
beauty fades if it exists only for selfish purposes, don’t you think?” the
voice asked. “Oh wait, you can’t speak, can you? Well, I can give you that at
least.”
The
woman who walked around the gurney to face her was the most beautiful woman
that Aria had ever seen. She had pale skin. It was so pale that she finally
understood the word “porcelain” as it pertained to skin. Even though it was
pale and translucent, it was infused with a rosy glow. Her eyes were cornflower
blue, and her hair was a shade of red that was almost pink. To top all this
off, she was wearing a pink negligee that left little to the imagination, and
what was visible was close to perfect.
“I
do hate having a one-sided conversation,” the woman said as she reached out and
put her hand on Aria’s throat. Immediately, Aria felt her throat open.
“Thank
you so much,” she said to the woman, putting as much energy into her tone as
she could. The woman just laughed.
“That
won’t work on me, lamb,” she said. “But let me introduce myself. My name is
Rose, and I work for the Academy.”
Aria
felt a wave of relief pass over her.
“Oh,
thank God,” she said. “I work for the Academy too.”
“I
know,” Rose said. “That’s why you’re here. This was a test.”
“What
sort of test?” Aria asked, feeling the knot in her stomach return.
Rather
than answer her question, the woman stood up and walked over to the wall. This
was the first time that Aria noticed that the room was missing all the things
that one associates with surgery rooms. There were no trays, no bright lights
mounted on rollers, no blankets or straps on the gurneys. There was only a wall
covered with screens, another wall of what looked like stacked cabinets, and
the rigid old woman.
“We
suddenly have a need for agents who can not only possess but hold on to even
the barest filaments of a soul’s consciousness,” Rose said. “The less of the
soul that needs to be kept, the better. If there isn’t a slight remnant of the
remaining consciousness still in the body, then the body will immediately begin
to degrade. Depending on the age of the spirit possessing it, that degradation
can be extremely rapid and painful to experience.”
She
then nodded toward the old woman.
“You
weren’t able to hold what remained of this woman’s consciousness for more than
a couple of seconds,” Rose said. “So that means that you are useless in terms
of the long-term possessions we will need in the upcoming years.”
“What
does that mean?” Aria asked.
“It
means we are retiring you,” Rose replied.
Aria’s
heart began to hammer in her chest. Retirement from the Academy meant death.
Her thoughts must have been transparent because Rose laughed. Her laughter
sounded like the tinkling of wind chimes.
“Oh
pumpkin, you think we are going to kill you?” Rose asked, moving toward the
body of the old woman. “But we aren’t. We have a different plan for you.”
Rose
pushed the gurney with the old woman’s body on it toward the wall of cabinets.
“You
failed the test,” Rose said.
“So
you are punishing me?” Aria asked.
“Punishing?”
Rose said. “No, lamb, we aren’t punishing you. You aren’t interesting enough to
punish. You are just a failure. We will try again with another.”
“What
will happen to me?” Aria asked.
“Nothing,”
Rose replied as she pulled open one of the cabinets, and cold air escaped. It
was then that Aria realized that these things were not cabinets but mortuary
freezers. Rose nodded to the doctor, who slid the old woman’s body from the
gurney to the freezer and shut the door.
As
the door shut, Aria understood, and her heart began to beat wildly in her
chest.
“No,
please,” she said. “You don’t have to do this. You are so beautiful, and I’m
sure you are just as kind…”
“When
has beauty had anything to do with kindness?” Rose snapped. “The most beautiful
creature alive is a mother and an infant. You are a mother who killed her
infants, and for nothing more than vanity.”
As
she uttered these last words, Rose’s face was infused with such venom, such
hatred, that Aria wished she could look away. She felt as if she would be
burned alive by that gaze, but then Rose smiled and laughed her tinkling laugh.
“So
yes, precious, I do have to do this,” Rose said. “The only way you can help us
now is to provide us data on how long your body will stay alive with you in it.
Your existence will culminate in being a sweet little data point for us.”
“No,
no, please, no,” Aria pleaded, but the doctor had started pushing her gurney
toward the now open door of a freezer cabinet.
“Such
a shame to have to waste this body; it really does look like Isabella,” the
doctor said with a sigh.
“Don’t
worry, we’ll find you another,” Rose purred at him.
“I
can help, I can still help. I’ve done a lot for the Academy,” Aria pleaded, but
the doctor was picking her up and placing her on a cold metal slab.
“Don’t
worry, precious, you will help, in your way,” Rose said. “But you need to be
quiet now, so that you don’t disturb your neighbors.”
“Plea…”
Aria began, but Rose placed a finger on Aria’s throat and her voice was
silenced.
And
with that, she closed Aria into the dark… where beauty means nothing.
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Excerpt:
“Everyone, could you pass your weekly journals forward,” Ms. Pryll announced. “And I think, perhaps, today I will pick a few of you to read your entries to the rest of the class. Ms. McCormick, you always have such interesting entries. How about we begin with you?”
Ms. Pryll motioned her forward. Ah, her eye rolling had been noticed. Amelie really wasn’t off to a good start today. On top of her intestinal grumbling, she was feeling the beginnings of a tension headache creeping up the back of her neck.
Just as she was standing up to assume the position at the front of the classroom, someone stumbled through the door. It was Hudson. He was slumping, holding on to the doorframe. Hudson wouldn’t be drawing attention to himself in normal circumstances. Something was wrong. Ms. Pryll was finally pulled from her flirting by the fact that the rest of the class was staring at the doorway. As they watched, Hudson slid down the doorframe into a huddled position.
“Now Mr. Crowe, please come in and sit down,” said Ms. Pryll, with exasperation.
Hudson managed to hold up a small blue object, before slumping forward.“Dude’s been drinking?” Ryan laughed from the back.
Hudson tried one more time to raise his head and lift the thing in his hands. Everyone in the class just stared at him. The front of Amelie’s forehead suddenly exploded with images, and the lighted words from the cereal box this morning made sense.
Low. Sugar. Bad.
“He’s not drunk,” Amelie snapped. “That’s a glucose meter. He’s diabetic.”
Amelie dropped her notebook and ran to the door, falling to her knees beside Hudson. She had a vague notion that this hurt and she would be bruised later, before she grabbed Hudson’s head. She didn’t know if people in insulin shock had seizures or not, but that didn’t matter. She knew what to do. She had been told by something more reliable than memory. Low blood sugar was bad.
What to do? Okay, Elodie had her phone. What else? Jack, he always ate breakfast at his desk. Today it was a bottle of orange juice. Thank god.
“Elodie, call 911—now! Jack, throw me your OJ,” Amelie snapped.
Jack just smirked at her, completely disengaged in the fact that another human being was in crisis. A wave of fury replaced the images in Amelie’s head, making everything around her look shiny, sharp, and red. The world began to move in slow motion. She turned, her eyes met Jack’s, and she let her well-constructed shields drop … just… drop. The energy that flowed out of her felt glorious.
“Jack, throw me your OJ, now,” she said, softly this time. She saw the shocked look on Jack’s face, but he immediately grabbed the OJ and tossed it to her. The chemical wave that seemed to be her birthright rolled over him, through him, past him and across the class … person by person, face by face.
Release Day Blitz Realm of Dreams and Destiny by Stella Dale
EXCERPT 1
She was, in every way, an enigma––a beautiful witch who appeared from the shadows, capturing my heart and imagination. And leaving me forever changed.
The witch with chestnut hair and vibrant green eyes has been appearing to me for five years. Each visit is our shared secret, a hidden world that unfolds within the confines of the empire grounds. She meets me in the courtyard, gardens, and stable, always under the veil of secrecy.
She believes I’m a knight in the emperor’s service because it’s what I’ve allowed her to believe. Perhaps it’s the way she often finds me in training, always clad in golden armor. Or maybe it’s the way I carry myself with the discipline and bearing of a soldier.
In her eyes, I see a mixture of curiosity and innocence. It’s a wonder that the harsh realities of our worlds have not marred what we share. She speaks to me of her life, her dreams, her fears. But never once has she asked about my lineage. Never once has she voiced suspicions that I’m more than what I appear to be.
To her, I’m a knight. Not the crown prince. Not the heir to the empire. There’s a simplicity in that identity, a freedom that allows me to be someone other than the person everyone else expects me to be. With her, I’m not burdened by the weight of the crown, the expectations of an empire or the gaze of a demanding father.
Our conversations meander through topics both mundane and magical. She speaks of her world, a place of beauty and enchantment, so different from the structured life I lead. Her tales are a balm to my soul, providing a respite from the rigors of my princely duties.
Yet with each visit, a part of me aches with the guilt of deception. I long to tell her the truth and reveal who I am, but fear holds me back. I’m afraid of losing the connection and bond we share. The truth could tear us apart. I don’t know how I might cope with losing her and what we have. So I remain silent, cherishing each moment we have, living in the stolen time of our secret encounters.
In her presence, I find a peace I never knew I needed. It’s a connection that transcends the boundaries of our respective worlds. As the crown prince and future emperor, my life is filled with duty and expectation. But with her, I’m just a young man caught in the spell of a beautiful young witch.
Sometimes I wonder if she ever looks at me and sees beyond the armor and guise of a soldier. Does she ever glimpse the prince hidden beneath the golden metal? Does she sense the lineage coursing through my veins or the destiny that awaits me outside our secret meetings?
The connection we share has grown beyond mere friendship. I’ve found a confidante in her, a kindred spirit who understands me in ways that others can’t. Our conversations drift from the mundane to the profound, each word a thread in the intricate web of understanding and acceptance we’ve built.In the quiet moments we share, I often catch myself marveling at the ease with which we interact. There’s an effortless flow in our conversations, a rhythm as natural as the ebb and flow of the tides. She listens with a depth that makes me feel heard in the truest sense, her responses thoughtful and genuine.
There’s a vulnerability in our interactions and a mutual openness that has grown. I’ve revealed hidden parts of myself I’ve kept guarded from the world, and shared fears and dreams that I’ve never voiced aloud. In return, she’s entrusted me with her own inner thoughts, her hopes and her sorrows.
The ability to be my truest self with her is liberating and poignant. In her company, I find a sense of peace and belonging that eludes me in my royal life. She’s become a sanctuary and haven where I can lay down the burdens of my title and just be me.
This witch who’s cast a spell over my heart… I like her more than I ever thought possible. And lately, I’ve grappled with a startling realization.
I might have fallen in love with her.
Space Cats: Making Enemies by Craig A. Price and Shayne Price
Claymore
Publishing Books2Read
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/j1RNOYhlQtU
Excerpt:
"I have a bad feeling about this," Ryan muttered.
"Don't be ridiculous," Jade replied, leading the way toward the temple. "We came here for the minerals, and we're going to find them."
As they approached the temple, they could see that it was ancient, with large stone columns and carvings covering the walls. They made their way inside, and the mineral finder began to beep rapidly.
"There it is," Jade said, pointing to a door at the end of the chamber. "That's where the scanner is leading us."
They cautiously approached the door, which was adorned with strange symbols and carvings. Jade hesitated for a moment, but then pushed the door open.
When the door creaked open, they saw a blinding light emanating from inside the chamber. They shielded their eyes and cautiously stepped inside, drawn toward the powerful energy source.
Jade and his team crept through the temple. The air grew colder, and they felt a sense of unease.The mineral finder beeped louder as they approached the large chamber door. Ryan, the team's technician, examined the door and found that it was heavily secured.
They noticed strange markings etched on the walls. The markings resembled scratches, as if claws or sharp objects made them. Upon closer inspection, Jade realized the markings were actually a form of language, but one that he had never seen before.
Ryan, who had some expertise in ancient languages, inspected the markings. "This isn't any language that I recognize," he said, furrowing his brow in concentration. "It looks like some kind of primitive tool made it, like a claw or a rock."
Jasper, who had been scanning the temple with his handheld device, interrupted. "Guys, I'm getting some strange readings here," he said, pointing to his device. "It looks like there's some kind of energy emanating from the walls themselves."
Jade walked over to Jasper. "That's strange." He looked at the device. "There's definitely something here, but I can't quite make out what it is."
"It seems to radiate from behind this door." Jade touched a door at the end of the hallway with strange markings.
Jasper, the team's muscle, stepped forward and used his strength to force the door open. Inside the chamber, they found a glowing orb emitting a powerful energy. Jade approached the orb and scrutinized it, trying to identify its properties.
As he did so, the orb suddenly flared up with a blinding light, knocking the team off their feet.
When they regained their senses, they found the orb had disappeared and the chamber was now empty.
Jade, Ryan, and Jasper looked at each other, stunned by what had just happened. They realized they had stumbled upon something beyond their understanding and knew that they needed to report their findings to their superiors. Before they could head back to their shuttle, the darkness faded once again, and the center of the room gleamed with a small object. A crystal. It flickered slightly.