“Then, you will never love her,” she replied, her voice rough, catching in her throat.
I rose up just enough to peer through a slat in the blind covering their window.
Zandra stomped across the room, snatched an amber-colored bottle from a collection on a shelf, and yanked out the stopper. She turned toward him. Her face looked like a corpse, drawn and white. “Captus anima!” she declared in a thunderous tone.
His form vaporized into a cloud of smoke sucked in by the bottle. When all of his matter entered the vessel, she shoved the stopper in place.
My mouth dropped open, and sweat ran down the nape of my neck.
Zandra’s lips curled. “You will never love again.” Then, she looked directly at me.
Horrified, I dropped low, crouched into a ball beneath their window. My heart thudded against my ribs. I waited.
Nothing happened. After at least a minute, I heard the quick, light clip of her footsteps, but from farther inside the apartment.
I crept back to my room, fearing every small sound I made. Once there, I locked the door and sat on the floor, motionless and listening. Still nothing. A faint glow of dawn shone through the window. Every nerve of my body trembled. My mind raced.
More than an hour passed. Zandra would be going to work. I doubted she’d have time to harm me until afternoon. I planned to be long gone before then...and in possession of that bottle.
I got to my feet and dressed. With Anson’s talisman around my wrist, I scurried to the main house in search of Mags. I found her in the large country kitchen stirring batter.
I ran to her side, and my words streamed out. “She has Anson! In a bottle. He’s a prisoner.”
“What? Slow down.” She placed the bowl on the counter and studied me.
I sucked in a quick breath. “Zandra found us together in bed. She cast a spell that turned him to smoke, which she sealed within a bottle. Can you let me into her room once she’s gone to work? Maybe the magic in Anson’s amulet will allow me to open the stopper and release him.”
She clutched my arm. “Yes, of course. I’ll get the key. Save my son, Kate. Please. She took him once. Not again.”
As soon as Zandra left, Mags and I entered the witch’s apartment and searched everywhere for the amber bottle. Not there. In fact, no bottles of any type were there.
“I saw dozens of bottles on this shelf. She must have seen me watching her cast the spell.” I ran a hand across my forehead.
“I’m willing to bet she took the lot to her shop. She sells fancy bottles.” Mags grabbed my arm. “Go and watch for her to leave at lunch. While her helper tends the store, buy that bottle. Can you pick it out?”
“Yes, I can. I saw it clearly. I’ll get packed and leave for home from there once I save him. That way she won’t be able to find him.”
She hugged me. “I’ll miss Anson, but this is best for him. Thank you, Kate.”
I pulled her closer, unable to find words that would bring comfort.
After we left the witch’s rooms, I quickly packed and drove into town.
Parked in sight of The Mystical Moon, like a private detective, I slunk low in my seat to avoid detection by passersby who might question my intentions. A long, tedious hour passed, and then another without any sign of Zandra exiting the store.
Finally, she stepped out and walked two blocks down the street to the café.
From the opposite direction, I hustled to the shop, slipped inside, and approached the willowy teenage clerk. “I’m wanting to buy a decorative amber bottle, one that has a stopper.”
“Let me look.” The girl searched the store’s display cases, then faced me. “No, I can’t find one like that.”
“Will you check in back, please?”
She left, and I fidgeted, worried about being discovered by the returning witch.
“No, I’m sorry. But I did find this blue one with a stopper. Will it do? We just got it in, and I’m not supposed to sell it yet since my boss had it on her desk for pricing. But I don’t think she’ll mind.”
“No. It must be amber. Look again, and carefully. Check everywhere.”
“I’ll check again.” She shrugged, tossed her long hair behind her shoulders, and disappeared into the back.
I paced the aisles, opening drawers and cupboards.
“I can’t find what you’re wanting. You can try down the street at—”
I leaned over the counter. “You don’t understand. It’s imperative I get an amber stoppered bottle from this store.”
The girl stepped back, her eyes wide. “I can’t help you, I’m really sorry. Please, take the blue one for free.”
My heart sank. It was a weathered cobalt blue, comforting, like the beach glass I gathered with my parents. I snatched it up and left. Outside, tears streamed down my cheeks as I hurried to my car.
I drove home toward Ohio slowly, thinking of Anson as a prisoner to that vile woman. I’d let Mags down. I’d failed.
I stopped at the state park for a break. I unwrapped the bottle and ran my fingers over its smooth patina. With the bottle secure in my jacket, I set out for a walk. I cradled the weight of the glass inside my pocket. A sad souvenir.
Stooping to fill it with sand memories of happier times, I removed the stopper. Smoke rushed out. I dropped the bottle and fell backward.
In front of me, Anson materialized. He extended his hand to help me up. “Kate! You’ve freed me. Thank you.”
“Is it really you? But how? The bottle?”
“She switched bottles to fool you. She got what she deserved—nothing. He pulled me into his arms for a kiss—a kiss that revealed to me a vision of his mother’s teary smile and the sound of his soul singing, free and in love.”
The End
* * *
Learn about books by Marsha A. Moore at:
www.MarshaAMoore.com
* * *
Newsletter
www.marshaamoore.com/Mailing-list.php
Meet the authors who support the Cajun Navy in their efforts to provide relief to those affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
Rebecca Hamilton
Rebecca Hamilton writes Paranormal Fantasy, Horror, and Literary Fiction. She is represented by Rossano Trentin of TZLA and published in three languages. She lives in Florida with her husband and four kids, along with multiple writing personalities that range from morbid to literary. Having a child diagnosed with autism has inspired her to illuminate the world through the eyes of characters who see things differently. To learn more about Autism Spectrum Disorder, please visit:
http://www.autisticadvocacy.org
For more books by Rebecca Hamilton, please visit her page on Amazon:
http://amzn.to/1NleuiT
Join her newsletter for her latest books and special giveaways:
http://www.rebeccahamiltonbooks.com/#!na-pnr-newsletter/l5aer
J.A. Culican
J.A. Culican is a teacher by day and a writer by night. She lives in New Jersey with her husband of eleven years and their four young children. She spends her evenings at home, with her family, watching Harry Potter and Star Wars. When not home you can find her at the soccer or field hockey fields, rooting her children on.
J.A. Culican’s inspiration to start writing came from her children and their love for all things magical. Bedtime stories turned to reality after her oldest daughter begged her for the book from which her stories of dragons came from. In turn, the series, The Keeper of Dragons was born.
Christopher D. Morgan
Christopher D. Morgan is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author, blogger, IT Manager, graphics artist, businessman, volunteer and family man living in Melbourne, Australia. He spends much of his spare time volunteering for his local community. He creates visual learning resources for primary school children, which he markets through his company Bounce Learning Kids. He is also involved in local civics and sits on various community & council committees.
Christopher was born in the UK
and grew up in England’s South East. At age twenty, he moved to The Netherlands, where in 1988 he married Sandy. Christopher quickly learned Dutch and the couple spent eight years living in the far South of that country before they moved to Florida in 1996. After spending six years in Florida, Christopher and Sandy sold their home and spent the next two years backpacking around the world. Christopher has visited about 40 countries to date and 13 US states.
Whilst circumnavigating the globe, Christopher wrote extensively, churning out travel journals. He and Sandy settled back in the UK at the end of their world tour, where their two children were both born. In 2009, the family uproot again and moved to Melbourne, Australia, where they now live.
You can read all about Christopher & Sandy’s epic travels on his travel showcase website: http://ChrisAndSandyMorgan.com/
Following the successful launch of his writing career, Christopher joined forces with fellow author, JA Culican, to start Dragon Realm Press, a one-stop-shop that provides a full range of services to other authors.
Melle Amade
Since I was eight I have been writing stories that capture the adventures in my head and the characters strong enough and flawed enough to have them. When I look at an empty field I see a formidable citadel. When I meet a vulnerable old man, I greet an emeritus warrior. When I walk through city streets I feel dimensions hiding around every turn. It has been my lifelong passion to explore these worlds that reveal the pain of loneliness, the joy or self-actualization, and the hope of magic.
I grew up in a place called Potter Valley where the Milky Way is held aloft by a circle of mountains and the central business district consists of a bait store and a saloon. At 19 I moved alone to London and spent the next ten years exploring the world, even becoming an Australian citizen, before I returned to California and found a new home in Los Angeles. My world revolves around my two wee children, storytelling, and my love of travel.
Read More from Melle Amade
https://www.amazon.com/Melle-Amade/e/B01LXJQ7YD
Facebook: Melle Amade Author Page
Elizabetta Holcomb
USA Today Bestselling Author, Elizabetta Holcomb is a YA Urban Fantasy/Time Travel author who lives in South Louisiana with her children and cats. When she isn't working nights as a nurse, she is in her writing room creating more adventures surrounding Dover Castle. The best part of her adventure in becoming a published author is connecting with readers and sharing the amazing world that all starts with a medieval duke and a small town modern girl. Welcome to the Age of Dover's Amalgam!
Nichole Giles
USAT Bestselling author, Nichole Giles, is the author of The DESCENDANT series and The WATER SO DEEP series. Her dreams include owning a garden full of fairies, riding a unicorn, and taming her pet dragons. She loves traveling to tropical and exotic destinations, driving with the convertible top down, and playing music at full volume while she sings along.
Read More from Nichole Giles
www.nicholegiles.net
Demelza Carlton
Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.
She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below.
Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.
The Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed her suspense thriller Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn't leave her alone.
Want to know more? You can follow Demelza on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or her website, Demelza Carlton’s Place at:
www.demelzacarlton.com
Amir Lane
Amir Lane is a paranormal and urban fantasy writer from Sudbury, Ontario. Engineer by trade, they spend most of their writing time in a small home office on the cargo pants of desks, or in front of the TV watching every cop procedural or cooking competition on Netflix. They live in a world where magic is an everyday occurrence, and they strive to bring that world to paper. Their short story, Scrap Metal and Circuitry, was published by Indestructible magazine in April 2016.
When not trying to figure out what kind of day job an incubus would have or what a Necromancer would go to school for, Amir enjoys visiting the nearest Dairy Queen, getting killed in video games, absorbing the contents of comic books, and freaking out over how fluffy the neighbour’s dog is.
Read More from Amir Lane
www.amirlane.com
Marsha A. Moore
Marsha A. Moore loves to write fantasy and paranormal romance. Much of her life feeds the creative flow she uses to weave highly imaginative tales.
The magic of art and nature spark life into her writing, as well as other pursuits of watercolor painting and drawing. She’s been a yoga enthusiast for over a decade and is a registered yoga teacher. Her practice helps weave the mystical into her writing. After a move from Toledo to Tampa in 2008, she’s happily transformed into a Floridian, in love with the outdoors where she’s always on the lookout for portals to other worlds. Marsha is crazy about cycling. She lives with her husband on a large saltwater lagoon, where taking her kayak out is a real treat. She never has enough days spent at the beach, usually scribbling away at stories with toes wiggling in the sand. Every day at the beach is magical!
Read More from Marsha A. Moore
www.MarshaAMoore.com
Dawn Of Hope: Charity Anthology Page 26