Against The Odds
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Against The Odds
Senna Fisher
Published by Kenaz Publications at Smashwords
Copyright 2013 Senna Fisher
Discover other titles by Senna Fisher at Smashwords.com
In this series:
Book 1: Against the Odds
Book 2: Always at Odds
Book 3: Cheating the Odds
Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.
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Tables of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
About the author
Excerpt: Always at Odds
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Chapter 1: 1Prologue
Felicia looked around her as she walked in the Ferncliff Forest. Her stride was hesitant and afraid. It was so dark in the forest that she was startled by the rustling noises of the leaves blowing softly in the wind around her. Her torch composed murky, ominous shadows against the darkness of the night, which captured her vivid imagination. She shivered as she felt a cool breeze whisk through her shawl.
Then she heard the slow, intense flapping of wings moving towards her, just a few paces behind her. She looked around and saw nothing.
“Olivia, is that you?”
There was no reply, so she walked faster, bumping into shrubs and roots. She got to the clearing and was consoled by the clean, fresh air of the openness. She swung her torch around to see if anybody was there, but saw nothing except the muffled silence of the night air. She relaxed slightly, thinking she had allowed her imagination to run away with her. Okay I am alright. Where is Olivia? She was to meet Olivia here at the clearing at midnight. It was fifteen minutes passed midnight already.
Felicia had been late because her husband, Samuel, had taken so long to fall off to sleep. She had rushed here, hoping Olivia would wait for her. Olivia did not seem like a patient woman and might have already left. She was not sure if she was disappointed or relieved. If Olivia had already left, she would not need to go through with it. But if she is still on her way, she sighed deeply. I am going to do it. Felicia was unsure what to do next. She had come this far, she reasoned to herself, so there was really no harm in waiting a bit. Fine, I will wait for half an hour, then leave. But I need to relax because every sound is giving me the creeps here. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She jerked suddenly when she realized she was not alone. There was definitely something in the forest. She felt she was being watched, peered at. She casts her eyes suspiciously across the bushes around her, hoping to identify the source of her suspicion.
She turned around and jumped when she heard the cold, harsh voice behind her.
“Well, you took your time, didn’t you?”
Olivia was standing directly behind her, so close that she could feel her breathing into the nape of her neck.
“Olivia, you gave me such a fright! I did not hear you coming. I am so sorry I am late, but...”
“No matter, let’s get to work. I don’t have the whole night. Come.”
Felicia felt the cold, dry hand grab her. She followed Olivia and as they walked, she realized that she had made a mistake. She should not be here. She should be at home with her husband and her two-year old daughter. She had been motivated by anger and jealousy, and now, finding herself in the forest at midnight with a black witch, she was sure she should just call it off. She realized she had been wrong to come here tonight, particularly as she was scared of the Olivia she saw now. She looked different now with her long black dress and no shoes, her green eyes gleaming dangerously in the moonlight. Her voice had a menacing tone which she had not detected when she had met Olivia in town. She had been a soft-spoken woman with a pale green dress, which had made her eyes light up beautifully when she smiled.
Olivia stopped suddenly. “Sit down there while I prepare the ritual.”
Felicia sat obediently and Olivia disappeared into one of the bushes. It is odd that she never seems to make a sound as she walks, Felicia reflected. Olivia emerged from the bushes carrying a bag filled with herbs and black candles. She placed the candles in a circle around both of them and lit them. She moved from candle to candle, sprinkling some of the herbs, while she chanted a string of words Felicia did not recognise. One giant candle was placed in the middle of the circle, facing both of them. Felicia felt the gravity of the ritual and its dark force closing in on her. She wanted to say something, to stop the ritual, but Olivia seemed unaware of her presence. Felicia cleared her throat, but Olivia glared her into silence, her eyes dark and hostile and her lips pursed tightly in disapproval. She pulled out the lock of dark hair. She held it over the flame and chanted:
Winds of the North, East, South and West
Call to my behest
The Angel of Darkness, Angel of Pain
That he may serve my purpose once again.
Felicia felt that cool breeze again and Olivia paused for a while.
Angel of Darkness, Angel of Pain
Thank you for your presence once again.
Give me your power
So that I can shower
Pain and suffering to young Portia McGuire.
Let her beauty attract much desire
That burns like a flame in a fire.
That such desire be turned away in fear and pain
That she will not know if she is sane.
Let her beauty be known to all
Who in time will turn and fall
Away from her in fright
At her beautiful sight.
Angel of Darkness, Angel of Pain
Increase her pain
With a binding of all the allies and runt
Born of Portia McGuire, to bear the brunt.
Let this spell be so bound
To invoke the evil sight and sound
Of The Darkness which will give no love, joy or celebrations
to all the allies and runt born of Portia McGuire for many generations.
Let this spell be unbound and apart taken
Only by the energy of the power of love which remains unshaken.
Let its power to drained and extracted
Only by the power of two Protectors, together contracted
Winds of the North, East, South and West
Grant to me my request
So mote it be.
Olivia took the lock of hair and burnt it in the flame. It sizzled and struggled against the engulfing hunger of the flame, but Olivia’s fingers held firm until all the hair was burnt. There was a strong stench of hair and herbs which clung in determination to the air as she spoke to Felicia.
“Now there. It is done. Portia will never have your husband or
any other man.”
“I don’t know. Olivia, can you reverse it? It seems a bit harsh.”
“No, we can do nothing now. This was your desire. You came to me and pleaded with me to stop her and that is what I have done. Nothing more can be done. Go back to your husband.”
She turned and collected her bag and walked off into the bushes.
Felicia stumbled out of the forest, frightened by the suggestive sounds of the night. She was sure there was something following her home, but she saw nothing except the darkness of the night. She was also frightened by what she and Olivia had done. What had she done? She had been completely angry when she had approached Olivia for help to magically keep her husband from other women, especially the handsome Portia. Now Olivia was talking about generations of pain for Portia? She shrugged, telling herself that the idea was ridiculous and it was nothing more than Olivia being dramatic for her benefit. She got home and could not sleep, consumed by guilt for what she had done to her friend Portia.
For two weeks she tried to find Olivia to reverse the spell, but she seemed to have vanished. Felicia comforted herself with the thought that it was not real. It is only magic after all. Nothing can possibly happen. She chided herself for being silly about the whole thing, and convinced herself that nothing really happened out there. She was fortified in this belief when she saw Portia that week. Feeling a little worried and guilty, she had gone to visit Portia to check if everything was fine. She had been greatly relieved to see that Portia was still as vivid and beautiful as ever, laughing joyfully as she always did. Felicia felt much better and dismissed thoughts of Olivia from her mind.
~ ~ ~ ~
Olivia walked off into the forest with her helper, The Darkness. Its wings flapped overhead as she walked and she smiled gleefully. She had waited a long time to perform that spell. It had been in her family for generations and she had never found a willing participant to work with her. She had travelled far and wide, hoping to find the right person to submit to the spell. Felicia, with her naive insecurities about her wealthy and dashingly handsome husband, had been easy to convince, especially because her friend Portia was so vibrant and beautiful, with an open friendliness that had surprised Olivia when she met her. It had not been difficult to get Felicia to cut a lock from her friend’s dark hair. Olivia knew Portia would not steal the girl’s husband, but it had not been difficult to suggestively persuade her of such a horrendous reality. Olivia was so happy. It had gone extremely well, her best work yet. She rubbed her hands in satisfaction. Now I can go back home to my family and friends. It has been such a long time. She took the next train from Rosen Bay and slept all the way home to Dunville, relaxed and content.
The Curse of The Darkness had finally been cast in the Ferncliff Forest.
*****
1Chapter 2
On Friday Rebecca walked up the stairs to her office and rushed as she heard her phone ringing. She scrambled through her handbag to find her keys, but battled to find them amidst her lipsticks, pens and paraphernalia. She threw her hands up in the air. What the hell. Let it ring. Who could be phoning me so early in the morning anyway? It is only 7.15. But the phone continued to bid her to it and rang persistently for her attention. It stopped abruptly just as she threw herself across her desk to answer it. Damn! She sat down and stared at her computer. She sighed. It was going to be one of those days. She was so distracted lately. Perhaps it was all the tension growing inside of her. Something is wrong. Ever since she looked into those deep blue eyes, her chakras were out of balance. She could not shake the feeling, the anxiety, premonition, or whatever. Something or someone was nagging her, tugging at her and she did not know what it was about.
Rebecca remembered the day well, just two weeks ago. It had been Monday. She had gone to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development on Victoria Street to meet her friend, Jonathan Carlton, who had recently been employed there as a legal adviser. Jonathan had been excited about starting the new job because as he had been getting depressed with his private practice which dealt mostly with criminal work.
When she arrived, Jonathan was busy on the phone and she had walked out onto a large terrace to get some fresh air. It was a bright, sunny day and she wanted to savour its splendour. She closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. She relaxed, walking further onto the terrace and turned when she heard a man’s voice. He was sitting on a bench nearby, talking on his cell phone. His back was facing her and all she could see was that he had broad shoulders and very short, dark brown hair cut in a neat military style. He was mumbling and agreeing with the caller. She decided she should leave before he saw her. Suddenly he turned and faced her, his dark sunglasses sparkling at her. He stopped talking and looked at her.
Then he spoke again. “Yes, I am paying keen attention. Go ahead and impress me,” and a slow smile curled on his lips.
She wished he could take off his sunglasses, because she felt compelled to look at his eyes. She continued to stare at him and noticed that he was in his early thirties, had a great body and was definitely mocking her. She liked the light shadow of stubble on his chin and she thought it made him look like he just got out of bed. She turned to walk away when she heard him.
“I’ll call you back. There is something that I need to attend to now. Hello, are you lost? Are you looking for somebody?”
He had gotten off the bench and was standing when she turned. He was tall and his body seemed to overshadow her. He was leaning down, his dark sunglasses glaring at her. She watched his lips as he spoke, bizarrely fascinated with his perfect teeth.
“I, ur, am, ur, waiting for Jonathan Carlton. He is busy on the phone.”
“Oh? Jonathan? And what do you want with him?”
“He is friend. I will wait inside for him, thanks.”
“I think you should wait for someone else, my dear. Jonathan is a married man, did you know that?”
He sounded disappointed and disapproving. She stared at him, unable to answer and offended by his suggestion. He took off his glasses and looked at her with bright, blue eyes. Their eyes locked in confrontation and she looked away abruptly, because she heard Jonathan calling her name. She turned and walked towards him as he was coming onto the terrace.
“Hello, my princess. I thought you got tired of waiting and buggered off. I know how you hate to be kept waiting. I’m sorry. I will definitely make it up to you. Oh, hi Clayton. I didn’t see you there.”
Jonathan was suddenly aware of the tension between them. “I take it you two have met?” He smiled at Rebecca and noticed that she looked a bit confused.
“I guess. Anyway, let’s get a move on. I have so much to do today.” She tried to escape, but she heard his voice.
“No. We haven’t met. Hello, Princess, pleased to meet you. I am Jonathan’s colleague. I am Clayton Giles. Don’t forget what I told you, okay?” His eyes were smiling at her, but there was something else in them that she could not read. He seemed disturbed? He held out his hand to her and she was compelled to be civil.
“Yes, pleased to meet you. Now, Jono, we really must go. Bye.”
Jonathan was surprised at what he observed. Clayton was behaving strangely. He had that look of disapproval on his face, but he was also being unusually charming. He had little time for women and focussed most his testosterone on winning legal challenges. He hardly noticed all the pretty young women who vied for his attention and generally adopted a dismissive attitude towards females. He had not seen his old friend’s eyes sparkle like that since they were at university together. Also, he could have sworn that the two had already met before he arrived, but seemed not to know each other’s names. Rebecca had been uncharacteristically rude. She was usually lively and charismatic to strangers.
He watched Rebecca as they sat down at lunch, the distracted way she rubbed her hand, looking confused. “Rebecca, are you okay?”
“Yes, of course. I like your office. It feels welcoming and cozy, except, I am not too sure that I am ha
ppy about your secretary. Does Jackie know that she is a busty, sixteen year old blond?”
Jonathan laughed. “Yes, Jackie knows Sharon. She chose her for me. She is not sixteen. She is twenty-five and a very competent blond, I will have you know. She also has a busty, blond girlfriend. I suspect that is why Jackie chose her.”
“Oh, all right, then. I feel better already. What kind of work have you been doing so far? Have you been doing anything interesting?”
“No, not yet. Most of the work has been pretty mundane so far. I am dealing mainly with corporate contracts, or rather tender processes. The government has recently become obsessed with contracts awarded only after a lengthy tender process. So that is what I am dealing with at the moment. Rebecca, you cannot believe how stress-free it is in there. I can’t believe my luck. I even have time to go to the gym, if you have noticed. I have four attorneys working for me and they seem to know what they are doing.”
“Great. You are so lucky. I wish I had less people working for me. I am going insane with all their fights and bickering. It is pretty hectic right now. I certainly have not been to the gym in a long time. Tell me about Jackie’s new project.”
They chatted for a long time and three hours later, they made their way back to his office where she had left her car. On the way, Jonathan suddenly said, “so what do you think of Clayton?”
“I don’t know. I can’t really say. I only met him for a few seconds.”
Jonathan was intrigued. Rebecca was a strongly opinionated woman. She always had a firm view of what she thought of people, especially after her first meeting. She had a strong instinct about every one and he had relied on it on many occasions when they had worked together.
“He is a great guy. Very gentle, but very assertive. I met him many years ago. He is Jackie’s friend. He is fiercely protective over her and never trusted me with women. He used to give me such a hard time if I even looked at a woman. Eventually, he accepted that I loved Jackie and relaxed a lot. Now, she complains that the two of us are bad for each other.”