Chaos Magic

by Jennifer Willis

  Maksim’s gaze wandered to the boy’s plate of food. Thick slices of bread and piles of meat and cheese, even fruit! He looked around for the rest of the family who must be sharing this generous meal, but there was a similar plate in front of the lady. So much food for one person. He breathed in the aroma of something savory in the oven, and his mouth started to water.

  “Well, where did you come from?” The lady left her chair and knelt in front of him so her face was even with his. “Are you okay? Are you hungry?”

  He nodded and his nose on his sleeve. He felt ashamed of his dirty clothes and musty blanket when the lady’s face was shiny and bright and smelled of soap. If she noticed his ragged shirt and torn denim, she didn’t seem to mind. She ushered him into an empty chair and pushed her own plate in front of him.

  Maksim dug into the food and he was shoving bread and meat into his mouth before he could think about thanking her for her generosity. He crunched down on a grape and sweetness exploded in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed quickly to make room for more. The lady set a glass of milk in front of Maksim and pulled up a chair beside him while the boy watched from across the table.

  The lady touched his shoulder. Maksim flinched, but her touch was kind. She smoothed down his hair as he continued to eat.

  “My name is Bonnie, and this is my son, Magnus.” Her voice was like music. “Are you lost? Do you need help finding your parents?”

  Maksim forced a mouthful of cheese down his throat. “Maksim,” he said. He reached for the glass and choked down half the milk she’d set out for him. It was cold and good. He remembered the question his mother had told him to ask. “Please, keep me safe here?”

  Also by Jennifer Willis

  Rhythm

  The Rune Witch series

  Moon Dog Magic

  Elements of Magic

  Black Pool Magic

  Raven Magic

  Chaos Magic

  Twilight Magic (coming summer 2018)

  Mars Adventure Romance Series (MARS)

  Mars Ho!

  Lovers and Lunatics

  Mars Heat

  For news of future books, occasional freebies, and other updates, please visit jennifer-willis.com and/or sign up for my readers list.

  Acknowledgments

  This book was initially conceived as a novella, something to bridge the gap between Raven Magic and Twilight Magic. But then Loki had ideas of his own, and Chaos Magic was the result. The book was originally drafted in 2015 and sat for a while, untouched, until I was ready to pick it back up, rip it to pieces, and put it back together again.

  Chaos Magic wouldn’t have been possible with the support and patience of some really great people:

  Dale Ivan Smith, Wendy Wagner, and Rebecca Stefoff, who helped me plot out this story—at least twice, I think—and encouraged me to rescue it from oblivion.

  George Jackson, who slowly and gently opened my eyes to chaos magick.

  Ansur, who remains a steady and important presence, even when months or longer pass in silence.

  Maplewood Coffee & Tea, a decent place to get some work done. Try their deviled eggs. You won’t be disappointed.

  Rob Gonzalez, who swooped in at exactly the right time with exactly the right offer.

  Magic Panic. Yes, I am thanking a hair dye company, for offering me the opportunity to work some beautiful chaos into my own hair. I hadn’t known I needed purple hair to get this project completed.

  Bryan Cohen. Speaking of swooping, this guy flew me to Chicago and walked me around the city while pounding equal parts hard truth and friendly encouragement.

  Tori Centanni, because I love her werewolves and her indie authors group on Facebook.

  Laurel Standley, even though she broke my heart when she moved out of town. We’re still doing Tuesday morning write-ins.

  And always Mike. I don’t know how or why he puts up with me, but I’m sure glad he does.

  About the Author

  Author photograph by Rachel Hadiashar.

  Jennifer Willis loves tales of magickal mayhem, unlikely adventure, and playful intrigue.

  An admitted sci-fi nerd and urban fantasy fan, she is the author of the Rune Witch urban fantasy series and the M.A.R.S. science fiction romance books. When she’s not hiking, knitting, baking, star-gazing, or reading like a fiend, she spends her time trying to bring enchantment to the world. She is the writer behind the Northwest Love Stories feature in The Oregonian and has a byline in the Hugo Award-winning Women Destroy Science Fiction anthology from Lightspeed.

  She lives in Oregon with her dude, their dog, a quartet of cats, and possibly a family of raccoons residing under the house.

  For more information . . .

  Jennifer-Willis.com