Off Track: A Romantic Magical Quest Series (The Madeline Journeys Book 1)

by P. A. Wilson

  Servants took the empty plates, and men started to collapse the tents. The four of them walked to the paddock to get their horses saddled.

  “Will we be able to travel together?” Madeline asked Jode as they stood waiting for the saddles to be brought. “I mean, will Arabela be our chaperon until we find someone else?”

  “We will all ride together. Both Lady Arabela and Sir Simon will witness our propriety.”

  “So, when we get back what happens?”

  “We can discuss that as we ride,” Jode said. There was a sound of a scuffle coming from the far side of the paddock. “Now what?” Jode turned towards the sound.

  “It seems to be coming from that group over there.” Madeline pointed.

  A woman Madeline didn’t recognize from the camp ran towards them. She held a knife, her hair streaming behind, and her robes billowing out around her frame. As she ran, she shrugged off people who were trying to stop her and aimed directly for Jode and Madeline, both reached for their weapons.

  “You,” the woman shrieked pointing her finger at Madeline. “You killed my lover.”

  Madeline felt frozen in place, her skin on fire. It was the woman from the vision.

  The Scree woman moved quickly toward Jode, slashing at his arm with a long blade. He tried to ward her off, but his sword was on the side of his body next to the horse. He couldn’t draw it.

  The woman reached under Jode’s defenses and started to stab him. Madeline felt her hands reach for the throwing blades. She took one in each hand and drove them into the woman’s back. The Scree grunted and folded at the knees. Her blade hit the ground; she collapsed in a heap.

  Madeline’s hands dripped with crimson. She looked at Jode. Blood ran from cuts on his chest and arm, too much blood. She screamed. The little priest ran into the paddock. Jode staggered towards Madeline but didn’t make it. He collapsed beside the dead woman.

  Madeline’s skin had stopped burning, but now she felt like the world was fading from her. A cold dampness covered her body. She strained to hear the people who were calling to her. The grayness increased and the world disappeared from the edges of her vision. She felt her knees give way and tried to gain control. Arms grabbed her and stopped her from falling. She heard Simon’s voice as if from far away. “I’ve got you, don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”

  How could everything be okay? Jode was dead. She hadn’t protected him. He was dead and it was her fault. At the crucial moment, she’d frozen, been too late.

  34

  The world came back in waves of sight and sound. Madeline heard Arabela’s voice calling her back to consciousness. “Drink this; it will help.”

  She sipped the liquid. It tasted of peppermint and did help her feel more aware. She looked around, the light was dim, and she felt motion.

  “Where…”

  “You are in Blu’s wagon. We were worried she had hexed you.”

  “No, I’m fine. Where is Jode?”

  “He is over there,” Arabela pointed at the other bench where Jode was laid out, Blu kneeling on the floor beside him. The priest was sewing the deep cuts on Jode’s chest.

  “The woman?”

  “Dead.” Arabela paused.

  “What? There’s something else?”

  “We know why you were brought here.”

  “Why?” Madeline kept her eyes on Jode’s still form. “Why did I have to come here?”

  “That woman was Sayer’s other wife. She carried his unborn twin children.” Arabela waited for Madeline to realize the importance of her act.

  All Madeline cared about was the sight of her love lying on the bench, not moving.

  “If you had not been here, she would not have come out. We would not have known about them,” Arabela explained. “Blu says they would have been formed enough to live outside the body in another few days. That is why we had to act so quickly. Not because of my condition.”

  “How do you know there are no others?” Madeline asked her voice dull with grief.

  “Blu searched and found none. In fact, he found no trace of any living family member for Goddard. The other Scree acted swiftly. The keep ran with blood by dawn.”

  “Can you send me back?”

  Arabela sat back, clearly surprised. “Yes, but I thought you wanted to stay. You said you loved Sir Jode. You wanted to study magic.”

  “There’s no point now. If Jode is gone, I would rather go home and be miserable in familiar territory.”

  “Gone?” Arabela smiled and brushed Madeline’s hair back. “He is not gone. Blu provided him with some pain killing herbs. He is in a deep sleep so he won’t feel the pain. He is very much alive.”

  Madeline blew out a shuddering breath. Looking over at Jode, she felt relief and warmth flood her body. He was alive and they would be building a future together. “Good, no more decisions to make.”

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  Also by P. A. Wilson

  MYSTERIES

  Closing the Circle:

  In the dark places of San Francisco, a serial killer ignores the Wiccan Rede. As the festival of Mabon nears, Sam and Felicity have to stop the final sacrifice.

  The Dragon At The Edge Of The Map:

  Vancouver’s jazz scene is the only place Monique feels safe. Singing is the only thing that makes her feel alive. Then violence follows her to club.

  Hubris: A Charity Deacon Investigation

  For Charity, danger is just a way of life. She witnesses a car crash that covers a murder. Her latest client is a teenage hooker with a missing sister.

  Greed: A Charity Deacon Investigation

  France is unfamiliar territory for Charity and Lu as they race to find Audrey alive. French smugglers and police corruption all conspire to stop them from solving the case.

  Ambition: A Charity Deacon Investigation

  In this community of secrets, Charity and Val risk their lives to catch a killer with grand ambitions and a willingness to do whatever it takes.

  SCIENCE FICTION

  Breaking the Bonds:

  25 years of brutality from the Meta is enough. Three young colonists become unlikely rebels. Serena wants a future. Oisin wants Serena, and Michal wants freedom.

  A Need To Breathe: Rebuilding Hope book 1

  Lena can’t take it any longer. The rules are suffocating her and there is no future for anyone in New Surrey. After the measles plague and the suicides that followed, the world is a lonely place. She gathers a group of people who are desperate to escape to a freer life and they begin the journey to a place where they can breathe and build a future.

  URBAN FANTASY

  Imperative: The Quinn Larson Quests book 1

  One dead human is a problem, and three is something Quinn can’t ignore. Someone has to stop the Fae before the humans commit a second genocide.

  Compulsion: The Quinn Larson Quests book 2

  The ancient druids have awoken and they have a hidden agenda. Quinn has an apprentice and a bossy fairy adding to his woes. Can he stop a meltdown and save the world again?

  Obsession: The Quinn Larson Quests book 3

  Dionne needs to be trained before the prophecy demands her life. The druids are on his back again, and Quinn is the only wizard standing between war and survival.

  Imbalance: The Quinn Larson Quests book 4

  Lionel is trapped in the horror of the Gur amulet. Dionne is about to change the world. Now Quinn has to help Trahaearn, Arch Druid of the west. He can’t find his followers.

  All four books are available in a collection titled The Quinn Larson Quests

&nb
sp; Druid: A Real Folk of Vancouver Novel

  Trahaearn, longs for the simple times when a battle with vampires was his biggest worry. Now, Since the prophesy, all the fairies, sprites, sidhe glow and he has to stop the coming genocide.

  FANTASY

  The New Normal: The Madeline Journeys book 2

  Her enemy from the law firm has been kidnapped to Cartref. Madeline’s magic is unpredictable, so it might be her fault. Can she save her enemy without killing her?

  A Twist of Power: The Madeline Journeys book 3

  An attacker with malice in his heart aims to destroy a child and lay claim to the Summer Lands. While Madeline searches for the attacker, someone is hunting her.

  End of The Tunnel: The Madeline Journeys book 4

  Pregnant and without her magic, Madeline is running out of time to save the world. An ally will betray her and a sacrifice will beak her heart, will it all be worth it?

  All four books are available in a collection titled The Madeline Journeys

  Family: The Elven Stones book 1

  A mysterious contract and an oath that will kill them if they share the secret are the starting points on the quest to find the truth behind the myth of the stones.

  ROMANCE

  The Alice Street Inn: The Riverton Romances book 1

  For Niki Winston, losing her job was like losing her whole life. Set adrift, she takes a chance on a job with someone she’s never met, and a second chance at love.

  Cabin Fever Craving: The Riverton Romances book 2

  Alicia is a PI who doesn’t make mistakes. But thinking of Max distracted her and now her target is on the run. Mountains, bears, or love won’t get in the way of fixing her mistake.

  Room For Another: The Riverton Romances book 3

  A grieving child and a vow to put him first leaves no room for Celeste to fall in love. She asks Flynn to do the renovation of her Victorian to save time, not because he’s sexy.

  A Lie To Save Me: The Riverton Romances book 4

  Glory needs a hot story to save her job. Damon has a dark secret that could destroy him. A whistleblower is spreading hatred and Glory can’t put her attraction to Damon ahead of her future.

  NON-FICTION

  Write the Book Inside You:

  Discover the secrets of getting your book from an idea to a fully developed story.

  Writing a book starts with an idea. Learn the tips, tools, and techniques to manage that stream of ideas. When you can manage your idea flow, it’s time to start drafting the story.

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  About the Author

  Perry Wilson is a Canadian author based in Vancouver, BC who has big ideas and an itch to tell stories. Having spent some time on university, a career, and life in general, she returned to writing in 2008 and hasn't looked back since (well, maybe a little, but only while parallel parking).

  She is a member of the Vancouver Writers Social Group, The Royal City Literary Arts Society, and The Surrey Writing Workshop. Perry has self-published several novels. She writes the Madeline Journeys, a fantasy series about a high-powered lawyer who finds herself trapped in a magical world, the Quinn Larson Quests, which follows the adventures of a wizard named Quinn who must contend with volatile fae in the heart of Vancouver, and the Charity Deacon Investigations, a mystery thriller series about a private eye who tends to fall into serious trouble with her cases, and The Riverton Romances, a series based in a small town in Oregon, one of her favorite states. Her stand-alone novels are Breaking the Bonds, Closing the Circle, and The Dragon at The Edge of The Map.

  For more information

  @perryawilson

  AuthorPAWilson

  www.pawilson.ca

  pawilson@pawilson.ca

  Acknowledgments

  People think that the process of writing is solitary. That’s not the case for me. I have help from so many people it would be hard to acknowledge everyone, but I’ll give it a try.

  The support and inspiration I get from my writer’s groups is incalculable. The Vancouver Writers Social Group opens my mind to other ways of telling a story. The Royal City Literary Arts Society gives me the opportunity to meet and share with other writers who have more knowledge than I do. The Other 11 Months group is where I learn about getting the words on the page. And my critique group who helps me find the best parts of the story I want to tell. Thanks to all of the members of these great groups.

  Last of all, but definitely a huge part of the process, my beta readers. These are the people who love stories and are willing, and more than able, to tell me if my finished story is ready for you, my readers.