Magic and Shadows: A Collection of YA Fantasy and Paranormal Romances

by T. M. Franklin

  “Go ahead,” he urged.

  I inched through the crevice in the wall, and he followed me. There was another sound like a lever closing, and the wall shut behind us, throwing us into complete darkness. My breath caught in fear. Did I mention that I’m afraid of the dark? Yet another reason I would make an awful assassin.

  “Keep walking forward.” Micah touched my sleeve. He slid his fingers down my arm and took my hand in his, guiding me through the dark. I had never held a man’s hand before. I found it distractingly pleasant.

  We walked until we reached another wall. Micah released my hand, and I heard the sound of another lever, then this wall opened as well, pouring light into the dark corridor we were standing in. Micah went through the opening in the wall first.

  “It’s just me,” Micah said to someone on the other side. “And a guest.”

  I followed him through the wall and found myself standing in a cozy bedroom. There was a bed and a writing desk and a beautiful rug on the floor. Paintings of landscapes hung on the walls. In the corner of the room sat an easel with a half-painted canvas on it. A woman perched on a stool, still holding a paintbrush in her hand. She looked about my age, with beautiful brown eyes and long wavy brunette hair twisted into a loose plait down her back. She looked like a fairy from a storybook.

  As our eyes met, I felt an uncomfortable tingle run through my body. The knife at my thigh burned hotter. I heard the sound of the ticking clock I had heard in the witch’s lair. And I knew, without a doubt, that this woman was the one I had been sent to kill.

  “Delta,” Micah said, “I would like you to meet Ariana Delaroe. This is Elias’s wife.”

  “What?” I stammered. “But Elias isn’t married!”

  4

  The woman, Ariana, fidgeted with her paintbrush. “Our marriage was a secret. I’m sorry to spring this on you, but Elias thought it best not to involve his family until—”

  “Not involve his family?” I repeated, anger finally ripping through my self-control. “Oh, trust me. We’re involved. Who are you anyway? How long have you been married to my brother? Why would he hide you from us?”

  Micah stepped between us, as if to physically prevent me from throwing myself at this woman, who was apparently my sister-in-law. “Ladies, I know this is sudden. But I do hope you can learn to appreciate—”

  I was spitting mad. And confused. And hurt. “Do you have any proof of your claims?”

  Ariana reached into the collar of her dress and pulled out a chain she wore around her neck. Dangling from the chain was a fat ring I recognized right away. It was a family crest, a sapphire stamped with an eagle, wings spread. We all had one. My parents had them made for each of us shortly before they died. Elias, apparently, had given his to this stranger.

  I looked down at my hand, where I wore my own, daintier copy of the family crest. So this woman, Ariana, really was my brother’s wife. The witch was using me to get revenge on my brother — using his sister to kill his wife. Could there be better vengeance?

  “Ariana is a refugee from Horr,” Micah explained.

  My head snapped up. Horr was the country the witch hailed from. They were recently embroiled in a nasty war with their neighbor, Sydna. I knew this because Elias had been sent to Horr not long ago in a failed attempt to prevent the war. Many ambassadors from neighboring lands had tried to keep peace between the two countries, both of which sat on a busy trade route connecting the eastern lands and the western lands. The countries on both sides of Horr and Sydna had tried to smooth out the tension between the two peoples. But when Sydna’s prince was killed on Horrid soil, the war began in full earnest. We had received news of the war less than a week ago — incidentally, right before the Horrid Witch came crashing into our lives. The war and my brother and the witch had to be connected somehow.

  There was a mirror hanging on the wall behind Ariana. I could see her back reflected in the mirror, but where I should have been standing in the mirror’s reflection, there was … nothing. It was as if I didn’t exist at all. So that’s what the witch had meant when she said my reflection would betray our deal.

  Please don’t turn around.

  I scooted a little to the side. Maybe Micah and Ariana wouldn’t notice that I was conspicuously absent in the mirror’s reflection. No reflection. No soul. I really was in trouble.

  Ariana set her paintbrush in a dish of water and cleaned her hands on a damp towel. “I was sent away when the war broke out,” her voice carried the wistful sadness of guilt. “I met Elias during his time in Horr. When the war began, he arranged for me to come here. He had to marry me to get me out of Horr when the borders closed.”

  Don’t look in the mirror.

  Keep her distracted. Yes, that was a good plan. If I kept them both looking at me, they might not notice that my reflection was missing from the mirror and promptly burn me at the stake.

  “Is that why you’re in hiding here — in a secret room behind a closet?” I asked.

  Ariana winced. “Yes and no,” she said. “It’s complicated.”

  You don’t say.

  “I have a … rival,” she chose that word especially carefully, “who followed us out of Horr. We — Elias felt it wasn’t safe for me to make a public appearance until the … threat was dealt with.”

  Was this “rival” by any chance a certain witch? If so, things were beginning to fall into place...sort of. If the witch had followed Ariana out of Horr, that would explain why she had started causing trouble in the western lands instead of terrorizing her homeland. Based on what I knew of the witch, she was very likely behind the war or at least had her hands in it in some way. She seemed to thrive on chaos.

  “So my brother married you to get you out of Horr? He brought you here, hid you in a closet, and — what? Where is he now?”

  Micah and Ariana exchanged glances.

  “We don’t know,” Ariana said, her voice soft with anxiety. “We crossed the border together, but we were stopped by Sydnian soldiers. Elias managed to negotiate my freedom, but … I don’t know what became of him.” She turned away, toward the mirror.

  “Certainly you’ve heard from him!” I reached my hand to touch Ariana’s shoulder, speaking the words louder than I probably should have. I had to keep her attention away from that blasted mirror.

  “We haven’t seen nor heard from him in several days,” Micah explained. “Not since he and Ariana crossed Horr’s border together.”

  And that must have been when he took whatever it was that made the witch turn her wrath on his family. But why would Elias steal something from the Horrid Witch and vanish, abandoning his new wife and his siblings to her fury? Could Elias be so selfish? Or did he know something that we didn’t?

  Ariana said, “Elias promised he would meet me here. It’s been days without any word from him at all.”

  “So when you arrived at the gates,” Micah said, “we hoped that you might know his whereabouts.”

  Don’t look in the mirror.

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry,” I said. “We haven’t heard anything. Wherever Elias is, he didn’t come home.”

  He sent a witch instead.

  5

  I eagerly accepted Micah’s first suggestion to leave Ariana’s hidden room. I practically ran through the secret wall-door to get out of the mirror’s reflection. Since I wasn’t a Horrid refugee, there was no need to hide me. I was shown to a guest room that was much nicer than the small room where Ariana was hiding.

  “I’m so sorry to wake you,” I said to the housemaid who had been assigned to tend to me.

  “No worries,” she rubbed her eyes. “House Mejor is always busy with people coming and going. We’re all used to it by now. That’s why I sleep here three days a week. Me and Maddie, we switch off every couple of days, so don’t worry about it.” She peered around me, her eyes narrowing when she realized I had no luggage with me. “Would you like me to bring you some more clothes?”

  “Oh, well…” I plucked
at my still-damp dress, grimacing. “I hate to be a bother.”

  “Not at all. I’m sure Lady Olivia left some of her old dresses behind. You look to be about the same size. I’ll grab a few. I’ve drawn a hot bath for you, just like Master Micah ordered.”

  “Thank you.”

  The housemaid left. I turned around and admired the grand room I had been given. I had come on the witch’s errand, yet the Mejors treated me like a guest of honor. Micah even woke up a maid to draw a bath for me. My feelings were all conflicted and twisting inside. How could I accept their generosity when I was filled with such dark designs?

  I peeled off my clothes, dirty from my journey to find the witch’s lair and wet from the rain. I was happy to cast the soiled clothes aside. But what about the dagger? I held it in both hands, looking about the room for a decent place to hide it. Where could I put it so the maids wouldn’t find it? I finally chose to stow it under the mattress. Hopefully it would be safe there for a couple days. The dagger hidden, I made my way into the attached washroom, where a large tub sat filled with steaming hot water. I sank into the water with a sigh of relief.

  I breathed in the scent of bath salts and soaps, wiggling my toes in the warm water. I could almost relax, could almost forget why I was here. But I saw Hallie’s face every time I closed my eyes, reliving the look of horror on her face as she faded away. If I failed the witch, I would be next.

  My bath had relaxed me physically, but mentally, I was just as anxious as before. Liana had left a nightgown on the bed. I gratefully pulled it on and then checked under the mattress to be sure the dagger was still there.

  It was.

  A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. I scrambled away from the bed, where the dagger was hidden, and dove into a chair, grabbing a hairbrush from the vanity. The door to the bedroom opened.

  “Lady Delta?” It was Micah.

  “Just Delta,” I said. I ran the brush through my hair to make it appear as though I had been innocently grooming instead of gawking at my soon-to-be murder weapon.

  “Oh! You’re alone. I thought Liana would be with you. So sorry.” Micah backed toward the door. “I—I just wanted to say good night and see if the room was arranged to your liking.”

  “It’s wonderful,” I said. The brush got stuck on a tangle. I tried to yank it out of my hair while still smiling demurely.

  “Do you need help?” Micah asked.

  “No! No, I’ve got it under control,” I grunted.

  “Are you certain?” He didn’t sound convinced.

  “Fine,” I said. “Help. I’m stuck.”

  Micah tried to hide a smile as he approached. He grabbed the handle of the brush and held it up so I could use both hands to untangle my wet hair. Micah stood so close I could see the embroidery on his silk pajamas. I had never been alone with a man before, especially in pajamas. Now this was the second time today.

  “I’ll send word of your safe arrival to your brother tomorrow,” Micah said.

  “No! Don’t.” I didn’t want Alistair connected to any of this.

  Micah’s eyes squinted suspiciously. “You were traveling alone without luggage at night. And now you don’t want your brother informed of your arrival. You came without his permission, didn’t you?”

  I squirmed. “Yes. He doesn’t know I’m here. Can we keep it that way? At least for three days?”

  “What’s so important about three days?”

  I chewed my tongue, reaching into my imagination for a suitable excuse. “I’ve never been allowed to leave Silverleaf before,” I said. “Now I finally have a chance to see more of the world. I guess I’m looking for a little bit of freedom. Please. Don’t tell him where I am. Not yet.”

  Micah considered me with his beautiful blue green eyes. He sighed. “Very well. Three days. Then we send word.”

  “Deal,” I said. In three days, it would be a very different message he would want to send. I would either be dead or a murderer.

  “Ha! Success.” We had finally worked the brush free from my hair. I took the brush from him and smiled.

  “Thank you,” I said. He smiled back, revealing a dimple in his left cheek.

  Micah cleared his throat. “I should be going. Sleep well, Delta.” He turned toward the door.

  “Wait,” I said. He paused. “How well do you know my brother?”

  “He is my dearest friend.”

  His response didn’t surprise me. Elias had a way of making everyone feel like his closest friend. “Do you trust him?” I asked.

  Micah cocked his head, considering my question. “Elias can be rash,” he said. “But he has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever known. I know that his marriage to Ariana was rushed and entrenched in the politics of war, but I trust that Elias made a wise decision.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Good night, Delta.”

  The bedroom door closed with a soft click, leaving me alone to my thoughts. How could our views of Elias be so at odds with reality? I just couldn’t understand how my likable, lovesick brother could leave us all in this predicament. Did he even know of the witch’s curse on his family?

  “Elias, where are you?” I asked the empty room.

  Of course, there was no reply.

  6

  I lay in bed, listening to the incessant ticking of the clock in my mind. Had my sisters heard the ticking before they vanished? I knew it was part of the witch’s curse. The ticking had begun the moment Hallie vanished. Now it was always there, lingering at the edge of my mind. If the curse didn’t kill me, maybe it would drive me insane instead. That was hardly a better scenario.

  There was a clock hanging on the wall. With moonlight streaming through a tall window, I could just make out the time. It was nearly midnight.

  Midnight. Moonlight!

  I was out of bed in a flash. What if the contract hadn’t worked? If the witch had lied to me, then I was mere moments away from vanishing like Hannah, Alacia, and Hallie. I ran to the windows and pulled the drapes shut, blocking the moonlight. But what would it matter? Alacia had tried to escape the moonlight. She had failed. I spun away from the window, searching the room for somewhere I could hide. Maybe if I squashed myself under something, truly trapped myself…

  Tick, tick, tick...

  I slid to the floor in my borrowed nightgown. I closed my eyes and held my breath, counting down the seconds.

  Ten… Nine… Eight…

  I wondered if my family was looking for me. I wondered how they reacted when Hallie and I ran away in search of the witch. Maybe Avery, the next youngest, thought we had successfully broken the curse. Maybe she wasn’t even worried that she would be next. If I could take that fear away, this would all be worth it.

  Seven… Six… Five…

  I could almost feel the heat of the dagger hidden under the mattress. I imagined it reaching for me with long, wicked tendrils of heat, like a living thing that needed feeding, hungry for its next kill.

  Four… Three… Two…

  My brother must have left a great impression on Micah for him to trust me so much. I hated that trust. Did Micah have no sense of self-preservation? How could he not know that I had come to kill? How could Ariana not see it in my eyes?

  My eyes. I remembered with revulsion the way the witch’s eyes had assumed my color. Were my eyes gray now? How would I ever know? I had no reflection.

  No reflection. No soul. And perhaps, in a moment, no life.

  One.

  Nothing happened. The room remained completely still. I let out the breath I had been holding. My exhalation was the only sound in the room besides the ticking of the clock. I patted myself, just to be sure I was still solid. I grabbed the curtains and shook them, startling myself with the clinking sound of the curtain rings high above me. As I pulled the drapes open, moonlight bathed my skin. I didn’t vanish.

  I was still alive.

  I felt no relief. Instead, I felt hollow. Maybe this was what it meant to have no soul. S
tories said that those who sold their souls could no longer feel love. Was that my future, as well?

  No dark magic in the world could be powerful enough to destroy love. Call me an optimist or a fool, but I had to believe that love was real and powerful, more powerful even than a witch’s curse. I knew I could feel love. I had sacrificed my soul out of love, hadn’t I?

  “To save them? Or to save yourself?” The witch’s words haunted me. If I had been the seventh sister instead of the fourth, would I have made the same deal? Would I have sold my soul to save my life? If I weren’t also saving my sisters, would this arrangement be worth it? How could I possibly compare the value of my life to the value of Ariana’s? But with my sister’s lives added to the mix, the equation changed. This wasn’t just about me.

  My bargain with the witch bought me three more days of life. But would three days be enough?

  7

  I am embarrassed to admit that I slept through most of my first day at the Mejor Estate. I didn’t even make it into the bed, but instead fell asleep right where I had been sitting beneath the window at midnight. I woke in a deep depression that made it hard for me to focus or even move from the floor where I lay. I stared up at the ceiling in a stupor until the housemaid came to rouse me for the evening meal.

  “Oh, Lady Delta. You can’t go to dinner in that!” The housemaid, whose name was Liana, scurried to the wardrobe, where she had hung some dresses for me the night before. “Let me help you,” she said.

  “I’m not hungry,” I mumbled as she pulled me to my feet.

  Liana tutted. “You’re just worried about your brother, is all. I know I’m not supposed to know about all that, but word does get around.”

  I didn’t respond.

  Liana held up two dresses she had fetched from the wardrobe: one blue, one green. She held them up to see which would look better. I didn’t think either of them would look very good. If I looked as awful as I felt, no dress would save me. My complexion was probably sallow and sickly, much like the witch’s before she took my soul.