Sunday, February 21, 2021

Sunday Snippet: Casting Spells (a Lantern Jack tale)

What a week. I spent a lot of time texting family and friends in Texas to make sure they were making it through their worst deep freeze ever. Even my brother, who lived in Ohio for most of his life, had a tough time. He's in the Dallas area and, so far, has had two pipes burst. Here's hoping that's the worst of the damage.

Television ended up being pretty light this week. I caught another episode of No Offence, which I'm enjoying a lot.

Also finished up the final episode of Silent Witness for season eight. I'll be moving on to season nine this week.

I've heard some good things about Riverdale, so I should probably finish up what I have to watch and get started on the new season.

Weirdly, the sages have been feeding me a ton of new story ideas, which I love, but I also have a massive amount of WIPs that need to be finished. I need to have a sit-down chat with those pesky imps.

Tonight's post is from Casting Spells, a Lantern Jack short featuring a witch and a warlock who need to get on the same page with Jack's help.

Here's the mini-blurb:

The Lantern Jack is back to right another wrong. Celia Carmichael is overwhelmed by her new role as coven head and she's determined to learn all she can about the familiar who chose her, the cat named Haven. Nyx Nolan is on a mission to discover where the remains of his ancestor, the warden of warlocks is buried. The man disappeared over a century ago and left a signet ring and a photo for Nyx as the only clue to his whereabouts. Celia and Nyx discover their histories are entwined and they have the power to lay the animosity between the witches and the warlocks to rest.

And a preview snippet…

Celia Carmichael opened her front door ready to blast the next offender standing on the other side. "Dammit, I'll move to the manor when I'm good and—" She spoke to an empty space.

Confused, she almost yelped in surprise when a sleek white cat brushed up against her legs.

"Well, hello, who are you?" And how did you knock on my door? "Are you lost?" She stooped down, running her hand over the silky creature.

A collar graced its neck and a little charm dangled from a metal circle. Celia checked to see if the tag contained the owner's information.

She gasped when the symbol for haven met her eyes. "There hasn't been a coven familiar in almost two generations." Scooping the cat into her arms, Celia closed the door and carried the gorgeous animal into her living room. "You're the first good omen in my very short tenure as coven leader." And possibly a sign she'd actually be allowed to function as the head of their group.

Depositing the cat—Haven would be her name—on the couch, Celia gave the feline freedom to roam. Haven sat on her hind legs and met Celia's gaze. Celia opened her mind and whispered an incantation, hoping the familiar would communicate its reason for choosing her.

An image of a man filled Celia's head. Dark hair and eyes, a little brooding, and fit. Just her type—when she used to have the opportunity to get out and mingle with men.

Celia tilted her head to one side. "That doesn't explain why you picked me. Do I need protection from this guy?" An image of the manor flashed in Celia's brain. "Oh, not you, too." She heaved a sigh.

The cat broke the psychic connection and curled up on the couch, content to stick around for a while.

Celia rose and crossed to the front door. "I'll move when I'm ready." Grabbing her coat, she exited the carriage house, got in her car, and headed for town. She had some shopping to do. After all, even familiars needed food and cat litter.

I love writing these Lantern Jack tales. I've got several more plotted out and one final story to figure out that will wrap everything up. These books are so much fun.


 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

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