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| Jacqueline Elliott |
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| Jacqueline lives in Montana with her husband of fourteen years, two children, three cats, and two dogs. She specializes in daydreaming and wondering what if�It wasn�t until three years ago that she turned her dreams into stories on paper, stories of witches, vampires, and shape shifters. She also dabbles in art and designed the cover for Shadows in the Fire. Treble Heart Books published her first story, Shadows in the Fire, in March 2002. Her vampire story, Full Moon Inheritance, is on the publishing slate for May 2003 also with Treble Heart Books. Jacqueline also has a short, non-paranormal essay, Spaces in Time, in the Crumbs in the Keyboard anthology. And another non-paranormal essay, My Uncles Flag, in the Let Us Not Forget anthology. For more info on Jacqueline go to her personal website. |
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| Shadows In The Fire Copyright � 2002 By Jacqueline Elliott All rights reserved. |
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Cover design: Jacqueline Elliott Copyright � 2001 All rights reserved. |
| Alex watched in undisguised interest while Morgan worked her magic spell and brought the candle flames to life once again. She'd changed into a silky black robe that called attention to every feminine curve she owned. Her hair hung down her back in a mass of wild curls and he wanted to bury his face in it until he was forced to come up for air. "You have to clear away any negative thoughts and go into this with an open mind if it's going to work, Alex." He had serious problems with his thoughts ever since she'd stepped out of her bedroom dressed in that silky black robe, obviously with nothing on underneath. Every time she swished near him, it was all he could do to tamp down his arousal. She was playing hell with his libido. Nope...negative thoughts weren't what were running rampant through his head. Laying her flat on the floor and making mad, passionate, jungle love to her...was, however. "What are we doing?" he asked gloomily, watching the candlelight dance across her face. "I'm going to show you a little of how my magic works." She sent him a reassuring smile. "Just sit down and be quiet...and watch." Morgan began to slowly step in measured paces creating a circle large enough to encompass both of them. She began chanting in what sounded to him like quaint Old English. Then, she sat in front of him and took his hands in hers. She felt his uneasiness. She was nervous also, for she'd never done a mind-travel spell with another person before. "You have to relax, Alex." She made her voice soft and even. "Now close your eyes and listen only to my voice." Alex concentrated on the sound of her voice and it wasn't long before the archaic words started to blend together into a soft hum. He felt his body relax completely and the floor shift underneath him. He had a sense of floating on the air. "Open your eyes," she murmured after what seemed but a few moments. He did as she asked. They definitely weren't in the studio anymore, nor in Kansas or Oz, or anyplace else that he recognized. Somehow, they'd been transported to the edge of a woods. A bonfire burned untended in the clearing. "Ahhhh...where are we, Morgan?" he asked with some trepidation. Morgan walked to the burning Balefire and held her hands up to it. "We are in 1692 Salem. Salem Village is but a mile away." Alex looked at her in surprise...had they really traveled back in time? Was it possible? He looked around for something to tell him that he was indeed in 1692 Salem. The fact that they were no longer in Morgan's studio was surprise enough. "Come, feel the flames," she asked. It felt as if he was walking in slow motion, but it only took a second for him to be at her side. He held up his hands to the fire and didn't feel its heat. He watched in bewilderment as Morgan moved back and forth through the flames. "Nothing here is real," she said, answering his unspoken question. "This is the place I told you about, where Adair and I fought...where she struck out at me with her knife. And this is the fire that brought me to your century." "So...we're not really here. This is all in my imagination?" She swept her arms out in a grand gesture. A ball of lightening flashed down around them. "It's in my head, not yours. I brought you along with me so that you could see it too. We can go anywhere that I envision." "Wow," was the only thing he could manage to say to describe what he was feeling. "It's time to leave," she said to him. "Not yet, please," he said as he stepped to the stone altar. He blew at a candle flame. It didn't so much as flicker. "We can't stay much longer," she said quietly. Her voice sounded as though it came from a great distance. "It takes too much energy to keep us both here," she cautioned. And she had to remain strong if she was to win the battle of wills with Adair. "It's so quiet and peaceful here," Alex whispered in awe. There wasn't as much as the sound of a cricket or the trilling of a bird. "I know," she answered sadly. "It's a memory...nothing more than a memory." She moved closer to him and took his hand again. "Close your eyes," she commanded in a firm voice, and he felt compelled to do her bidding. Her hair swirled around them like floating seaweed and when he opened his eyes they were back in her studio, sitting in the same position as when they began their journey. Morgan stood up and broke the circle. "That was the most amazing experience I've ever had," he said with awe in his voice. Morgan smiled. "I'm glad you think so...I don't want my magic to scare you or make you uncomfortable." "Why would I be scared?" he asked. "I found it exciting." "Because it's witchcraft," she said simply, kneeling in front of him. "And I'll need to practice magic more often than I usually do; now that I have Adair to contend with again." |
| Excerpt from Shadows in the Fire |
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