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About the Book:
Human,private detective Anna Caill isn’t keen on the prohibition of magic enacted bythe 18th Amendment, but she won’t deny it’s good for business. The coppers couldn’t care less about the witches’ problems, giving her any number of clients to choose from.
When mysterious witch Jesse Hunt saunters into her office, he and his case will test her limits. While a killer stalks the magical underworld, Anna is hired to find Jesse’s friend, the high priest of an ancient coven.
As her case unravels, Anna is forced to confront her addiction to a dark spell in this urban fantasy noir.
Excerpt:
People crowded the streets on their routes to
work. Huddled in their dark winter coats with their hatted heads tucked in to
keep their necks warm, they looked like a waddle of penguins as they shuffled
along. The enjoyable crisp air of autumn had given way to the blades of winter
wind. It hadn’t yet snowed, but I looked hopefully at the clouds overhead.
I loved the first snowfall. Everything was so
fresh, and the pure white flakes covered the filthy, scarred face of the city.
I knew the grime was still there, but it was nice to pretend. My one vain
belief in life was that if you pretended long enough, you could convince even
yourself.
Holiday decorations already sparkled in the
shop windows though Thanksgiving had only been the week before. Even in light
of that, everyone seemed more excited than usual. I stopped at a newsstand.
“What’s happening, Mac?” I asked the man next
to a shrinking stack of newspapers.
“Ford released the new Model A. Want to see the
photographs?” He held out a paper to me.
“No, thanks.”
I continued down Huntington Street until I hit
Wilbur Avenue. As expected, the squawkers were gathered on the corner. Their
leader stood on a soapbox, preaching to anyone who’d listen.
“The Devil’s got his claws in you, but you don’t
have to be a witch. Come toward the light and let Jesus Christ save you. This
magic you practice corrupts God’s plan for you. It tempts you away from his
path…”
The tirade went on as usual, and I tried to
pass as quickly as I could. They’re born witches, you imbeciles. You already
got magic banned for humans. What more could you possibly want?
I knew I shouldn’t let them irritate me every
time I saw them, but then I thought of how long witches had lived in the
shadows and how far we’d thought society had come. Of course, while the
revelation that magic exists had delighted many, others quaked in fear and felt
the need to squash what they didn’t understand and could never possess.
After turning on Wilbur Avenue, I went into a
large house with an unimposing sign in the window, which read, “Clinic for Internal Medicine.”
The reception area was like any other physician’s
home. There were uncomfortable looking chairs for waiting clients and a
commanding nurse, who doubled as a secretary. The white walls were severe
against the dark, hardwood floor.
The clinic couldn’t have been open for long
because there was only one patient waiting, a woman round with child.
My heels clicked on the floor as I ankled to
the nurse’s desk.
“I’m here to see Dr. Zodiac.”
Though the nurse had seen me many times,
including the day prior, she stared at me hard to determine my purpose.
Finally, she nodded. “The doctor is available at the moment. Go to the door at
the end of the hall.”
I thanked her and went through the closed door
behind her. I passed a legitimate exam and surgery room before I reached the
end. After entering an inconspicuous door, I climbed down a flight of stairs,
dimly lit by a naked bulb overhead. A thick carpet muffled the sound of my
descent.
When I reached the solid, iron door at the
bottom, I knocked in three groups of three. A slot at eye level slid open.
“The archer can never shoot the flame because
it’s within him,” I whispered to the eyes.
Metal scraped, and the door opened. I entered
the tunnel of Starlight Avenue. Though the tunnel was raw earth, it was smooth
and well-lit by electric lights every few feet. At various points, it branched
off into other tunnels, all of which led to different destinations that could fulfill
any magical need.
About the Author:
D. writes stories she wants to read. Her love of the worlds of fiction led her to earn a Bachelor’s in English from Wright State University. When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s probably hiking, crafting, watching anime, Korean television, Bollywood, or old movies. She may also be getting her geek on while planning her next steampunk cosplay with friends.She lives in Wisconsin with her husband (John) and cat (Yin).
