First Day of Spring: Imbolc, Publishing and a Cover Reveal Coming

Blessed Imbolc!

Today marks on the modern Catholic calendar, St. Brigid's Day, the patroness of Ireland. While the modern calendar says winter and in some places snow is on the ground, on the old calendar it is an approximate date for Imbolc, the first day of Spring. It translates from Old Irish as "in the belly" and is said marked the pregnancy of the ewes. It is one of the fire festivals, or major festivals, on the Druid calendar. With Beltane, it is one of the two that are goddess-centered days.  There are several traditional ways to mark Imbolc/St Brigid's Day. Many of these carry whispers of pre-christian traditions.

This is a symbolic time for me. In November, just after Samhain (the Celtic New Year) I launched Three Worlds Press as a full-fledged publishing company. The early months have been exciting. As with the Spring, we are poised for the new, explosive growth of Spring. Everything smells new, green and earthy. Who cares if snow is in the forecast for today.

Pay attention...this is a double blog day as a cover reveal from Three Worlds Press follows shortly!

I want to share just a few links with you to explore and celebrate.

From the Irish Central website: http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/St-Brigids-Day-February-1-marks-start-of-Celtic-Spring-138470479.html

Wikipedia gives an acceptable overview here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imbolc

Imbolc is the date of the second event on my upcoming novel Dark Dealings. While Micaela does not realized it, the event marks the beginning of a new cycle of her life and the birth of her "true" self in a dangerous world of magic, vampires and shapeshifters .

Tuesday Teaser: Ulfric's Mate: Book 1 of War of the Weres ..The Battle Begins

Killers are attacking the pregnant weres of Nolan Littlebull’s pack, the Wahpawhats. Can he catch them without destroying his own chance at happiness?

Alex George, only half Native and half were, was a misfit with the Lupin pack despite being the healer. Roxy, the ruthless Lupa, wants her for something nefarious, but Alex doesn’t know what. She will join with Nolan, Ulfric of the Lupins rival pack, to bring Roxy to justice, but will it cost her her life?

Even worse, all signs pointed to Nolan being her mate. The wolf in him calls to hers, and his honor and strength—not to mention downright sexiness—calls to her as a woman. But their joining could tear apart two packs.

Can they bring the killers to justice—pack or human, work through pack politics, and be together? Can they even survive?

Excerpt:

She did not want him to leave, and certainly, he did not want to go. His mind touched hers, and she felt his reluctance. Even the truck seemed to resist taking him from her. It creaked and groaned as he drove away, like she had not heard before. She frowned. Since her mother had taught her to never ignore what some would call silly nonsense, but in reality was their intuition, she tried to think of why he should not leave her.

It wasn’t as if she’d never been alone before. She was tougher than she looked. Being bullied tended to either make people tough or break them, and it had made her tough. Being a healer had kept her com-passionate, but it didn’t make her stupid. Noting the landscape, she looked around for anything suspicious.

The landscape lay open for the most part. A gravel pit turned irrigation pond was full, but there were no animals near it. Strange. With standing water not very plentiful around the valley, she would have expected more activity. She tried to remember what sights and sounds had been around when they left this morning but could not. She’d been too focused on Nolan and the recent murders.

Despite not seeing anything specific, she trusted her instincts and once inside, locked the handle of the outside door and bolted it. She tried to put her finger on her unease. It frightened her more that

she could not pinpoint what her mind had sensed than an actual threat would scare her. Insidious threats scared her the most since sneak attacks tended to do the harshest damage and she could not fight what she could not see.

She sat on the couch to try to get comfortable. But her growing fear made her restless. She moved into the big kitchen just off the living room and put together a sandwich. Presumably it was fine, but it tasted like sawdust to her. Putting the half-eaten meal down, she grabbed a soda out of the refrigerator. She leaned against the island and contemplated every detail she had seen when overlooking the landscape, both now and when they’d left earlier.

Then it came to her. The difference was the smell. Amid the smells of agriculture and heat, the breeze now contained the subtle hint of fear. The animals were afraid, but it was not a cohesive fear; it was instinctive.

Werewolves in human form?

She walked over to the sink and looked out the windows over-looking Nolan’s land to both the south and west. Nothing. Even with her better-than-average vision she could not see any signs. “Probably just nerves over being mated,” she muttered to herself to cover up the silence of the big, unfamiliar house.

Just then, the French doors off the kitchen to the outside deck ex-ploded in a combination of glass and wood fragments. Hoping to get to the front door, she ran around the island to the stairs. But as she reached the landing of the curved staircase, the front door smashed open with a loud crash. She turned to go back up the stairs, but someone stood there.

“Jason,” she said flatly. He had wanted to mate with her, but his touch made her skin crawl. The scent of the other were came to her from behind. “Boris. What a surprise,” she said facetiously, turning her head to peer over her shoulder and trying to keep her fear at bay. Nothing excited Boris and Jason like fear.

“Why are you here?” Hoping the demand covered up any residu-al dread she might have left in her voice, she tried to push Jason away from her.

“We’re here for you of course,” Jason responded with a leer. She couldn’t help the revulsion that crossed her face at the idea of him touching her. “Oh don’t worry, sweetheart. I won’t be touching you like that—yet.” His raucous laughter scratched against her mind like nails on a chalkboard.

“I don’t understand.”

“No, you don’t,” Boris said before putting something against her arm. She felt pressure, and then her vision swam before she blacked out.

Want more?

Buy links:

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Meet the Author:

Leona Bushman goes by many names but the most well-known one is superhero. She earned this

name from saving a kangaroo from a tree—and yes that is as hard as it sounds. The dragons taught their queen how to write, and Queen Leona hasn't looked back, even when her muse tries to muck things up.

She can be found goofing off and loving dragons and other creatures of the supernatural at these places:

Twitter: @L_Bushman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLeonaBushman

Coming Soon from Three Worlds Press:

Cerisa's Quest

The Ulfric’s Mate is published by Three Worlds Press. For more information on this book or their other works please visit: Three Worlds Press.

Getting Ready for the Print Release Of The Ulfric's Mate...A Teaser Excerpt from Leona Bushman

Hot shapeshifters... battles,.... magic... love

I have had the pleasure of reading The Ulfric's Mate and its sequels in eBook format. I am beyond excited that Leona Bushman's The Ulfric's Mate is being released in print. Now I can hope for an autographed copy at a future book signing. I'll be in that line somewhere and loving it!

If you haven't read it, I'm about to give you a taste of wicked that will leave you wanting more. The release is scheduled for July 18 and between now and then you will hear more about it on this blog.

Read on: (warning this scene contains violent elements)

Secretly, Roxy had always admired, even as she hated Heather. She was smart, strong, brave, and picked her battles. Part of the reason Roxy had stolen her mate was to prove she could. Same with killing him. She had wanted to establish early who was in charge. Heather had more of a following to back her challenge if the pack began to openly question Roxy's authority.

She let out a low laugh aimed at Heather, and gratification rolled through her when the healer backed up a step. "Our ancestors were exactly like me and would've done this years ago against a pack like the Wahpawhats. They don't deserve to be called weres when they adopt so many of the human ways. Many weren't happy with the way things were long before our ancestors had the courage to split from the other packs."

"We're part human. What does it hurt?" Heather argued hotly.

"Enough! Boris will escort you to your home office where you will give him the serum you have ready. Now." She waited until they had left, stripped off her clothing, and folded it on the chair. No need to ruin her favorite jeans.

She shifted, going out the back to avoid being seen, and ran through the still forest, the trees towering over her in a canopy of needles. The area nearest their village was quiet. All wildlife had learned to give the area a wide berth. The smell of so many predators in the vicinity deterred most newcomers, and the pack had long ago cleared the immediate area surrounding the lodge of edible game. She sniffed the chilly air searching for likely prey.

There. She caught the scent of deer. Doe if I'm not mistaken. Maybe I'll get lucky and be able to eat the fawn as well. She bounded toward the scent. Power rippled through her. She could not imagine being anything but a were.

As she neared her destination, she slowed, experience telling her the doe was in the meadow. She prowled low, keeping to the shadows of the towering evergreens and the thick underbrush.

Snap.

She froze and watched the doe she wanted to devour. It looked straight at the clump of bushes where Roxy hid. The deer faced the area the sound had come from for a moment before grazing again, content in her safety.

Roxy stayed still for what felt like an eternity to her killing impulse. She slinked forward, being more careful of the fallen dried leaves scattered on the forest floor.

She reached the edge of the clearing and looked around. There were other does with their late fawns. None of the young brand-new, probably aged about six months. Although not newborns, they were still considerably smaller and slower than their mothers. She planned her attack.

Bunching her muscles, she sprang into the clearing, each sprint faster than the last. She was four leaps into the clearing before the first doe startled in fear and ran. The doe she had chosen jerked its head around and looked Roxy in the eyes.

The fear coming off the deer was strong; Roxy's saliva glands began to work furiously. The hunter zeroed in now, ignoring the other tempting morsels fleeing the clearing. Only this doe and this fawn held her attention.

The deer and its offspring turned and fled, up into the hills, heading for the far tree line. The beast within Roxy roared in challenge and victory. A predatory howl left her mouth, and more of her kind answered it. They recognized their leader and the howl of the hunt.

The chase went on. With each leap, the dark wolf gained ground. The deer tried a quick zigzag move, maybe to take the attention away from the fawn, but the younger deer followed its parent.

Roxy took a flying leap to the deer's neck and clamped down hard with her jaw, savoring the bloody gush that flowed down her throat. With a quick toss of her head, she snapped the wounded neck and let the doe drop.

The coppery taste still lingered in her mouth as she chased down the fawn. The best meat. She would take the doe home for the rest of the pack. It kept the grumbling down. But the fawn was hers.

In two quick bounds, she was on the fawn and ripped the head off. Spitting it out, she stood over the fresh kill, one paw holding it still while she tore jagged strips of tender flesh off the body. It was good to be the alpha.

                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stop back next week for more about The Ulfric's Mate!

Chapter 2 of May 23 Release of Dark Dealings

The eBook release for Dark Dealings is right around the corner! On May 23^rd, it will be available on Amazon, B&N and Smashwords (for all other e-readers). I am currently working on a print version through CreateSpace and expect an update on when that will be available soon.  I found CreateSpace interior formatting to be fairly straightforward. Setting up the cover,however, is a challenge. I would welcome any advice I can get.

I find it fun and ironic that Dark Dealings will release around the same time as the Dark Shadows movie. Those who know me can tell you that Dark Shadows is a large part of the root of my fascination with paranormals.

A few weeks ago I posted the first chapter of Dark Dealings for your enjoyment. Today, I want to whet your appetite some more with the second chapter.

What is Dark Dealings?

At thirteen, Micaela was found wandering an Irish pasture after a mid-air explosion. Now, a successful investment banker, she discovers Wall Street has real fangs and claws. When international power brokers, creatures hiding in plain sight, threaten her and those she loves, will this heiress to a Druid legacy deny her power and let loved ones die again? A global thriller of money, monsters and murder.

For your reading pleasure:  Chapter 2

Una and Mrs. Ryan disappeared down the path, leaves swirled around their feet. Micaela pulled the sweater around herself in an attempt to chase away a chill that came from inside. She had never tried to call the knowing, in fact just the opposite. She had worked hard to block the images. Now, when she needed them, would they come? If they did, could she put them away later?

Samhain and a full moon. If she could believe the stories, tonight was her best shot to make the visions happen, not just let them happen. It had started with the brief vision of Reece. Hugging Peggy opened the door a crack, so contact was important. She couldn’t touch Peggy again. The poor thing was swamped by emotions and hormones. Maybe Adam; he’d been on the mountain with Reece. Would he cooperate or shut down? Well, he'd asked for her help. As she crossed the threshold into the kitchen, she thought: that’ll teach him.

Adam stood over the sink washing dishes and strategizing with the other searchers. She crooked her finger at him to follow her outside.

“What’s up, Micaela?” He eased the screen door closed behind him.

“I’m not sure how to start this conversation without sounding like a lunatic. I’ve worked years to avoid what I’m about to say and do.”

“Spit it out. Our families have known each other for generations, you can trust us. You can trust me.”

Micaela stared out into the oaks. “Things were said about me when I was a teenager…. I was different, I saw things.”

“I was little, but I kind of remember. Is that what Peg was talking about?”

“I thought it was gone. That I’d outgrown it. That I could be like everyone else.”

“But something happened in there.” Adam made it sound more like a statement than a question.

“I've opened Pandora’s Box. But if I can help find Reece, I can’t close it now.”

Adam leaned on the porch railing. She watched the emotions play across his face. His eyes lost focus and he seemed to go somewhere inside.

“Micaela, I understand, more than you know, what we’re asking of you. We’ve looked for Reece for hours. Time’s running out.” His eyes were haunted. His voice was barely a whisper. “It was my idea to go out tonight. I said it would be easy to hunt by the light of the full moon. Reece didn’t think we should ignore the Elders.”

“I can’t guarantee anything, Adam.”

“But you’ll try, that’s all that matters.” He pushed off the porch rail and faced her. “Tell me what you need.”

“I’m not entirely sure. For starters, I think we should sit, in case someone passes out.” She moved to the bottom step. After the dizziness brought on by her brief contact with Peggy’s mind, she didn’t want too far to go if she went down.

“Now what?” Adam sat beside her.

“Take my hands.” They faced each other. His large hands swallowed hers in their grip.

At first nothing happened. Micaela struggled for a way into the vision. What happened in the kitchen had been so sudden and violent. She had been overwhelmed by the emotions. That was it --- Peggy’s strong feelings acted as a trigger. It must have been Reece’s own emotions that brought the vision on the highway. Micaela would have to ask Adam to relive the event and the sensations. She wished she could protect him from them, but she didn’t know how.

“Adam, I need you to think about the last time you saw Reece, about what happened up on the mountain.” And I need to stop resisting, she thought, for now.

He chewed his lower lip, his dark eyebrows knit together. Micaela exhaled and focused on releasing the stress in her shoulder. She opened herself to the magic. Images slammed into her. She could see through Adam’s eyes. She was Adam.

Reece and the other four men headed into the woods. The temperature dropped as the sun set. She reached beyond their muted voices. The forest air filled with the hoot of an owl, the skitter of small feet, the final screech of a small rodent, and the snap of branches as larger things moved.

Adam signaled to Reece that Henry had spotted a six point buck. She felt Adam’s confusion turn to concern when Reece wasn’t bringing up the rear as usual. Adam retraced his steps. At first he scanned the path, then whispered Reece’s name, no reason to spook the buck. But another noise and a different scent drove the buck deeper into the woods. Silence was no longer necessary.

The men called out to Reece, but there was no answer. They retraced their steps but couldn’t pick up Reece’s trail. Micaela needed to get past what Adam saw and to Reece’s vision. She would not leave another child fatherless. How could she find Reece without touching him? Then, in Adam’s memory, a gift from the gods, Adam found Reece’s rifle at the edge of the path and picked it up. The same rifle he’d used since he was a teenager. The stock of the gun was infused with Reece’s sweat, his skin cells, and his energy. Micaela followed the energy into Reece’s mind. Chaotic images flooded her. The part of her that was separate and logical hoped Adam couldn’t see what she saw.

The hand clamped over her mouth was barely human and covered with hair or fur that scratched her face. No, not hers… Reece’s mouth. She struggled to keep her mind apart from Reece’s. She sensed danger if she was sucked in too far. Reece fought back against the beast until it dropped him to the ground. A blow to his head left Reece dazed. The creature dragged him into the forest, threw him over its shoulder, or maybe its back, Micaela wasn’t sure, it didn't feel like it walked upright. The image was lost. Reece had blacked out.

Every nerve in her body strained to regain the thread of contact. If she didn’t, Reece was lost. I don’t know how to do this, I’m not strong enough, she cried out to the darkness in her mind.

Voices chanting seeped into her from beyond the blackness. Barely audible at first, they grew louder. She heard the crackling of a fire. Una whispered through her mind, “We are here. We will help you until you can make the journey alone.”

A new image appeared. Adam was gone, the others were gone. She stood alone outside Joshua’s Cave. They had played as children in this cave tucked into the side of a ravine. As she walked in, a low moan reached her ears. She knew she hadn’t left the porch, yet she felt the mat of pine needles under her bare feet. Where had she lost her shoes? She reached out to touch the damp moss covered rock, her hand passed through it.

Another moan. She couldn’t see more than a few inches ahead. In the darkness she'd never find Reece or know if the beast was still here. She held her hand out again in what she knew was a futile grope in the dark. This time a small glowing orb formed in her palm. She curled her fingers around the edges of the softball-sized object. It was bright but cool to the touch. It allowed her to see several yards out. In the light, she saw Reece naked and propped against the rough cave wall; his head lolled to one side. His torn and bloody clothes were scattered around the cave. She could smell the air; it reeked of blood and beneath it the musky scent of sex. A new vision of what had already occurred materialized before her. A vision within a vision. Whatever it was stalked into the cave with the unconscious Reece. The beast was definitely female, but more wolf than human. Unable to stop what she saw, Micaela screamed in frustration.

The beast stripped away Reece’s clothes, inflicting the first set of wounds. Reece jolted from unconsciousness and he tried to scramble away. The wolf creature overpowered him and began to use its hand-paw to arouse him enough to force him into her. It made a sound that was a cross between a hum and a growl. It sounded like a chant. Reece’s eyes glazed over and he stopped struggling. Had the beast somehow gained control of his mind? The beast mounted him and ground itself into him until he climaxed. Micaela watched helplessly. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Reece regained awareness. His face twisted in horror and rage as he swung at the she-wolf. She lunged at him again, this time clamping her jaw into his shoulder. He brought his knees to his chest and kicked up with his two feet to gain leverage. She lost her grip and staggered back. She howled, a furious sound, and slashed at him, tearing into his chest and flinging him against the cave wall. Without a further glance at him, the creature turned and left the cave. The air shimmered and Micaela was back in her original vision of Reece dying in the cave.

Reece’s eyes fluttered open. “Micaela?”

“You can see me?” If he could, there was hope. She smiled at him.

“I never thought you’d be the last face I saw.” Reece’s skin was pale, almost translucent.

“You are not dying.” She hoped she sounded optimistic. Two of his ribs jutted out from under the torn chest muscle.

“Could have fooled me.” He coughed out a laugh. Blood sprayed from his lips as he struggled for air.

“Hang on, please.”

“Don’t tell Peggy what the she-wolf did to me. Peg doesn’t understand the power your totem animal can have over you. How it can make you do things.” Reece squeezed his eyes shut.

“I won’t. I know how hard these things are to explain.” She tried to reach out and take his hand, but like the wall her hand passed through his.

His voice was a broken whisper. “I know you two aren’t close anymore, but promise me you will tell Peg that she’s the only one I ever loved.”

“Tell her yourself. No child should grow up without a parent.”

“Child? Peggy’s pregnant?” A red-tinged tear trickled down Reece’s cheek.

“Yes. Hang on, I’m going for help.”

“I’ll try to be here when you get back.” His head slumped forward.

Copyright 2012 Karen Smith  Published my permission by Three Worlds Productions LLC 

Sample Sunday: Chapter 1 Dark Dealings

I have been off the radar here for awhile. It has been an interesting ride both personally and professionally. But one of the things I have accomplished is to finally get Dark Dealings ready for publishing. Unless my laptop explodes (and that's what DropBox is for) I anticipate a Launch Party on Wednesday May 23, 2012 for the eBook formats with print versions available at a later date.

It is an exciting and scary time. Please enjoy Chapter 1 below and by all means TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

Dark Dealings: Magic, murder and monsters on Wall Street and beyond.  

Wall Street has fangs. When international power brokers, creatures hiding in plain sight, threaten  Micaela and those she loves, will this heiress of a Druid legacy deny her power again and let others die?  A thrill ride of money, magic and murder across the globe.

Chapter 1

Samhain         

Her hopes for a nice, normal weekend away from the office died on a dark bend of Massachusetts’ Route 7. Micaela flicked on the high beams, wary of the deer that often darted into the unlit road. She downshifted the Porsche Cayman and guided it around a sharp curve. The crisp air that flowed through the open window smelled of late October snow in the Berkshires. As much fun as it might be to floor it, she wasn’t in any great hurry to get to her grandmother’s farm. A mile later, a shadow at the edge of the road made her slow to a crawl. On the shoulder, a man dressed in bloody shreds of clothes sat hunched over his knees. He looked up and stared into her eyes. His mouth formed words she couldn’t hear.

Reece.

Micaela pulled over and grabbed a halogen flashlight from the glove box. She jumped from the car and dashed back to the place she’d seen her friend to find no one there. A dark stain gleamed in the ray of her flashlight. She touched her fingers to it and then lifted them to her nose. Motor oil. Micaela paced up and down, scanning the brush and road for clues.

“Reece, where are you? If this is some sick Halloween joke, come out now!” she shouted into the darkness. No sign of him or anyone on the road or in the woods beside the two lane highway, no footprints and, thankfully, no blood.

Reece wasn’t the type to pull this kind of stunt. His brother Adam, maybe. But Adam would have already stumbled into the road, doubled over in laughter. She walked slowly back to her car, ears straining for any noise she might have missed. Back behind the wheel of the Porsche, Micaela stared into the night sky. Until five minutes ago, she’d looked forward to time away, even if it meant being in Bridewell for Samhain.

She looked around one more time. No sign of Reece. Her stomach was a basketball-sized knot. If this wasn’t a trick… Damn. She slammed her hand against the steering wheel. It was just a delusion, she thought, spawned by exhaustion. She must have been micro-sleeping behind the wheel. Too many late nights hunched over the prospectus of a recent deal. The alternative was unacceptable. It meant the visions had returned. Why now, why had his spirit, ghost… No, she refused the idea that he had passed over. Then again, Samhain was the time of year when people and spirits moved between this world and the Otherworld. Shit.

She wanted to call Reece from her cell phone, but she’d never programmed any of the Bridewell numbers into her contacts. Dread gnawed at Micaela’s mind for the remainder of the drive to her old hometown.

Over an hour later, she turned off Cerwiden Street and onto the narrow country lane that led to the Rourke-O’Brien Farm. Flashing red lights slashed through the darkness between the gnarled apple trees of the Rourke orchard. She swerved left as she rounded the last turn to avoid the police cruiser stationed near the foot of the drive. The wooden gate, meant to keep sheep in, was pushed open. A patrolman in an orange vest flagged her down. Her dread turned to fear.

“Miss, you’ll have to park on the road.” The strobe from the light bar illuminated his name tag.

“Sean, Sean Murphy… it’s me… Micaela O’Brien. Is my grandmother all right?”

“Jeez, Micaela, I didn’t recognize you. Nice car. Is it new? I haven’t seen you since… ”

“Sean! Is she all right?” He had always been easily distracted, especially by high powered toys.

“Una’s okay. I think. Some kind of accident in the hills behind the farm.”

“Is Reece at the house?” Please say yes, she whispered to herself.

Sean shrugged. “Don’t know.” He waved her through the gate.

Gravel sprayed behind the car as it sped up the driveway. Micaela left the car in the first open space amid the Jeeps and vans. EMTs sipped from Styrofoam coffee cups beside an ambulance.

In three steps, her four-inch heels were kicked off. She finished the sprint across the brittle late season grass in stocking clad feet. A jack o’ lantern leered from the wood porch while a scarecrow twisted in the wind. She slammed open the screen door and crossed the dark parlor toward the light of the kitchen. The aroma of coffee and baking soda bread filled the kitchen, familiar scents, so different from the sight that greeted her. The crisp linens, flowers and canned fruits and vegetables that usually adorned the counters and shelves were crammed into a cupboard. A kettle screeched on the stove. Dirty dishes overflowed the sink. On the oversized black farm stove, bangers sizzled while the oil danced in the cast iron skillet.

Una Rourke leaned over a massive blue pottery bowl beating the daylights out of the potatoes. Her grandmother was fine, but things must be bad; Una always turned worry into action usually involving food. Micaela wrapped her arms around Una from behind and planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Ah, Micaela, you’re here. Good. Would you get the large platter from the pantry, then slice the soda bread and set it out. The butter is in the fridge.” Una brushed a lock of her still black curls from her face.

“What happened? Sean said there was an accident?” Micaela opened the wood and glass-paned cabinet door and pulled out the pewter bread platter. The knot in her stomach tightened.

“A group of the boys from the enclave were up on the mountain. Reece got separated from them just after dusk. There are teams of searchers looking for him now.” Una spooned the ivory mounds of potato onto a large ceramic platter. “Can you turn down the flame on the bangers, dear.”

“Reece? He’s hunted these hills since middle school. He doesn’t get lost.” He was the son of Chief Deerfield of the Pokanoket enclave, a splinter group of the main tribe near the Cape. He had grown up just outside of Bridewell and knew this part of the Berkshires better than anyone. If he was missing, Grandma had cause to worry. Micaela’s heart sank.

Five men filed in through the back door. In the mudroom, they pulled off suede coats and leather boots. Hunting rifles were balanced against the whitewashed bead board wall. Reece’s younger brother, Adam Red Hawk Deerfield, led the group that included four of Reece’s cousins from the enclave. It was a different entrance from those of their childhood, when the Druids, led by Una, and Pokanoket had played together because the old blood Yankees would have no part of either group. As always, Una’s door was open to all, whenever they needed her.

Behind them, Peggy, Reece’s bride of six months, leaned against the doorframe. She was pale with the shadow of tomorrow’s dark rings under her eyes. They hadn’t spoken since Micaela’s parents had died, but the anxiety that poured from Peggy made Micaela cross the room to hug her. Peggy lurched away, her hands locked at her side and her eyes wide. But Reece must love her and she him, or they wouldn’t have crossed the line between Pokanoket and Yankee to marry. So for Reece’s sake, Micaela reached out.

Peggy’s emotions flooded into Micaela: dread about Reece, concern for the child she carried, regret she hadn’t told Reece, and, after all these years, Peggy’s terror of Micaela’s visions. Micaela gasped and stumbled back. Peggy stared wide-eyed at her.

For ten years, Micaela had tried everything, from psychotherapy to alternative medicine, in the hope of burying the visions and sensations. Except for the occasional nightmare, she believed she had succeeded. She couldn’t… wouldn’t go back down that road. A gift, they called it. Bullshit.

“It’ll be okay, Peg. They’ll find him.” Micaela grabbed the edge of the slate kitchen counter as the room wavered. One of those headaches was around the corner. “You need to take care of yourself, Peggy. You’re no good to anyone sick.”

Peggy searched Micaela’s face. “Are you just saying that or is this something you know?”

Micaela caught Una watching, cautious, waiting for Micaela’s response.

“The only thing I know for sure is that they are doing everything possible to find Reece.” She steered Peggy to a chair. “Can I get you coffee? Some herbal tea?”

“I guess the tea makes more sense. Thanks.”

Henry, Reece’s cousin, laughed. “Hell of a time to give up coffee. Peg’s always got a latte in her hand. Her kindergarten students can already spell caffeine.”

Una’s and Adam’s eyes darted from Peggy to Micaela. It wasn’t Micaela’s place to tell them about the baby.

Adam perched on the counter next to the stove as Micaela poured Peggy’s tea. Six years younger than Reece, he had been the little brother who tagged along on adventures in the woods. Now, he sat there, the image of Reece with the same coal black hair, chocolate brown eyes over arched cheekbones and broad chest.

Adam whispered, “I don’t pretend to understand everything that happened to you or why you and Peggy haven’t spoken. But we need any help you can give us; whatever it is. Reece needs you.”

“There are dozens of searchers out there. Someone will find him.” She refilled the kettle and set it back to boil. The aroma of Peggy’s tea drifted up. Lavender, oat, catnip and lemon balm, Micaela blended the herbs just as Una and her mother had taught her. She poured a second cup for herself, although she doubted it would help.

Peggy looked up, tears glittered in her eyes. She’d heard their conversation. “It’s been hours, Micki. Please.”

Reece’s family, members of his tribe, her childhood friends sat at Una’s table, half eaten meals in front of them. Their hunger had been replaced by a greater need. Behind Peggy, Una radiated comfort and warmth. Six pairs of eyes poured their pleas into her soul, colliding with her nightmares.

Micaela set Peggy’s tea on the table and took her own cup out to the back porch. She wrapped her hands around it and inhaled the fragrant steam. The evening dew had hardened into frost. A late October fog crept down the hills and across the lawn. Tendrils of mist sought the house. On the hillside, a beacon from a searcher’s flashlight shimmered in the darkness diffused by the vapors. It would be a bitter night on the mountain.

She had stuffed all the metaphysical shit in a box and shoved it into the darkest recesses of her mental closet. The jump into Peggy’s mind had been a lit match in the closet and Micaela didn’t want to look. Of course, it would be Peggy who opened that door in Micaela’s mind. The look of horror on Peggy’s seventh grade face when Micaela came home after her parents died was diamond-etched in her memory. She could still hear Peggy and her other so-called friends whisper at the lunch table words like “freak,” “crazy,” “just like that girl in the Stephen King movie”. She placed her empty cup beside Una’s garden basket on the white cast iron table.

The screen door creaked. She knew it was Una before she spoke.

“Micaela?” A word. A whisper. A thousand questions.

“What am I supposed to do?” She stood at the edge of the porch and shivered.

Una joined her on the top step and draped an Aran Isle cardigan over Micaela’s shoulders.

“Peggy still thinks I’m a monster. But she needs me to be one now.” Micaela slipped her arms in the sleeves and started pacing. Her hands clenched and unclenched. “Reece, his family, the whole tribe… they were my friends when everyone else treated me like a side show attraction.”

“Reece could be dying up there.” Una’s steady gaze fixed on Micaela’s face.

“You don’t think I know that. It’s what they think I do, right? Know things.” She stared out at the dark hillside and fought back tears of frustration. “What if I don’t know, what if I can’t find him?” What if the vision on the roadside meant she was too late?

“And if you don’t try?” Una smoothed Micaela’s auburn waves the way she had when Micaela was a teenager waking from one of her nightmares.

“I’m not sure I know how.” Micaela slumped against the porch rail.

“You’ll figure it out.” Una kissed her forehead. “You know I’ll be here if you need me.”

Mrs. Ryan rounded the corner of the house; her ceremonial robe embroidered with Ogham and triskeles billowed around her. She had been part of the family and the community for as long as Micaela could remember.

“You haven’t changed, Aunt Evelyn.” Micaela hugged her old dance teacher. Evelyn Ryan wasn't Micaela’s blood aunt, but that had never mattered.

“Any word on Reece?” Mrs. Ryan asked.                                

Micaela shook her head.

“You’ll find him,” Mrs. Ryan said, “Then we will celebrate his rescue and your promotion. Your parents would be very proud of you and the community is too.” By community, she meant the Druid Grove, of course, not Bridewell’s Yankee elite, who barely acknowledged the Irish or the Pokanoket.

“My stuff can wait,” Micaela said. Why she had driven to Bridewell in the first place no longer seemed so important. But tonight was also one of the most important festivals in the Druid Community. As Priestess of the Bridewell Grove, Una Rourke had to be there.

Micaela turned to her grandmother. “It’s Samhain; shouldn’t you two be on your way?”

“I must go.” Una had stopped asking her to attend years ago. “Can you handle things here?”

Micaela rubbed her temples; the tell-tale throbbing had begun. “Of course I can. It’s what I do.” She stared up at the mountains. The full moon floated above the peaks. Reece was out there somewhere.

Excerpt #2 Dark Dealings

Dark Dealings: You can read the opening in an earlier Sunday Sample post to the right of this. 

We are now in Chapter 2, Micaela has confirmed that Reece is missing and, given her earlier vision, she knows time is slipping away.  Peggy (mentioned below) is now Reece’s wife, but was a key player in the events years ago that drove Micaela away from her gifts and the Druid community.  Adam is Reece’s brother and next in line of shaman/wise man of the local Pokanoket community, which has close relations to Druids and Micaela’s family.

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Adam stood over the sink washing dishes and strategizing with the other searchers.  She crooked her finger at him to follow her outside.

            “What’s up, Micaela?” he eased the screen door closed behind him.

            “I’m not sure how to start this conversation without sounding like a lunatic.  I worked years to avoid what I’m about to say and do.”

            “Spit it out.  Our families have known each other for generations, you can trust us…you can trust me.”

            Micaela stared out into the oaks.  “Things were said about me when I was a teenager…  I was different, I saw things.”

            “I was little, but I kind of remember.  Is that what Peg was talking about?”

            “I thought it was gone. That I’d out grown it or exorcised it.  That I could be like everyone else.”

            “But something happened in there.”  Adam made it sound more like a statement than a question.

            “I've opened Pandora’s Box.  But if I can help find Reece, I can’t close it now.”

            Adam leaned on the porch railing.  She watched the emotions play across his face.  His eyes lost focus and he seemed to go somewhere inside.

            “Micaela, I understand, more than you know, what we’re asking of you.  We’ve looked for Reece for hours.  Times running out.” His eyes were haunted.  His voice was barely a whisper.  “It was my idea to go out tonight.   I said it would be easy to hunt by the light of the full moon.  Reece didn’t think we should ignore the Elders.”

            “I can’t guarantee anything, Adam.”

            “But you’ll try, it’s all that matters.” He pushed off the porch rail and faced her.  “Tell me what you need.”

            “I’m not entirely sure. For starters, I think we should sit, in case someone passes out.”  She moved to the bottom step.  After the dizziness brought on by her brief contact with Peggy’s mind, she didn’t want too far to go if she went down.

            “Now what?”  Adam sat beside her.

            “Take my hands.”  They faced each other.  His large hands swallowed hers in their grip.

            At first nothing happened.   Micaela struggled for a way into the vision.  What happened in the kitchen had been so sudden and violent. She had been overwhelmed by the emotions.  That was it---Peggy’s strong feelings acted as a trigger. It must have been Reece’s own emotions that brought the vision on the highway.  Micaela would have to ask Adam to relive the event and the sensations.  She wished she could protect him from it, but she didn’t know how.

            “Adam, I need you to think about the last time you saw Reece, about what happened up on the mountain.”  And I need to stop resisting, she thought, for now.

            He chewed his lower lip, his dark eyebrows knit together.  Micaela exhaled and focused on releasing the stress in her shoulder.  She opened herself to the magic.   Images slammed into her.  She could see through Adam’s eyes.  She was Adam.  Reece and the other four men headed into the woods.  The temperature dropped as the sun set.  She reached beyond their muted voices.  The forest air filled with the hoot of an owl, the skitter of small feet, the final screech of a small rodent, and the snap of branches as larger things moved.

            Adam/Micaela signaled to Reece that Henry had spotted a six point buck.  She felt Adam’s confusion turn to concern when Reece wasn’t bringing up the rear as usual.   Adam retraced his steps.  At first he scanned the path, then whispered Reece’s name, no reason to spook the buck.  But another noise and a different scent drove the buck deeper into the woods.  Silence was no longer necessary.