Wicked
Folk
Witchy
World
Book
Two
Jamie
McFarlane
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Fickle Dragon
Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-943792-12-2
ASIN:
Number of pages: 266
Word Count: 86,837
Cover Artist: Silviya Yordanova
Book Description:
Late one night, a teenaged witch
witnesses her uncle perform the forbidden ritual to summon a demon. His
carelessness results in the demon breaking free and being released into the
world. Drawn to the young witch's powers like a shark, the demon is only
temporarily thwarted when she manages to escape.
Felix Slade is a wizard living
far from the family he grew up with. Recently he's been unable to sleep as
night after night a beautiful young witch is stalked by a demon in his dreams.
Each night, new details are exposed and Felix is soon convinced that it’s up to
him to prevent the woman’s demise. The dreams reach a critical point when
Felix’s own family is threatened by the violence he’s sure is yet to come.
With his sister and the woman he
loves by his side, Felix rushes to face the greatest challenge he’s encountered
yet. There is great darkness inside him and he must choose to embrace or reject
it in order to face the demon’s evil.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/_mvC7hUd2Lg
Excerpt:
Summoned
Faa Farmstead,
just outside Eppy Faire, five years ago
Lace Faa stared
out at the waning crescent moon through the wavy glass of the old farmhouse
window, wishing for even the slightest breeze. The day's heat refused to
dissipate from the humid, summer air which clung to her as she tried
unsuccessfully to fall asleep. As if on command, a slight puff of wind rustled
the sheer curtains of her second floor window, carrying with it the faint sound
of chanting. She strained her ears, curiosity piqued, wondering who might be
working her family's hidden craft so late at night. Her gaze shifted to the
barn across the gravel driveway. A flickering glow between weathered siding
exposed the presence of lit candles and a ritual in progress.
She dropped her
legs over the side of the bed and placed her feet in just the right spot to
keep the weathered floor from creaking. At the age of sixteen, Lace wasn't fully
initiated in the subtle magics of her kin, but moving silently had been drilled
into her from an early age. She walked carefully, rolling from heel to toe
along the unseen joists that supported the floor, avoiding loose boards as she
slipped from bedroom to hallway. The hem of her white cotton nightgown thumped
quietly, caressing the wooden stair treads as she descended to the kitchen.
For a moment,
she paused at the screen door and considered its habit of screeching when
opened. Wetting forefinger and thumb in her mouth, she rubbed them on the old,
rusted top hinge. Tall and slender, Lace slipped through the door, opening it
only a crack. Relief from the heat held in the old house was welcome as she
picked her way gingerly across the gravel. Her eyes focused on the flickering
light leaking from the ancient barn.
Lace negotiated
the piles of junk that had found their final resting place next to the building
and carefully placed both hands on the rough siding, leaning forward to look
through one of the many cracks in its façade. Her eye came to rest on the edge
of a white circle, drawn on the dirt floor only feet from her position. With
her limited view, she glimpsed two black candles burning brightly at the tips
of what she suspected was a pentagram, although without full view of the
circle, she couldn't know for certain.
"Phezore
Gesteriph Feoro, I summon you." The bold voice, her uncle Willum Gordon's,
resumed chanting in the ancient language Lace believed was only known by her
extended family. Her heart thudded in her chest, recognizing the simple ritual
- if only from her reading.
"Oh,
Willum," she whispered involuntarily before bringing her hand to her
mouth.
"Who's
there?" Willum asked loudly from within the barn.
Lace stepped
back, startled, catching her heel on a piece of long forgotten machinery. She
spun, trying to save herself, but in the poor light her knee came in contact
with a stack of precariously balanced wooden crates. She lunged from her
position, diving away from the collapsing junk, all pretense of stealth
abandoned. The tall door of the barn
slid open as she twisted, trying to free her legs.
"Madge?"
Willum asked, the low angle of wavering candles illuminating him eerily from
behind.
Lace hastily
scrawled a rune in the air with her finger, turning away from Willum's position
so he wouldn't see the faint sparkling trail as she did. As an initiate of her
clan's magic, she'd mastered the one spell that had come easily to her – shadow
walk.
Willum stepped
from the barn, closing the door behind him. Lace used the noise to her
advantage and gained her feet, moving slowly from her original position. Willum
turned and stared directly at her, standing stock still – a hunter trying to
locate its quarry. Lace froze. She knew him to be cruel when cornered and he
would not take kindly to her spying on his ritual. A weak practitioner by
family standards, he'd often taken out his frustrations on her. With the
provocation of an interrupted ritual, Lace well understood the danger she'd
placed herself in.
Willum took a
few steps forward, cutting the distance between them in half. Lace breathed
slowly, trying to calm her heart, the lack of oxygen demanding deeper breaths.
Swiping the air between them, Willum moved toward her. Slowly, she stepped
aside, anticipating his movements. Sweat beaded on her forehead as his fingers
came within inches of her face.
About
the Author:
Jamie McFarlane is a graduate of
Colorado School of Mines with a Master of Science in Mathematics. An avid
reader, tinkerer, woodworker and metal sculptor, Jamie is just as likely to be
seen smelting aluminum cans in his garage as he is tacking random, discarded
iron objects into a small army of beasties that adorn his home’s landscaping.
Jamie’s writing career began as
something of a dare which later turned into a tribute. In his late teens, Jamie
was well known as the family story-teller, spinning fanciful yarns about
ordinary events, usually with the objective of escaping well-deserved trouble.
One day, his mother, often the
target of his mischievous tales, challenged him to commit his words to writing.
Jamie promised he would but time passed, as did his beloved mother. In 2014,
Jamie made good on his promise and published his first book.
Jamie is the author of a growing
library of novels and novellas including the space opera series - Privateer
Tales, and the urban fantasy series - Witchy World. Jamie lives in Lincoln,
Nebraska with his wife and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Web: www.fickledragon.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/mcfarlaneauthor
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jamiemcfarlaneauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/fickledragon
Review:
Great paranormal read and kept me flipping pages late into the night. Good world set up and interesting characters.
4/5
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