Free Views from the Tower by Jessica Grey Page A

watched in helpless horror as the mirrors flashed brightly and then settled into murkiness. I could still see the interior of the tower—see the princess lying on her opulent bed—on at least two mirrors, but the rest had gone completely dark.
    “You’ve crashed the whole bloody spell!” I screamed at Bill’s repulsive, flat face. I could tell by his expression that he realized what he’d done. And that he didn’t give the hair-feather of a griffin.
    “We can have a tech visit you to help restore your spell. Our next available appointment is next Tuesday between the hours of 9 and 3. Would you like me to schedule you in Ma’am? Ma’am, can you hear me?”
    I could hear him, but I wasn’t listening. I was watching the last fifty years of work—my one shot at that dark, evil, flashy triumph—disintegrate right before my eyes.
    I could see it all in the two mirrors that were still working. That whiny, annoying princess stopped snoring, sat up in bed, and looked around her as if confused. Confused, but horribly, horrifically, undeniably awake.
    All of the king’s magicians, and even that stupid fairy godmother, hadn’t been able to best me. But Magical Spell Support and their overreaching troll had destroyed everything in just a few moments of sheer stupidity.
    I screamed in frustration, sending out a bigger, even more powerful spell. I watched the princess’s tower shake on its foundations. Then the large stones began to crumble. I shook the tower apart until nothing was left but a pile of dusty rubble.
    It didn’t matter though; the royal spawn had already walked down the stairs and out of the enchanted tower, the forest of thorns falling at her feet as they had no spell to support them.
    I heard Bill clear his throat. “If there’s nothing else I can help you with, please hold for a brief customer satisfaction survey.”
     

Red
     
    No sunlight filtered down through the thick canopy this far into the forest. I listened for sounds of movement, pulling the hood of my mottled green cloak tighter. My red hair would attract attention even in the gloom.
    There. The soft sounds of wolves moving through the forest. They drew closer, their panting now louder than the furious pounding of my heart. They weren’t hunting, but patrolling, guarding the Coven. Protecting the dark-haired, blue-eyed women who looked as if angels had bent down and molded their forms. But they were anything but holy. We lived in fear of their black magic. Fear and hate.
    Every so often men from our village disappeared forever. Sometimes, years later, when the Coven came to trade with the village, you might notice that the children hiding near their skirts seemed familiar. A tilt of their eyes, or a dimple, or chin. You could notice, but you couldn’t say anything.
    My father vanished when I was young. My mother never spoke of him. But I remembered.
    Now it was Liam, my intended. He’d been gone for days. After the first night I knew he wasn’t returning. I couldn’t just stand quietly and wait for a black-haired witch to have a babe that looked like my love.
    The wolves were near enough now. There were two. A young grey and an older wolf with russet fur.
    I loosed my arrow, straight and true, into the heart of the grey wolf, catching them by surprise. The red leapt at me, snarling and flashing teeth. I dropped my bow, drawing my dagger. As we collided, I thrust with all of my might. His yelp told me I had wounded him gravely. He fell, and I stood, miraculously still alive, watching his life bleed out.
    As his breath stilled he began to change. The fur faded and before me lay a man...one I remembered well, although I hadn’t seen him since I was a child.
    “Red,” the dying gasp came from behind me. I turned toward the big grey, my blood freezing in anguish.
    “Liam!”
     

Awake: A Fairytale
     
    Please enjoy the following excerpt from Awake: A Fairytale, also by Jessica Grey:
     
    ~ Chapter One ~
     
    THE LAST PLACE Alexandra