Hidden Magic
Magic Underground Anthology
Melinda Kucsera
Raven Oak
Joynell Schultz
Anela Deen
Lee French
Erik Kort
William C. Cronk
C. S. Johnson
S. Wallace
A. R. Johnston
Devorah Fox
Barbara Letson
C. K. Rieke
Gwendolyn Woodschild
H. B. Lyne
H. M. Jones
Toasha Jiordano
Tiffany Shand
Leah W. Van Dinther
Majanka Verstraete
Alesha Escobar
Contents
Introduction
Anela Deen
A Veil is Parted
Lee French & Erik Kort
The Greatest Sin
Joynell Schultz
The Mail-Order Witch
William C. Cronk
Great Sun Trilogy, Part I
C. S. Johnson
The Ones Who See
S. Wallace
Six Hooves
Melinda Kucsera
Spell of Wings & Glass
A. R. Johnston
Weather Witch Way
Devorah Fox
The Mouth of the Dragon
Barbara Letson
Aamira
C. K. Rieke
Parallel Princess
Gwendolyn Woodschild
The Catch
H. B. Lyne
The Hunter
H. M. Jones
Ariana’s Hope
Toasha Jiordano
The Runes of Valonde
Tiffany Shand
The Druid’s Heir
Leah W. Van Dinther
The Amethyst Window
Majanka Verstraete
The Mark of the Red God
Raven Oak
Amaskan
Alesha Escobar
Shaman Rising
Acknowledgments
Wait! There’s More!
About Magical Mayhem Press
Hidden Magic is a multi-author bundle. Copyright © 2020 by Magical Mayhem Press. All authors retain the individual copyrights to their works.
ISBN: 978-1-949145-16-8 (Print Edition)
A Veil Is Parted © 2020 by Anela Deen.
The Greatest Sin: A Sacrifice of Blood © 2020 by Lee French & Erik Kort
The Mail-Order Witch, Episode 1 © 2020 by Joynell Schultz
Bands of Gold © 2020 by William C. Cronk
The Ones Who See © 2020 by C. S. Johnson
Six Hooves © 2020 by S. Wallace
Spell of Wings & Glass © 2020 by Melinda Kucsera
Weather Witch Way © 2020 by AR Johnston
The Mouth of the Dragon: Rumors © 2020 by Devorah Fox
Fatal Origins: Shyronn © 2020 by L.C. Ireland
Aamira: The Littlest Angel © 2020 by Ghost Stalkers
Parallel Princess: The Siege © 2020 by C.K. Rieke
The Catch © 2020 by Ghost Stalkers
The Hunter © 2020 by H.B. Lyne
Ariana’s Hope © 2020 by H.M. Jones
Runes of Valonde © 2020 by Toasha Jiordano
The Druid's Heir © 2020 by Tiffany Shand
The Amethyst Window © 2020 by Ghost Stalkers
The Mark of the Red God © 2020 by Majanka Verstraete
Amaskan © 2020 by Raven Oak
Shaman Rising © 2020 by Alesha Escobar
Cover Art Design © 2020 by Melinda Kucsera.
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Introduction
Welcome to a one-of-a-kind fantasy trilogy, Magic Underground. Hidden Magic is the first anthology in the trilogy followed by Wayward Magic and Forgotten Magic.
How did this project come about?
A call went out a year ago on Facebook, and twenty-three authors answered it. Three were lost along the trail as the real world invaded, but the rest girded their loins for a battle of words and magic. The spells flew. Keyboards rattled. Our brave authors stormed castles, escaped from prisons, pursued deadly threats both large and small, all to capture the best stories they could in 20,000 words or less.
The challenge?
Write three, addictively awesome, interconnected stories in any fantasy sub-genre. Be it high fantasy or sword & sorcery, epic or urban or paranormal fantasy, it’s all here.
We have portals and modern witches side by side with fantastical creatures living in places you won’t find on any map. Fans of Patricia Briggs and Tamsyn Muir will love Hidden Magic and its sequels. (1-click the rest of the trilogy now at https://magicalmayhempress.com/!
The goal?
To bring you the best fantasy adventures from the fantasy world. It’s a task our brave authors have excelled in as they wove crafty plots, faced the dark night of the soul, and came out the other side brandishing shiny new stories to delight you.
What does that mean for you, dear reader?
Twenty Times the Trouble. Twenty times the trials and tribulations. And, twenty times the triumphs!
No matter the world, life can be dangerous. Be they wizards and shamans, assassins, or everyday people, Hidden Magic tells their stories about escape, consequences, and most of all, magic. From Earth cities and fantastical new worlds comes twenty stories where heroes grapple with the seen and unseen in order to save themselves, their families, and often the world. Hidden Magic features:
Elderly antiques experts interacting with souls
Shamans growing outlawed magic
Baby chimeras battling for their lives
Children sprouting fluffy tails
A king’s boat thrown off-course
A perfect life coming at a not-so-perfect cost
Vikings defending a village against the unseen
A lone shifter atoning for his past mistakes
Trolls and pixies tumbling through the doorway to another world
And more!
Before we let you experience all the drama and excitement waiting for you in the pages of Hidden Magic, meet the twenty authors who answered the call for magical mayhem and find out what drew them to this epic challenge.
Anela Deen: Contributing to an anthology was on my author bucket list. When I saw this project offered the chance to be in an anthology trilogy, turning the novellas into a three-book serial, I couldn't pass it up. Such a creative idea that only the indie world can pull off. Plus, magic!
Lee French, USA Today Bestseller: T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K is the way forward. We're all trying so hard to do this on our own, but when we work together, we're all stronger a
nd more successful for it.
Joynell Shultz, USA Today Bestselling author: The idea of a series of connected anthologies was fresh and different—exactly what I love. Plus, the gorgeous covers caught my eye.
William C. Cronk: Barb [Barbara Letson] asked me if I was interested in taking my writing to the next level. I wasn’t sure if I was ready, but I wanted to try. The chance to work with professionals solidified my choice, and here I am. Thank you to the readers. Without them, we would be nothing more than dreamers in our workrooms. That’s what I have been for forty years—a dreamer in his workroom.
C. S. Johnson: There's a special kind of magic that comes out when people work together and put their best work forward. It's nice to see that writing is not just a writer against her own world, but there are others along the way who are familiar and eager for the journeys we take, too.
S. Wallace: Getting published is something I always wanted to do but never tried as hard as I could to accomplish. I couldn't continue, “simply going through the motions.” I had to do something. This provided an excellent opportunity to not only step forward and finally get published but to learn from those who are more experienced and lean on their superior knowledge. In short, it seemed like the perfect opener.
Melinda Kucsera, USA Today Bestseller & publisher of Hidden Magic: I started recruiting for the Magic Underground trilogy of anthologies because I wanted to celebrate my 40th birthday with twenty-one authors and help advance their careers while connecting them to readers. Hidden Magic launches on my 40th birthday. Working with these amazing authors gave me something to keep the winter blues at bay and an opportunity to work with them on an exciting project unlike any other. I’m truly grateful to all who made this set possible.
A. R. Johnston, International Bestseller: I was talking with Melinda about an anthology we were part of together. After she showed me what it was all about, I was instantly intrigued and knew I wanted to be involved. I write urban fantasy with paranormal romance elements and knew this would be up my alley for sure. There was no way I was missing out on such a great project idea. I love that I get to work with such amazing people!
Devorah Fox: I couldn’t pass up the chance to have my work in an anthology with awesome writers like Alesha Escobar, Holly Lyne, Raven Oak, Hannah Mariezle Jones, or the chance to work with Melinda Kucsera.
Barbara Letson: Writers gravitate toward other writers. We understand each other's need to tell our tales, share our enthusiasm, and improve our skills. My dear old friend and writing buddy, S. Wallace, told me that his friend, established author Melinda Kucsera, was looking for short stories for a series of anthologies with a magical theme. (Magic? What's not to love?) I reached out in turn (okay, I was bouncing with excitement) and Gwendolyn Woodschild, Leah W. Van Dinther, and William C. Cronk responded. How could we resist? Melinda, you started something huge. And it's going to be great.
C. K. Rieke: I’d written two completed fantasy series of novels, but when the idea came up to write a short story with other authors, I didn’t know if I’d have the time with my other projects, but it had been a goal of mine, so I decided to do it! I thought it would be a good way to help others get exposure with some of my fans and vice versa. Also, magic is one of my favorite things to write about in my stories!
Gwendolyn Woodschild: Barbara Letson found out about the opportunity to be in the anthology, so she came to Leah W. Van Dinther and me. We talked about it, discussed the time crunch of getting everything done, and decided that we really wanted the opportunity to get officially published (because all of us are first-time authors) and to get our setting, Ghost Stalkers, off the ground. The opportunity to learn more about the process of publishing, getting our names out there, and to challenge ourselves appealed to all three of us.
H. B. Lyne: I had participated in an anthology with some of the other authors before and really enjoyed the experience. I was excited to work with them again. I also knew that I wanted to write more short stories for my world and saw this as a great opportunity to do that.
H. M. Jones: I love the fact that there were sequels, so that my readers and I could get to know the character via each anthology. I like that the stories were able to be longer, as I get to fit in more details. I LOVE writing shorts but think novellas are just more approachable for readers. It’s also good to work with established talent, so I can reach new readers.
Toasha Coggins: For me, I love the idea of a triptych, and the fact that it’s about magic fit perfectly with what I’m already writing. I super love magic on the down low.
Tiffany Shand: I loved the idea of connected stories as part of an anthology. It’s unique, and I thought it sounded like a good opportunity for all of us authors to work together as a team.
Leah W. Van Dinther: After having committed plenty of creative-writing projects in my youth, I had put down my pen for many years. My friend, Barbara Letson, showed me the advertisement calling for authors, both new and old, and she challenged me to renew my authorly vigor. I am very pleased that I accepted the challenge, and have greatly enjoyed both my writing process and perusing the individual offerings in this anthology. Basically, Barbara showed me the ad and suggested (strongly) that we both write stories for it. So, I started writing again, after many years of not. Like William C. Cronk said: it was challenging, and yet too great to pass up!
Majanka Verstraete: The covers and theme! I immediately knew that one story I had been thinking about writing for a while was a good fit for the theme.
Raven Oak, Seattle Times regional bestseller & multi-international award winner: I've always wanted to write a connected novelette line about Ida (formerly Shendra) from my Boahim Trilogy. Readers loved her in Amaskan's Blood, so it was fitting for me to join into this project and tell more of her story. I hope readers will enjoy learning how Shendra became Ida as much as I did!
Alesha Escobar: I was curious about using the rapid release method on a set of anthologies, and I like participating in a story collection where I can sample different fantasy stories.
Samantha Achaia-Picinich, lead editor on this set: Alesha Escobar and I were talking about upcoming anthologies that were fantasy related. I wanted to have my own story in it, but my pup got sick.
Now, onward to the fruits of their labor. We hope you enjoy Hidden Magic. Don’t forget this is only the first anthology in a trilogy of anthologies. 1-click Wayward Magic and Forgotten Magic now to read these stories’ continuations!
A Veil is Parted
Anela Deen
As a portal fantasy, magic is hidden in many places in “A Veil Is Parted”, both in the doorway that leads to another world, and what is found in that world. Inspiration for this tale came from a desire to put a twist on the usual fairies and elves that star in fantasy. But it’s also a story about damage and grief, and how we can find our way back from the broken path loss sets us on.
Anela Deen
Simith of Drifthorn is tired of war. After years of battle between the Thistle Court and the troll kingdom, even a pixie knight known for his bloodlust longs for peace. Meeting with the troll king in secret is the only hope for a ceasefire. When the trolls ambush him instead, Simith flees through a doorway hidden by magic into another world. Wounded, he’ll need to defeat his pursuers and get home before anyone realizes he's gone. If his commanders find out what he's been up to, the trolls will be the least of his worries.
In Skylark, Michigan, Jessa leaves a party after some devastating news. Cutting through her neighbor’s sunflower farm, she runs into a fight between creatures straight out of a fantasy novel—only the blood is very real. When one of them falls to his attackers, Jessa decides to intervene. She’s known too much death to stand idly by, but what does a poet like her know about fighting? As their weapons turn against her, Jessa realizes how much she stands to lose, even for someone who’s already lost everything.
Chapter One
The arrow took Simith in the back.
It punched through his left wing and lodg
ed itself below his shoulder blade. Flitting between the trees on his way to the meeting place, he almost lost his hold on the next branch as pain exploded across his body. He scrambled for cover amid the foliage, swallowing his pained gasps, but leaves were sparse at this spot in the Jaded Grove. He didn’t find it in time.
The second arrow drove through his right wing, ripping the aft membrane, but he was fortunate. The arrowhead only split the leathers by his ribs. He found a nest of twisted branches and crouched behind them, trying to quiet his ragged breath—trying to think. He’d made certain he wasn’t followed when he left camp. No one saw him depart and he hadn’t dared tell anyone his plans, not his fellow knights and certainly not the Helms. Who was attacking him?
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