“Nina, those are just stories.”
“The beast could just be a story too. I don’t want to believe it is though. Don’t you wonder what it would be like to step onto an elevator and get to the next destination in a blink of an eye? Don’t you wonder what technology actually looks like?”
“Dreaming isn’t going to help us here, Nina. Ev’s right. This could all be a lie.”
“You don’t believe your grandfather then?”
“Nina, even if it’s true, it’s over nine decades ago. There is no orange sun. The sky is a black blob of weird golden light. Food is scarce, and people we love are getting sick. How can we believe in stories when reality is killing us?”
They stopped in the middle of the street and were the only two walking the road. No one else was around to hear Roz’s pent-up fear and frustration.
“It’s not our fault the world shifted and smashed continents into one another. We aren’t to blame for the death and wars. I want to believe the tales about a world where two nations found the strength to come together after WWIV and create a truce. If it’s true, then the beast is real, and that gives me hope.” Nina put her hand on Roz’s arm.
“I just want to be realistic about all of this. If we’re wrong…” she couldn’t speak it.
Talking to Ev had made her wonder if this was their truth.
“You’re not the only one terrified of it being a lie. Roz, I have to hold onto this hope. You know why.” Nina’s eyes filled with tears.
Roz put her hand over her friends. “I know. I want to believe too. I’m trying.”
“If we break the curse, we could contact the Second Kingdom. We could get help, and maybe, the sky will be blue and white and orange again. Please, believe it.”
“Nina,” Roz started, “I will try. We have a plan, and I hope Captain Ralph is right about the likelihood of it working.”
“He is,” Nina told her with complete confidence. “We’re going to beat the beast, Roz. We’re going to end this curse. I feel it in my bones.”
“I wish I was more like you, Nina.” Roz smiled and shook her head. “Your faith is contagious. Fine, I’ll be positive until further notice. I better get home. Do you want to come for supper?”
Nina shook her head. “I need to check in on mom and dad. Ev already headed home, and I shouldn’t leave him alone to deal with everything.”
“I understand,” Roz replied.
“Just remember, it isn’t really Leuthar saying those things. It’s the sickness. You’ll get him back.”
Roz reached out and hugged her friend close. Nina’s arms squeezed her tight. Parting, Roz punched her friend’s shoulder.
“Same to you. Your parents are going to make it.”
“Thanks, Roz. See you tomorrow?” Nina asked and brushed her fingers across her eyes.
Ignoring her friend’s tears, Roz looked at the ground and dug her shoe into the ground. The top of the toes was coated with dust. She shook it off and nodded.
“Of course,” she said, “we have to practice. The week will fly by.”
“Good. Later,” Nina said, turned with a wave, and walked away.
Roz watched her friend walk away. She switched her bag to her left shoulder and waited until Nina had disappeared from view.
Shaking her head, she stood there staring at the last place she’d seen Nina. Wishing for Nina’s faith, Roz sighed.
“I can only hope for the future when the beast is dead,” she whispered to the ground, kicking at the dirt. “If there is a beast.”
Roz turned around and looked at the castle. It sat upon a hill in the distance. From this far away she couldn't see any details or evidence of the beast lurking inside.
Although she wanted to believe it was only a myth, the sensation of not being alone was powerful. Her skin prickled, and she knew he was there, somewhere, watching them. Her head cocked to the right as if listening for him.
“We will come and destroy you,” she whispered, as if he stood in front of her, “We will win this kingdom back from you, and then the sun will shine through, and our people will live.”
Watching the castle, Roz noticed the swirl of black clouds congregate more fully above it. A crack of lightning lit the sky and thunder crashed over the crumbling structure.
“I guess someone out there agrees with me,” she whispered, and took a step back, twirled around, and bobbed along home.
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Legend: A Cinderella Retelling
Magic destroyed the world, and four kingdoms emerged to pick up the pieces.
Living simply, as the new kingdom dictates, Cassie is used to the days of cleaning up after her annoying stepmother and diabolical stepsiblings. For the most part, she's been able to ignore her father's flighty dismissal. However, an approaching war and a new friend have reminded her of how much she misses the family she used to have.
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Decisions might make or break some families.
Simon is on his way to enter the war and gain his father's approval. He doesn't want to sit on the sidelines while others fight the battles he's more than capable of joining. When he meets Cassie, he begins to wonder what his life will look like after the war ends.
* * *
War is waging at the border of the Kingdom of Dalry, but Cassie is about to engage in her own battle.
With her father and Simon gone, Cassie becomes involved in another war. An evil witch, set on revenge, takes her hostage. She's the key to a spell more than two decades in the making. Her only choice is to go along with the plan until she can get free. Now, Cassie must find a way to defeat the malevolent witch and her resurrected adversary before she loses far more than her glass slippers.
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7 Assassins: A Snow White Retelling
The king is murdered.
Princess Wren Snow is being set-up. Her father is killed, and the two main suspects are her and her stepmother. Obviously, Wren knows who did it, but the evidence isn't quite pointing in the direction of the evil queen. Hoping for help, she enlists the assistance of Private Detective Ioan Hunter.
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He's searching for the truth.
PD Hunter is willing to take the case for the princess. He likes watching her eyes flash at his offhand attitude, and he's willing to bet she couldn't be the killer. Taking on his own line of questioning, Hunter looks into an obscure link which might have nothing to do with the case. However, he's unwilling to leave any lead unscrutinized because lives are at stake.
* * *
She's the next target.
Unsure if the conceited, gorgeous PD is going to help clear her name, Wren finds herself almost assassinated by the killer. While evidence is mounting, assassins are confusing the police by shooting at their suspect. As a complete monarchy take-down seems to be in bloom, Wren struggles to find any answers that will confirm her stepmother's involvement.
* * *
The killer isn't ready to stop.
With each new death threat, Wren finds herself having to rethink her previous theories and trust PD Hunter to find the culprit. However, in the end, she might not want the answers she was so eager to find. Sometimes, being in the dark is the safest place to hide.
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Realm Walk: A Sleeping Beauty Retelling
Maezy is no sleeping beauty.
She prefers her sword to magic, is more comfortable chopping off limbs than kissing lips, and she can visit people in her sleep. However, life isn't a complete realm walk for a hybrid like Maezy. She has a gift anyone might kill for, and she's trained her whole life to deal with that eventuality.
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There should always be a Plan C.
Her father, the Elf King, has sent an army to kidnap her. He wants to use her talent to take over all the realms, but Maezy isn't ready to comply with his wishes. In fact, hoping to stop the onslaught, she's agreed to her mother's plan.
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Sorcerer versus Hybrid.
The handsome associate her father has bribed into helping him has some superior warlock powers. Brandalfr's a hybrid as well, and he knows how Maezy feels. He's the only one, though, who can help. With so much at stake, will he be willing to assist her?
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They're in this together.
Now Maezy must use more than her sword to beat her father and hold his hot, irritating, hybrid warlock at arm's length. After all, her mother always taught her to never trust an elf.
The Four Tales Page 90
