Extracts from Published Books and Works in Progress
DUST BOUND
Tattered buildings came into focus as she trained her gaze on the three wings of the central compound. People stood at the edge of the large crater where the fourth wing of the old hospital once stood, before the Fae threw their mountains down on the earth. Three Fae hovered over the gathered people. Blue shimmers surrounded them and cast stuttering shadows on the ground. Scorched, bare dirt covered the long-dried blood of those caught in the first attacks. Her heartbeat spiked, and she looked away from the rubbled ridge around the crater.
Several thousand were in their community, but only a couple hundred gathered in front of the Fae. They shuffled forward, eyes on the sky. Children clung to those who stayed at the back of the crowd, unable to leave now the Fae had spotted them.
The brittle casing of the binocs shifted under her fingers as the images in her head battled with the images filtering through the lenses. Mia. Sitting on the sofa with her son. Staring at the door, willing it to stay closed.
She forced her gaze to shift the other way. To the lights. To the Fae. Blue swirls distorted the image, but after a moment, the lenses compensated for the glare. The Faeries came into sharper focus. Her stomach twisted, and her vision shook as her hands slipped on the case. The Fae hovered just above the crater, bright multihued wings catching the breeze, shimmering in and out of focus. Bile rose at the back of her throat. She swallowed through a dry mouth. They can’t see me from here.
She dropped the glasses and rubbed her eyes. They’d come already this year. Surely no more children would be taken. Her trembling fingers stuck in her hair as she brushed it off her face. They must be here for something else. But dread coiled in her stomach, and her thoughts turned to ash in her mind.
Movement snared her attention. She peered at the compound. Ryder strode toward the Fae. Whipping the binocs back up, she focused on his face, taut and grim even from here. Under control. Like always. He crossed his arms and faced off against the hovering Fae.
Arguing.
He was arguing with them.
Her heart jumped into her throat. The Fae moved closer, blue tendrils twisting from their outspread arms into the crowd. Ryder gestured sharply, and the gate guards shifted to stand in front of the gathered people. Fluttering wings spread out, and a Fae garbed in red descended until it hovered directly in front of Ryder, a good head taller than him. Whatever it said seemed to change his mind. His shoulders slumped, and the blue tendrils retracted, pulling children with them. Her lip trembled.
A Taking.
Addie turned away, and shoved the glasses back in her pack. Ryder could have died, but at least he tried to stop them. No-one else did anymore.
Fine grey powder fluttered onto her cheeks and arms, dusting her hair, turning dark strands into ash. The Dust was falling faster now, almost like raindrops. She scrambled to her feet, shaking her head to clear it. Fingers tightening around her pack straps, she gritted her teeth. Time to head back. The Fae didn’t stay long once the Taking ended. The old tales told the truth. The Faeries do steal children, and when they return them, they’re never the same. Clambering over a car enveloped by Dust, she ignored the prickling of the scars running down her arms. Never.
Siren’s Call
Waves thundered across the bow of the ship, knocking Evan’s feet out from under him, pushing him across the deck. He’d thought he would welcome death, but as the ship reared against the grabbing tendrils of the ocean, the drive to live pushed him into action.
His fingers snatched at ladder rungs on the side of the bridge, muscles straining as the sea fought to take him. Salt stung a cut on his cheek, and he blinked water from his eyes. He dragged himself against the current, closer to the bridge flooding with surf.
The first mate’s still body floated past in the pounding waves. Evan stared at the red streaks of blood trailing from the crewman’s head and drew back his reaching hand. Another one lost, another person he hadn’t saved. Cold bile churned in his stomach as memories of crimson-stained sand flashed behind his eyes. No. This wasn’t his mission. Not his burden. Not this time. He blinked and turned to peer into the bridge, searching for Dan.
Metal groaned and shrieked as the boat shuddered.
The darkening sky drew his gaze like a magnet. A giant wave sucked in all light, beautiful and deadly. The world turned to water as the wave crashed over them. Tumbling, smashing into iron railings, lungs screaming for air…
He sank.
Dark water churned, grabbing at his clothes and pulling him down through a minefield of whirling debris. Jagged pieces of wood and steel crowded the ocean. His lungs burned, and he clawed his way toward the dim light taunting him on the surface.
A large object slammed into the water, blocking the light, pushing through the detritus to pin him underneath. Hands scrabbling for a grip, desperate to pull himself out from under the warped vent, the last air escaped his lungs.
But I haven’t finished living yet. I don’t know if I ever started.
His fingers loosened their death grip on the steel sheet. As his eyes closed, a shadow fluttered through the inky depths trailing a pale glow behind it.
He sank into black quiet.
Lady of the Ravens
Elena reached out a hand, her fingers hovering over the gleaming ivory as old blood and pain sang to her. The carvings brought to mind her locket, but the knife had the air of age that the trinket did not. She dragged her eyes up to meet her sister’s sapphire gaze.
Curling her hand back she stepped away. “You offer nothing for free. What do you want?”
Mabel smiled, stretching the freckles on her cheeks. “Only your locket.”
Her breath burned in her chest as her hand rose to clutch the pendant that was pair to the bracer wrapped around her sister’s wrist. “I haven’t taken it off since the day they placed it around my neck. Why would I give it to you now?”
“Because you are a hunted woman and a knife can kill. A locket only holds memories. And let’s be honest–how many of those do you really want?”
Bare walls. A locked door. Her sister’s arms catching her as she jumped from a window. Running hand in hand through frozen fields as the dogs bayed behind them.
Shaking fingers wrenched the clasp apart, thrusting the pendant at Mabel. “Take it.”
Her sister tucked the past away in a pocket then held out the knife. “The blade carries some of the power of the three. Use it carefully–it may bite.”
Elena grasped the package, folding leather soft as velvet around the bone. The hum of power quietened. Waiting.
“I wish you well, sister.” Mabel flashed a last smile and turned back to the cottage.
For a moment, Elena stood. Steam rose from the dew soaked ground as the early morning sun touched it. Mabel’s skirt caught on a bramble and she twitched it free, turning once to raise a hand in farewell before ducking under the mantle.
Memories and visions tangled and Elena let them knot, unwilling to tug on the threads.
Blood Cursed Rose
Kilian glared at the small figure curled up on the chair. That ridiculously baggy sweater put him totally off kilter. He’d come to kill a beast, a woman he’d watched stalking through moonlight with darkness lapping at her heels, a vampire he’d been taught to hate. Then he’d surprised a tiny woman in sweatpants, hair mussed in falls of dark waves, her face drawn and tired, choosing a book.
He’d almost left.
Now she sat, looking smaller than ever, his own gun trained on him, offering him a deal.
“If you’re not willing to release Aden I’m not interested in any deal you want to make.”
She tilted her head to one side, like a damn sparrow. “I’ll release him, but after you do something for me.”
His lip curled. “A hostage?”
Those slight shoulders lifted in a small shrug. “Call it that if you like. The reality is, I can destroy your brother at any moment. I can make him do it himself. I can make him take others out on his way.”
Fire and darkness raged in his mind but he harnessed it, clenching his fists as his breath tore heavily out of him. “Whatever it takes, one day I will end you.”
Her eyes clouded. “Many people have tried. No-one’s succeeded yet.”
“Pity.”
Light Breaks
Sunlight dappled the bonnet of the sedan, glaring off the grimy windscreen. Phoebe’s gaze caught on the swinging deodoriser cutout hanging off the rear vision mirror. She ripped it off, tossing it in the back seat.
“You don’t like it?”
She scowled at Damon. “It was making me dizzy.”
Leaning back against the car door he raised his brows in acknowledgement, a sigh deflating his chest. Blood soaked cardigan in one hand she fought back the simultaneous urge to smack him and kiss him.
Stupid idiot.
Blood oozed from ripped up skin. Balling up the cardigan, swallowing bile when red squelched through her fingers, she dabbed at the wound on his side. Why wouldn’t it heal? Breathing in sharply he pulled back from her touch.
“It’s your own fault, Damon. We should have left as soon as you sensed the Wyrgard.”
Indigo eyes flared, edged with gold, and his jaw tightened. Ignoring the skip in her heart she dragged her eyes back to his injury. “If you want to look tough you should get your hair out of your eyes.”
“You should have left when I told you to.” Chill ice in his voice didn’t quite hide the jagged note of pain. Dammit, why didn’t he start healing?
Her fingers fluttered over edges of a wound turning ashen grey, her stomach twisting.
“In which case you’d be dead. You’re welcome.”
His hand covered hers, stilling shaking fingers.
“Phoebe.”
Her mouth scrunching she made herself look up at him.
“I’m not going to heal here. The dulling is too strong this close to the gate.” His fingers curled round hers. “We need to get past the line, into Aelfhame.”
Words tripped over trembling lips. “You can’t walk.”
“No,” he said, mouth quirking up. “But you can drive.”
Her gaze slid past him, out the windscreen, long road leading towards distant mountains. Shifting colours layered the air, pointing the way for those who looked for it.
Driving a car. Into fairyland. Through a magic portal. With a wounded Fae in my passenger seat. What the hell has happened to my life?
“So when we take the car into the magic kingdom, does it disappear? What happens to it?”
His breath hitched as he laughed, and she pushed down against fresh blood leaking down his waist. Figures, the first time I make him laugh it hurts him.
“The car will stop working, but I will start working again. So, any time you’re ready, Phoebe.”
Pushing his hand on top of the bloody cardigan she sat back in the driver’s seat, scrabbling for the lever to move it forward so her feet could reach the pedals. The hum of the engine scraped in her ears, pulling on jagged nerves.
Potholes and broken concrete littered the road inside the tunnel. She cringed everytime the car juddered over something she couldn’t swerve round. Damon gasped once but waved her on when she slowed.
White haze curled around her fingers where they clutched the steering wheel. The painted line in the road taunted her, daring her to cross it. Heart pounding she eased up on the accelerator. Lilac mist snaked around her wrist, stroking her hand. She exhaled slowly.
“You can do this Phoebe.” Damon’s voice echoed as if it came from two different places . “It will take both of us to open the gateway.”
She tried to smile. “Are you sure using magic while driving is legal?”
He raised an eyebrow, then closed his eyes. Violet mist filled the footwell of the car, spilling out onto the road, flowing towards the line. Crap. Okay. I can do this. Red streamers powered towards the purple clouds in front of the line, darting in and swirling, twisting and pulling.
Merlin – The Return of the Once and Future King (Fanfic)
Snippet is unrevised and from full book completed 2016. Full 75k story available here
The first thing he noticed that morning was that there was no pain. He blinked once or twice and tried to decide if he was still sleeping. Finger and knee joints weren’t screaming for attention as they normally did and his back felt nothing but the comfortable firmness of his bed. Comfortable. Now that wasn’t a word he’d used much in the last 500 years. Experimentally he stretched out his arms. A vigorous energy shot through his body. His heart leapt as the blood pulsed through more strongly than it had in recent memory and he felt the magic curl around his hand, as if it was a kitten seeking to be stroked. “Forbearnan” he murmured, and then jumped out of bed as the fire leaped high. “No! Bugger! Um, ācwencan!”
The fire vanished replaced by the smell of burnt wool. He screwed up his nose and turned to look about the room, nearly knocking the lampshade with his head. That was strange. He flexed his straightened shoulders, relishing the fact that he was no longer stooped over. He took a dazed look at the smoking carpet, realising he wasn’t squinting.With an oath he stumbled backwards; no long grey beard, no wrinkled skin. Both hands went to his face and felt a short stubbly beard the likes of which he hadn’t worn for centuries. Strong muscles and youthful though trembling hands forced his gaze to the mirror by the bed. A face he hadn’t seen in a very long time looked back at him. His heart skipped a beat.
“Well. That’s unexpected.”
A knock at the door dragged his face away from the mirror. He pulled his pajama pants up on much narrower hips and pulled the drawstring tighter. The knocking got louder. “Yeah, alright I’m coming!”
The knocking was pounding the door by the time he got to the door and pulled it open, the safety chain catching. Gwaine’s familiar shock of hair framing his worried eyes appeared through the narrow crack. Those eyes quickly widened and his friend’s jaw dropped. “Merlin!”
“Yeah, I know. Surprise. Come in” He unhooked the chain and stepped back, running a hand through much shorter hair.
Gwaine edged in through the doorway.
“Bloody hell, mate, I mean it’s certainly an improvement but what’s going on?” his friend wrinkled his nose. “and what is that smell?”
“Carpet. Burning. Well, it’s out now so I guess you could say charred.” He forced himself to stop babbling as Gwaine’s face screwed up in more confusion.
“Magic, Gwaine. That’s what’s happening. But I’m not sure why”.
“I don’t understand”
“Join the club” he muttered, turning away. This was too much to focus on this early in the morning, despite the energy racing through him. Tea would help.
It was a bit unnerving, the way Gwaine stared at him while he made the tea. He couldn’t blame him though; he kept stealing glances at his own reflection in the window.
“So, Merlin, any thoughts on why a thousand year old man suddenly looks 33? Sure you weren’t mucking around with youth spells or something?”
“Don’t be stupid, I haven’t done that since 1915”
Clementine Fraser - Author 