Introducing Into Shadow and Quill and Scroll
Welcome to Quill and Scroll, a new alt. history/ urban fantasy series that I’ve been working on over the course of the past year or so. Into Shadow is the first title in this series, but it is a working title, so it might change as things take shape. It doesn’t have a release date yet, but I thought I’d share Olivia’s world as I wrote it for the blog here, though it might branch out to other outlets as well. I’ve done a preliminary read through of this work, but this hasn’t been to one of my magical editors yet, so keep that in mind. So, I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 1
She was the one that had been left behind.
Olivia Belmont still didn’t know how she managed to avoid being swept up in the spell that had ended a war and carted all preternatural beings beyond the Veil that separated the realms. Back to where the humans thought they belonged.
She found herself thinking about it a lot more than she used to recently. The dull churn of a ventilator drew her to the harsh reality of the present and why she had been thinking of those days so much. Olivia had been barely more than ten years old when the war ended. Thankfully, her Fae nature allowed her to blend in with the humans around her and had managed to find a family. She had managed to forge a life. Now that family that had given her a shot at that life was crumbling around her. This time, it would not be war or a magical spell that took it, but the flame of life being extinguished due to a freak car accident.
A dull ache grew in her stomach as it protested the fact that she had neglected her own needs while keeping her silent vigil. The man in the hospital bed, Francis Belmont, wouldn’t have cared if she had slipped away for a bite to eat. In fact, she knew that he would have insisted upon it. Still, a growing part of her felt as though she would miss something vital if she slipped away for even a moment. She was afraid that she would miss that flame flickering out.
Olivia bit her lip to hide a bitter laugh that threatened to erupt. She had long ago accepted that she would be among the last people standing of her loved ones, her found family, so it seemed foolish to have such concerns.
“Liv?” a brief knock on the door to Francis’ room caused her to start. Amelia Lake stood in the opening with William Rory, her boyfriend, at her side.
“What brings you two here?” Olivia asked.
“We come bearing gifts,” William announced, his voice quiet though he tried to add some levity to the situation. “Mia knew that you wouldn’t leave to get something to eat, so we took care of it for you.”
“It’s not much,” her friend informed her, holding up the paper takeout bag for her to see.
“It’s perfect,” Olivia insisted.
The three of them settled around the small tray that usually would serve the patient and pulled out their meals. Olivia fought to keep from devouring the burger and fries they had picked up for her on sight. William passed out the drinks and straws and a comfortable silence fell over them despite the sound of the ventilator. Olivia’s gaze kept going from her food to Francis in the bed. His beard had been tidied by one of the nurses on duty so he appeared well kept for any visitors. The lines on his face had relaxed for the first time in years, though the fresh cuts added to their number.
“How is he doing?” Amelia asked quietly.
“The same, but he’s comfortable. That’s all we can ask for at this stage,” Olivia replied.
“Do you need any help with the logistics of handing everything?” William asked.
Olivia shook her head. “We’re good for now. He took care of everything a long time ago. After mom…”
She took a large bite of her burger. Food was good. Food was something she could focus on besides things that she could not change.
“That’s good,” Amelia said. “I was worried that something had been forgotten and you’d be left to frantically get things settled while dealing with the fact that he’s gone.”
Olivia offered her a tight-lipped smile. Gone. Despite her earlier musings that was something she couldn’t get her head around. Soon her father, like her mother before him, would be nothing more than a memory that she carried. Their family hadn’t been huge or had been overly close with family members beyond the four of them. She was content in their little bubble that was only pierced by those that were deemed special enough to be allowed in. After all, it was safer for her that way.
“Liv,” Mia placed a hand on her shoulder. “Where’d you go?”
“The good old days,” Olivia replied.
“Too bad we couldn’t stay there, huh?” Mia asked.
Olivia glanced back at Francis with a long sigh. “Tell me about it.”
~*~
Olivia stepped out of her car and glanced up at her apartment building on the other side of the parking lot. She hadn’t been there much since she received the late-night call about the accident. Amelia and William had finally persuaded her to take a break and go clean up before she settled in for her overnight stay. She knew that they would alert her if anything remotely went wrong. A soft smile lit up her face. They always looked out for her and despite the circumstances it was comforting that she wasn’t going to be alone after everything was said and done.
The pleasant thoughts came to a stop when something hard hit her in the back as she stepped past the middle row of cars. The force caused her to drop to the ground. Olivia rolled, frantically pushing her long, brown hair out of her eyes so she could see her attacker. A dark figure stood over her prone form, a large object held in their hands
“What the hell was that for?” Olivia demanded. “Listen, I don’t have any money, so go away. We don’t even need to involve the police.”
The figure adjusted their grip on the object as though ready to strike her again. Standing about four feet tall, she easily eclipsed it in height. She could hear a man’s gravely voice muttering to himself as he studied her, though he spoke too quietly to make out much. The man shifted his position ever so slightly. A flash of a sliver blade under the streetlights made Olivia’s blood run cold. While she had no desire to confirm her suspicions, she knew that the blade was likely to be iron. Something even the youngest Fae were warned against getting too close to the metal because a large enough amount could be deadly.
“Come with me,” the figure demanded.
“I don’t think so,” Olivia rose and slowly inched toward the door of the building; her movements hindered by the pain in her back. “Like I said, just go away and leave me alone!”
The man stumbled toward her. Olivia swung her legs out in a wide arch in order to keep her assailant at bay. She managed to make one point of contact, though the victory was extremely short lived.
“Enough,” another voice commanded from the darkness. “Apparently we’re going to do this the hard way since you’ve blundered so far past the point of common decency that it’s ridiculous.”
“It won’t listen!” the attacker’s voice was so tight with anger that each word had an accompanying hiss.
A hand landed on Olivia’s shoulder. A sharp cry of surprise escaped her throat. Long fingers dug in so hard that she could feel the joint and bone strain against the pressure. The newcomer was another man, though he towered over Olivia. Despite being slender in build, the power of his grasp indicated a hidden strength that would allow him to easily overpower her.
“I see,” the man’s cold gaze swept over Olivia. “That’s easily solved.”
Magic washed over Olivia. She fought against the pull, but soon found herself being carried into darkness.