Tangled Roots by Rebekkah Ford
After
eighteen-year-old Carrie Jacobson discovers she was a witch in a previous life,
she seeks to reawaken the past part of her soul. With the help of an eccentric
enchantress and a boy who is more than he seems, Carrie succeeds and is
spellbound by the memories of her life in the 1600s. She reverts to her
bewitching, more volatile form and sets out to break a curse she cast long ago.
If she succeeds, she’ll unleash a powerful force, the likes of which has not
been witnessed in centuries.
Carrie’s
boyfriend Jack (A.K.A. Tree) cannot help feeling unease about the changes he
sees in the woman he loves. When Carrie’s past clashes with the present and
dark magic intoxicates her once again, Tree must take drastic matters into his
own hands and attempt to save Carrie from herself.
With
Tree’s help, will Carrie be able to resist the allure of her new powers? Or
will she plunge into the deep end and give into them?
Isadora’s POV The year 1630:
I stood in a clearing
deep in the forest with four followers. My fellows: Driscol, Jorsten, Lukas,
and my baby brother Niklas. All of them had on the same dark, hooded cloak I
wore. The torches we held blazed, casting us in a reddish orange glow against the
night sky. The full moon was white, like marble glass. Its rays filtered
through the canopy of trees, throwing layers of beams to the right and left of
us, crisscrossing, as if the Moon Goddess was sheltering our coven from
outsiders. Every cell in my body buzzed with magical energy from what I took
from the earth when I made the elixirs I now carried in my pocket.
“As you know,” I said
to the group, “Margaretha has been accused of causing frost on the crops in a
diabolical plan to destroy her competitors, resulting in crop failure, plague,
and malnutrition. Because of the loss of wine and grain, a period of
hyperinflation ensued. We all know the accusation are false and misleading.
Margaretha did nothing of the sort. The only guilt that weighs upon her shoulders
also lies on ours: practicing control of the weather. But by no means were we
the perpetrators of such stressful times. By no means did our weather- making
practice stimulate the vicious nexus of supernatural beliefs and common
reasoning. Nature is beautiful and ugly, temperamental even. From its bosoms,
it bears wondrous gifts, but her misgivings grow beneath the surface and can
erupt at any time and for any reason.” I paused long enough to look at each one
of my fellows. They nodded in agreement. A fierce, affectionate love for them
warmed my heart. “Margaretha,” I continued, “is innocent of all charges, so are
Simone, Tobias, Ulrich, and my father.”
“Why don’t we save
them?” Lukas asked.
He was the most
adorable one out of the bunch, with his golden hair and eyes to match. However,
he was the youngest and lacked common sense. He favored his emotions over
reasoning. We were lucky to have reached him before he made a foolish mistake.
“Why ask something
you already know the answer to?” Niklas asked. “Your magic is no longer
effective due to your excessive use and possible punishment from the high
counsel of witches.”
“But Isadora still
has her magic,” Lukas countered. He met my eyes with his. There was no malice
in them, only curiosity. “Why won’t you free your father and our friends? You
have the power to do so.”
“My power is waning,”
I told him. “I must conserve it to protect us.”
“But—” Lukas started
to say, but Niklas elbowed him in the side and gestured for him to listen.
“When Jaegar told
Niklas and me about the fate of our father and friends, I wanted to do nothing
more than bring Hell’s fury down upon those involved in these witch hunts.” I
pointed to Niklas. “He can confirm the truth I have just spoken.” Niklas
nodded, and I went on. “Thankfully, Jaegar had the presence of mind to quell my
wrathful state, so I could think clearly on the matter. After he departed to
attend his store, I formulated a plan which would surely guarantee our
survival.”
“An immortality
spell,” Driscol said, a grin crossing his handsome face.
Ah, he possessed many
enticing qualities that had more than once sent me in a tailspin of unvirtuous
thoughts. Countless nights, as I lay skyclad beneath the moonlight, I’d
envisioned straddling his tall, muscular frame and riding him as we paid homage
to our ancestors. Jaegar was a skillful lover, but Driscol was a bit of a
rogue—edgy and a trusted ally. Jaegar, on the other hand, I harbored
reservations for. However, I was drawn to his touch and had given him my heart
before I’d realized I did so. In truth, I knew it would be my undoing. There
was no future for us, yet I gravitated to him like bears to honey.
“Correct,” I said,
sending Driscol a flirty smile. He winked and brushed his brown hair out of his
eyes. They appeared darker green than normal, and a hungry need filled them.
Was it for me or for outwitting our oppressors? My body warmed at the mere
thought of him touching it. “Well . . . theoretically speaking.”
“What do you mean?”
Jorsten asked, shifting his weight, rubbing the stubble on his face. He was the
rugged, beastly type in our group, with his dark, shoulder-length shaggy hair
and dark eyes. He loved his ale and to have a grand time. He never cowered from
a challenge or authority. I admired those qualities about him.
“All spells have a
loophole,” I told them. “I plan on casting a transmigration spell after I see
Jaegar tonight. Once this nightmare is over, we’ll meet here, and I’ll break
the enchantment you’ll be under. If for some reason I run into some trouble,
you my friends will live on, unless you choose to die or some accident befalls
you.”
Rebekkah Ford grew up in a family that dealt
with the paranormal. Her parents’ Charles and Geri Wilhelm were the directors
of the UFO Investigator's League in Fairfield, Ohio, back in the 1970s. They
also investigated ghost hauntings and Bigfoot sightings in addition to UFO’s.
Growing up in this type of environment and having the passion for writing is
what drove Rebekkah at an early age to write stories dealing with the
paranormal. At one point in her life, she thought she wanted to be a
journalist, and although she enjoyed writing articles, she quickly discovered
her real passion was writing fiction. Her fascination with the paranormal is
what led her to write the ‘Beyond the Eyes’ trilogy and soon to be released new
adult urban fantasy, Tangled Roots. Visit her online and read her blog at http://themusingwriter.blogspot.com
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