Prologue

PROLOGUE

F ionna splashed in the puddle by her house. Mama had told her to stay inside while she ran errands, but the sunshine beckoned, as did the hollow in the yard, full of water from the rain.

Splash.

The stomp of her foot shot up water that soaked her tunic, but she didn't shiver in the warm fall sunshine. Her little feet stamped, and she wondered why Mama had forbidden her to be outdoors. She'd tucked Fionna away ever since those men on big horses had ridden past their home the day before.

Speaking of which, one trotted into view. A large male with a full beard riding a brown horse with white spots.

"Hello there," he said with a smile that showed yellow teeth.

"Hi." Mama had told her to not talk to strangers, but she'd also taught her to not be rude.

"Are your parent's home?" he asked, glancing at the hut where she lived with Mama. Papa had been put in the earth in the spring, taken by a fever that also claimed her younger brother.

She shook her head.

"Well then, I should keep you company," he stated, sliding off his horse.

At his wide grin, a frisson of unease went through Fionna, and she took a step back. "I don't need company. Mama will be back soon."

"Then we best be quick." He lunged and she shrieked, darting out of his reach, racing for the hut. Her fast little legs got her inside and she slammed the door shut but couldn't get the bar across in the hooks. The door was kicked open and the big man stood in the doorway, his smile no longer friendly.

Fionna retreated, but there was nowhere to flee in the small space.

"Be a good girl now. Don't make me hurt you," he cajoled.

"Get out of my house!" Mama's shriek from outside relieved Fionna who didn't understand what the man wanted.

The big fellow whirled. "Mind your business."

"Excuse me? This is my home, and you have no right to enter it."

"And who's going to stop me?" The man stepped out of the doorway and Fionna crept forward to watch.

Mama stood a few paces from the man, her market basket hanging from her arm, looking fierce, but also frightened. "The Duke won't?—"

"Won't know a damned thing because you'll keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you."

"Leave and I won't have to say anything." Mama's chin tilted.

"I'll leave when I've done my business."

"You have no business here," Mama insisted.

"Will you shut up for a coin?" The man held out his hand and Mama recoiled.

"What kind of demon are you? Trying to buy a child?" Mama screeched. "Wait until the Duke hears."

"Oh no he won't," growled the man. "Nattering nag." The man lunged for Mama, who swung her basket. It connected with the man but didn't stop him from grabbing her by the neck and lifting her.

Mama's eyes bulged. Fear filled them and she gasped, "Run, Fionna."

Fear froze Fionna in place.

Crack.

Mama went limp and the man dropped her and then turned to face Fionna. "Where were we?" The expression on his face terrified.

Once more, Fionna went running, her little legs pumping, and she might have made it to the woods if she hadn't tripped.

The man fell on her, grabbing at her tunic with one hand, grunting as his other fumbled at the rope holding up his britches. Sheer terror had Fionna trembling, but also fighting like a feral cat. She clawed and thrashed, but he was stronger. As he held her down and tore at her clothing, he told her what he would do.

Awful things.

Cruel things.

Fionna felt her emotions boiling, hot and cold as fear, anger, and desperation churned.

And exploded.

Literally.

The man turned into chunks of bloody meat.

A shocked Fionna lay on the ground, wide-eyed. It took her a moment to realize the threat was gone. She raced back to her mother's body, but the unseeing eyes brought a wail to her lips.

Mama was dead.

A passing neighbor found her sitting on the ground, holding her mother's lifeless head. They also saw the remains of the man who'd killed her.

"Come with me girl," he muttered.

Fionna went in silence with Horatio who brought her to the town magistrate. When questioned, she told them what happened, about the man who'd killed her Mama, and how he'd tried to hurt her but exploded.

"How did he explode?" asked the magistrate.

Fionna shrugged. "Perhaps it was Mama's ghost protecting me." What else could it be?

They placed her in a room used for the storage of linens and kept the door locked. She saw no one except the magistrate's wife, who brought her meals but didn't speak. She'd open the door, slide in a bowl, and shut it quickly.

Five sleeps later, the door opened, and a woman strode in, her skin the rich brown of the trees in the forest, her hair a lustrous black. Her eyes were a startlingly beautiful shade of green that matched her cloak.

"Hello, Fionna," the woman greeted her softly.

"Ma'am." She gave a curtsy to the fine-looking lady.

"I hear you ran into some trouble."

Fionna bit her lip. "A man killed my Mama."

"And what happened to the man?" asked the woman.

"He exploded."

"So I hear. Do you recall how you felt when it happened?"

She shrugged. "Scared. Angry."

"Has that kind of thing ever occurred before?"

She shook her head.

"May I hold your hand?"

Fionna hesitated only a moment before sliding her small fingers into the woman's palm. Heat emanated from the woman, a tingle that felt good and brought a smile to her lips. Colors danced before Fionna's eyes, wispy tendrils that she wanted to pluck.

"That tickles," she giggled.

"Aren't you a lovely surprise," the woman murmured. "Tell me, would you like to leave this room and come with me to a place where you won't have to be afraid?"

"Is it far?"

"Yes, but we shall ride a horse."

"I've never ridden a horse," Fionna admitted, wondering if the lady would change her mind.

"Then you shall learn. The place we shall go to has teachers."

"A school?" Her eyes widened. She'd heard of them. Places of learning for those who could afford it.

"Of sorts. We teach more than just your letters and numbers, though. In addition to lessons, you will have your own room. Proper meals. And fine clothing to wear. What do you think?"

It sounded like a dream. She nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Fionna left with the woman, whom she noticed everyone kept a wary distance from. The horse was huge in her eyes, but the woman had no problem lifting Fionna to sit before her on the saddle.

The journey was wondrous, and she learned much. Such as the woman's name—Amelia—and the fact she was a witch who sought out children with the gift of magic like Fionna. They travelled to Mystic Keep, the home of the reclusive witches in the Acca marshes, a stone fortress with many hidden passages and secrets.

What began as a tragedy turned out to be the best thing for Fionna. She became a novice who caught on to her lessons quickly. As a teen, Amelia took her as an apprentice. By the time she'd turned twenty-one, she'd become a full-fledged witch with a strong gift in all of the elements. When Amelia ascended to the throne, Fionna was by her side, glad to serve the woman who'd changed her life for the better.

She would have most likely never left the Keep if evil hadn't emerged to plague the world. A world that suddenly had a use for witches.