It’s #BookQW and after becoming her mom’s heir, Fern’s senior year of HS is ‘tight’ on time. If you’ve read The Witch of the Meadows, join Fern & Beri’s continuing adventures with some new folks in this second story of my Windborne series of winged #wizards.
The Windborne Series Book 2 is still a work in progress–in fact, I haven’t settled on a name yet…hmm, perhaps I should have a contest? They are working with ancient Scots pine trees in this story, so I’ve been toying with ‘promise’ and ‘pines’ and loosely calling it ‘A Promise of Pines.’
Here’s more from this scene:
Fern and Beri couldn’t talk on the bus, but as soon as they walked far enough down the gravel mountain road that no one else was nearby, Fern sighed. “I avoided Amanda for today, but she wants to come by later this week. We’ll have to make sure you aren’t in the house.”
He rolled his eyes. “Because we would be dating if I was at your house.”
“If you turned up casually, without being there specifically to see me, it would be odd.”
“Just let me know when.”
They walked in silence up the road, over the bridge and into the cabin. When the door finally snapped closed, Beri dropped his pack and pulled her into his arms. Letting her own pack slip down and fall, Fern sank against his chest, bent her head to his neck and held on tightly.
“It’s just so hard,” she whispered. “I feel like a huge liar, even though I’m not lying to anyone.”
“Your world is not a place you can truly be yourself,” Beri said. “That’s why Windborne live like we do.”
That made sense, and yet still everything had changed from her Junior year when she knew about the isle and traveled there. Nothing magical had come into her life here…and certainly not to school.
“I do nae suppose there is a chance you’d skip this last year of your schooling?” he asked.
She pushed herself upright. “No.” No! What the—she took a breath, trying her damnedest to calm down. “I mean, what would people think if I just quit?”
He shrugged. “You have a choice now.”
“Really? Because I haven’t mastered magic yet. I can’t fly. I’m like, in-between, not totally Windborne.” She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. She needed to keep her options open. “I just don’t have time for these problems.”
Beri grunted.
She lowered her hands, knowing full well she was scowling and should shut up. “What?”
“Maybe if you don’t want the problems of dating me, then you don’t want me.” Beri spun on his heel and marched to the powder room.
After a moment’s hesitation, she stormed after him. “I didn’t say that! You don’t understand the gossip of high school. You’re immune, coming in as an exchange student. Everyone thinks you’re cute, that your accent is sweet, that how you don’t understand half of our slang is fun.” She pushed through the portal on his heels and they burst into Hillux’s bathroom. “The girls fawn over you, to get you to talk, then try to answer back like they’re Scottish.” So annoying to have to listen to. And say nothing.
Beri turned around, blocking the door.
“But none of them are you,” he said, his voice rising. “None of them have your magic. And here, I have to put up with Lady Sedge demanding that Oy test your magic when we all know he’s not the least bit interested. And some other lad rescuing you in Bonterra when it should have been me there protecting you, but my magic is so in demand on the isle that the elders will nae let me go.”
“You should be proud of that,” she shouted. “I am!”
“Well, ’tis as much a problem to me as gossip is to you, because ’tis still others talking about me and assigning me a status that I do nae give myself or want.” He glared at her. “Do you still think I do nae understand gossip?”
~~~
If you enjoyed this excerpt of Book 2, meet Beri & Fern in Book 1, The Witch of the Meadows.
And I’d love it if you leave me a review on Amazon or other retailers–they are so important to Indie authors! Thanks!
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