Page 1 of Black Willow Witch
PROLOGUE
Emberlyn, age seven
Her heart beating superfast, Emberlyn sprinted up the hill. Her leg muscles burned, but she didn’t stop.
So close. They were so close. Running. Panting. Laughing.
They were always laughing. Always whispering and pointing and saying mean stuff to her at school.
Every day they came at her. Shoulders shoved into hers. Feet tripped her up. Stuff got tossed at her head. Hands ‘accidentally’ knocked her pens off the table. And always,always, they’d laugh and call her ‘pathetic’.
Sometimes, other kids in her class laughed along. It made her feel small, embarrassed and alone.
Emberlyn had told her teacher about it. He’d promised to ‘have a word’ with Tyra and her four flying monkeys. But if he had talked to them – and maybe he hadn’t, since Tyra was the daughter of his High Priestess – it hadn’t made a difference.
Then, just yesterday during recess, Tyra had pushed her so hard that she’d fallen into a puddle that had left her with a cold, wet butt.
And again, they’d laughed.
‘You might as well stop, freak!’ yelled Sera, Tyra’s cousin. ‘There’s nowhere to go!’
Well there wassomewhere, but Emberlyn wouldn’t be heading into Bloodhill Forest. Not many did – the bullies behind her had nothing on the creatures that roamed it. She just wanted to reach the top of the hill. So she ran and ran and ran, neverlooking back; worried she’d otherwise trip. But she sensed that they were gaining on her.
She’d known that they would track her down after school today – they’d been angry that she’d talked to the principal again. Not that it had helped. They’d denied everything, and it was her word against theirs. Emberlyn’s word meant nothing to the coven.
Why?
Because she wasn’t part of it, much like her grandmother – a woman they both feared and resented. Okay, so they were right in claiming Millicent was ‘into some pretty dark stuff’ and that she wasn’t the nicest person in the world. But that shouldn’t mean that the coven could be mean to Emberlyn because of it.
When she’d told her grandmother about yesterday’s puddle incident, Millicent’s advice had been simple:If someone pushes you, you push them back harder. Alotharder.
So that’s what Emberlyn would do.
Finally reaching the top of the hill, she came to a stop, raspy breaths bursting in and out of her. She turned on shaky legs, watching as the bullies skidded to a halt.
Tyra smirked, shoving her red braid over her shoulder. ‘Aw, did the little freak run out of steam? How sad.’ She paused, trying to catch her breath. ‘I’d dare you to go cry to your mommy and daddy . . . but you can’t, can you?’
A round of giggles went up, and Emberlyn felt her ears go red.
‘I heard my parents talking about yours,’ said Sera. ‘It isn’t true that your dad got asked to leave town, you know. He cheated on your mom and then left with his side piece.’
Emberlyndidknow. Her grandmother had told her all about how she’d cursed that ‘lying, cheating, son of a bitch’.
‘Your mom just couldn’t hack it, could she?’ taunted Tyra. ‘She let herself fade away, not caring that the only person you’dthen have would be that psycho you live with. No offense, Ames,’ she added, sliding her gaze to Emberlyn’svery own cousin.
He only grinned. ‘None taken. My Gramsisa total psycho – everyone knows that.’
He may think that, but he was super nice to Millicent, the two-faced ass.
Tyra planted her hands on her hips. ‘You got nothing to say, orphan?’
‘Yes.’ Emberlyn smiled sweetly. ‘I just wanted to say “thank you”.’
Tyra’s brows snapped together. ‘For what?’
‘For letting me lure you out here, where no one’ll hear you scream.’ Emberlyn raised her hands and, calling on the lessons that Millicent had given her, sent out her magick in glittering, rippling streams that whirled around and settled on the grass.
Thorny vines sprouted out of the circle of magick . . . then snakes . . . spiders . . . cockroaches . . . toads.
