Category: serial

Mira Morganstein: The Pink Lemonade Club 006

MMCoverRecipe for a See-Poppet

Hair of the one you wish to see

Pixie dust

Dryad heart

Seven Petals—flower for farseeing

Handkerchief

Troll Mucus

A silver needle, bathed in moonlight

Three drops of blood

Instructions

From one dryad’s heart, carve the body of the doll. The fresher the heart, the stronger the spell shall be. It must be a single, continuous piece, nothing missing, not even so much as a sliver.

Once the body has been carved, sew seven petals of the farseeing flower into the hem of the handkerchief.

With the needle, the caster of the spell must prick the finger carrying their own heart’s blood. Deep enough only to draw out three drops of blood which must be caught by the handkerchief. Fashion the handkerchief into clothing for the doll.

Procure a lock of hair of the one the caster wishes to see. Affix the hair to the doll by way of the troll mucus. Have goblin blood on hand in case the need to dissolve some of the mucus should arise.

Last of all, sprinkle the hair with pixie dust. A fresh pinch should do. Too much, and the spell runs the risk of forming a mind—and a will— of its own. Not enough, and the spell shall fall apart.

The doll must be in the possession of the one the caster wishes to see. It must be taken willingly, and for a price. The greater the price, the greater the binding.

As with all magic, the caster must be precise with regard to making the doll. Failure to do so, especially with the pixie dust, can result in a broken spell, magical backlash, and death. Proceed only if none of those are of particular concern.

With love, Mother.

. . .  TO BE CONTINUED . . .

© 2014 by Danyelle Leafty. All rights reserved. Originally published in Curiosities of the Moon.

There is something oddly touching about a mother’s love–especially if your mother happens to be the sort of faerie that tends not to be invited to important functions like christenings, balls, or any other function that requires actual interaction.

Come back next Wednesday to see if something can be salvaged from all this Pink Lemonade mess. After all, a person only becomes eleventy once in their lifetime. Usually. 😉

If this is your first visit here, be sure to read the first installment of this episode. And be sure to come back tomorrow to learn a few more secrets about the UnderWhere.


The Faerie Thief: The Ruby Queen’s Garden 006

TFTcoverLyra had hair the color of the sun and eyes the color of the sky during the height of summer when the blue was at its deepest. Her smile was a field of butterflies and glow worms, and her laugh was the wings that let Gwyn fly away from the Garden for a time.

And yet, for all that, the most remarkable thing about Lyra was her tendency to turn invisible when she wasn’t paying attention.

But right now, as she orchestrated the tea table—the crumpets had begun doing some sort of waltz with the sandwiches—Lyra was vibrant with attention.

“You came!”

It was going to be all right. Even if only for the length of Lyra’s visit. Gwyn took special care to memorize the scene before her so she could fold it away in her memory for later.

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The Curious Leaf: Voyage to the Moon 006

TCL Cover“May I know your name?” she asked, remembering the manners she’d picked up from her keeper.

At her hip, Hearthorne groaned, while the dragon-mound reared up its head on its snakelike neck. “So, not only a thief, but an insulting one as well.” Bits of white fire foamed up along the edges of its lips.

Kya’s knees knocked together, and she wanted nothing more than to throw herself on her face and hope dragons had a well-tuned sense of mercy, but the rest of her had gone all stiff from fear, so she stood her ground. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. It’s just how things are done where I come from.” She frowned even as the words left her lips. That wasn’t quite true. The other plants and insects and animals had never been as preoccupied with names as her keeper and her keeper’s friends had been.

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Mira Morganstein: The Pink Lemonade Club 005

MMCoverThe old woman grinned at her, and for a moment, she looked impossibly, heartbreakingly beautiful. Then the moment passed, and she was a harmless old woman once more.

Or maybe not.

The old woman wanted something from her, it was plain in the eager brightness of her eyes and the way she stood as though she was coiled and ready to spring forward. Mira glanced at the doll again, wondering if there was something wrong with it.

The cover of her book jabbed into her collarbone and ribcage, reminding her of other tales. Tales of princes or maidens meeting old women along the roads they traveled. Of what happened to the older brothers and the unkind sisters.

“I suppose I could come back with the money. How much is it?”

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The Faerie Thief: The Ruby Queen’s Garden 005

TFTcoverConfections and cakes were piled high on glass platters. Tiny sandwiches with no crusts, scones dripping with melted butter, and five different types of bread completed the spread. A porcelain teapot with a cheerful smattering of pinks and pansies and daisies sat in the very center of the table. The sugar bowl hid behind the bulge in the teapot’s middle, shy, while a smaller version of the teapot stood stiff and tall, proudly bearing the cream.

For a moment, Gwyn’s heart soared. The queen watched her with a patient smile on her face before she rang the silver bell at her elbow to summon a servant.

“You seem to have forgotten the girl’s treat,” the Ruby Queen said, enunciating every word with relish.

The servant bobbed her head and rushed away, her eyes averted.

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