Plucked (Cultivating Midlife Magic Book 1) by Paula Lester & M.E. Harmon

Author:Paula Lester & M.E. Harmon [Lester, Paula]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Paranormal Women's Fiction
Publisher: Paula Lester and M.E. Harmon
Published: 2022-12-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

I was alone in a stone cell with no windows. Murky water encircled a rectangular dais in the center of the room, upon which I sat. I rubbed my arms against the chill. Every so often, a reptilian head emerged from the cell’s moat to cast yellow eyes in my direction. I didn’t know how many sentries swam in the depths, but sometimes jagged brown teeth would snap at a second serpent-like head before going under again.

How long I’d been there since being hauled underground by bloody hands, I didn’t know. I didn’t wear a watch, and the purse with my cell phone was locked in the car with the raiju.

I hoped the poor guy didn’t get scared while I was gone.

Which was a crazy thought to have, given my circumstances, having been kidnapped by who knows what.

I thought about throwing a rod to open a door. No one had bothered to remove my gauntlet. But the moat was between me and the wall. If my attempt didn’t work, the rod would end up a chew toy for whatever swam circles around my prison cell. I snorted. Whoever jailed me probably knew I sucked at throwing doors. Just my luck. If I got out of this alive, it was going to be non-stop door practice until I could do it in my sleep.

Earlier, someone had tossed in a couple items through the door’s window bars, and growled, “Time for food.”

The dinner Choppie had given me had long ago worn off. My stomach had grumbled, so I’d checked it out. The old hunk of bread was hard as stone, and the accompanying wedge of cheese was crusted with green mold. I’d considered trying to make friends with the moat swimmers by tossing them a snack but reconsidered. It may have whipped them into a frenzy that might not have ended well for me. Nothing had climbed out of the water, yet, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t.

Who had taken me? Could it have something to do with Monica’s case? Perhaps the perpetrator thought I was getting too close to uncovering them.

Rattling and thumping preceded the cell door’s opening. Two towering creatures ambled through. They could’ve crawled out of a nightmare. Greasy, tangled hair dangled to their waists, held back by skullcaps. I recognized the gnarled, claw-tipped hands, dripping with blood. They were the same ones that had yanked me underground near Monica’s house.

My father had once read my sisters and me a story about redcaps. They were mythical goblins who drenched their hats in the blood of those they killed. Magic kept the blood wet and dripping, but the creatures were driven to replenish it often, anyway.

The nearest creature crooked a wicked finger at me. “You come,” he grated out in the same raspy voice as the one who’d announced food time earlier. He dropped a plank over the moat and motioned for me to cross.

“Yeah, okay. Sure. I mean, I don’t have anything better to do, so I guess I’ll go with you.

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