Chapter 8: I Can Feel It Coming in the Air
Selene and Willem know something powerful is coming, but Ashley is not convinced. You have a week to vote on what happens next!
Plot Twist: A Collaborative Novel is an interactive book project where you get to help decide what the characters say and do next. Check out the introduction to Plot Twist: A Collaborative Novel for all the juicy details on how this works.* And be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a step on this fun adventure.
Welcome back to Plot Twist!
People loved having extra time to read and vote, so we’re keeping it to every other week for awhile to help you all keep up! Plus, I’ll be able to send updates on the off weeks from my adventures in Mexico writing.
And what adventures we’ve been having here on Plot Twist!
Chapter 7 gave us hyperactive hummingbirds, a noble bald eagle, and talking crows obsessed with murder. It also had Selene realizing just how close war is – and unsure what to do next.
Luckily you all voted to decide what will happen next!
Looks like Her Majesty is going to discover the child … now we get to find out what happens when she does.
Let’s dive in!
Chapter 8: I Can Feel It Coming in the Air
Willem wasn’t sure what concerned him more, the taxidermy beasts with their glass eyes that seemed to follow him wherever he went in the cabin, or Ashley’s building fury as Selene explained her bargain with the crows.
If he didn’t know her better, Willem would believe Ashley was calmly taking in the information Selene was giving her, respecting the Queen’s authority. But the slight twitch in her fingers, the clenching of her jaw, and the compression of her pupils told Willem that she was trying her hardest not to burst.
He almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. Selene and Willem were two of the most powerful wizards in Frontera, and Ashley had an unparalleled skill with systems and logistics, and yet they were relying on the most primitive form of intel gathering witches had. It was like sending a carrier pigeon instead of a text.
Yet, Willem couldn’t deny the logic of Selene’s decision. Something was off up here. The wards were as thin as the air and yet power pulsed sporadically, wildly even. The crows may be psychotic, but they were reliable – at least when it came to crystals.
“You do realize feeding crows crystals was outlawed three years before you were born?” Ashley pointed out in a voice that Willem assumed was meant to be polite, not the condescending tone with which it came out.
“With one exception,” Selene replied.
“Article 2, Section B does not apply here,” Ashley stated.
Selene looked over at Willem and he nodded his head, affirming her suspicions. “I am sorry to say, it does.”
Ashley looked back and forth between Willem and Selene, trying to read their minds and ascertain just what was going on here. They had a connection – both magically and intimately – that Ashley could never fully penetrate, but a decade in she was getting close to understanding their subtle exchanges.
“What do you feel?” Ashley’s question was not a polite ask, but a demand for important information she needed to do her job.
Willem took a deep breath. “I can’t catch my breath, not fully.”
Selene brushed her fingers through the air, as if touching an invisible barrier. “The magic is scattered. Like pebbles, not solid rocks.”
“I hear a buzzing sound, like a downed electrical wire,” Willem added.
“And the animals,” Selene looked out the window, “They know it’s coming. I can feel them preparing.”
“You’re telling me you’re invoking Article 2, Section B because mountain air is thin and the animals and starting to hibernate for winter?” Ashley rolled her eyes. “You’ve been holed up in the palace for too long. This is nature, not impending war!”
Ashley pulled away when Selene took her hand, always so jumpy with physical touch, but the Queen put her hand out, a command, and Ashley closed her eyes and let their bodies connect.
Almost immediately, Ashley pulled away again, a look of fear crossing her face before returning to her usual resolutely determined expression. “War is coming.”
“War is coming,” Selene nodded and Willem agreed.
None of them had lived through a war. They’d studied them in school, heard from survivors about the horrible atrocities of past battles, saw on TV the signs of an ever growing witch hunt, taking away the rights of women, queers, and trans folks all over the country – witch and humdrum alike.
They’d been protected their whole lives by the invisible woman-made boundaries of their coven. They’d never had to face a world without them.
And now they were falling. Every one of them had felt it.
And every one of them knew what that meant.
War was coming.
Now it’s your turn!
For the next week, voting is open in the poll and comments are ready for your input! This is a collaborative effort, so the more you participate, the better the experience for everyone – and the more fun you have. Your voting and comments directly change the story!
Here are some other questions to get you started talking in the comments:
What did you love? Where were you excited? What do you want to see more of?
What didn’t resonate? What do you want to see less of? Where were you confused?
What predictions do you have for the characters? Where do you want to see the story going? What ideas did this spark in you?
Vote in the poll and comment below to help direct where the story goes next!
*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:
By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.
Force the trio to come home but also kidnap the kid in secret - I’d also love for the Queen mother to have somehow used the taxidermy animals for spying (maybe a looking glass that channeled the mountain lion’s glass eyes?