Witching Games
The Fire Witch Chronicles: 1
R.A. Lindo
Copyright © 2021 by R.A. Lindo
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Welcome to a Magical Universe
1. The Fire Witch
2. The Winter Quarter
3. The Shallows
4. Unfinished Business
5. A Changing Cendryll
6. A Helping Hand
7. Familiar Visions
8. The Touch of Love
9. Society Matters
10. Night Rangers
11. Shifting Winds
12. Duets & Duels
13. A Question of Intent
14. Drandok
15. Taming Fury
16. Cursed Flight
17. Subtle Sorcery
18. A Shower of Ice
19. Night Visions
20. Romance & Reflections
21. The Royisin Heights
22. A Strange Welcome
23. Passage to Danger
24. The Hidden Few
25. Healing Visits
Teaser Chapter Book 2
About the Author
Also by R.A. Lindo
Welcome to a Magical Universe
Welcome to the secret, magical universe of The S.P.M.A. (The Society for the Preservation of Magical Artefacts.)
If you want to delve deeper into the magical universe of the S.P.M.A., sign up to become eligible for free books, private giveaways and early notification of new releases.
You can also join my private Facebook group where all things S.P.M.A. are discussed.
1
The Fire Witch
Society Square buzzes with activity as the hordes of shoppers stare in a mixture of puzzlement and wonder at the array of buildings: all linked to a secret, magical Society of course, but the above-ground world remains none the wiser.
I stand on the church roof, hidden from view, smiling at families approaching Leaning Lane famous for the way its buildings decrease in size. A small, powder-blue bird buzzes near my shoulder; a special bird with the ability to shape-shift. It’s called a Williynx and can breathe ice, but more on that later.
The children drag their parents towards Wimples sweet shop: the sweets people drive across the country to get their hands on … strange sweets that leave impressions on the tongue … moving illustrations of the figure on the packets. The names of the sweets are another draw for the kids … Codswollops and Core Blimeys … all part of the wonder of Wimples sweet shop, causing howls of laughter from crowds of children gathered outside.
The laughter fills the air, reminding me of a time not so long ago when that was me: an innocent girl having no idea of the wonders hidden beneath the sleepy, English town of Bibsley Corbett.
That was before my mum dropped the bombshell on my brother’s eighteenth birthday … that she worked in a place called The Cendryll: a faculty in a vast, magical universe known as The Society for the Preservation of Magical Artefacts. I remember bursting out with laughter at the news.
“Magic doesn’t exist,” I recall saying in my particularly insolent manner.
My mum didn’t respond to my comment, only that we needed to get ready. She wasn’t the warmest of people then and has gone through a pretty big transformation since. Needless to say, I found out magic did exist and, before long, met a girl called Kaira. We became firm friends and went on a magical, mystery tour through all the amazing buildings and magical realms, soon realising that all was not well.
My brother, Jacob, joined us on our adventures, becoming the voice of reason to manage our madcap plans. Well, mainly my madcap plans. Conrad’s arrival took things to another level: the lost boy who discovered a particular gift whilst capturing the heart of a certain girl: me.
Me? I’m Guppy Grayling. 16 years old, 5ft 5inches, brown hair, all-black attire. Not your average Night Ranger but, then again, my entrance to this magical world was out of the ordinary, to say the least. Night Rangers are Society soldiers tasked with keeping law and order. Weapons are important for the role, my weapon of choice being swords formed from a special type of morphing steel known as a Vaspyl: steel that can form into any object imaginable.
Friends call me Guppy but most people know me as The Fire Witch, mainly because of the way I appear when trouble’s brewing. I like to burst through a ball of fire, reminding questionable figures that I survived the curses of one of the most feared wizards in our magical universe.
My dramatic arrival normally does the trick, but there’s always someone lurking in the shadows who needs more persuading. That’s where the magic of battle comes in: all hidden from above-ground eyes, of course.
Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of all the strange names after a while. Being a magical Society, there’s a name for everything, including all the charms. Along with my swords, I’ve got plenty of charms at my disposal: investigative, protective and defensive charms, not to mention the ability to counteract dark magic (Gorrah).
There’s been little evidence of dark deeds since the recent war, but no-one in the S.P.M.A. is naïve enough to think malevs aren’t roaming in the shifting realms beyond The Society Sphere. Malevs are the ones I keep an eye on — ex-communicated members usually up to no good. More mischief than malice because they’ve learnt where betrayal leads: a trip across Quibbs Causeway to send them mad or, worse, into the bowels of The Velynx where they rot in slime-filled cells.
As I stand on the church roof, hidden by an invisibility charm, I think about Kaira. Kaira’s my best friend, by the way, the daughter of the all-powerful Casper Renn who remains in charge of The Cendryll. Kaira will be forever linked to wild adventures and the destruction of a dark wizard and an evil artefact, but she’s chosen a quieter life for now, journeying through the more serene places of the S.P.M.A., deciding Society duties can wait.
My brother, Jacob, has taken on a teaching role in The Cendryll, tasked with educating The Fateful Eight in all things magical. The Fateful
