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    Volume 3: Magic
    Volume 3: Magic
    Volume 3: Magic
    Ebook127 pages1 hour

    Volume 3: Magic

    By Inaccurate Realities

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    About this ebook

    Witches and wizards, magic spells and potions. Incantations, ceremonies and rituals. The stories in this collection explore that which cannot be explained - the mysterious, the bizarre and the magical. Featuring "Cupid's Magic by MK McFadden, "The Black Forest" by Kasidy Manisco, "The Killing Jar" by Jan Eldredge, "Grieftaker" by T. Eric Bakutis, "The Paper Doll" by Nancy O'Toole, and "Defining Justice: A Prequel to Threats of Sky and Sea" by Jennifer Ellision.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherInaccurate Realities
    Release dateMay 2, 2014
    ISBN9781310210365
    Volume 3: Magic
    Author

    Inaccurate Realities

    Inaccurate Realities is a literary magazine for young adults and the young at heart. There is no denying that people of all ages are now reading YA, but when we looked around we noticed a significant lack of publications focusing on YA short fiction – especially genre fiction. Our emphasis here at Inaccurate Realities is on speculative fiction, in all its forms. Science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, horror, dystopian, steampunk, cyberpunk, alternate history and everything in between.

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      Book preview

      Volume 3 - Inaccurate Realities

      Inaccurate Realities

      A Young Adult Speculative Fiction Magazine

      Volume 3

      Magic

      Inaccurate Realities: A Young Adult Speculative Fiction Magazine

      www.inaccuraterealities.com

      Volume Three

      Editor: Christa Seeley

      Assistant Editors: Andrea Modolo, Sara Eagleson

      Proofreader: Danielle Webster

      Cover Art: Sara Eagleson

      Image Credits: From CanStockPhoto.com. Photo ids: csp10272484, csp18555109 & csp12506116

      Copyright ©2014 The Authors

      ISSN: 2292-0056 (Print)

      ISSN: 2292-0064 (Online)

      ISBN: 978-1-499269-01-7 (Print)

      ISBN: 978-1-310210-36-5 (Online)

      Published by Inaccurate Realities at Smashwords

      Inaccurate Realities is a quarterly magazine.

      Published out of Toronto, Ontario.

      Contributor guidelines for writers and artists are available on our website or can be requested through:

      submission.inaccuraterealities@gmail.com

      Table of Contents

      Letter from the Editor

      The Paper Doll by Nancy O’Toole

      The Killing Jar by Jan Eldredge

      Cupid’s Magic by MK McFadden

      The Black Forest by Kasidy Manisco

      Grieftaker by T. Eric Bakutis

      Defining Justice by Jennifer Ellision

      Interview with Jessica Spotswood

      Interview with Danielle L. Jensen

      Interview with Michelle Krys

      Book Reviews

      Looking for more magic?

      Contributors

      Submission Information

      Upcoming Issues

      Letter From the Editor

      Do you believe in magic?

      If your childhood was anything like mine you grew up surrounded by magic—from Cinderella’s godmother, to Narnia, to the Pagemaster, to Harry Potter and everything in between. I loved magic. I lived for fantastical stories that took me to far off lands where anybody and everybody could be the hero. But as I got older my belief began to waver. School got harder, I started working and I began to read more serious literature. Magic was just the silly stuff of childhood.

      It wasn’t until I was nearing the end of my university career that I rediscovered fantasy, and by proxy magic. There was no one book or story that led me back down that path. It was a collective effort. But it was during this time, and also when I started writing fiction for the first time since high school, that I began to believe again. Not just in the spells and incantations and potions that made up the magic systems in the stories I was reading—but

      in the words themselves.

      Words are magic. They can do anything, create, destroy, inspire . . . the list goes on. These stories are all proof of that. They share with us, drawings that come to life, fairies, adepts who can control the elements and more.

      There is magic in the narrative and there is magic in the way we lose ourselves in the telling, in how the words transport us to another time, and in that moment when our imagination takes over and makes us believe again.

      So my answer to the original question will always be yes. I may not believe in magic with the same innocent whimsy that I did when I was a child, but it still is (and always will be) something very close to my heart. And if you don’t believe I hope these stories will send you down the right path.

      Christa Seeley

      Editor

      Inaccurate Realities

      The Paper Doll

      Nancy O’Toole

      By the time she was twelve-years-old, Lya Darkwood was very familiar with the word no.

      This was particularly true when it came to the topic of advanced magic. She was used to the sight of golden spells hanging around her teacher like tiny, twinkling stars, but whenever she asked to help, Madam Lawrence’s response was always the same:

      Not yet, Lya.

      No. You need to master simple spells first.

      Stop bothering me! Don’t you have work to do?

      In truth, Lya was not impatient, or even overly curious. But after months of tracing out only the simplest of blue magic, the need to push forward, to at least try something more, was beginning to overwhelm her.

      So when a customer brought in a large, dusty spell book that he claimed had belonged to his grandfather, Lya couldn’t keep her eyes away. Before Madam Lawrence could examine it, a rich client, Lord Levi DeAlms, summoned her away, leaving Lya to watch the shop alone.

      The massive tome was left untouched on the front table.

      Lya approached it with outstretched hands. Despite the fact that it hadn’t been used in years, a faint glow of power emanated from its pages. Elaborate magical symbols had been carved into the cover, crafted from fine grained wood. Lya ran her fingers over one of the carvings.

      It looked like the symbol for transformation, only something about it wasn’t quite right.

      Lya started at the sound of a jingling bell. She turned to see a tall, dark-haired teenage boy enter through the front door, a long wooden box tucked neatly under one arm. Upon seeing Lya, he smiled. The expression lit up his tanned face and seemed to make the green in his eyes brighten.

      Delivery for Madam Lawrence, he said, holding up the box.

      But seeing as you’re not a seventy-something crone, I take it you’re not her.

      Lya could not help but blush a little. Although he was clearly a few years older than she, he was rather handsome. She reached up to tug a lock of her long wavy brown hair, silently cursing her decision to put it up in pigtails that morning. How childish she must look.

      No, I’m not, Lya replied. But I can give it to her.

      Sorry, orders are not to let this one leave my sight until I pass it on to the mage. The boy patted the side of the box with his free hand. Lya couldn’t help but jump when the box jerked in response.

      Pesky little thing, the boy said with a shrug.

      Well, I may not be Madam Lawrence . . . but I am a mage.

      Are you now, girl? He raised an eyebrow. Apprentice, I assume?

      Well . . . yes. Lya frowned. "And my name isn’t girl, it’s Lya Darkwood, boy."

      Realization lit up the customer’s face. His mouth opened into a wide O shape.

      The same Darkwoods that founded this city? he asked.

      Of course.

      Then what a fool I’ve been. The boy rubbed the back of his head. Pardon me, Lady Lya.

      He reached forward and took her right hand in his spare one, leaning over it with a courtly bow that seemed mocking given their humble surroundings. Lya winced.

      Not a lady, she replied before he could speak further. At least. . . Well, the Darkwoods used to run this place, but not anymore.

      You seem lady-like enough to me. My name is Page, by the way.

      Just Page?

      Surnames are a burden for those with unmemorable fi rst ones.

      But isn’t Page normally a girl’s name?

      Of course, and lovely and clever girls they must be to have such a wonderful name.

      A small laugh escaped Lya’s lips. What a clown this boy was!

      Well, Madam Lawrence isn’t going to be back for at least an hour. You can come back then, or stay here if you want. Lya paused and gestured toward the book on the table. It seems to be a popular day for deliveries.

      Page walked toward the table and glanced over the book. A low whistle escaped his lips.

      A book of transformation, he said in a low voice. A rare find, indeed. He paused and turned his head and shoulders toward Lya.

      People just drop off priceless materials like this, then leave?

      Well, most non-magic weavers don’t know what they have on them, Lya replied. But how do you know what it is? Are you a mage?

      No. But in my profession, it’s good to know about items of value.

      Page reached out and rested a hand on the cover. Lya felt herself pale. Had she invited a thief into the shop? She felt her right hand involuntarily jerk toward the book.

      Don’t you worry your pretty little head, he replied with a small smile. I’m only dropping something off today.

      Well . . . maybe you shouldn’t be touching it.

      Books of transformation need an activation spell to work, except for the few that require blood. He paused. Don’t you want to see what’s inside?

      Well . . . yes, Lya said. It’s just . . . Madam Lawrence was very specific about not touching it.

      Madam Lawrence isn’t going to be here for another hour right? Plenty of time for a quick peek.

      He reached for the metal clasp that held the book shut.

      Wait! Lya reached for the book, hoping to tug it away. The sound of the clasp unhinging filled the air. Lya felt a small, sudden pain across her hand. She hissed, and drew back. She

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