ASMSG Scifi Fantasy Paranormal Emagazine April 2015 | Page 38

RELICS
Modern Magics, Book 1
Maer Wilson

All I could tell myself was to breathe easy and try not
to swallow. There was nothing but silence for long
minutes, as both sides continued to wait. No one
moved. Even the dead were frozen with fear. Now
there’s a scary thought.
***
I’m not quite sure how old I was when I first saw the
dead. Maybe I’d been seeing them all my life and
never realized it. They didn’t approach me when I was
a little kid, so it’s hard to tell. Besides, I didn’t really
pay attention to people in the background. That all
changed when I was ten years old and found out that
I could communicate with them.
There was a big storm in Phoenix that early-spring
day, and it was quite dark when I came out of my
after-school computer club meeting. The other kids
ran through the rain to waiting cars and SUVs, but my
folks were late again.

Chapter 1

When the dead are afraid, there’s a big problem. The
fear cut through the abandoned warehouse as sharp
as the dagger at my throat. The tall, powerful being
easily held me immobile. Breaking promises and lying
to ancient creatures who can make you very dead,
very fast was not such a good idea.
Humans and non-humans, living and dead, all of us
were cautious not to make any sudden moves that
would send my captor over the edge.
I tried to take careful breaths. I was terrified, more
afraid than I’d ever been in my life and in shock, too.
Betrayal and death will do that to you, let me tell you.
Like a car out of control on ice, my thoughts careened
all over the place. I could only hope someone in the
group was thinking clearer than me. I kept my eyes
down to hide the emotions I knew would upset the
others. No sense letting Thulu and the rest know just
how freaked out I really was.
38 | P a g e

I sat on the steps under an awning and watched the
pounding rain as I waited. My parents were usually
pretty good about being on time, but sometimes they
got involved with a client in their small accounting
firm and time got away from them. Usually they called
my cell phone, but it had been silent that day. A sure
sign they’d be there any moment.
I pulled my well-used copy of Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix out of my bag and started
reading it for about the fifth time.
I loved the smell of rain in the desert. There were a
few gusts of wind and rain, but a light jacket was all I
needed over my jeans and t-shirt. At one point I
heard a loud crashing noise in the distance. I got up to
check the sky for lightning, but the cloud cover was a
dome of uniform dark gray.
I was always fascinated by the desert light shows of
cr