Shelli Rosewarne

Hey all,

Well, it’s Tuesday – which is always better than Monday, right? 😉 Thought I would share a wee teaser to hopefully help you through the week. Since I’ve just the release date for Love Reawakened, my zombie-themed romance, and I’m starting to get very excited, this week’s teaser comes from that. This is very close to the start, and shows Emma, our heroine and professional witch, getting in a little over her head. Hope you enjoy! 🙂

She drew the circle carefully, making sure the whole of the grave was included, before starting on the symbols, protection, binding, summoning. It took a while. By the time she’d finished, she was aware of the restlessness from behind her, but chose to ignore it. Instead, she doubled checked each one carefully; after all, it wasn’t his ass on the line if something went wrong. Well, maybe it would be, but only after it had gone through her. She wasn’t keen on those odds. When she was confident everything was perfect, she carefully fetched the chicken.

It started up squawking again the moment she picked up the cage, almost as though it sensed something wrong. This was the part she hated. Gently, she placed cage on top of the grave, in the center of the circle, before laying a line of corn outside the cage door. Picking up the long knife, she hid it behind her back. Rationally, she knew the chicken probably had no clue what it was, but it seemed kinder in her own mind. The cage door opened with a click, and the bird happily followed the line of food, its head bobbing down merrily. Okay, get it over with. One quick stroke, and the creature didn’t have time to squeak before its blood gushed over her hand and onto the dirt below.

Shocked gasps came from behind her, but the vibrations were already running through the ground. Quickly, she smeared the blood around the edges of the circle. The energy was rising now, waves spreading out as the hairs on her arms stood up, and tiny tremors ran through the soles of her shoes. She drew a final symbol in the blood on the gravestone itself, the rough stone grazing her fingers and making the lines awkward.

“Patrick Connell, rise. Come from your grave at my command. Rise from your sleep at my bidding.”

The earth in front of her practically bubbled now, and then it parted, and a tall figure emerged. Neil almost shrieked behind her, but her attention stayed focused on the corpse in front of her. He was newly dead and perfectly preserved. In fact, gazing at him, you would barely know the difference if you saw him walking down the street. She was quite proud. She didn’t do this spell much, but this was a damn good raising!

“Patrick Connell, you have been raised at my command. You will do as I say and nothing more, bound to me by blood and magic. Do you understand and obey?”

The corpse looked at her, surprising clarity in his deep blue eyes. She didn’t think she’d ever raised one this ‘new’ before, and it was actually a little disconcerting how alive he appeared. He’d obviously been a handsome man, tall with broad shoulders, thick dark hair, strong jaw, and quite startling eyes. Then he opened his mouth and said a single word.

“No.”

Artist credits to: http://rustymermaiddolls.blogspot.co.uk/2010_10_01_archive.html

http://chrisrosewarne.deviantart.com/art/Graveyard-138390015

(The second one is no relation – I was just as surprised to see the name as you!)