Michael T. Hare

Maren crept away from the dagger, whose point was inches from her throat. “S-sir…” she stammered. “Sir, I understand we made a deal, but much has changed. I can’t give you—”

“Can’t!” snapped the short man, thrusting the knife closer. “Can’t…. Such a distasteful word, used by the weak in desperation. You won’t. I can sense it.” His glowing, bulging eyes fell on the baby clutched in Maren’s arms. “She is my price. She was my price. She will always be my price.”

“But so much has changed!” wailed Maren. “I made that deal out of fear! The King was going to kill me if I didn’t spin—”

“Not my concern, O’ Mighty Queen of Ardah.” He swung the blade in a wide arc, forcing her from the throne room and onto a balcony. She walked until the railing stopped her, pinning her between the man and the immense height below.

The short man danced after her, ending with a flourish and an impish smile. “You see, your firstborn is why I raided the castle. She is why I slaughtered your husband. She is why I freed you from the King. I’ve invested a lot in this little one.” His smile deepened, and he cocked his head and batted his eyelashes. “The game is invigorating. What else would you have me do?”

“Nothing….” Maren squeezed her child, who was still sound asleep. “Please, sir,” she implored, tears icy in the twilight wind. “Don’t take my baby. Please don’t take my girl. My husband and I spent years trying to conceive.” She gazed down at her daughter, remembering the magical wish they’d spoken to the stars, the very thing that had finally permitted them conception. “She will never be yours!”

The short man gritted his gnarly teeth, his expression morphing into one of malice. “You know, come to think of it… there is one thing I haven’t done yet.” He winded up, leveling the dagger’s hilt with his temple. “I haven’t killed the mother.”

Maren gasped.

The short man giggled, then bounced his eyebrows. “Reconsidering?”

“I… I s-stand by what I said—she will never be yours.”

“Hm…. seems you’ve chosen your fa—”

Something clanged off the man’s dagger, sending it twirling out of his hands. He whirled around as a hooded figure shoved past him, snatching the baby out of Maren’s arms and leaping off the balcony. Maren shrieked and drew herself to the railing, watching the stranger sprint along a lower roof, his body splashed with moonlight as he crested the castle.

“MY CHILD!” yelled Maren.

Something hit her in the shoulder, causing her muscles to go suddenly numb. Moaning, she plucked a minuscule dart from her skin, then felt herself fall backward, plunging into ever-consuming darkness. The last she remembered was murmuring her daughter’s name.

“Snow…”

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To read the full story, visit Magic And Moments (A Short Story Collection) on
Amazon.com and get the ebook free with Kindle Unlimited! Magic And Moments is a medley of Epic Fantasy, Romance, and Humor all amassed into a 51-paged collection. The genres are fairly balanced, though the Epic Fantasy genre definitely had the biggest shine.

The short stories found inside the collection are as follows:
1. Dragon Courage – Talia’s family goes camping, and she’s nervous about going so far into the wild and away from her home. Nevertheless, when her drawing of a blue dragon comes to life, Talia learns the true meaning of courage.

2. Dear Girl from the Library – A beautiful love story composed of ‘thank you’ notes. All it took was a library, a romance novel, and a bit of gratitude, and thus began love.

3. Escaping the Heatwave – Knight, a stubborn cat who believes colonies do not mix, is convinced by the optimistic Farm Cat to consult another cat colony and escape the Wyoming heat. On their journey, they find friends… and even a little love.

4. Discovery – Prince Yunru, the only survivor from the ravaged kingdom Melzkù, returns for knowledge about how to stop The Wave—a deadly force of magic that runs rampant among the lands.

5. Deals – A child… a deal… a huntsman… and a blade.