Bad Spelling (Book 1 of the Witches of Galdorheim)

By Marva Dasef

A klutzy witch, a shaman's curse, a quest to save her family. Can Kat find her magic in time?

If you’re a witch living on a remote arctic island, and the entire island runs on magic, lacking magical skills is not just an inconvenience, it can be a matter of life and death–or, at least, a darn good reason to run away from home.

Katrina’s spells don’t just fizzle; they backfire with spectacular results, oftentimes involving green goo. A failure as a witch, Kat decides to run away and find her dead father’s non-magical family. But before she can, she stumbles onto why her magic is out of whack: a curse from a Siberian shaman.

The young witch, accompanied by her half-vampire brother, must travel to the Hall of the Mountain King and the farthest reaches of Siberia to regain her magic, dodging attacks by the shaman along the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marva Dasef
• Release date: Nov 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311027962

Marva Dasef

Born in Eugene, OR and a grad of the UofO, I still made a success of my life by constantly changing jobs and cashing in miserable 401K earnings. Finally, I decided to hell with it. If I'm going to be poor, I might as well be a writer.

Book preview

Bad Spelling

Book 1: Witches of Galdorheim

With the bonus story, Spellslinger

By Marva Dasef

Dedication:

For Brandy and Jaymes.

This time it's the real deal.

Published by Marva Dasef at Smashwords

Copyright 2012-2016 Marva Dasef

Discover other books by Marva Dasef at smashwords.com

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/mgdasef

http://tiny.url/DasefAuthor

Copyright Information

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

The Troll Song by Jerome A. Holst © 2007

Lyrics used with permission of the author

Also Available in Print

Layout and Ebook Production by Marva Dasef

Cover Art © 2012 by Marva Dasef

Print ISBN 978-1481021555

Audio Book available at:

http://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/Bad-Spelling-Audiobook/B00L2GUSWG/

Acknowledgments

My greatest thanks go to my durable and endearing crit partners: Liz Brenaman, Penny Noyce, Jack Dasef, Ardyth deBruyn, Maria Altobelli, Abby Rustad, and Toni Kerr. Several additional stalwart members of Critique Circle added their invaluable two cents. My editors were invaluable in their assistance. This book is better for the hard work of Nancy B. and Penny E. of MuseItUp Publishing.

Prologue

November, 1490—Somewhere in Germany

They took Helena, Edyth whispered, grabbing John’s arm the moment he walked through the doorway.

Wide-eyed, John looked at Edyth. But she has never–

She shushed him. I know, I know. They’ve cast a wide net. It shan’t be long before they suspect us.

John gazed around the one-room, thatched hut they called home. I’m afraid ‘tis nothing else we can do. We must flee.

Tears welled in Edyth’s eyes. What they are doing to us, ‘tis hateful. Why cannot they just leave us be?

He took Edyth’s shoulders, pulling her to his chest. ‘Tis not just us. The inquisitors condemn many not of the craft. They find black magic where it does not exist.

His eyes darkened. "‘Tis the fault of that wretched Heinrich Institoris and his cursed Malleus Maleficarum. Even the Church has banned it, yet the so-called citizen courts use it to condemn any who disagree with them."

Edyth shook her head, her face grim. You speak the truth. ‘Tis shameful they accuse whoever dissents, be they witch or not!

John nodded. We shall have one last coven gathering. All true witches must leave this place soonest.

But where will we go, John?

North. So far north that no mundanes could live there. If we move away from their grasp, we can make our own way in the world.

John dropped his hands from Edyth’s shoulders. Come. We’ve messages to send. I do not think it wise to wait any longer.

The witch and the warlock gathered foolscap and invisible ink. As they penned each word, it faded and disappeared from the paper. They wrote in the Old Runic language as an additional safeguard from prying eyes. Only a true witch could read it.

That very night, the ashes of the messages flew up the chimney, carried by incantation to the far corners of Europe, to all known witches and warlocks. Within the month, the trek northward began. The Wiccans reached the ends of the earth then went further. Finding a tiny island, completely removed from any other piece of land, they stopped and laid their claim. They named their island Galdorheim: Witches’ Home.

Chapter One - Having a Bad Spell

Present Day—Galdorheim Island, somewhere in the Barents Sea

Kat ran up the steps of the schoolhouse as a flash of red light pulsed from the space beneath the front door. A screech of girlish laughter followed by shouts of yes! and whoa! got louder when she pulled the door open. Her heart sank. Dang it. Late again.

A muffled bang accompanied by puffs of red and violet smoke billowing out from the back of the room gave her cover to rush to the last available seat. When the smoke cleared, Kat rolled her eyes, barely controlling a snort. Her brother Rune’s used-to-be vampire bat now clung to his finger chirping angrily while his best friend’s was-a-rat now stared with hungry eyes at it in the temporary form of a scruffy gray cat.

Unfazed, Miss Mariah cleared her throat and glared at the boys. Would you please wait for everyone else? Rune and Dalton grinned at each other and transformed their respective familiars back to their original forms.

Grow up, bro. Really! Kat thought, but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She was proud of Rune’s mad skills, since she couldn’t spell herself out of a beanbag chair. She knew she had the power; everybody knew it. What she lacked was control. Every spell she tried to cast went wrong in the most disastrous way.

Rune’s bat flapped to the rafters and hung upside down, glaring down at his owner. Rune dodged a drop of guano, picked up his wand, and tapped it on the desktop. With a high-pitched squeak, the bat dropped to the desk and folded its wings, but it didn’t look happy.

Miss Mariah muttered, "Fiksu aasi noita. She watched Kat as she hunched over and dropped her book bag on the floor. Nice of you to join us, Katrina. See me after class about your tardiness."

She faced the class. Now then, please take out your chalk and wands for today’s lesson, which is, she shot a semi-annoyed look at Rune and Dalton, transformation. The Wiccan students rustled bags and whispered to each other while they did as told.

When the witches and warlocks in training looked up, she continued. Although some students can transform without benefit of pentagram and wand, those of you who are beginners, or less motivated— she paused and gave Kat a hard look, must practice first with the proper equipment.

Kat’s face warmed, and she sank lower into her chair. Heaving a sigh, she set her brown bunny, Teddy, on her desktop and fumbled in her bag for her spell book, yew wood wand, and chalk.

Merry, the curly-haired blonde witch sitting next to Kat, waved her arm in the air.

What is it, Merry? Miss Mariah asked.

"Can you make Katrina sit somewhere else? Whenever she’s near me, my spells don’t work right. She’s a jinx."

The class snickered. Kat grimaced at Merry. If I got my hands on her…aw, what’s the use?

No, everybody stays right where they are, Miss Mariah snapped. She pasted on a fake smile and continued in a treacle-sweet voice. Now, class, draw the pentagram on your desktop and place your familiar in its center.

The younger students practicing their first transformations looked to the board where, under Miss Mariah’s control, the chalk drew a practice pentagram stopping short of completing the last of the five points. She tapped the board. "An unattended pentagram can cause all sorts of problems, the least being a tusser or tomte taking advantage of an open gateway. They’re harmless for the most part but like to play tricks. So be prepared with your spell before completing the pentagram." More than one kid smudged an opening in their already drawn star.

Children, you must focus. Don’t let yourselves get distracted. Miss Mariah adjusted a child’s grip on his wand as she walked by.

Merry curled her lip and hissed, You’d better not screw me up. If I can’t work this spell right, it’ll be your fault.

Tough luck, Merry, Kat snarled. If you’re such a great witch, my being here shouldn’t make any difference.

Turning away from Merry, Kat finished the final leg of her pentagram and set the bunny in the center. Stay right there, Teddy, she whispered to her little brown rabbit, setting a chunk of carrot in front of him. He made a dash for the edge of the desk. Kat hauled him back. Cut it out. You’ll smear my chalk lines. She stroked his soft fur for a moment. Hope this works. He twitched his nose twice, closed his eyes, and hunkered down.

Kat checked her spell book one last time, took a deep breath, and completed the spell with a loud "Fullgerður!" and a dramatic sweep of her arms, just missing Merry’s head with her wand.

Merry shrieked and jumped out of her chair. She glared at Kat while wiping green goo off the side of her face. Your rabbit stinks. Just like your spellcasting!

Kat’s mouth hung open for a moment; then she clamped it shut when she glanced down at what was left of Teddy sitting in a pool of slime dripping onto the floor. Merry was right about one thing. The goo smelled like pond scum.

Teddy looked up at his witch with sad, bulging eyes, the top half of a frog’s body floating in the green glop. Kat groaned. Poor, long-suffering Teddy. Green and slimy—that was the good part. The pink nose and floppy ears—not so good. If she couldn’t master transformation and the other mid-level junior spells, she’d be left behind again.

Katrina, are you sure you’re saying the spell correctly? Miss Mariah flicked her hand, cleaning up the goo and transforming Teddy back into his normal bunny self. The teacher turned her gaze to Merry with a warning in her narrowed eyes. The girl tightened her mouth but plopped back into her chair without a word.

Yes, Miss Mariah. I’m sure. Kat winced at how whiny she sounded even to her own ears. Merry sat with her arms folded tightly over her chest, her gaze tossing imaginary daggers.

Kat stroked Teddy. Sorry. The rabbit looked up at her and shrugged.

The teacher stared at Kat, her eyes narrowed and her voice dangerously calm. Recite the spell again, please.

Holding her wand over the pentagram, she repeated the spell, omitting the spell’s finishing word. Miss Mariah shook her head. "Katrina, you said îgwaz instead of perßô."

Oh. Okay, let me try again. I really did memorize this. Kat glanced at her spell book, but it had flopped closed. She’d have to rely on her memory. Just great. She raised her wand and spoke the simple spell slowly. Hesitating, she hunched her shoulders then whispered, "Fullgerður."

A splintering crash echoed through the classroom. Merry’s chair legs collapsed, and the girl fell on her rear end…hard. She let out a loud shriek and shouted, I told you so! I knew she was a jinx! The angry blonde witch jumped to her feet and pointed her wand. Kat crouched and covered her head with folded arms. Miss Mariah stood frozen, looking on with wide eyes. Attacking a fellow student with magic meant expulsion from school for the perpetrator and being grounded for about a million years.

Something black swished by Kat in a blur, and suddenly Rune stood between his sister and Merry, his arm raised, wand at the ready. Don’t even think about it, he growled at Merry.

Miss Mariah centered her attention on Merry, who screeched again and dropped her wand like a hot potato, which it now happened to be.

Sit! Miss Mariah spoke with her command voice, a guttural growl that rattled the windows. Merry dropped on her butt. She snarled then snatched up her fallen wand. She stood slowly holding her hands up in surrender. When Miss Mariah looked away, she kicked the splintered remains of her chair.

The teacher nodded at Rune, a slight smile curling her lips. Rune, please return to your chair at once. She stared at Merry again. "Nothing calls for that behavior, young lady. I will notify your parents." Merry hung her head, but Kat saw the smirk on her face when the girl cast a sidelong glance her direction.

Miss Mariah turned back to Kat. "Are you being difficult on purpose, or were you too forgetful to study your assigned spells?"

Kat groaned. Merry almost slapped a humongous damage spell on her, but somehow she was the one being blamed. She threw her wand down on the desktop, where it hopped once, then dived into her pack. Don’t you mean stupid?

There’s no need to shout. Perhaps you should practice the spell at home. Miss Mariah’s lips twisted into a forced smile. Maybe Rune can help you?

Kat grabbed her chalk and spellbook, stuffing them into her schoolbag. She tucked Teddy into his carry sling. "That will not be necessary," she muttered as she headed toward the door. Rune reached out to her as she walked by. She bumped knuckles with him.

She waited impatiently for the school to deploy its front steps to let her out then emitted a squeak when her feet came off the top step, floating her to the ground. Thank the stars for Rune! Once outside, her classmates’ snickering laughter followed her as she stalked away. What a loser. Couldn’t even spell her way out of a wet paper bag. You’d think— Kat jogged then picked up speed. She ran home with tears splattering the cobblestones.

Chapter Two - Scry Me a River

Kat slowed to a walk as she drew near home and wiped the tears from her cheeks with her shirtsleeve.

Reviews for Bad Spelling (Book 1 of the Witches of Galdorheim)

[ajlewis2_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! It was time to read something fun and this hit the spot. I had read the ebook of the first book in the series, but I decided to give the audiobook a try. What a treat! The book has such a diversity of rich, imaginative characters and the narrator did a fantastic job of giving each one a special voice. She made the first-class dialogue all the more entertaining. There were several plot lines woven together so well that I never lost track of what was going on and was always interested. This is the second in a series, but it could stand alone.