Stained Glass Forest

By Elizabeth Bruner

On a magical night, Colleen meets a mysterious man at a town festival. Drawn to each other, they can't help but fall passionately in love. He pushes her away, afraid she will be drawn into the dangerous world he inhabits. Will her love be enough to lift the dark curse he labors under or will he be doomed to remain forever in the thrall of the Fairy Queen?

• Language: English
• Publisher: ShadowInk Press
• Release date: Aug 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310031823

Elizabeth Bruner

Elizabeth Bruner is a romantic and a lover of fantasy. She can usually be found chasing plot bunnies in Colorado. She tweets occasionally at @BrunerAuthor

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Stained Glass Forest © Elizabeth Bruner 2011

All Rights Reserved

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is a coincidence.

There were stories about the dark part of the forest, rumors of a dark castle that no one in living memory had actually seen. Wolves lived deep in the forest and they weren’t afraid of humans. They attacked anybody who wanders to far from the edge.

Tonight, the moon hung fat and full just above the horizon. It looked close enough to touch. The wind was blowing the trees and they looked as though they were dancing. Music rode the wind, tantalizingly recognizable but too faint to hear the melody. White shapes flashed between trees, reminding people of the wild animals that lived in the forest.

The world felt thin to Colleen, as though anything could happen, the sky itself could tear if somebody pulled hard enough. She threw her cloak on and hurried to the harvest festival. Lads from the village had come earlier to take her barrels of cider to the green. Everyone would be wearing their festival best and people from the outlying farms and cottages would be coming.

Music drifted up the road, hurrying her along. The dancing had started. A white flash caught her eye but no other movement accompanied it. As she reached the outer ring of torches, several other young women waved and two of them ran to greet her.

Colleen! the first to reach her exclaimed. You’re late!

I took a moment to change, Vi. Colleen grabbed her hand and bussed her cheek.

Shame on you for making us wait, her other friend slipped her arm around her waist. Your da’s been here for hours.

Da came down with the barrels. I was still finishing my chores. Colleen put her arm around her friend’s waist. It felt different. She must have looked surprised because Vi laughed.

You’re always the first to know, her friend laughed. The bairn will be here in the spring.

Oh, Lyn, does Pad know? Lyn and Padryg had been married three months earlier.

He suspects, I’m sure. Lyn smiled. He knows how to count but he’d want to ask you first, before we told our families.

I’m only just apprenticed to the midwife. Colleen blushed.

You have good instincts, Colleen. It’s the only reason she took you so old. Lyn squeezed