Approaching Night: Book I of Seluna Read online

  Contents

  Free Book

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Author's Note

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Epilogue

  Casting Shadows

  Don't Forget Your Free Book

  The Age of Mages

  House of Cards

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Free Book

  Before you start Approaching Night, be sure to grab your FREE BOOK! Here’s a little about it:

  Oh dear. I think I’ve gotten myself into a bit of a fix again.

  It’s been a tough couple of months for Joshua, a mage. After battling vampires, despots, and demons, he heads to Chicago for some downtime, maybe even a little romance. Unfortunately, fate has other plans.

  Joshua and his would-be lover are kidnapped by two vampires and threatened with death. The vampires agree to spare them, but only if Joshua helps find an ancient statue . . . by dawn. But he and his kidnappers aren’t alone in their search. Three other vampires want the statue as well, and not only do they kill those who get in their way, they enjoy the killing.

  It seems this mage just can’t stay out of trouble, even for one night.

  All in a Night’s Work is Book 3.5 of the Mage Tales, but can easily be enjoyed as a stand-alone story.

  Approaching Night

  Book I of Seluna

  by

  Ilana Waters

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please see contact information on the publisher’s website (listed below).

  ISBN-10: 0985639393

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9856393-9-6

  Approaching Night

  ilanawaters.com

  Copyright © 2016 Ilana Beth Waters. All rights reserved.

  Cover illustration copyright © 2016 Ilana Beth Waters

  Cover design by Deranged Doctor Design

  Editing by Marcia Trahan

  Author’s Note

  This story takes place in an alternate world called Hartlandia, which shares characteristics with our world. You’ll also find that many characteristics are different. The story’s time period reflects our own late Victorian era. However, anachronisms and other strange occurrences are left in on purpose for you to enjoy.

  Prologue

  In the beginning, there were the vines. They’d been there as long as anyone could remember, plastered against the decaying back walls of Silver Hill. Eventually, they took over what had once been the garden. The vines strangled dead trees, tripped the unwary, and gnashed ugly patterns on the hard, gray stones. They were everywhere, inescapable, black as tar. Unlike living vines, the ones surrounding the insane asylum were hard and unforgiving. They were so hateful that sunlight shunned them. Only the moon cared enough to shine down.

  The vines didn’t have thorns—–they didn’t need to. Parts of them were sharp as razors.

  The only place they did not touch was the moat around the asylum, or the garden’s forgotten pond. Their lengths reached right up and over the water, but somehow were prevented from entering it. Instead, they lay on the pond’s desolate shores in mourning. Then they ripped even more fiercely at any mortal they could find.

  Many attempts had been made to cut them back over the years, or burn them. But the vines were too hard to cut. They refused to burn. They continued their angry, endless existence. Unable to go where they pleased, they made sure no one else did either. They would never be welcome or at home anywhere.

  The vines were not content to stay this way.

  Chapter 1

  “Try, Seluna. Just try.”

  “I am trying! But it’s like I told you, Laura: nothing’s happening.”

  “But sometimes, it does.”

  “Well, now is not one of those times.”

  I leaned my head against the bottom of the flimsy bed frame. Sitting with my back perpendicular to the center of the mattress, I continued looking at the wooden horse. I didn’t know why I couldn’t animate it. A glint of moonlight shone through the narrow room’s high window onto the horse. As I stared at the toy, I thought I saw it move.

  Then a cloud must have passed over the moon, because suddenly, there was very little light in the room. The only other illumination came from the dimmed gas lamps behind both beds, and the tiny window on the door, the one with bars on it. Most of Silver Hill’s windows had bars on them.

  “Maybe the horse is defective,” said Rose. She was on Laura’s bed, lying sideways, and leaned over to get a closer look. She brushed curly red hair out of her eyes. It wasn’t truly red; I could see the dark roots peeking out from beneath. “Where’d you get it, anyway?” she asked.

  “It’s my little brother’s. He said I could have it to keep me company while . . . while I was away.” Tears welled in Laura’s eyes. “He really believed it would, too. Of course, he’s only three. It was his favorite toy, too.”

  “Then I’m sure it’s not defective,” I said firmly. I reached over to where Laura was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, against the other bed. With a reassuring squeeze of her knee, I repeated what I’d told them both before.

  “It’s true I can animate objects, and temporarily make dead things come to life. But that doesn’t mean I can always do it. And when I can’t, I’m sure it says more about me than the object itself. So don’t fret over it.”

  “I know.” Laura took the horse and moved it up and down with her hand, making it prance on the nightstand between beds. “It’s just . . . that’s so magical, you know? I’m really keen to see more of it.”

  I shrugged and adjusted my skirts. I didn’t really think of my ability as magic. It wasn’t even particularly useful, so I rarely thought about it at all. Although I would have liked to use it to make Laura smile more. When she smiled, it was one of the few times her pale hair and skin didn’t make her look like she never saw the sun. Rose’s complexion was darker, almost tawny brown. But there was a sallowness there as well, like she could use a holiday.

  “Eh, Laura, you’re fourteen years old,” Rose said. “Isn’t it time you quit playing with toys?”

  Laura made a face and stopped moving the horse back and forth. “I’m not playing. I was just . . . demonstrating what Seluna could do with it. Besides, you’re sixteen. Shouldn’t you be able to tell when someone is playing and when they’re not?”

  “Hey, have some respect for your elders,” Rose said. “After all, I’m the oldest one here.”

  “Ahem.” I coughed.

  Rose scrunched up her nose. “Oh, right. I forgot you’re seventeen, Seluna. Well, old lady, astound us with your wisdom and experience. Do more you know what.” She indicated the wooden horse.

  “Do more of what? What are you girls do
in’?” A low, matronly voice boomed through the door’s tiny window, and two piggish eyes appeared behind the glass. Nurse Cutter.

  All of us gave a start, and Laura quickly hid the wooden horse behind her back. One didn’t know if it was strictly forbidden, but then again, precious objects could be confiscated here for any reason. Or for no reason at all.

  “Nothing!” called Rose. “Just . . . playing jacks.”

  “Jacks.” We saw the tiny eyes squint into even smaller slits in the woman’s doughy face. “Ain’t that a form of gamblin’? Like card playin’?”

  Rose and Laura looked at each other with wide, fearful eyes. They had no idea what to say.

  “Not the way we’re playing,” I replied smoothly. “We’re playing the, ah . . . the boring way.”

  “Well, all right, then,” said Nurse Cutter. “But nothin’ too overstimulatin’. It’s almost time for lights-out.”

  “Yes, Nurse Cutter,” we chorused, and heard her footsteps grow fainter down the hall.

  “That was a close one.” Rose took a cigarette out of a secret pocket in her bodice and patted a different pocket, looking for a match. Silver Hill allowed patients to wear their own clothing most of the time, but did not permit skirts with pockets.

  “Rose!” Laura’s big blue eyes grew even bigger when she saw the cigarette. “You know you can’t smoke that in here!”

  “Or anywhere at Silver Hill,” I reminded her.

  Rose gave an exasperated sigh and let her head flop back on Laura’s pillow. “I know, I know! But if I don’t do something I’m not supposed to, I’m going to go mad!”

  “They say we’re mad,” Laura said softly. She held her brother’s horse in her lap, stroking its head. “That’s why we’re here.” She put the toy on the comforter and continued watching it. Suddenly, we heard the sounds of squeaking gurney wheels and pained groaning. Rose jumped off Laura’s bed and went to the door’s window. She stood on her tiptoes and tried to look out.

  “What’s happening?” Laura asked. She and I got up and stood next to Rose, but there was only room at the window for one.

  Rose hopped up and down, trying to get a better view. “Ugh, I can’t see anything! Seluna, you look. You’re the only one tall enough.”

  Although I had only a few inches on these girls, it was just enough to allow me to peek over the bottom of the window. I squinted. I could typically see better in the dark than others, but it was still difficult to see anything in the shadowy hallway. I could just make out a girl strapped to a gurney, struggling to regain consciousness. The head of the asylum—Dr. Catron—was walking alongside her.

  “What’s going on? Who’s out there?” Laura’s voice trembled.

  “Hush!” chided Rose. After a brief pause, she asked, “Yeah, Seluna. Who’s there?”

  I turned to face them both. “If you two don’t be quiet, we may be the next ones out there!” I hated to be so harsh, but it did shut them up fast. I turned back to the window.

  “What shall I put down as the diagnosis, Doctor?” It was a nurse speaking this time, but not Cutter. I didn’t recognize this one.

  “Early-onset nervous disposition with vague hysterical tendencies.” Dr. Catron’s melodic voice was assured and condescending as always. “She’ll soon be feeling much better. Won’t you, my dear?”

  His tone was anything but caring, and the returning moans were anything but sounds of someone about to feel better. The gurney’s wheels continued squeaking, growing softer and softer until they disappeared entirely behind the echo of a slamming door.

  I backed away from the window. Frowning, I sat on Rose’s bed and told both girls what I’d seen. They sat on the opposite bed, and the room was silent for a few minutes.

  “What do you think they did to her?” Rose asked grimly.

  “Don’t know,” I replied.

  “I shouldn’t ask,” Rose sighed. “Ought to know better.” She found a match and lit her cigarette.

  “Maybe she . . . needed it?” Laura clutched a pillow to her chest and rested her chin on the top.

  “Doubtful,” I muttered. “You know, Rose, smoking can kill you.”

  Rose took a long drag and blew a ring of smoke while looking at the ceiling. “Being here can kill you.” Another long silence. It wasn’t as if any of us could disagree.

  Rose took a few more puffs, and her bangs fell into her eyes. “Ugh! These stupid curls!” she snapped. “And they won’t let us have hairpins. Wish they’d at least let us get a bloomin’ haircut in this place.”

  “Doubt they’d trust us around sharps, like scissors, even if someone else were doing the cutting.” I absentmindedly examined my own waist-length, coarse black hair.

  “You can use my ribbon, if you like.” Laura motioned to the ribbon, tied into a large bow at the back of her head. It held back her long, wispy hair from her face while the rest draped over her shoulders.

  “Nah.” Rose waved away the offer. “Then what will you use to keep the hair out of your face, Laura-lie? Hey, why don’t you try that reanimation thing again, Seluna?” She stuck the cigarette in one side of her mouth and grabbed the wooden horse from where Laura had left it on the comforter. “Just one more time?”

  “Ooo, yes! Please do!” Laura nodded and seemed to perk up, setting the pillow aside and clasping her hands in her lap.

  I shrugged. “All right, if you want. Though I don’t know why this time would be any different.” I took the horse from Rose and put it in my own lap, staring at it.

  Rose rooted around inside a different pocket in her bodice and finally found what she was looking for: a compact mirror. The outside was ornate silver filigree; it must have been a gift. Perhaps a gift from Rose’s family before she came here. No one ever saw their families once they were admitted.

  “Rose!” Laura exclaimed, her mouth making a little O. “You know we’re not allowed to have those!”

  “She’s not allowed to have cigarettes either.” I smirked at Rose. She took the cig from her mouth just long enough to mouth “sod off.” Then she rolled her eyes and looked in the compact’s mirror to fix her bangs.

  “What a couple of ninnies you two are,” she said. “Now, are you going to move that thing or aren’t you, Luna?”

  I sighed and looked at the wooden horse again. I tried to concentrate, but the truth was, I didn’t really know how I was able to do what I did. Sometimes, things moved, sometimes, they didn’t. It had been that way ever since I was a little girl.

  Laura’s eyes were glued to her brother’s toy. Rose glanced over every so often, but mostly kept looking at the compact and adjusting her bangs. She sighed and turned the mirror this way and that, trying to get them just right.

  That was when it happened. A bit of light reflected off the compact, and in the glint, I saw the horse give a jump, as if someone had startled it. Animation would be much easier now that I had some momentum. I smiled and made the horse canter and kick, back and forth along my legs. Laura drew in a sharp breath and tugged Rose’s sleeve. Annoyed, Rose turned and opened her mouth to protest. Then she saw the horse moving, and let out a low whistle.

  “You did it, Seluna! You did it! That is so neat!” Laura squealed. I made the horse paw at my knee the way they pawed at the ground in real life.

  “Not so loud, Laura,” Rose whispered. “You want Nurse Cutter to hear us?”

  Cutter’s voice came again as if on cue. “Did what, ladies? What did Seluna do?”

  How had Cutter snuck up on us? We hadn’t even heard her heavy footsteps come down the hall. My concentration on the horse broke, and it fell lifeless once again in my lap.

  “Er, she won,” Rose said quickly. “Seluna won the game. Good show, Seluna.” Laura chimed in with mock congratulations as she grabbed the horse and shoved it under her pillow. Rose quickly put the compact away and snuffed her cigarette out on the floor. Then she hid the butt under her mattress and waved both hands in front of her to dissipate the
smoke.

  “Bedtime, ladies.” Cutter’s voice was firm. We heard the heavy clink of keys unlocking the door as she entered the room.

  Any way you looked at it, Nurse Cutter was an intimidating figure. She was at least six feet tall, with hair pulled back in a low, tight bun. It was bad enough she could bellow like a sea captain. But the woman weighed three hundred pounds if she weighed an ounce. She could subdue the most uncooperative patient in seconds, not that many were foolish enough to be uncooperative. Her starched white uniform and nurse’s cap never looked comfortable. Maybe that was why she was always in such a foul mood.

  We all stood quickly when Cutter came in. “Seluna,” she pointed at me, “time to go back to your room.” Rose rotated the heel of her left boot on the ground behind her to erase the stain where she’d put out her cigarette. She and Laura looked at me sympathetically.

  “Sorry, Seluna,” Rose whispered as I turned to leave. “We’ll see you tomorrow. Hopefully.” Laura nodded and tried to give an encouraging smile.

  “We’ll see what Dr. Catron says about that,” barked Cutter. The woman had ears like a bat’s. “Personally, I think you three girls ’ave ’ad quite enough socializin’ for one week. ’Alf an hour each day for the past two days. It’s enough to overstimulate anyone, much less a bunch of lunatics.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Laura wince. One never got used to hearing oneself referred to like that. Cutter put a large hand on my back and led me into the hall. Her enormous set of keys jangled as she locked Rose and Laura inside their room.

  “Ten more minutes, ladies,” she called to them, gruffly. “Enough time for you to get washed and dressed for bed. Then it’s lights-out.”

  We walked the long, dark hallway and up the stairs to where I slept. Despite the girls’ sympathy, I didn’t really mind my room. Cutter said I was put in the attic garret because of overcrowding. But more girls came in every day, and there were plenty of empty rooms. I often wondered if there was another reason the staff kept me separate from everyone.