2. Flash Fiction: Magic & Mayhem
Emily Barnett hosts a flash fiction challenge on Instagram every Friday. (Flash fiction, for those of you who don’t know, is a type of fiction that is very short, usually no more than a few hundred words.) I’m sharing my contributions on my blog for those who don’t follow me on Insta. Use the button at the bottom of this post to sign up and get any new blog posts straight to your inbox.
Photo by Tom Parkes via Unsplash.
The poster promised Magic & Mayhem Made To Order, with a scrawled addendum offering lemonade on the side.
Not quite what I’d had in mind, but perhaps it would do.
Twisting my apron hem in my hands, I sidled up to the brightly colored booth, gaze fixed on the royal sedan chair moving slowly through the market’s far end. “Does the lemonade come separately?”
A low chuckled sent prickles skittering across my skin. “For you? I’ll make an exception.”
My head spun so fast I heard a pop in my neck, my eyes colliding with the same sea-green pair that haunted my dreams. He smirked, and I flushed.
“It’s you.” Witty I was not.
His smirk grew. “I’m just in time, it would seem. They say the Queen is looking for an heir.” My eyes widened, and he leaned closer. “They also say you’re spinning gold again. I suppose that’s why she’s here.”
My fingers twisted the apron tighter. “I don’t have magic; you know I don’t. And you said the juice of a lemon will break the charm.”
An official-sounding voice rang through the market. My time was running out.
He shrugged. “That was last season. The charm has grown. You’d need a whole well of lemons to do the trick now.” His eyes flicked up as footsteps approached behind me. “Too late.”
Hinges creaked and fabric rustled. I licked my lips, not daring to turn around. “Conrad.” Those sea-green eyes locked on mine. I felt their power all the way to my soul. “Name your price.”
A hand closed over my arm. I felt a needle prick — and knew no more.