Beyond the Gate: Now #Free – Read an #Excerpt

 

Get Beyond the Gate for FREE! It’s the collection of 23 short stories set in the Engine World.

An excerpt from my story, Missing Ivy:

Christoph Anders stepped out of the wagon into the hot sun and stretched his sore, aching body. He looked around, ignoring the enormous Solstice Festival taking up most of his view. He felt small in comparison. He wasn’t concerned with that, though. Christoph was eager to see Ivy Musgrove. For the last three years they had met there, at the edge of the grounds, at this side of Waldron’s Gate.

Had his caravan arrived early this year? Was Ivy still getting ready? She knew his family always arrived opening morning.

“Maybe she found someone else, Brother,” Jackson teased, shoving him in the shoulder. He ran off toward the entrance, laughing.

“Funny!” Except Christoph wasn’t laughing. He walked around the wagons, holding his hand above his eyes to block the sun. Where was Ivy? He didn’t dare go to the festival yet. There was no way he would find her among the crowd.

He watched as his cousins, aunts, and uncles migrated from their temporary camp to the tents and rides. Finally, he leaned against the wagon belonging to his parents. His mom came over. “Don’t worry, my boy. I’m sure she’s just taking extra time to beautify herself. Women are like that, you know.”

Christoph dusted some dirt from her face, trying to smile. “Of course, Mom.”

“Come on, Marjorie,” his dad called. “We’ve got to get to our tent. Time to tell some fortunes.”

She looked at Christoph. “Wanna come with us, Son?”

“Go on ahead. I’m going to stay and wait for Ivy.”

His mom kissed him on the forehead and then ran to catch up with her husband. Her wide, traditional gypsy skirt brushed against the dirt as she ran. It was a good thing they typically wore shades of brown, as they were always getting dirty and rarely had a chance to clean their clothes.

The minutes passed and Christoph made his way to the horses, patting one on the head. It whinnied, loving his attention. He whispered to her, keeping his attention on the edge of the festival. It wasn’t like Ivy to be late. They only got to spend a few short days together each year and every moment counted.

He knew Jackson was wrong. She hadn’t found someone else. They were in love and now that Ivy was finally old enough to make her own decisions, she was going to be with him year round. The plan was to introduce him to her family since she had kept their love a secret.

Read the rest in Beyond the Gate.

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