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Monday, April 15, 2024

Rachel's Random Resources Present ~ Shadow of the Witch by Colin Garrow

 


Shadow of the Witch


London, 1677. A house with a dark secret. A lawyer in pursuit of magick. A witch, dead for fifty years.

Israel Cutler, dealer in second-hand goods, discovers the journals of Doctor Winter. Detailing the doctor’s relationship with a hanged witch, he recognises an opportunity. Seeking out a lawyer he knows with an interest in the occult, Cutler tries to sell the journals, but soon finds himself involved in a terrifying ritual—one that could bring black witch Lizzie Pickin back from the dead. Again.

Forced into a dangerous partnership, the witch leads Cutler on a trail of murder and revenge.

In this horror series set in London, Shadow of the Witch is book #2 in the Black Witch Saga.

 


Purchase Links

AMAZON https://geni.us/r4kqMtb

SMASHWORDS https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1480253

 Excerpt:

Wandering over to the other side of the room, Cutler keeps one eye on the box. Longing for an opportunity to continue reading, he knows displaying too much interest might alert one of the other buyers. He makes a big show of bidding on the oak court cupboard but loses out to one of the late arrivals.

By the time the auctioneer comes to the sale of the boxes, most of the other buyers have lost interest and busy themselves making arrangements to uplift the items they’ve bought. Cutler hesitates to make a bid and it is only when the sale looks like being abandoned, that he holds up a finger.

‘Ah, Mister Cutler,’ says the auctioneer, his sneering smile acknowledging the low esteem he affords most of the buyers. ‘One shilling?’ He shakes his head as if Cutler’s bid is ridiculous. ‘Surely three, at least?’

Cutler holds up two fingers.

The auctioneer sighs. ‘Very well. One box of assorted books to…Israel Cutler.’ He makes a note in his ledger, then nods to one of the assistants, who carries the box to the end of the room. Having settled his account, Cutler hangs around for a while, unwilling to appear too eager to leave.

 

Later, Cutler leads one of the assistants to the cart he’s left around the side of the house. Unfastening the tailboard, they heave the box onto the back, then Cutler digs in his pocket for a penny.

‘Fanks fer nothin,’ says the lad, glaring at the coin.

As soon as he’s gone, Cutler leaps aboard the cart and sets off towards the city. Out of sight of the house now, he pulls over to the side of the lane and scrambles into the back. Pulling out the medical books, he tosses them aside until he reaches the journals. Finding the fourth one, he flips it open to the first entry that caught his eye. He starts to read.

 

A fwirl of black mift did furround uf and we three did huddel togeth’r within the boundery of the pentagram markens on the floor. The witch howl’d but even as I did watch, the mift retreet’d away. I did look toward Jane Norrif and fhe affur’d me of her welfear. But of Faulkner and the Witch Lizzi Pickin, I did obferve no fign.

 

The thumping in Cutler’s chest resumes and he sits for a moment, staring at the book, breathing deeply. Then, flicking back to a page earlier in the volume, he runs a finger down the notes until he finds what he’s looking for.

He studies the second relevant entry. ‘Cateaten Streete,’ he mutters. A location he’s familiar with and what it could mean. He rubs a hand over his mouth, feels the rough bristles of an unshaven face. Yes, there are possibilities here—the means of negotiating more than a decent finding fee, perhaps even a small fortune. But it will have to be handled with care. No half-arsed bargaining for a few sovereigns this time.

Allowing the idea to take shape in his brain, he lifts his head, gazing off across the darkening landscape. The night is properly dark now and the lights of the city glisten along the horizon. He laughs. This is madness. As mad and wild as those poor souls Doctor Winter cared for in Bedlam. If this Lizzie Pickin really had revealed herself as a witch—a creature Doctor Winter most definitely banished into dust—why would anyone want to bring her back to life? Or indeed, how?

But Cutler knows one man who might answer these questions. A man who might offer considerable remuneration to whoever provides him with, not only means to acquire a pocket of land, but a route to accessing the darkest of arts.

Packing up the books again, he throws a blanket over the box and clambers back onto the seat. A noise close by makes him jump. His head snaps round, fearing someone is watching. But no, it’s only a crow on the fence post. Or a raven, maybe. A shiver runs up his spine as the creature takes flight. Fastening his coat against the chill of the evening, he lights one of the lamps, hangs it from a hook on the side of the cart, and heads for home.

 

Author Bio


Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland. He has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate.

His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, Word Bohemia, Every Day Fiction, The Grind, A3 Review, 1,000 Words, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. He currently lives in a humble cottage in Northeast Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.

He also makes rather nice vegan cakes.

 



Social Media Links –

Twitter https://twitter.com/colingarrow

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/colinngarrow/

Website https://colingarrow.co.uk/ 

Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/colin-garrow

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/colingarrowthewriter

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@colingarrowauthor



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