Hey, I’m back with our last preview for this series and a reminder that the kickstarter ends at 8:10 AM EST on Feb. 5, so you must reserve your copies before then. We have ebooks tiers, ebooks and paperbacks tiers, and of course, our big beautiful and fully illustrated hardcover omnibuses.
(This is Ran, Sarn’s son in case you forgot. Find us in the Curse Breaker series and also in this week’s preview.)
Earlier this week, I brought you the first chapter of Storm Spells. Now I bring you chapter 1 of sequel, Void Spells, and it’s super spoilery, just the way we like our previews. It features the second half of the redemption arc for our Newsletter-Dragon, which began in the previous book, Storm Spells.
Void Spells is wholly original and not based on any stories in our newsletter for important plot reasons. So you’ve never seen any of this story before.
All the previous books contained some parts of stories originally in our newsletters plus a lot of new content. But as the series ender, Void Spells got to be totally unique with a completely new story! So buckle up and hitch a ride with us!
In case you missed it, the reading order for the stories based on our newsletter adventures goes as follows:
Story Arc #1: TALES OF A CURSE BREAKER IN NY TRILOGY
- Catch the Scribe
- Book Battles
- Rogue Characters
Story Arc #2: CURSE BREAKER’S COMPANION SERIES
- Dragon Spells
- Rogue Spells
- Storm Spells
- Void Spells ← You are here if you were wondering
And now, let’s go to that preview!
Void Spells
by Melinda Kucsera
Chapter 1: Saved By A Book
“Is someone riding on the middle book?” It looked that way to me, but I wanted confirmation in case I was imagining someone riding to our rescue. Who would rescue us? Our scribe disappeared, and she wasn’t the rescuing type. Usually, she needed rescuing, and that probably didn’t change in the hours since a book kidnapped her. So we still needed to find her after we escaped from here.
“Someone’s definitely riding on that book,” Papa confirmed, and then his magic wrapped around me.
Where did he think I’d go? There was nowhere left but I wouldn’t be mad if the giant flying books reached us before the wind pulled us into the debris cloud swirling around the orbs. Auntie Sovvan tugged the Queen Trees’ branch toward the nothingness below us, but she had to fight harder and harder against the wind.
I squinted at the giant books. I wish they’d hurry up and get here. I don’t want to see the two orbs up close and personal. I don’t want to know what they became.
Did the five books flying in a V-formation speed up? I hoped so. The wind blew so hard that only Papa’s magic kept me from flying off the branch. Hurry up and save us. I willed the books to fly even faster. I don’t know if they did, but the books got a lot closer and bigger. They were a few feet taller than Papa and Auntie Sovvan, and that was good because that meant there would be plenty of room for us.
Something about the five books tickled my memory aside from the green color, which matched the glow of Papa’s eyes. I waved to Uncle Miren and pointed at the books. “What does the writing on the cover say?”
Uncle Miren glanced at Papa and then shook his head. As the books zoomed closer, I saw why he didn’t want to say. All five books had images of a guy who looked a lot like Papa on the cover.
So they were our books. I should have realized that sooner. Oh well, it was too late now. I’d just convince Papa later when we were safe under Mount Eredren again that he didn’t see books with images of himself on them. He must have imagined that since he was under a lot of stress. Saving me was hard work.
“So are the giant flying books friends or enemies?” Misriah held my uncle in one arm, and she reached out to help my aunt pull the branch downward away from the orbs.
“If they’re what we think they are, then they’re probably friendly.” My uncle wrapped both arms around Misriah’s neck. But that probably wasn’t necessary because she was super strong. There was no way she’d drop him.
“Ran! Are you okay?” asked someone I never expected to see again, especially since I replaced her with the digital dragon I still held on to.
“Is that the Newsletter-Dragon who brought the entropic orb to Earth for Dysteria?” Uncle Miren stepped onto the book and staggered across the page to the gutter, where he collapsed in a heap.
“Miren! Are you okay?” Papa leaped across the gap onto the open book after his brother, and his magic pulled me along behind him. That was okay since I wanted to ride on the big flying book.
“She’s not our Newsletter-Dragon anymore. I found a new one who’s much nicer.” I held out my new digital dragon as proof. Thankfully, she didn’t need to breathe because I might have squeezed her neck a little too tight so she couldn’t argue with me. But I’d never hurt her. I just didn’t want anyone to contradict my version of events.
“I’m okay. I’ll just lie here until we find solid ground again.” Uncle Miren lay down on the page, and Papa crouched next to him. I guess he didn’t believe my uncle.
“So that’s the version of me that Dysteria corrupted?” The nice and helpful digital dragon, who had cool electrical powers, slipped out of my grasp somehow. One moment she was mine and the next, she trotted over to a glowing blue dragon who looked a lot like her, but they weren’t identical. Their code chunks were different shapes and made different patterns, so I could tell them apart.
I relaxed a little when I saw that. After all, I wanted to take the correct dragon home with me. “Where are you going?”
“To meet my double. You all met yours. It’s time I met mine.” The nice digital dragon hopped onto another flying book.
I tried to follow her, but Papa’s magic yanked me back to him. “No! Stop her, Papa! I don’t want to lose her.” Tears splashed onto my cheeks, and I wiped them away on my sleeve.
“You won’t lose me.” The nice dragon turned and winked at me.
But that didn’t make me feel any better. Everyone else merged with their doubles. Although I wasn’t sure if my uncle or aunt met any other versions of themselves since they didn’t say where they went or what they were doing. But I’d get the full story later. I always did, and it would be easy since they liked to talk. Surely, the two digital dragons would merge too, and I didn’t want that. The one I met in Melinda’s office was so cool, and we wouldn’t have gotten far without her. I wanted her to stay exactly as she was.
“How do you know that?” I asked in a small voice.
“Did you lose your double?” The nice digital dragon padded over and rested her glowing blue claws on my shoulder.
“He’s not here, but I am.” I patted my chest to make my point.
“You have his memories, and he lives on through you.” The nice digital dragon squeezed my shoulder.
“It’s not the same thing.” I shook my head. I knew what she was trying to do, but I didn’t want adult logic right now.
“No, but everything changes. Maybe she changed too.” The nice digital dragon glanced at my nemesis, the Newsletter-Dragon from my Melinda’s copy of Earth.
Was that possible? I thought back through recent events. The bad Newsletter-Dragon didn’t hurt me when she chased me. But Papa showed up pretty quickly and intervened. Then she went through the portal in our cave. We followed her and tried to capture her so we could put her back in cyberspace where she belonged. But things got complicated as they always do when we’re in our scribe’s world. She breathed fire at us, but Papa blocked it. That fire could have really hurt us.
I just didn’t know if a change of heart was possible for her. But the Newsletter-Dragon that betrayed me stood on another flying book with her head bowed, but she wasn’t alone. A big bear sat next to her, and he looked familiar. Was that Ghost Bear?
I couldn’t remember where I saw him last. Too much had happened. “Ghost Bear? Is that you? If it is, then you have a lot of explaining to do.” I shook my index finger at him.
Bear nodded his furry head. “I’m back, and you’re in trouble. So what else is new?”
I gave Bear my stern face complete with the hardest glare I could muster. I almost gave myself a headache in the process, but I wanted Bear to know that I meant business. “You have a lot of explaining to do, but later when we’re safe.”
“I’m feeling a little woozy. I might need to go dark again to recuperate.” Bear held up both massive paws to fend off my finger waving like he didn’t need to hold on. Spirits didn’t have to worry about falling. They couldn’t get hurt.
“Don’t you dare. You did enough disappearing. Now you have to explain stuff.” I waved my finger again, so he knew I meant it. Out of the corner of my eye, a blue glow caught my attention. Oh, no! Bear distracted me. I turned as the two digital dragons touched their claws together.
Bright light blinded me, and I flopped onto my bottom. A muscular arm wrapped around me, and Papa pulled me into a fierce hug.
“I’m okay.” But I leaned into the hug because I needed it. Was my new digital dragon friend gone now? I didn’t want to look when the light faded. But I had to know. So I squirmed until I could look at where they stood a moment before.
Two glowing blue dragons made of code stood on the book next to a big confused bear. They looked just as confused as they stared at their claws and then at each other.
“They didn’t merge!” I jumped up and down as joy spilled out of me.
“Why didn’t that work? Their copies merged that way,” said the nice dragon. She still existed!
“You met your copies and merged with them?” Auntie Sovvan landed on the book so she could pat Papa on his shoulder.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Papa shoved her hand away. Since his magic kept me close to him, he didn’t need both arms to hold me or any arms at all. So he folded his arms.
“Yes, did you do that?” I waved to get her attention, but she kept glaring at Papa like he was a nut, and she was determined to crack it open. Papa glared right back, daring her to try.
When they got like this, Uncle Miren usually said it was a twin thing. But he lay on a magical book flying above a destroyed world, so he didn’t comment. I thought about saying it because someone should, but maybe I’d leave them to their staring contest.
Could Auntie Sovvan get Papa to talk about it? I’d bug him about it later, and I had plenty of practice pulling words out of him. Come to think of it, Uncle Miren didn’t question him either, and that was weird because he was just as curious as I was.
“For the record, no, we didn’t,” Uncle Miren said, but that didn’t end the deadlock. I’m not sure if my aunt or Papa were even listening to us anymore.
“I’m so sorry, Ran. I shouldn’t have listened to Dysteria.” The Newsletter-Dragon, who chased me around under Mount Eredren and breathed fire at Papa and me, now looked at me with regretful glowing eyes. She padded closer. “Can you ever forgive me? I endangered you and your family, and for that, I’m so sorry.” She hung her head.
“Of course, Ran can forgive you. He’s my best friend, and he can be yours too.” The nice dragon bounded over and wrapped an arm around me.
She was putting words in my mouth, and I didn’t like that. But she might also be right. I liked having her as a friend. What would it be like with two digital dragons as my friends? I got a bit starry-eyed thinking about that.
“My nephew could forgive you if you get us out of here. That would make him properly grateful, right, Ran?” Uncle Miren waved to get my attention.
But he had a good idea, so I nodded. “Yes, if you save us and you help us save our scribe, stop the orbs, and do something about Dysteria.” I stopped ticking my points off on my fingers because I didn’t know what we could do about Dysteria.
According to my new memories from the copy of me that merged with me, we couldn’t hurt her without hurting our scribe. Could we imprison her somewhere? Where could we find a prison to hold her?
“I can do that!” The Newsletter-Dragon stood up straight and saluted me. Then she bounded over to Bear, and he removed the leather bag that hung around his neck. The Newsletter-Dragon pulled out a pen, and she flew to another book, and it flipped open to a page with some writing at the top. But the rest was blank.
“Uncle Miren, what does it say?” I shook him until he set up and looked since he was within reach.
“It’s an apology to you.” My uncle read it aloud, and tears stood out in my eyes. He hugged me since Papa and Auntie Sovvan were still locked in a battle of wills.
“I meant every word,” said the Newsletter-Dragon, who might become my friend if she kept being nice. She bent and held the pen over the page. “What do I write? The books do what I write, but I don’t know what to write. Where should we go?”
“Where’s Melinda? Can the books take us to her?” Papa asked, proving he was still listening.
Could the books do that? Would we survive the trip? I sat between my uncle, my aunt and my papa. Misriah stood on another flying book like she was standing guard. She probably was, but what was she guarding us from?
***
I’m not sure what we’ll do next week, but I’ve got a few days to get into some trouble to tell you about. Until then, read some good books! And don’t forget to pledge before 8:10 AM EST on Feb 5 to get 7 fantasy adventures that have cozy vibes and put our scribe in lots of danger!
It’s time she shares the load, right? See you on Monday!
Melinda Kucsera - USA Today Bestselling Author of Epic Fantasy Adventures 