In New England of
1660, magic is something to be feared and avoided. No one but the most
desperate dares to climb Proposal Rock, where the Devil himself is said to
wander. Only the guilt sixteen year old Anne feels over a kiss she shared with
her best friend’s husband could persuade her to venture there.
While searching the
forest, Anne meets the dreaded witch, Amabel, who guides her to discover that
she possesses mysterious powers of her own. Anne tries to turn her back on this
talent and immerse herself in the mundane life of her village, vowing never to
return to Proposal Rock. But neither the Devil, nor the dark magic of the
forest, will let her go that easily. She discovers that her fate is entwined
with forest in ways she never could have imagined.
Anne falls in love
with a mysterious young man she meets in the forest, but begins to suspect his
intentions are deadly. Still, she can’t stay away from him.
Anne is forced to use
her gift when the dark forces of Proposal Rock threaten her family. But her
neighbors turn on her, and she is forced to make a choice: reveal her power and
face a death sentence, or deny it, and lose everyone she loves. Either decision
will change her world forever.
In New England of
1660, magic is something to be feared and avoided. No one but the most
desperate dares to climb Proposal Rock, where the Devil himself is said to
wander. Only the guilt sixteen year old Anne feels over a kiss she shared with
her best friend’s husband could persuade her to venture there.
While searching the
forest, Anne meets the dreaded witch, Amabel, who helps her discover that she
possesses mysterious powers of her own. Anne tries to turn her back on this
talent and immerse herself in the mundane life of her village, vowing never to
return to Proposal Rock. But neither the Devil, nor the dark magic of the
forest, will let her go that easily. Anne falls in love with a mysterious young
man she meets in the forest, but begins to suspect his intentions are deadly.
Powers Anne never suspected she had surface when a vicious beast terrorizes
her, and the lives of her family are threatened.
Author:
Kristin Burchell loves
the Oregon Coast and the legends that abound there, especially the legend of
Proposal Rock. As an elementary school teacher, she loves writing and teaching
the art of writing. She lives in Vancouver, Washington with her husband and two
children. She writes whenever she can.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Anne
The sky was clear and
bright the morning we climbed the steep path into the forest to find the witch
of Proposal Rock.
My best friend, Sarah,
and I had hiked for two hours. As soon as we’d reached the trees, thick mist
unfurled, coiling around us and darkening the day.
The cold, wet air
clung to my skin. I shivered, wondering if I’d ever be warm again. But the
chill was not just due to the cold. Even in our remote village, we’d heard the
stories of the women in Salem tried as witches, not far from here. If anyone
discovered what we were doing, who we were seeking, we could face the same fate
as those women. But I owed a debt to Sarah.
The pines emitted a
bitter scent, and beneath it I smelled something decaying and sweet, making me
think of regret. Sharp pointed leaves edged in scarlet lined the path. Beneath
them the mournful croaks of frogs sounded like unheeded warnings. No wonder,
for more than one person had been lost in this forest, including my own father.
I stopped for a moment
to slow my breath. Behind us, the path was a narrow ribbon woven among the
trees. Overhead the twisted branches were bare, save a few brown leaves
clinging desperately.
“Anne!” Sarah shouted
from further up the path.
A damp wind gusted. A
low groan rose from the limbs as they swayed. Over the sound, I heard a voice,
calling. Anne. I froze. This voice was not Sarah’s.
“Anne!” Sarah called
again, and I gave myself a shake.
“Coming!” No one in this
forest knew my name. No one from the village knew we were here. If anyone in
Newton discovered the reason for our climb, we’d be doomed, even Sarah, who was
accepted by our neighbors. They thought of her as part of their family. Though
I’d been born in Newton, just as Sarah had, my mother had come from a place
outside the village. She, my sister, and I had never fully belonged in the
village, as far as our neighbors were concerned. Their condemnation of me would
be swift and painful.
“Hurry up!” Sarah
called.
On either side of the
path, the branches seemed to reach for us like desperate arms. I hurried after
her, holding a hand to the stitch in my side. I couldn’t lose her the way I’d
lost my father. She was my truest friend, my only friend, the one person in the
village who did not shy away from me thanks to the peculiarity of my family.
And, besides, I owed Sarah. Never had I regretted anything so much as the kiss
I’d shared with her betrothed, the night before her wedding…
“Do we even know the
witch exists?” I wheezed.
“You know she does.”
Shivering, I
remembered as a child—the gleam of silver through the trees, of the face of the
lady, all alight, whom I’d seen as if in a dream. I thought of her as the
Silver Lady. For years I’d hidden the secret deep in my heart, but here in this
forest it rose swift and hot to my throat.
“Do you truly believe
she’d give you a potion?” I asked Sarah.
“I can pay her.”
“But do you think it
would be real? That it would work?”
“I can’t lose John,”
she answered.
My stomach twisted
with guilt. Once I’d hoped she would lose him to me. “He’s been in love with
you since we were children.” My voice sounded hollow, even to myself.
“He’s not anymore.” Her eyes held mine until
my skin prickled uncomfortably. Without another word, she turned and strode up
the path.
I drew my cloak closer
as the mist began to thicken, gripping our ankles.
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