Mistfall(Book One of the Mistfall Series)

3. Running





As I slept, my dreams decided to take on a life of their own, reliving the first and only other time I had been found out for who I was.

I was twenty and living in southern Wisconsin. It was around midnight and I was out with friends at a party when I had gotten a frantic phone call from my neighbor, Willa.

“Mags…all my fault…run.” She was coming in and out and I couldn’t ‘make out everything she was saying.

“Willa, I can’t hear you, you’re breaking up. What’s wrong?”

“Run…don’t come…they won’t stop until they find you.”

“Willa, you’re scaring me…” The line went dead.

I was frantic. Something very bad was happening and Willa was involved. She was the grandmother and mentor I never had. She taught me to control my powers and to fight the hellions that came after us. Without her, I would’ve been dead long ago and now I’m afraid death is on her doorstep.

I ran out of the party, jumped in my car and sped all the way home. I fumbled with my pants pocket to free my phone so I could try and call Willa back. The phone rang and rang until voicemail picked up. I tried calling my parents next. Even though they may have been no match for whatever was going on, the denizens of Hades tend to shy away of a human audience. Only the annoying repetition of a busy signal answered my call. Maybe they’re already over at Willa’s.

Twenty minutes later I turned onto the street I lived on. I pressed down on the accelerator a little harder when I noticed a house on fire. Please no! I was maybe two houses away when I saw that the house on fire was mine. Unidentifiable shapes were lined up on my front lawn. It only took a split second for the realization set in. Those shapes were bodies. I threw the car into park, leaving it in the middle of the street, and ran over to them.

It was pointless to even check for a pulse. Willa, my mom, and dad lay lifeless in front of me, their hands and feet bound, their throats slit from ear to ear. It must have been the shock that kept me from freaking out because I couldn’t even cry or scream.

I knelt by Willa and took her cold hand into my own.

“Oh Willa,” I whispered.

I saw what appeared to be someone moving away from Willa’s house out of the corner of my eye. I turned and stood, looking for whoever it was. I only took three steps when the house exploded.

I was thrown backwards and landed in a heap on the ground. My ears were ringing, but I wasn’t hurt. I took one last look at the lifeless bodies. There was nothing I could do for them and whoever attacked them was still out there, so I did the only thing I could think of. I ran.

I raced to my car, my heart pounding, and took off, not knowing where I was headed. When I saw the sign for the expressway, I felt an indescribable need to take it. I checked my mirrors to see if anyone was following. I only had the darkness and the two semis in front of me as company.

I took a big breath and exhaled slowly, letting the night’s events sink in slowly. I didn’t have the luxury of safety to mourn their losses. That would have to wait until later. I just hoped there was a later for me.





I had been driving for over six hours and wasn’t even sure what state I was in. Willa’s last words were still in my head.

“They won’t stop until they find you.”

The fear of my own demise kept me going most the night. It was only by miracle I hadn’t been pulled over for driving like hell was following me.

It was now 8 a.m. I was exhausted, running purely on adrenaline. The gas tank was almost on empty and a mysteriously heavy fog was settling all around me. Since I didn’t feel safe enough for sleep, I pulled into the next diner I saw and settled for a pot of coffee.

I looked around in the back seat of the car to find something to hide my eyes. There was a baseball cap in the back window and my sunglasses were in my purse. I was pretty sure I would get some strange looks for wearing sunglasses indoors, so I settled on the baseball cap. I would just have to keep my head down and not look anyone in the eyes.

Normally, I wore contacts to hide my violet eyes. Granted, any Otherworlder would still be able to tell I was jinn, but hopefully it threw them off of what kind of jinn I was. Tonight, however, my eyes had become red and irritated by the smoke from the fire and I removed them.

The diner was shaped like a flying saucer on the outside. It was an homage to the World’s Fair or some nuclear-era design. Based on the age of the building, I wondered what awaited me on the other side of the door. I was pretty sure that a mud puddle on the side of the road might taste better than the coffee they were serving. My options were limited as there was nothing else besides a gas station on this road, so I sucked up a big breath, opened the door, and hoped for the best as I walked through.

“Holy crap!” I muttered to no one in particular as I walked in. Guess I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, I thought. The inside looked brand spanking new. It interior was designed like every 1950’s diner you’ve ever seen.

There was a horseshoe shaped bar jutting out from the kitchen where solitary diners could sit and eat or drink coffee. The booth seats were made out of that gold glitter plastic I loved to sit in when I was a kid. I always wanted a chair made out of that stuff at home.

There was a three hundred and sixty degree view all around, on which one side had a breathtaking view of the valley below the cliff the diner was butted up against. On top of that, the place was clean! Things were looking slightly less grim at the moment.

Choosing a corner booth, I sat down and angled myself enough towards the window that I would be less noticeable.

The waitress wasted no time in coming over. She seemed to not care if she couldn’t see my face under my cap.

“Can I get you something miss?” she asked.

“I’ll just have a cup of coffee please.”

“No problem, I’ll be right back with that.”

While I waited I glanced around the diner to take in my surroundings. It was pretty busy and the clientele was so varied I didn’t’ think I would have a problem hiding out here for an hour or so. Bikers, bankers, and thieves, oh my!

The waitress returned quickly. I don’t think I had ever been as grateful as I was right now. “Thank you. You don’t know what a godsend you are this morning,” I told her.

“No problem miss. You just let me know if you need a refill.”

She walked away, towards the two guys that had just sat down in the next booth, leaving me to my solitude and my caffeine. I said a little silent prayer to the coffee gods, stared out the window and drank my coffee.

A few feet away from the backside of the diner is a forty foot cliff that tapers off into a valley. Since it was late spring, the valley was alive with the variety of fresh greens that seemed almost magical. The sun was shining, blanketing the valley in its golden glow. That’s odd, I didn’t notice the fog lift, I thought. Wildflowers were in bloom, dotting the carpet of grass that lined the beautiful vista I was looking at now. I finally had a moment of peace. That’s all it was too, a moment.

One of the two guys at the next booth turned around and interrupted my solitude.

“I’ve never seen you here before.”

I didn’t even bother looking up, one glance at my eyes and I could be in serious trouble. I could tell there were Otherworlders in the diner, but I didn’t know who they were. Darting my eyes around the diner, I guesstimated my chances of making it out of here if anyone did take notice of me. Figuring my chances were better at making a few minutes of small talk, I answered the rude one looking my way.


“That’s because I’ve never been here before. My name is Mags by the way. And you are?”

He put his hands out in front of him apologetically. “I’m sorry Mags, I didn’t mean to sound rude. It’s a small town and I know just about everyone around here. It’s nice meet someone new. My name’s John.”

“It’s nice to meet you John, but I won’t be here long. Just some coffee and I’m back on the road.”

“Oh. Well, it was nice to-.” His voice dropped off and suddenly he was next to my side. “Do you trust me?” John’s voice was low and full of alarm.

“Trust you? I don’t even know you.”

“How about a little blind faith then?” John asked before turning to his friend. “It’s too sunny, don’t you think?”

“What?” I asked, confused as to what was happening.

The next thing I knew John had grabbed me and hauled me to the ground. We were crouched down low when he pulled a knife from his side and thrust it into the linoleum. Lightening was streaking across the previously sunny sky, thunder bursting shortly after the flashes.

“Hold on,” he suggested.

Petrified, I did what he told me, thanking my lucky stars that knife went into the floor instead of me. My arms were wrapped tight around his neck when the floor dropped out from around us and we fell, straight into the earth.

I’ll admit it, I screamed, like a little girl too. There was no ground beneath us and we were still falling. My eyes were closed tight, I was holding my breath and onto John with everything I had, legs, arms, and all. Unable to do anything else, I prayed for a soft landing.

A soft voice laughed next to me. “It’s alright, we’re on solid ground now, you can let go. I appreciate the gentle landing, but it wasn’t necessary.

I dared to peek one of my eyes open. Sure enough we were on the solid ground of the valley I had, moments previously, been admiring from forty feet up. Sunlight was forcing its way through the storm clouds, sending the fierce weather away.

I let go of John and stepped away, letting the panic dwindle to nothing while I brushed dirt off of me. It was that moment when I realized I was the reason for the soft landing and he knew it too. I had been so terrified of plummeting into a dark abyss, I didn’t realize I magicked up the soft landing.

Instead of the caffeine, I was rolling with adrenaline, which made my brain pick back up on a few things I hadn’t realized either. He’s magical too. Since when does a knife cause a sinkhole? Why did he grab me in the first place? While I was thinking about the most recent of developments to my life, John sent my train of thought into a wall.

“So what are you then?” he asked as if he wanted to know the score of a ballgame.

Oh no, he’s wondering where my magic comes from. My heart began thudding, like a jackhammer, though I let my defensive nature override the panic.

“What kind of question is that? You don’t seem to have any tact at all do you? What am I,” I scoffed poking him in his, oh my, rock hard chest, “What are you?”

He gave me a soft chuckle. “You are entirely too worked up. Again, I mean no offense and to answer your question, I’m an elf. So again, what does that make you?”

Uh oh, what else can I pass as? “I’m a Witch.”

“Bullshit, you’re not a Witch,” he admonished.

“How do you know that I’m not?” My pulse was becoming so rapid I thought it starting to hit the two hundred mark.

His voice took on a tone of exasperation at my evasion. “If you were a Witch you would have had to use your hands or cast a spell. If I remember correctly, every limb you had was wrapped around me and you were screaming. That’s definitely no spell I’ve ever heard from a Witch’s mouth before.”

I’m not sure what the maximum beats per minute your heart can reach before it explodes, but I am there. I can’t possibly run without passing out at this point, being on the brink of a full out panic attack. I guess there are worse places to die, I thought. Figuring I should at least look him in the eye before he kills me, I took off my hat and looked at the man standing in front of me.

Damn, death was gorgeous! He was a little taller than me with chocolate brown hair and eyes that reflected every color of green in the forest. His skin had a bit of a golden tan to it and he was close to my age if not a few years older. He was wearing a close fitted t-shirt that showed he was no slouch in the physique department. There was a tingle of butterflies in my stomach that had nothing to do with the panic still raging through me.

He hadn’t noticed my eyes so I looked back down at me feet in a futile attempt to put off the inevitable. “I can’t tell you what I am,” I confessed.

“Why not? Does it have anything to do with your friends up there?” he pointed back up the cliff at the diner.

“What friends? I was drinking coffee alone before you interrupted me and sent us tumbling through the rabbit hole.”

He walked closer, stopping just inches from me. He put his hand on my chin, lifting my face up so he could get a better look at me. His eyes widened in recognition. “That would explain your friends Violet.”

Violet? “I was trying to go unnoticed.”

“Well Violet-“

“Mags,” I interrupted.

“Well Violet, you didn’t go unnoticed,” he continued. “Those friends of yours were Elven assassins and they knew you were there. They were coming right for you. If I hadn’t plunged us down into the cliff, you would be bound for eternity or dead right now.”

Assassins? It was the Aelfadl that Willa was talking about. Where was I going to go? What do I do now? How am I going to survive? Question after question rolled through my head while my heart continued to pound.

John thought my silence meant I didn’t understand what he was talking about. “The Aelfadl are the best assassins, human or otherwise. They rarely lose a target.”

That was the last thing I heard as my panic mode went nuclear and I fell into a world of darkness.





When I woke, I was in an unfamiliar bed. I got out of bed and looked around the room, taking in my new surroundings. The walls, ceiling, and floors were made from rough hewn timbers. I must be in a log cabin, I thought to myself. Aside from the Spartan décor of a bed, night table, and dresser, the only thing of interest was the bookcase.

On the wall opposite the bed was a built-in bookcase. I ran my hand along the bindings, reading the titles. The owner of this house had varied interests if these books were any indication. There were books on history, classic literature, science, and then there were some I couldn’t make out, being in the Elven language.

So much had happened in so little time. I was finding my breathing restricted, as if an invisible hand was closing upon my throat. I needed fresh air to clear my head and come up with a plan, so I walked to the door leading out of the room. I needed to escape my current confines and figure out what I was going to do. I put my hand on the doorknob and was about to open it when I heard voices on the other side. I still wasn’t sure where or with whom I was with so I put my ear against the door to listen.

“We can’t move her anytime soon. We need more time,” a female voice said.

“Elena’s right. At the minimum, we need three more months,” an older male grumbled.

I recognized John’s voice when he answered their concerns. “Are you sure? That’s the soonest you’ll be ready for her?”


“Yes. We’re already rushing to get it done that soon,” the woman, Elena, responded.

“I guess I have no choice. Mags will stay here then. I don’t trust her safety to anyone else,” John offered.

“What about…She’s awake.” the gruff male’s voice stiffened.

I gasped and backed away from the door as silently as I could. I don’t know who exactly was on the other side of that door and I didn’t want them knowing I was eavesdropping. I wasn’t able to make out the end of the conversation, only the shuffling of feet and a door closing.

The doorknob slowly turned and John peeked his head in. “Hey Violet, are you alright?” he asked.

Physically I was fine. Emotionally, I wasn’t sure. “I don’t know. So much has happened. It all seems so surreal.”

John’s body fully emerged from the door and walked over to me, stopping about a foot away. He was wearing a white v-neck sweater that clung tightly to his body, and jeans. His hair was disheveled and a shadow of stubble was just appearing on his face. Any other time, I may have stopped to appreciate the rugged look on him, but all I had were questions.

“What’s going to happen to me?” I asked.

He raised one eyebrow in amusement, “What do you think is going to happen to you?”

“Well,” I started, “I’m pretty sure you’re not going to kill me or turn me over to those who will, even though you know what I am. Aside from that, I don’t know.”

John laughed. “That’s a pretty fair assumption. Besides, if I bared you any ill will, I would have left you in that diner to the Aelfadl.”

I couldn’t argue with that.

“Why don’t you come with me into the living room, have a cup of tea and we can talk about it.” He opened the door with a sweep of his arm. “After you.”

The living room was just as sparsely decorated as the bathroom. Aside from the usual accoutrements of a couch, coffee table, and rocking chair, there was nothing to signify the personality of its owner.

I sat on the edge of the couch, still a bit apprehensive, but much more relaxed than I had been in the past twenty-four hours. John returned a few minutes later, with two mugs in hand and sat down beside me.

“Here,” he handed me one of the mugs. “It’s chamomile. I kinda figured you could use its calming properties.”

“Oh yeah, I guess so,” I laughed nervously.

John put his hand on my arm. “Mags, you can relax. You’re safe here.” He lifted his head to meet my eyes and gave me a small smile. His emerald eyes betrayed his feelings, honesty showing itself. Between that and the softness of his voice I was disarmed. It didn’t hurt that he had used my name instead of the silly nickname he had christened me with.

My face flushed, embarrassed to admit I had listened in on the earlier conversation. “What were you and the others talking about earlier and what does it have to do with me?”

“You heard that.” He wasn’t asking, just stating a fact. Trepidation crossed his face as he gathered his thoughts. “Well, the long and short of it is, Willa sent us to protect you.”

My jaw dropped. I didn’t know how to respond to that.

He went on to explain that, aside from my little hiccup of showing up early, Willa had planned on moving me somewhere safer once I was old enough to leave home. The attacks on me had been increasing and Willa believed the Aelfadl had finally narrowed down their search for us. She deemed it too dangerous to remain among the humans, for their safety, and put a plan in order.

Others had volunteered to help Willa in her plan for me. Not all Otherworldly creatures were against us. Willa was over a thousand years old and in that time had made many friends and champions.

Willa had been tasked with smuggling me into the human side of the Mistfall. She made it possible, through magic and bribery for the Maguire’s (my human parents) to adopt me. Willa had kept a close eye on me, though I never knew she was there until she moved next door to us.

John wouldn’t let me in on the plan, for safety reasons, except on a ‘need to know’ basis. I didn’t argue. Enough people had already been hurt because of me and I didn’t want anyone else put in harm’s way.

Having eavesdropped on their conversation, I knew they were on Team Mags. With no plan of my own, I decided to put my faith in Willa and go with hers.

He told me that I would be staying with him for the next three months, while the rest of Willa’s plan was put into order. My inner self was jumping up and down, screaming “Woohoo,” but I kept even faced when I agreed. Three months with that eye candy couldn’t be that bad. Besides, I had nothing left and nowhere to go.