What an honor it is to write this missive to you today! When C.L. Carhart asked me to compose her "email newsletter," I had no idea what she meant. She explained an "email" is similar to a letter, but written using some sort of electrical contraption instead of by hand. That concept would fascinate my Papa. It might give him some direction regarding his inventions!

I don't believe we have met before, so please allow me to introduce myself as Helena Braun, my Papa's youngest daughter. There's really not much of interest to share regarding my family or our lifestyle in the secluded Alpine village we call our home. My older siblings have begun to seek out marital partners, while I've yet to meet any dashing young male who captures my attention. I long to bond with someone whose interests span beyond the mundane world, someone who wishes to learn and grow together.

My sisters have warned me I may never find myself a husband, since I have an embarrassing secret that sets me apart from most young maidens. A secret far more awkward than a tendency to read fantasy and romance novels. 😬

Deep down I know magic isn't real. But sometimes I have my doubts.

Gift of Light - Snippet

Although my sisters complain about my embarrassing secret, there are times it proves useful after all. Just the other day, something terrible happened to Papa and our brother while they were traveling to the festival at the Austrian border. I struck out into the forest this afternoon to find and help them, the glimmering light within me guiding my way. I hardly expected to come across a sinister castle radiating a deathly aura that gnawed at my spirit . . . .

***

We passed no other travelers as evening drew near. Not entirely unusual, since our village was not along a major trade route, tucked away in the rolling Alpine hills. But when Hamlet stopped unexpectedly where an ancient dirt road branched off toward a peak most people avoided, a nervous chill ran up my spine. The horse tossed his dappled head toward the overgrown path.

“They went that way?” I narrowed my eyes at the road, noticing thin impressions on each side near the tangled brambles. The marks left by a cart’s wheels, they appeared quite recent. “But why? Nobody goes that way. That’s where the vampires sleep.”

Hamlet seemed insistent upon taking the overgrown road, so I let him lead, though I gripped the reins more nervously than before. I rolled my eyes at myself and allowed the light within me to brighten my skin and eyes, sharpening my vision as the canopy shaded what remained of the sunlight. “Vampires are just a fairytale,” I reminded myself and my horse. “And if they’re not, I can use my light against them. Papa says it’s as radiant as the sun. Should frighten off any vicious creatures.”

The road began to ascend the mountainside, the gloom growing thicker the further we went from the main route. I continued talking to Hamlet, trying to reassure myself despite the claws of fear scratching at my composure. “Why would Papa and Werner go this way? Did something happen on the main road, a fallen tree or a rock slide? If so, the mayor will have to send a team out to clear it. He must not know about it yet, or else Flora would have mentioned it. I wish there was another alternate road south aside from this one. This one’s asking for trouble, going up and around this peak. Lots of ruts to knock a cart toward the edge.”

Plus all the dark rumors about what called this peak home. Shuddering, I wrapped my cloak more securely around myself, sweeping my gaze to the left and right as we progressed. I constantly checked for broken branches and overturned rocks, looking for signs of a cart having veered off the road. So far, I noticed only the occasional indentations of rolling wheels and hoof prints in the center of the path.

Maybe it dead-ended at a vampire’s lair.

Just as that possibility crossed my mind, Hamlet stopped again, snorting and peering toward a narrow trail to our right hidden by boughs of larch and pine. A soft gasp escaped my lips and my eyes widened, a deathly aura permeating the shadowed forest. Tightening my grip on the reins, I bent low and whispered to Hamlet, “If Papa, Werner, and Oberon went that way, we can too. It’s up to us to bring them home.”

My heart sprinted in my chest, anxiety belying my words. But I nudged the horse forward and into the unknown we went, Hamlet’s steps skittish now. My light continued to sharpen my vision, revealing the winding path below with the clarity of a summer’s noon. There seemed to be no wildlife active in this section of the forest. No squirrels nor birds, not even any insects. Maybe this part of the mountain had already experienced an overnight frost.

But that should not prompt all the animals to vanish. Right?

Vampires sucking blood from prey animals might, though.

Before I had time to consider the implications of that, an aged stone wall coated with ivy loomed ahead. The path we took ended at an archway without a gate, a small enclosure stuffed with tangled weeds and swaying fronds of grass awaiting us. The stone wall curved in a semicircle ending at a crag that towered high overhead, sporting a single door cut into the cliff face. A crisp breeze swirled my cloak around me as Hamlet and I emerged from the forest, the yard before us appearing unkempt and forgotten.

Suddenly a familiar whinny prompted both of us to jolt in surprise, and I urged Hamlet forward into the yard. “Oberon!” I cried out, seeing the tan stallion hitched to a post not far from the door into the cliff. I reined Hamlet in beside his brother, slipping out of the saddle as the two horses exchanged greetings. Hamlet seemed delighted, while Oberon quivered with tension.

I reached out to pat the tan horse’s neck, my light offering a taste of comfort while I looked around this strange enclosure. I did not know how far we had ascended the mountain, but I could see my breath, my eyes still catching no hint of wildlife amid the conifers surrounding the stone wall. This yard had no trough for a horse to eat or drink, but Oberon had munched some of the weeds around the post that confined him. His harness was gone, a bridle and reins lashing him to the post.

Whoever—or whatever—lurked within this mountain had trapped my family’s horse in a place with no water and little food. Still holding Hamlet’s reins, I focused on that innate sense deep within me, the one no textbook had ever explained, stretching my spirit forth in a search for my brother and Papa. If Oberon was trapped here outside, they were likely shackled inside. And I needed to figure out a way to free them.

Within moments, my spirit brushed a familiar aura that tasted of sparking energy, its vitality diminished and thick with worry. “Papa.” Werner was likely imprisoned in the same place, but I pulled my awareness back to the yard before the cliff face, dusk draping the surroundings in shadowy gray. I looked toward the unremarkable door set into the stone precipice, gathering my courage. My brother and Papa might not have food or water, either. I had to go inside and find them.

Carefully, I knotted Hamlet’s reins into a notch on the post, patting his side and Oberon’s. “I don’t like having to leave you here, but our men are trapped inside this mountain,” I told the horses, holding their gazes as I spoke. “I’m going to break them out, and then we’ll find you some water. We won’t let whoever did this get away with it. We’ll ride home together and tell the mayor someone’s shutting travelers away in this mountain.”

Hamlet chuffed at me and bumped his nose against my cheek, apprehension glistening in his eyes. I patted him one last time and thanked him for bringing me to the right place. As the final traces of light faded from the sky, I stepped to the door and shoved it open. Made of the same granite as the cliff itself, it swung inward on iron hinges without making a sound.

Inside it was pitch black, so I threw caution to the wind and envisioned a fist-sized star rising from my right palm. My intent drew the light from my spirit, fashioning it into a hovering sphere no one could extinguish but me. Even though no one had taught me just how to take hold of that glimmer residing within, I had experimented with it often since I first discovered it as a young girl. Whether it was actual magic or simply evidence of my oddness—an opinion my sisters strongly held—it came in handy at moments like this.

No matter who had captured Papa and Werner—vampire, thief, or rogue—the light floating before me would guide me to them. I stood in a stone antechamber about ten paces each direction with no furniture except one bench to the right of the exit. An ancient torch with no mantle left to burn hung in a notch beside the exit, the atmosphere musty and chilled. No point in wasting time here. The horses need water, and your family needs a rescuer.

Sliding my left hand into my bodice to take hold of the handle of my dagger, I followed my radiant sphere into a corridor stretching far beyond the antechamber. In a short distance I passed the first cell, iron bars secured with a strong lock. My entire body quivered with apprehension as my light floated onward, countless identical cells lining the corridor. Was this some sort of prison? I had heard of no such place this close to my home.

“Helena? Is that you?” Pain cracked Papa’s voice, reaching my ears from further down the corridor. “That light—”

“Papa!” I barely managed not to shout out my reply, my instincts reminding me a jailer must exist in this awful place. A jailer who might be watching my every move. But I rushed forward, grabbing my floating light in my right hand as I sped to where I sensed Papa’s presence.

“Dear God in heaven. I thought I recognized that light. You shouldn’t be here!” Papa’s hands grasped the bars of his cell an instant before I skidded to a halt, tears welling in my eyes at the sight of his ashen cheeks. I pulled my left hand out of my bodice and stroked his fingers.

“Who did this to you? Where is Werner?” I whispered, the sphere still shining in my right hand.

A ghostly chuckle crept out of the shadows to my left—the direction of the antechamber. “So the merchant has a witch for a daughter. How intriguing.”

Want to know what happens next? Just who is this man—or creature—who imprisoned my Papa and brother in a dreary castle? Can I work out a deal with him to set them free? At what cost?

You can get the entirety of my story—which C.L. Carhart has garnished with adventure and romance, two things I long for the most—from her web shop right now. On June 1st, Gift of Light will be added to a limited-time anthology, so this is your one chance to read my story before everyone else. And without having to join a bunch of author newsletters in the process. 😉

I could use some moral support while I try to cut a deal with a sinister being who kidnapped my Papa and brother. Can I count on you to lend me your strength?

✨ Get It EARLY! ✨

Colonial Williamsburg Pictures

While I muddle my way through a wild tale that finally tears me away from my mundane home life, C.L. Carhart and her husband are exploring a group of settlements that memorialize the American Revolution from the 1700s. I learned about that era in school, and I'm sure it'd be exciting to walk the paths of history! She sent me a batch of photos and asked me to choose which ones I'll share with you, so I've picked my favorites.

A sneak peek at the cabinetmaker, with two people working on a new harpsichord. Fascinating! 🎹

And a look at a field gun and a Howitzer from the 1700s! You can find a bunch more at Yorktown, Virginia, the site of the final battle in the American Revolution.

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How about some more romantic fantasy stories to bring you relief from your mundane life? I've got 2 tales to share with you today, and I hope you'll take a moment to consider each one. Allow Arizona Tape and Danielle Hughes to guide you into lands filled with magic, mystery, and dragons! 🐲

Junior property lawyer Alisha didn't expect to run into her one-night-stand at work and discover she's her new colleague.

Dragon shifter Kendra has no interest in finding her mate but fate keeps putting Alisha in her path. When they're forced to work together on a case, tension grows between the two women as the stakes get higher.

Can Kendra and Alisha look past their ambitions and find common ground or will their rivalry break them apart?

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Stranded on a mysterious island with her younger brother, Jack, Adelle feels lost and confused. When Jack is kidnapped by the tyrant ruler, Adelle must journey across the island of Mystica with some unexpected allies to rescue him.

Along the way Adelle will unlock the dormant magic and hidden secrets of Mystica, learning things about her own unknown past.Together with her new companions, she will overcome many challenges to discover the value of true friendships and the importance of self-belief.

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Well, I'd better get back to that eerie castle and find out just who captured my Papa and brother. And just what he plans to do with them.

And whether he's open to cutting a deal with someone like me.

Want to join me? Get your copy of my story—Gift of Light—at the first link below. I wish you a wonderfully exciting life filled with stories of love and adventure!

With all my love,

Helena Braun

Get Gift of Light:

https://clcarhart.com/products/gift-of-light-ebook

Get Gift of Air for free:

https://bf.clcarhart.com/6w57qgfhc9

Elemental Bloodlines series:

https://clcarhart.com/collections/elemental-bloodlines-series-ebooks

His Name Was Augustin series:

https://clcarhart.com/collections/hnwa-series-ebooks