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PW #204: Middle Grade Historical Fantasy: AN IMPOSSIBLE MAGIC

Thursday, 3 November 2016  |  Posted by Heather Cashman

Manuscript Status: Finished

Mentor Name: Juliana Brandt
Mentee Name: Lacee Little
Title: AN IMPOSSIBLE MAGIC
Category/Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fantasy
Word Count: 62,000

Pitch:

Already an expert at manipulating illusions, 13-year-old Verity Ravenwood helps her father’s blackmarket business by stealing a book of impossible spells for a notorious outlaw. But when the book gets stolen from her, she must track it down before the outlaw makes her entire family pay.

Excerpt:

When Verity Ravenwood pressed her palm against the oak door, it rippled like an aspen leaf in the wind. A harder push and the door disappeared completely, turning back into the white plaster of a wall. She smiled faintly. No one went to the trouble of creating an illusion unless it was a distraction.

Verity leaned closer to the wall, but no magic remained on its surface. She crouched, nudging the woven rug out of the way, and ran her hand along the floorboards. At first all her fingers disturbed was dust, a constant companion thanks to the refining smelters dotting Denver’s skyline. However, when she pushed against the closest floorboard, it shimmered and turned into a five-foot square of metal with a brass ring in the middle. A trap door.

“Good job, Ver,” a voice whispered behind her.

She almost jumped, but caught herself before her feet left the ground. Her older brother, Garrett, stood a hairbreadth away.

“Did you have to sneak up on me?” Verity demanded.

He shrugged. Their father might joke Verity was the cat burglar of the family, but Garrett was the most cat-like. Although they shared the same green eyes, his were brighter, as if he could see in the dark. His black hair even lay against his head like a cat’s well-groomed fur, while Verity’s never lay anywhere.

“You should go first.” Garrett leaned over the door, but didn’t touch it. “There might be traps.”

 

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