Anam Cara

Anam Cara was originally conceived of as a short, holiday add-on to Darkly Bound. Because the heroine has such a talent for placing herself in impossible situations, it soon developed into this full length sequel. Lovers of characters who demonstrate no understanding of the words "quit while you're ahead," read on.

“You would keep information from me?” He ran a finger up my arm slowly, starting at my wrist, creeping up to my shoulder as he said in a near whisper, “You know, don’t you, that in my darker days I was considered an expert torturer?” He paused and let the silence in the room envelop his words.

I didn’t expect the pain. I’d practiced this again and again, but this time, as soon as I began to slip back into my own physical form, I was wracked with excruciating pain. I came to full consciousness with a scream. Every movement was torture as I tried to rise. I got as far as my knees before I had to stop and gasp for breath. It made perfect sense; I should have expected that being hit by a killing spell thrown by a powerful wizard--even one who may have pulled his punch--would leave a bruise or two.

I held him there, looking right through him. "I know what you are. I know who sent you." His pupils dilated with shock as the words cut through his mind. He became a nobody under my gaze, a man with no name on an errand with no meaning.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was like a dream. A terrible dream and I had to wake up, but I couldn’t. Images flashed through my mind. I recognized Knockturn Alley, the back room at Borgin and Burke and the poisons in the safe. But these weren’t discreetly packed away, these were clearly labeled and the safe was left unlocked.

“Not much to pack up, is there?” She looked me in the eye. “Less and less each time.”

The very last person on earth I needed to see at that moment was a pimple-faced courier. I went to the door ready to get rid of the interloper as soon as humanly, or magically if need be, possible.

I had never had a good conversation prefaced by the words ‘That’s something we need to talk about.’ I had no reason to suspect this one would be any different.

A peek into the future, if you will, several years past the last chapter.