These Men, These Shadows
Elsbeth, a witch turned unnaturally
immortal at her fiery death, struggles with three things: concealing the
twisted burn scars on her legs, avoiding the darkly dressed men who
occasionally trail her, and admitting she’s the last witch alive. Although
she’s kept her identity secret for over three centuries, her desperate search
for other witches leads her to trust an Innocent,
a journalist named Andrew Pax, whose interest in the fiction of witch lore only
extends as far as the paycheck he’ll receive for his next article.
With unconvinced Andew’s help, however, Elsbeth discovers the secret none of those Burdened with magic discuss: warlocks ignited the European Witch Trials to slaughter all witches. Worse yet, Matthew Hopkins, her aged torturer during the trials, still lives and promises to break the immortality spell keeping Elsbeth alive. Her death will ensure his rise to power over warlocks. As she scrambles in familiar fear of Hopkins for a plan, his well-trained men begin the last witch hunt. But Elsbeth’s problems aren’t as simple as staying alive.
Two brutish warlocks confront her in the woods insisting she’s the last hope to replace the overthrown witch-born leader of warlocks, the Waress. The men who wish to stain their swords and arrows with her blood should be bowing to her. The pair claims the death of the last witch will end both witchcraft’s legacy and Waress heritage. Conflicted, Elsbeth struggles to make sense of a savage Waress destiny she doesn’t want, but to stop Hopkins from killing her and protect the now compromised Andrew, she fears she must sacrifice her “do no harm” magical teachings and become the evil power she hopes to prevent.
With unconvinced Andew’s help, however, Elsbeth discovers the secret none of those Burdened with magic discuss: warlocks ignited the European Witch Trials to slaughter all witches. Worse yet, Matthew Hopkins, her aged torturer during the trials, still lives and promises to break the immortality spell keeping Elsbeth alive. Her death will ensure his rise to power over warlocks. As she scrambles in familiar fear of Hopkins for a plan, his well-trained men begin the last witch hunt. But Elsbeth’s problems aren’t as simple as staying alive.
Two brutish warlocks confront her in the woods insisting she’s the last hope to replace the overthrown witch-born leader of warlocks, the Waress. The men who wish to stain their swords and arrows with her blood should be bowing to her. The pair claims the death of the last witch will end both witchcraft’s legacy and Waress heritage. Conflicted, Elsbeth struggles to make sense of a savage Waress destiny she doesn’t want, but to stop Hopkins from killing her and protect the now compromised Andrew, she fears she must sacrifice her “do no harm” magical teachings and become the evil power she hopes to prevent.