A rickety old dock led to the front yard of Hedge. The swamp was still, lily pads floating silently over algae and alligator infested water, barely disturbed by their arrival. Decades-old willow trees draped in Spanish moss blocked out the golden glow of the setting sun. The continuous chorus of cicadas sang wildly, their chirping increasing as they sensed the arrival of witches. Her ears welcomed the sound after the loud boat ride and she tilted her head back to absorb the foreign air. New Orleans might not be her permanent home, but something about the Bayou spoke to her soul deeper than she ever could have imagined. She couldn’t deny that the place had a pulse, a living thing beckoning her into its swampy embrace. Encased deep in murky waters, cypress trees, and mosquitos, sat Hedge. A so-called sanctuary for witches, and the only place to find what she needed.

-Curse of Gold and Ashes. Book 2 in The Blackwood Witch Series

Copyright © Ashley Hay. 2017