Rainbow Snippets: A flicker of magic

_{^{Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week and share six sentences from a work of fiction–a WIP or a finished work or even a 6-sentence book recommendation.}}

I’m still sharing snippets from In Pain and Blood, which is slated to be released Sept 15. The rewrite is a little light on the romance side and a touch darker in other parts.

This week’s snippet is quite a skip from the last, where Tracker is leaving the village of Toptower around the same time Dylan’s scouting mission goes sideways. At this point, Track is giving his farewells to Guard Commander Rhiannon, who laments his departure and was told: “We are also a limited resource and the places with hounds stationed there are strategic.”

“And Toptower isn’t one of them.” It wasn’t a question. Many of Toptower’s residents had a dreary outlook on precisely how safe they were and their importance to the kingdom. He supposed such cynicism came from centuries of having the army a mere few days’ ride. Close enough to spot camp smoke, but far away that he never once sensed a ghost of magic.
Except, he could’ve sworn he did. Just a flicker, but somewhere to the west.
Impossible. For magic to reach his senses, he would need to be standing amongst the debris of a wrought spell, sharing a moderately sized building with an unleashed spellster, or within a few hours of one actively using their power. To feel it over any distance would require enough power to level a fortress.
He froze in adjusting Lullaby’s girth. There it was again. Less a flicker and closer.
And swelling.

This part will continue. In the meantime, check out these other snippets.