"What? Who found Shane's truck?"

"The Montana State Police..." She sobbed on my shoulder, digging her nails into my back.

I looked to Michael. "What does she mean?"

"There's been an accident, Maggie," he said, running one hand through his hair. "Shane's truck slid off the side of a mountain a week ago." He paused, looking at his feet. "It went into a river. They've recovered the truck but haven't yet found the bodies."

"No," I said, shaking my head and pushing Merry away. "I don't believe either of you!" I clutched at my chest.

"You're a liar!" I pointed to Michael. "You'd say or do anything to stay here with me, and you brainwashed Merry to go along with it."

"Maggie, stop..." Michael came towards me and I screamed. The last of the streetlights went dark.

"He's not dead! Ruth Anne said I'd know." I looked to her, seeing her white face and emotionless eyes.

"They found his cellphone near the riverbank," Merry whispered. For the first time, I noticed that her eyes were red and her face splotchy. "They got my number from it."

"But I have his ring," I said, showing them my hand. "I got this from our dream!"

The others looked at me, confused.

Merry reached out her hand. "Maggie, we're here for you, whatever you need."

A sharp pain in my lower back buckled my knees. And then another. And another. I fell forward, my arms wrapping around my belly. Michael caught me as I crumpled to the ground.

"The curse..." I stammered, fighting through the pain and looking up. Within seconds, Merry's hands were on me, channeling healing energy into me, but the pain was unrelenting. Agonizing pulses emanated from my pelvis, coursing through my entire body.

I threw my head back, crying out. This time it wasn't for Shane. "Oh, G.o.d. I'm having my baby."

I was ushered into the backseat of the car. Ruth Anne drove and Eve rode shotgun, leaving Merry in the backseat to attend to me. Michael drove ahead in the van, clearing traffic with his horn and high beams.

"We'll be at the hospital soon," Merry promised. "Just breathe."

"But it hurts." I squeezed my eyes shut and dug my nails into her hands with every contraction. I almost lost consciousness several times, but Merry's energy kept me up.

"Twenty minutes, Maggie. Tops," Ruth Anne said from the front seat, sharply twisting the wheel to the left and right, swerving through traffic.

"It's coming so fast," I moaned, nearly breathless. "What if the curse..."

Merry wiped my face. "On Mama's grave I swear nothing will happen to you. Do you hear me? Stay calm. We'll be there soon."

Eve reached out to me, kissing my fingers. "Fifteen minutes."

"We should call Aunt Dora and Jillian," Merry said.

"No." They had been willing to turn over my child to Larinda. I didn't want to see them until after my baby was born and safe. Maybe not even then.

Another contraction hit, this one so terrible I arched my back and kicked at the door. They were coming quicker now, without room to catch my breath in between.

Merry lifted my skirt, then looked at me with frightened eyes. "The baby's coming, Maggie."

"But I haven't finished the globes! And we're not at the hospital!"

"Tell that to the baby." Turning to Ruth Anne, she said, "Pull over, and get water and blankets out of the trunk."

We stopped at the side of the road. Ruth Anne jumped out and returned with a pre-prepared box of blankets, water, and a first aid kit. Eve held my hand from the front seat while Merry lifted my hips and slid a blanket beneath me. The she stuffed a washcloth in my mouth and told me to bite down.

I writhed and cried out as wave after insufferable wave of pain overtook me. For a frightening moment, I felt myself slipping into the Netherworld.

"I can't do this," I whimpered.

"Yes you can!" Merry challenged. "Now get ready to push."

I did push...and the darkness came. I pushed again and it deepened.

"Once more," Merry's voice sounded, though I couldn't see her anymore. I was so tired. I needed to sleep. "Fight, Maggie, fight for your son."

My son.

I gave every last ounce of strength I possessed, baring my teeth down on the washcloth and squeezing Eve's hand tightly.

I felt myself floating, numbed, listening to the voices of my sisters and Michael gathered around me, my body detaching itself from the pain.

"It's a boy!" Merry announced, followed by the sound of crying. I wasn't certain if it was mine or my son's.

I looked up to see Ruth Anne and Michael looming my head. Their eyes were filled with tears. From the pa.s.senger seat, Eve was sobbing too.

Merry cut the cord and wrapped my son in a blanket, then laid him on my chest, still wailing. He had a thatch of auburn hair and perfect, pink cheeks. He opened his small hazel eyes and blinked.

"I'm mommy," I whispered, offering him my little finger. He wrapped his entire hand around it and his cries subsided. I stared in wonder at his perfect little face as he gradually drifted off to sleep.

There are days in your life that you will always look back on, the brightest days when the world opens up before you, and the darkest days when everything crashes down. Today, I had both.

I had lost Shane and my heart was irreparably broken.

But I had also given birth to a son and felt a love so deep and frightening that it nearly blotted the other pain away.

I looked at my sisters. I wasn't sure what the future held for me. My son and I had made it through labor but the curse was still upon us. There were more globes and more lessons.

It didn't seem fair that the night should be so clear. It should be crying or celebrating with me.

A moment later, a silver thread flashed in the heavens. The sky opened up, dumping water, drenching us all.

"What will you name him?" Michael asked, moving his body to shield me from the rain.

I looked at my ring, the ring from the dream world I had built with Shane. "Montana."

EPILOGUE.

My Back Pages.

In a small glen surrounded by aspens that launched themselves into the night sky like arrows, three women gathered around a bubbling cauldron.

The first woman, a striking witch named Larinda, dipped her ladle into the brew. "The child came early," she said.

"It came as it was supposed ta," the short, broad-shouldered witch named Dora replied. "We no longer have need of ya, so go!"

Larinda regarded Dora with a long stare. "But the pact has not been fulfilled. Maggie has not learned the full truth."

"She knows enough," Dora said, her steel eyes flashing.

"But not everything, as we agreed."

"Please," the green-eyed witch named Jillian implored. "We'll ensure Maggie finishes her lessons. Witch's Honor."

Larinda looked up into the starless night, her black curls slithering down her back like hungry snakes. "But my dear Jillian, we made a pact."

"Her delivery was early! That was not our fault!"

"Nor was it mine. I kept my end of the deal. Now you must keep yours."

Jillian lifted her ladle threateningly. "We will not let you take the baby!"

A cord of lightning slashed through the sky. "There are repercussions for witches who don't abide by their sealed agreements. You know this, correct?"

"We do," Dora said. "And we're willing ta take the consequences."

"So be it. And just so we are clear, I'm coming for the baby. The curse still has Maggie in its grips and she won't be able to fight me off, especially with you two out of the picture."

Lightning flashed again and Larinda vanished.

Then Dora.

Only Jillian was left standing.

She pressed an object between her hands and invoked the guardians of magic to help her, knowing she would lose her abilities once she crossed back into her own plane.

As she too disappeared from the glen, the object fell into the bubbling caldron.

It plunged to the bottom before floating up again.

A small, white baby shoe.

Did you miss the first book in the Daughters of Dark Root series?.

If so, check out it out here: THE WITCHES OF DARK ROOT.

If you enjoyed the book please consider leaving a review! A short review is fine and greatly appreciated. Word of mouth is essential for any author to succeed.

THE DAUGHTERS OF DARK ROOT SERIES.

Four sisters try their hands at love, life, and magick in this paranormal fantasy series.

Book Two: The Magick of Dark Root ~ Maggie Maddock and her sisters are back, training under their coven-leading mother Miss Sasha Shantay to take over as the new leaders of The Council. But life isn't as smooth as Maggie had hoped it would be. Harvest Home's taxes have come due, and her mother's illness has returned, stronger than ever. Desperate, Maggie and Eve devise a scheme to make money through witchcraft. And that's when things go terribly wrong.

THE UNIVERSE SERIES.

Book One: The Universe is a Very Big Place ~ Spring Ryan wants nothing more than a normal life, but when the whole Universe conspires against you, you have to play the hand you're dealt. A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about two generations of women striving to give love a second chance.

MORE BOOKS BY APRIL AASHEIM.

The Daughters of Dark Root Series:.

The Witches of Dark Root - http://amzn.com/B00D6OUDDG.

The Magick of Dark Root - http://amzn.com/B00KRQ2KAK The Curse of Dark Root: Part One - http://amzn.com/B00UQVGUF2.

The Curse of Dark Root: Part Two (Coming Spring 2016) The Shadows of Dark Root (Coming 2017).

The Children of Dark Root (Coming 2017/2018).

Other Books by April Aasheim.

The Council of Dark Root: Armand (A Daughters of Dark Root companion novella) - http://amzn.com/B00PQXVP0A.

The Universe is a Very Big Place (A quirky rom-com) http://amzn.com/B008QSTLQ2.

The Good Girl's Guide to Demonology: Coming Fall, 2015.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

April Aasheim learned to love magic at an early age. Her mother was a fortune teller who always had books on magic and the occult in the house, which April devoured. April fell so in love with the paranormal world, in fact, that at age eight she declared herself a witch and wore a pointed hat for nearly an entire summer. It was at that time that she also discovered books (written for kids) about witches and April hunted them out in libraries and supermarkets. Her favorites were always the ones where witches and ghosts 'could be real'.

April continued her love of the supernatural into her adult life, studying the occult, spirituality, and world religion. She also loved writing but never thought of combining her two pastimes, until the day she accidentally wrote the sentence "If I were a real witch..." and The Daughters of Dark Root series was born.

April currently lives with her husband and family in Portland, Oregon. When not writing she enjoys dancing, reading, hiking, crafting, and binge netflixing.

Get in touch with April on Facebook or visit her website at: www.aprilaasheimwriter.com.