Each week, I send out a story via my email newsletter. Each story is around 1000 words, sometimes less, sometimes more. The stories are in a variety of genres: supernatural, thriller, sci-fi, horror, and sometimes romance, and all of my stories typically feature a gay protagonist.
I would love it if you would subscribe to my weekly newsletter! You can do so HERE.
This is story number 11 of the series. Enjoy!
Jasper’s Twist of Fate
Jasper stepped out of The Witching Hour, letting the heavy oak door thud shut behind him. He took a deep breath of the crisp night air, a welcome respite from the smoky haze of the bar. It had been another slow night slinging drinks for the regulars – werewolves nursing IPAs, a moping vampire in the corner, a few pixies buzzing with gossip in their high-pitched chirps. Just once Jasper wished something exciting would happen to shake up the monotony. Little did he know what the Fates had in store.
A black cat darted across his path, pausing to regard Jasper with luminous yellow eyes. It gave a soft “mrow?” then scampered off down a narrow alley. Jasper hesitated for a moment, then curiosity got the better of him and he followed the feline into the gloom.
An eerie green light flickered to life at the end of the alley. It pulsed and swirled hypnotically. Jasper found himself irresistibly drawn toward it, his feet moving of their own accord. As he approached, the light coalesced into a glowing green archway. Through it, Jasper glimpsed a stately room filled with rich mahogany and velvet trappings. A man stood waiting, tall and imposing in a bespoke black suit. Power seemed to radiate off him.
“Welcome, Jasper Flint,” the man said in a voice like distant thunder. “I’ve been expecting you.”
Jasper blinked in surprise. “I’m sorry, do I know you? How do you know my name?”
The man chuckled. “We’ve been watching you for some time, Jasper. We believe you have…potential. Raw, untapped magical potential.”
Jasper shook his head in disbelief. “Dude, I think you’ve got the wrong guy. I’m no one special, certainly no wizard or whatever you think I am.”
“Ah, but that’s where you’re mistaken,” the man replied. “Haven’t you always felt different? Like you didn’t quite fit in? Strange things happening around you that you can’t explain?”
An icy finger trailed down Jasper’s spine. It was true — all his life odd occurrences seemed to dog his steps. But magic? Surely that was impossible…
The man stepped aside, gesturing to the archway. “Come. Let me show you what you’re truly capable of.”
Despite his misgivings, Jasper felt drawn forward as if pulled by an invisible string. He stepped through the portal…
…and stumbled into chaos. Alarms blared and red lights flashed. People in dark robes ran through the corridors, shouting to each other.
“Intruder in Sector 7! Seal the exits!”
“Where’s the Archmage? We need to protect him!”
“Whoever brought a civilian through the wards is going to be in so much trouble…”
Jasper whipped around to demand an explanation from the suited man, but he was gone. In his place was the black cat, sitting and washing a paw nonchalantly.
“You!” Jasper cried. “What the hell is going on? What is this place?”
The cat paused and looked up at him with inscrutable yellow eyes. Then, to Jasper’s utter shock, it spoke.
“Well, this isn’t how I planned your introduction to the Order, but I suppose we’ll just have to wing it. I’m Jada, by the way. Mistress of Feline Magics, at your service.”
Jasper gaped at the talking cat. “This…this is impossible. I must be dreaming. Or losing my mind.”
Jada sniffed. “Humans. So unimaginative. Magic is very real, and so are the dangers that come with it. Which you’re about to experience firsthand if we don’t get you out of here.”
She trotted over to a nondescript section of wall and placed a paw against it. Lines glowed, forming the shape of a door which swung open to reveal a dark passageway.
“Quickly, through here!” Jada hissed. “Before they find us!”
“Who’s ‘they’? What do they want with me?” Jasper demanded.
“All in good time,” Jada said. “For now, run!”
Seeing armed guards rounding the far corner, Jasper decided to trust the cat. He plunged into the tunnel, heart pounding, with Jada at his heels. The door sealed shut behind them, plunging them into darkness.
Jasper ran blindly, no idea where he was going or what would happen next. All he knew was that his life had irrevocably changed in the space of a few minutes. Magic was real. And somehow, he was at the center of a secret magical society’s plans.
There was no going back to his mundane existence now. The only way out…was through.
They ran deeper into the labyrinthine passages. Jasper’s breath burned in his lungs and his legs ached but he didn’t dare slow down. Not with the shouts of pursuit still echoing behind them.
“Where are we going?” he panted.
Jada’s eyes gleamed in the dark. “Somewhere they won’t expect. Somewhere we can regroup and figure out our next move.”
She veered left down a smaller side tunnel. Jasper followed, hoping the cat knew what she was doing. Suddenly the floor disappeared beneath his feet and he was falling, tumbling down a chute into the unknown.
He landed with a splash in knee-deep water, sputtering and disoriented. A dim greenish light illuminated a cavernous space filled with twisting pipes and gurgling channels. The stench of waste and rot was overpowering.
“Welcome to the Underworks,” Jada said, perched delicately atop a crate on a dry ledge. “The city’s magical sewer system. Not the most pleasant hideout, but nearly impossible to track someone down here.”
Jasper waded over to the ledge and hauled himself up, clothes heavy with muck. “Okay, cat, I’ve followed you this far. I think I deserve some answers. What the hell is going on? What do these Order people want with me?”
Jada sighed. “It’s…complicated. Let’s just say there’s a prophecy about a ‘Chosen One’ who will either save the magical world or destroy it, depending on which side he aligns with. And right now, all signs point to you being that Chosen One.”
“Me?” Jasper laughed incredulously. “I’m no one special. This is insane.”
“Believe me, I wish it wasn’t you,” Jada said dryly. “But the threads of fate have drawn us together. I’m meant to guide and protect you…even if right now I’d rather dunk you in the sludge.”
Jasper scowled at her. “Gee, thanks. Glad to know I have such a glowing endorsement.”
“This is bigger than your hurt feelings. If the Order gets their hands on you, if they convince you to join their side… the consequences would be catastrophic. We’re talking full-scale magical war, the destruction of everything we hold dear. And as annoying as you are…I can’t let that happen.”
Jada’s voice held a note of grim sincerity that sent a chill down Jasper’s spine. Maybe…maybe this was real.
In which case…what the hell was he supposed to do now?
“Look,” Jada said more gently, sensing his rising panic. “One step at a time, okay? First, let’s get you into some dry clothes and find you a safe place to rest. Then we can start figuring out what your new existence as the most important person in the magical world looks like.”
“You make it sound so glamorous,” Jasper muttered. “So far it’s just been terror and sewer trudging.”
“Oh trust me, this is just the beginning,” Jada said with a flick of her tail. “Stick with me, kid. We’ve got a long, wild ride ahead of us.”
As Jasper sloshed after the cat through the dank tunnels, a trickle of unease chilled him that had nothing to do with his sodden state. He was in way over his head…and something told him there’d be no wading back to shore anytime soon. For better or worse…this was his new reality.
The magical world had found him.
And it wasn’t letting go.
THE END