From the Author
This book was the very first book that I ever published, at the age of 16. I'd had a dream for a long time to be a published author by that age, and thanks to this story, I did it! Inspired by Disney's "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms," I wrote the first draft of it (which was only about 10,000 words) right after I got home from the movie theatre, in one very long evening.
Full of adventure, excitement, monsters, and magic, this story is perfect for any fans of steampunk and gaslamp fantasy style stories. This story is one of the few I've written that has stronger Christian themes, and so it might not be perfect for everyone. But if it sounds like something you'd like, feel free to give it a try! It holds a special place in my heart, even after all these years.
From the Inside Flap
Smoky mewed, and Cadmus looked over at the sound. He smiled faintly, because it really was cute—with its light and dark grey striped fur and icy blue eyes. It couldn't have been very old. Just enough to be away from its mother. Tiny in Mira's grasp.
Mira suddenly stopped. Cadmus blinked a bit in confusion, but before he could ask why she had, a low growl brought Cadmus's attention elsewhere. He looked back ahead and stopped dead in his tracks, too.
A creature, not unlike a wolf without fur or . . . well, eyes, stood in front of them. Hollow indents sunk in where eyes normally would be, and it had no tail. Its paws were large and fitted with sharp claws.
"What . . . is . . . that?" Mira asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Cadmus held a hand out to her to tell her to calm down. He gently knelt down. ". . . Ollie? It's me. Don't worry. It's just me. I've got a kitten with me, too. That's what you're smelling."
Ollie could get very . . . testy. And Cadmus knew it well. Though he was wild, Cadmus also trusted him, for the most part, not to attack. Once Ollie knew for sure that he was there, that is. But first he had to pick up on Cadmus's scent and recognize his voice.
Ollie sniffed the air.
"That's right, it's me," Cadmus assured him. "Come on, come here."
"Come here?" Mira asked.
"Shush," Cadmus said, waving dismissively at Mira and then focusing back on Ollie. Cadmus offered up a quick prayer of, Please don't let him go all nuts and scare Miracle; it wouldn't be a very good first impression. "Come here."
The creature sniffed the air again. Took an uncertain step forward. Cadmus encouraged him as best he could, clicking his tongue a bit to help Ollie find him.
A few more steps, and Ollie had his wet nose buried in Cadmus's outstretched hand. Cadmus smiled, gently petting his hand along the creature's snout.
He let out a small laugh as Ollie hurried forward and sniffed at Cadmus's ear, licking it excitedly. "I missed you, too."
Cadmus pet the bald creature for a moment before looking back at Mira. "I think he just picked up Smoky's scent and got a bit testy. He's really a nice . . . thing."
"Thing?" Mira asked. Her eyes were wide as she stared at it. "What even is it?"
"Oh, I've got no clue," Cadmus said, giving his makeshift puppy a pat on the side. "I think he's the last of his kind. At least around here. His name's Ollie."
Mira swallowed. ". . . Will it hurt us?"
"He's never hurt me," Cadmus said. "Not on purpose, at least. If he gets excited, he might scratch you on accident. But he really doesn't mean anything by it."
Mira's gaze seemed to be latched on Ollie's long, sharp teeth. Cadmus glanced between her and it, then assured her, "He doesn't use those on people."
"How many people has he met?"
"Well . . . I guess just me," he admitted. Ollie never left the forest. That he knew of, anyway.
Come to think of it, maybe that was the reason people hated the woods so much. He didn't know why, though. Cadmus had found Ollie to be the gentlest of creatures—when he wasn't excited or hungry, at least.
"Is he gonna eat my cat?" Mira asked, frowning over at the two of them.
Cadmus shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so. Not if he knows she's with us."
"How're you gonna tell that . . . thing that she's with us, exactly?" Mira's brows raised, and she held Smoky a bit closer. Smoky mewed in response.
Ollie didn't seem to care, too excited about reuniting with Cadmus to remember anything else, for the time being.
"He's smart," Cadmus assured her, scratching behind his wolf-like ears. "He's probably just a little snacky. I'll find him some food, and everything will be fine."
"Oh, sure," Mira said, looking at Cadmus like he was crazy. "In the meantime, keep him away from my cat."
About the Author
Julia Witmer is a Christian fantasy writer and author of the clean young adult fantasy novel "A Wilted Willow" and middle grade novel "Ophelia Brown and the Unseen." Growing up overseas in Chiang Mai, Thailand, inspired her from a young age to write unusual stories about other worlds, cultures, and magical encounters, and has continued to influence the worlds she creates. Follow along on her writing journey to explore novels of hope-filled whimsy with a dash of darkness.
