PHANTASM FRIDAY

Toni V. Sweeney in the Moonlight

Megan McMuir is a newly-wed with a problem. She’s just discovered her husband is a faery, and not just any old faery but a faery wizard, sent from another dimension to protect the Earth from an invasion by Exeter Dubhtina, Wizard of Dark Fire. Soon there will be a Harmonic Convergence, with all the planets in a direct line with the sun, and all magic defenses protecting the Earth will weaken. Before Megan recovers from that shock, a Bain Sidhe gallops through the house, husband David disappears and she is swept into an adventure in a land where unicorns roam the Damhain Garrai, and were-knights terrorize leprechauns and sprites.

I was inspired to write Wizard’s Wife after reading An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and other Supernatural Creatures, by Katherine Briggs. It introduced me to a whole world of hitherto unknown supernatural beings, among them the Trooping Faeries. There are many kinds of faeries (and here I was thinking there was only those with the wee butterfly antenna and gossamer wings dripping faery-dust. Not so!) Faeries are divided into many factions. The Trooping faeries range in size from human-height to ones no bigger than an acorn. The malevolent Sluagh (pronounced Slooa) or the Host of the Unforgiven Dead, are the most formidable of the faery people, followed closely by the vicious Solitary faeries. The former are the spirits of dead mortals. When the Sluagh urge men to do wicked deeds, humans have no choice but to obey. Solitary faeries are general malignant creatures such as the Bogies. Some aren’t necessarily a danger, like the Pooka, (Will o’ the Wisp) who leads travelers astray or the Bain Sidhe (banshee) riding through the halls to herald a death. Others are more prone to mischief, such as brownies and leprechauns. In Wizard’s Wife, my villain and villainess are the children of the Lord of Dark Fire and his wife, a solitary fairy, so they got a double-dose of bad.

Tavis McMuir, or David, as he is known to his human friends, is a Trooping faery, giant economy size. Like most of his kind, he’s handsome and utterly irresistible to human females. Unfortunately, he finds that human females are just as irresistible to him, in particular one Megan O’Connell whom he meets at a party and soon after marries. Disguised as an Irishman, David, son of Padraig, Lord of White Fire and ruler of the northern half of Ais Linn, has been sent to Earth through a magical Portal to prevent, Exeter from taking over the world. His father’s furious about his marriage to a mortal but what can he do? David’s a wizard, the first and last line of defense. The fact that there’s also a coming grandchild, who may or may not be a Halfling, doesn’t help family relations a bit.

When David is ordered to return to Ais Linn because the Harmonic Convergience is getting close, he leaves Megan behind to keep her safe. Little does he know that his loving little wife isn’t about to let her husband fight an evil wizard alone. With the aid of Brigid, the twin sister of David’s familiar Ossian, Megan also goes through the Portal—and is promptly captured by Exeter’s Wolf-pack, a group of drop-dead handsome shapeshifters who prowl the Damhain Garrai looking for pixies to terrorize. She’s whisked away to Casteal Dubhtina where Exeter places a spell upon her and her unborn child. His price for setting free Megan free: Padraig must turn over his part of the kingdom, as well as the Earth and every mortal on it. Meantwhile, Exeter’s wily sister, Siobhan, is working a little magical blackmail to keep her ex-betrothed David from fighting her brother in hand-to-hand combat.

It’s a good story, I think, full of adventure, romance, and humor as well. It’s now making the rounds and I hope it won’t be long before it’s found a home.

(Toni V. Sweeney’s latest novel is Serpent’s Tooth, released in February by Class Act Books. It is her ninth book to date. More information about Toni and her writing can be found at http://www.tonivsweeney.com/.)