EOK Gifford-Smith

"Do you like me?" I asked. "Do you really like me?"
Imogen nodded. Water gathered at the edges of her eyes. "Yeah," she whispered, in a voice pained enough to crack my heart.
"Then let's...go out, after this," I said. "We'll go on a date. We can figure this out together, and we can take one step at a time. Okay?"
Imogen nodded again. I took her hands in mine. 
Heartwood: Forbidden is the tale of the young, headstrong Ophelia stepping into a world of magic and witches. At first it seems like her greatest challenge will be finding her Familiar or drawing her Implement from a great tree, but then she runs into Imogen, daughter and heir to the Magnolia family, and learns very quickly that romance and magic probably shouldn't be allowed to mix. If Ophelia plays the game well, she might be able to get the girl and still end up on top. But Ophelia has never been good at following the rules... 
Heartwood: Forbidden is created by EOK Gifford-Smith, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Heartwood: Forbidden

I put my hand against the bark of the Baobab tree, feeling in it the faint pulse of life and magic that was starting to grow familiar. Landy's cavalier attitude made me double guess myself. I looked back at the old man.


He shrugged. "Just ask, child. There ain't nothing wrong with asking."


I returned my attention to the tree. Just ask. It didn't need to be a whole ceremony. I didn't need to think about how badly I wanted this, how badly I wanted to work magic. Because if I started thinking about that, I might be forced to confront other, uglier truths hidden inside me.


"Okay," I said. "Baobab tree, will you give me an Implement?"


Chapter 12: Silence and Music