Into the Twilit Gloom (2022)

When two young demonhunters discover a magical map in a secret weapon stash, they decide to follow it into the unknown of Faerieland to find its treasure.

***

Frankie and Meg are the best of friends. They also happen to be students at Hetchworth Hall: Demonhunting Academy, a secret school that trains young paranormals for the eternal battle between good and evil.

Their summer assignment has them patrolling the Kentish wetlands for anything out of the ordinary. But when they stop off at an abandoned church to renew their stash of holy weapons, they find a strange map amongst the rusting steel.

A treasure map that leads to somewhere that shouldn't exist.

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Featured on @StoriesUndiscovered's Tales of Adventure reading list August 2023
Featured on @Fantasy's Quick Reads (Nov 23-April 24) and Monthly Picks reading list (Oct-Nov 2023)
Featured on @ShortStory's Novelette reading list (May 2024)
🏆 Fantasy Short Story Top Pick in The Ambys 2023
🥇First place in the Short Story Category of the Rose Gold Awards 2023 (@Rose-Gold_Community)

Written for Spring Fiesta 2022. Prompt: Write a story incorporating the following elements: cherry blossoms by the lake, two friends, an antique map, a ring. The story should contain one prominent magical element.
Word count: 9600

Also available on Inkitt and Royal Road.