Pay the Piper: A Novella of Utter Speculation

In the dark days of plague and poverty, when the church rules with an iron fist, and knowledge is punished with fire, an orphaned girl stumbles upon a legacy of magic. Lucie has only ever known her small farm and the overprotective care of her brother, Tilo, until she learns of the Gathering. Run from the village of Hamelin by the tyrannical White Bishop, these exiles have been forced to live apart from their families. Lucie learns that she and Tilo are part of this group, expelled from the village as the children of an accused witch.The village of Hamelin is in trouble. Ragged children roam the streets, the poor and downtrodden struggle to fill their bellies, and the homes of the wealthy are infested with rats. A mysterious figure appears with an offer that is too good to be true; reunite the families torn asunder by accusations of witchcraft, provide a home for Lucie and her people, and the rats will be gone.But this is a contract signed with blood, and for Lucie, the Mayor of Hamelin, and the White Bishop, the price may be too high.