Copper Cauldron
by Terri Talley Venters
Penelope Manchester, a good witch with one green and one blue eye, awaits her destiny: a warrior of God with the face of an angel, the heart of a saint, and eyes which match her own. St. Michael the Archangel flies into her life and sweeps her off her feet. Meanwhile, an evil sorcerer captures witches, steals their powers and most of their nine lives, and shrinks them to the size of a doll–a Nürnberg, doll. But when he turns two of the Manchester witches into dolls, the Manchester clan fights back with St. Michael and divine intervention. Armed with the legendary copper cauldron, a fire breathing dragon, and an arsenal of spells, good battles evil.
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My review: Talk about a strong female role! Penelope knows from early childhood what her destiny was to be. She feels like a black sheep in her family, not quite living up to her family heritage. I love the mythology in this book and I really like that St. Michael is portrayed as soft, not the sword wielding, stone cold angel he is normally depicted as in all the lore. The Manchester Witches (who exists by the way) are a huge familial unit of Green/Blue eyed witches that stretches all over the world. When an evil sorcerer threatens the family Penelope quickly steps in the role she was destined to be in and tracks down the evil sorcerer and the witches he kidnapped. The Copper Cauldron is a fantastic short story that packs a lot of story and mythology in it but it never feels rushed. I really like the historical references, the great strong characters and how she throws in a sexy angel in for good measure. Great beach read!!!!
Read an excerpt from the book:
Penelope snuggled up with Sabbath in her warm, cozy bed. She listened to her cat purr as she stared at the picture of St. Michael. The picture which she’d looked at almost every night since her childhood now held new meaning. Now she looked at her destiny and not just St. Michael. But her great-grandmother’s words, “Perhaps the prophecy was misinterpreted,” didn’t soothe the nagging in the back of her mind. Why didn’t Michael’s eyes match hers?
She heard the wind howling outside of her window. Another demon? No, this wind sounded peaceful, not like the eerie wind which had preceded the appearance of demons. The tap at her window startled her at first, but when she saw Michael’s handsome face at her window, she smiled.
As she rose from her bed and traversed the hardwood floor to the window, the sight of Michael’s flapping wings thrilled her. He landed on the small balcony of the second floor veranda outside of her window. The sight of his sculpted bare chest and enormous wingspan took her breath away. She opened her floor-to-ceiling window and walked out onto the balcony.
He extended his hand towards hers and looked deep into her eyes. “Fly with me, Penelope,” he said, not asked.
She walked towards him fearlessly, and extended her hand to his.
He took one hand and then the other. He placed her arms around his neck as his hands circled around her tiny waist. “Hold on tight.”
“I’ll never let go,” she whispered. She embraced him, letting the warmth of his bare skin penetrate through her silken nightgown.
Michael flapped his wings and they slowly rose above the ground. He ducked his head under the roofline of the veranda and led them out into the open sky.
Penelope looked up at the stars above. Euphoria swept through her heart, through her soul. Thoughts of Michael’s eyes vanished and Penelope knew she belonged with him – her angel, her destiny.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded her head. “This is wonderful.” She looked up at him and nuzzled her cheek against his chest.
“I thought you’d like it.” He smiled down at her.
She peered down below, breathless at the sight of the Garden District beneath them. The mansions appeared smaller and smaller as Penelope and Michael ascended the night sky. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“To church.”
She looked up at Michael and watched him smile at her obvious puzzled expression.
“We’re about to fly really fast, so hold on tight,” he warned.
She happily obliged and squeezed her arms around his neck. She hooked her bare ankles around his calf muscles and kicked herself for not putting on shoes before she flew with him.
Michael tightened his embrace and hummed. Latin words poured out of his mouth as his wings flapped faster and faster.
He’s singing, and his voice sounds angelic.
Penelope heard other voices singing too. It sounded as if all the angels in heaven sang with him. Michael’s wings flapped faster and faster as the music grew louder and louder. She felt the wind blowing stronger as their speed quickened. She hugged him as tightly as possible and closed her eyes.
The voices stopped and their air speed slowed. “You can open your eyes now. We’re almost there.” Michael pointed down.
Penelope opened her eyes at the beautiful sight before her. They flew towards Capri. She’d been to the small island just off of Italy’s Amalfi coast. The island illuminated beneath the full moon of late-night sky. With the six-hour time difference, and assuming nearly instantaneous travel, she calculated the 4 a.m. time.
“Do you recognize where we are?” Michael’s lips whispered the words in her ear.
“Capri,” she said. “I haven’t been here in…”
“Ten years.”
“How did you…?” Puzzled, she looked up at his face.
About the Author:
Terri received her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Master’s degree in Taxation from the University of Florida. She is a licensed CPA and a Second Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. She lives in St. Augustine, Florida, with her husband, Garrison, and their two sons.
Terri is the daughter of Leslie S. Talley, author of Make Old Bones which is also available from Wild Child Publishing.
On the first of each month, Terri also posts free short stories on her website. Learn more about the books in her Elements of Mystery series as she weaves her way through the Periodic Table of Elements.
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Thank you for hosting
Thank you for hosting me! I loved your raving review of Copper Cauldron!
It was a really cute, great story.
Very nice review
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