Chapter 31
I walked a few blocks, checking for someone tailing me before I hailed a taxi and gave the hotel as my destination. When I got to the room, I noticed Kai had packed all of our things and he’d left me a note in my suitcase.
In case I get an earlier flight, the keys to the car are in the front compartment of my suitcase. If you have time, could you pick up a few pizzas for the guys before you get home? Extra mushrooms for them, and remember I’m a carnivore. I love you.
I sent a text to Nan and Pops telling them I was fine, and knowing Nan would break her own rule and divert me if she had any visions of my flight going down in a fiery crash. I also sent a text to my mom, promising I’d be at her house for dinner in a few days. We had a lot to talk about, but I had even more questions leaving Rome than I’d had when I arrived. I needed to get my head together and listen to what she said without being angry over things that were done to protect me before she realized I like running into storms.
The traditional airplane flight was uneventful for me, and the vodka I had in the lounge before I boarded soothed my nerves a little, but I still looked out the window half expecting to see Kai and Idral flying alongside the plane.
When we landed, a little distraction spell on my carry on made getting through customs with two jinn lamps a breeze. I took the shuttle to the parking lot, found my tiny red car, and drove myself home. On a particularly lonely stretch of highway, I looked at the empty passenger seat.
“Sidaffri?” I called softly.
The jinn materialized next to me. “Where are we?” She asked, looking out at the endless highway.
“America. Massachusetts. We’re heading home.”
“Who were your friends on the roof?”
I was about to argue the incorrect label, but I realized that Kingston and Evan were my friends, even if they weren’t completely forthcoming about everything, and despite the fact that I really wanted to strangle them. I gave her their names and finished with, “We’ve worked together a few times.”
“Kai doesn’t like the way the dark haired one looks at you.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that was a hard choice.”
Sidaffri smiled. “Why did it have to be a choice?”
I thought about that and laughed. “It just does. Humans are like that.”
“You’re not human.” She said, looking out the window.
“Okay, witches are like that.”
“Kai is human, the dark haired one is a witch, but you are something else.”
I shook my head. “I hear that a lot, but I’m just a witch.”
“And other things.” She sounded thoughtful. “I’m not sure what, Ari, but you’re more other things than anything else.”
I shook my head. “I’m an archaeologist and a witch, Sidaffri, there’s nothing else.”
“We’ll see.” She said, smiling brightly and turning her head to look back out the window.
Once I’d gotten Sidaffri settled in the house, I carried the boxes of pizza out to the barracks. I’d packed the mystery lamp into a cardboard box and duck-taped it closed. I gave it to Kenny to guard. The badger barked out orders to three of the gnomes. While everyone else was sitting at the very low picnic table inside the barracks eating pizza, the three guard-gnomes surrounded the lamp, facing outward as if the threat of theft were imminent.
“It’s not that important.” I said.
“Are you certain?” Kenny asked.
“No.”
“Then we will continue like this until you are.” He replied, heading toward the picnic table and joining the rest of the crew. I joined them in the pizza and beer feast and prepared them for the arrival of another house guest.
Well past midnight, I crashed into the middle of my bed and thought about everything that had happened. For the moment, my mom was safe, the Guild was preparing for conflict, and Sidaffri and Idral were free. All in all, I had accomplished my mission, no matter how convoluted it had become.
After spending the day trying to stay busy, I spent the night under a blanket on the deck, sipping tea and watching the sky. Sidaffri’s lamp was in the guest room downstairs because I wasn’t sure what else to do with it. Since jinn stay in their lamps, the guest room was probably overkill. I yawned, but there was no point even trying to sleep.
Every hour or so, one of the gnomes walked by and waved. Kenny must have sent them to guard me. My nerves were all jangled the closer we got to dawn. It had been more than twenty hours since Kai and Idral had been pushed off the ledge.
The lights shut off, plunging me into complete darkness.
My phone buzzed and I read the text message from Kai.
Is there a reason you’re facing west?
I texted him back: I didn’t want you to think I was waiting for you.
My phone buzzed again: Are you ready to show me how glad you are to see me?
I was about to text him back when a drum roll sounded from the darkness.
I sat up and watched Kenny and the gnomes file out of the shed in their little PJs.
“Sidaffri, you might want to see this.” I said softly.
The jinn appeared in the chair next to me. The gnomes were lined up and on high alert, looking around for a threat. By the trees, the shadows seemed especially deep, and I realized the spotlight on the corner of the house hit that exact location. I whistled and pointed to the spot of deepest darkness and all of the gnomes turned to look.
The drum roll stopped and the light flicked on, making the blackness vanish in an instant. On the lawn, Idral was in full rampant pose with his nine-foot wings extended behind his back, and a look of pure pride on his furry face. Kai was on his back as if Idral were a rearing stallion, and Basir and Ka’Tehm recreated the pose in miniature; Basir played the role of the griffin.
The gnomes burst into applause. Sidaffri shot to her feet and ran down the steps. I followed her, but Kai slid off Idral’s back and met me halfway across the lawn. He swung me around in a circle, laughing and I buried my face in the side of his neck, smelling the ocean and tasting the salt on his skin.
Idral beamed through glittery tears as the still applauding gnomes approached and introduced themselves to their new companion, raining compliments on the griffin for his excellent performance.
“How was your flight?” I asked, refusing to let go of Kai.
“Surprisingly uneventful. Did I miss Evan’s memorial service?”
“I let him live.”
“You are one surprise after another.” Kai laughed.
⥈
Thank you for spending a few hours with me and the Relic Hunter Crew. I hope you enjoyed this adventure, and I would greatly appreciate the favor of a review. Here's a handy link to the book page on Amazon. Reviews help new readers discover authors, and new readers help authors keep writing.
I needed to find a lamp - the history behind the story.
I knew I wanted to bring Arienne to Rome in this adventure, so I went hunting through internet-archaeology sites looking for a relic that our intrepid heroine might find. As you can imagine, there were many choices - but two characters were lurking in the back of my mind - Sidaffri and Idral. Middle-eastern characters had no business in Rome until I could find a connection.
As fate would have it, I stumbled across the Lamp of Nusku and that gave me the basis I needed. Sidaffri the jinn needed a lamp, and Nusku was a Mesopotamian fire god who was represented on Babylonia boundary stones as a lamp. One of his roles was to protect against sorcery and banish darkness and demons - the first part of that caused a plot twist that took me a few weeks to work through!
Ancient history is fascinating to me because the same characters pop up in different cultures - think Zeus and Jupiter. As people migrated and brought their beliefs with them, legends and myths soaked into new lands and morphed into many religions.
The ancient world was remarkably small - and the Achaemenid, Macedonian, Roman, and Byzantine Empires gave a large geographic area several distinct y
et remarkably cohesive cultures. There’s a bending and mixing of legends among those empires, and that’s where the magic happens. I had found the Lamp of Nusku, but I needed to find a way to bring that relic to Rome.
Enter the Byzentine Empire and Julian the apostate! What better way to get a lamp from the desert sands of Turkey to the heart of Rome? It was with great restraint that I resisted the urge to get into great detail about the Byzantine Empire because I find Roman History so interesting, but Julian did journey from Constantinople back to Rome and denounce Christianity - and Theodosius did make a point of putting out eternal flames.
I have to admit, my research turned up enough threads that we could spend five books traveling those ancient empires (and we might), but I wanted to share the bare bones of the history with you in case you’re as fascinated by it as I am.
On my website, I’ve listed links to some of the resources I found. Please check that out (rleoniashea.com) if you love history or if you're a little curious!
Books By This Author
Unplanned Magic
What’s the worst that could happen?
The strange writing in Saint Cieran’s Cathedral has archaeologist Dr. Arienne Cerasola so curious she can’t stop thinking about it. Dr. Stanley Ash is too arrogant to think a junior archaeologist could make an important discovery about the ancient site, but Ari’s sure she’s on to something big.
She has a plan to get a closer look at that writing and there’s nothing that can stop her.
The question is, will her big discovery be the last thing she sees?
Unplanned Magic is the prequel to R. Leonia Shea’s urban fantasy series. If you like witchy books with fun characters, archaeology, and mythology, you’ll love this series opener.
Pick up Unplanned Magic to discover this fast-paced, fun series today.
Elementary Magic
Fantastic possibilities and terrible consequences.
As a globe-trotting archaeologist, Dr. Arienne Cerasola never settles in one place. After a magical disaster leaves her career under a pile of rubble, Ari finds out it's a remarkably short fall from globetrotting archaeologist to homeless drifter.
With no options left for mainstream employment, Ari must take the only job offered. It’s a job that will require her to use her latent witchcraft, and magic is what wrecked her life in the first place.
To find a legendary healing tree, she heads to the Pine Barrens of New Jersey and discovers the tree is a valuable prize, one that's being sought by practitioners way more talented and prepared than she is. Can Ari outsmart the competition, or is another magical disaster inevitable?
Elementary Magic is the first book in R. Leonia Shea’s urban fantasy series. If you like witchy books with fun characters, flirty banter, archaeology, and mythology, you’ll love this series opener.
Pick up Elementary Magic to discover this fast-paced, fun series today.
Destructive Magic
A chance at redemption or another path to destruction?
Coyote has a plan, and it’s probably a terrible idea. For disgraced archaeologist Dr. Arienne Cerasola, the chance at redemption is worth the risk.
The missing Afro-Caribbean relic is the same one Ari helped uncover years ago. Her old mentor is trying to find the artifact. If she can help recover the Dominion, she might get her old life back.
Not all things are as they seem, though. The relic isn’t the only thing missing. Two young boys, the sanity of Ari’s mentor, and one of the leaders of a magical organization have also vanished. Can an inept witch with a lot of moxie learn enough about voodoo to save the day before time runs out?
Destructive Magic is the second book in R. Leonia Shea’s urban fantasy series. If you like witchy books with fun characters, flirty banter, archaeology, and mythology, you’ll love this series.
Pick up Destructive Magic to read Ari’s latest adventure today.
Legendary Magic
Utopian promise or dark history?
The former rivals of Dr. Arienne Cerasola are teaming up to find an artifact in Great Britain. Not beating them to the prize could have disastrous consequences for those Ari cares about.
Dangerous factions and old secrets control the magical world. Ari has spent her whole life hiding from those in power who would force her into service; now, she must choose between the safety of her companions and her own freedom.
Will Ari beat the competition and prevent dangerous secrets from coming out before the opposition catches up to her?
Legendary Magic is the third book in R. Leonia Shea’s urban fantasy series. If you like witchy books with fun characters, flirty banter, archaeology, and mythology, you’ll love this series.
Pick up Legendary Magic to read Ari’s latest adventure today.
Jealous Magic
Magical Relic Hunter Dr. Arienne Cerasola is on the trail of an ancient Celtic sword that can compel truth and cut through anything. That should be an excellent thing to find, but the wiser choice might be to keep it hidden.
Terrible consequences have come home to roost. Not only is her nemesis hot on the trail of the artifact, but her personal life is more complicated than ever and Ari needs answers to some very difficult questions. Her decisions will change everything, and one bad call might collapse everything Ari relies on. Taking her place in the magical world requires sacrifices and standing on the sidelines of the struggle is no longer an option.
Can Ari keep those she cares about safe, or will they become victims of her choices?
Jealous Magic is the fourth book in R. Leonia Shea’s urban fantasy series. If you like witchy stories, mythology, and archaeology blended with flirty romance and engaging characters, you’ll love this series.
Fortunes Bought and Sold
I’m a good psychic with real ability, but give me a mark with a fortune to spend, and my shady past as a grifter starts to call to me. I can’t give in to that temptation. After all, I have enough people who would push me in front of an oncoming bus because I did them wrong. I’ve gone legit, and I’m doing my best to fix a boat-load of bad karma - but it’s not easy when trouble saunters into my booth at Foretold Psychic Parlor and gives me a sexy smile.
Trouble has a name I’d rather forget. To make sure we’d never cross paths, I moved across the country. Never mind that I had other reasons for arriving in Salem, Massachusetts. The fact remains, I’ve started over, and life as a reformed con-artist isn’t too bad.
That is until one of my clients finds himself in a mess over something that could easily ruin his life. That something has him pitted against the two most dangerous men I know, and the odds aren’t in my client’s favor. But they might be in mine if I can manage to walk that slippery slope and keep the word “reformed” before “con-artist.” So my goal is to out-con two of the masters of the game while keeping my new-found ethics firmly in place.
The only problem is I’ve never been good at resisting temptation.
Tattered Shadows
Going home isn't always easy - especially if you're Cleo DeMarius - a half demon who has been summoned there by someone who refuses to admit to the deed. Then there are the other family members who hurl insults at her but somehow still expect Cleo to clean up the evil rot which appears to be consuming her ancestral home, Crawford Mansion.
The mansion is haunted by crazy family ghosts and a full-fledged demon who scares the bejeesus out of Cleo and lurks in the upstairs bathroom. Cleo wants to leave, but she'll have to complete the task the unidentified summoner wants, and to do that, she'll have to confront her own demons.
As Cleo's presence makes the Crawfords increasingly uncomfortable, she discovers what might be the cause of the decay. Trapped by the summons and cornered by her past, Cleo may not have a choice but to help, no matter how much she enjoys watching her estranged family suffer. Maybe it's better for Cleo to face her demons than run from them - or maybe the demons have figured out how to even the score.
This is a novella, not a full length novel.
Resistant Magic
Relic Hunter Book 5
Copyright 2021 R. Leonia Shea All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
This book is a work of fiction and all characters, locations, and events are imaginary or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons or events is entirely coincidental.
Typography Design: Jervy Bonifacio
Words on a page can be magic. The words of other authors often gave me comfort in times of worry, made me laugh when I was sad, and even made me fall in love with characters that I can still name. I believe stories take us out of the daily grind and transport us to new places where we can learn and experience exciting things. Some of my fondest memories are of my grandfather telling me stories before my nap and my mom weaving tales about the misadventures of a rabbit named Oscar. I hope my stories take you to wonderful places, and I am honored that you chose to spend your time in my magical world.
Resistant Magic (Relic Hunter Book 5) Page 28
