A Flush of Diamonds (Magic City Chronicles Book 3)

by TR Cameron

  Ruby felt the detonation more than heard it, like a shockwave or static electricity that spread out in a circle from the grenade’s location. Half her attention was on the motorcycle as she steered it to a stop. The rest stayed locked on the SUV. The vehicle slewed back and forth, its power steering doubtless disrupted, and power brakes no longer offering assistance. She veiled herself, then called up an illusory version a few feet away that matched her motion as she stomped toward the SUV.

  The driver and the passenger on the near side piled out and fired at her twin. She hurled a force bolt at each, probably harder than strictly necessary, that slammed them backward against the vehicles. They dropped to the pavement on their faces, dazed at least, possibly out. She veiled herself again, called up another decoy, and continued forward. The riflemen burst from the back and sprayed indiscriminately, forcing her to drop to the ground until their magazines ran empty.

  She climbed to her feet, no longer considering her actions before she took them, simply reacting instinctively. A fireball sailed into the car, and it exploded, sending both gunmen hurtling forward and ideally taking care of anyone using the vehicle for cover on the far side. Idryll announced, “There’s motion over here,” so Ruby threw a force bolt into the SUV, knocking it flying, hopefully to smash into whoever the tiger-woman had seen.

  The flicker of light was almost unnoticeable because the fire was so brilliant, but she spotted Goryo in the illumination emanating from a portal a hundred feet away. The prisoner—former prisoner now—smiled, waved, and stepped through. A pair of figures followed him, one tall and the other short. Ruby snarled and threw a fireball in that direction, but the rift closed before it arrived. Her walk slowed until finally, she was immobile, and her senses returned fully. She sighed and activated her microphone. “Gods damned bastards got away. And I will bet any amount of money in the world that those two other guys were the owners of Aces Security.”

  Idryll's voice held a note of sincere concern. “Are you okay?”

  Ruby shook her head. “I am very much not okay. I’m tired of these scumbags messing around in my town.”

  Idryll replied, “So we can kill them now?”

  She sighed, once again fully back in control of herself. “No. But we’re definitely gonna mess them up. Somehow, some way, they’re going down, hard.”

  In a warehouse on the outskirts of Ely, Grentham ranted at the two men who’d accompanied him through the portal. “How in the world was that such an amazing screwup? We had a dozen magicals, plus a matching number of regular troops. We had damned air support for the love of all things holy. What the hell!” He sent a wave of force into a stack of crates, shattering them and sending splinters flying.

  Jared Trenton lifted an eyebrow and asked dryly, “Feel better now?”

  Grentham spun with a snarl. “No. I don’t feel better. I think we went through a hell of a lot of effort, made sacrifices aplenty, and all we have is this to show for it.” He gestured at Goryo. “Is the boss going to repay us for the people and stuff we lost? Probably not. No profit, only loss and the least successful success we could have imagined.” He kicked at random items on the floor as his anger wound down. Jared started to speak again, and Grentham lifted a hand. “I know. I’m done. It’s just all so damn frustrating. This operation was supposed to be easier.”

  The man they’d rescued laughed abruptly. “Nothing seems easy in this town. I’ve had a similar experience. That will soon change, believe me.”

  Grentham frowned and faced him. “Oh, really? Why is that?”

  “I now understand our enemy. Overwhelming numbers is not what you need. Overwhelming power is.”

  He replied, “Oh, and you have that what, in your pocket? And chose not to use it the first time around, when they kicked your ass and took you off to jail?”

  Goryo clasped his hands behind his back. “My employer has informed me I may request any tools I need to accomplish the goals he set.”

  Trenton laughed. “Sure. Guns, bombs, armor, whatever Aces has, anything you want.”

  Goryo shook his head with a small smile and pointed at Grentham. “No, it’s something he has, doubtless locked away somewhere. An artifact, I believe in the shape of an octopus, if my sources are correct.”

  Grentham scowled. How the hell does he know about that? “That item is virtually priceless. That’s one hell of a big ask.”

  The other man shrugged. “I need it. Or would you like to discuss this matter with our mutual superior?”

  Anger surged within him, but Grentham kept most of it out of his voice. “Fine. You can have it.”

  Goryo smiled arrogantly and added, “And anything else I require.”

  Screw you. “And anything else you require,” he echoed. After it’s over, I’m going to kill you and take it all back.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The night after the attack on the convoy, Morrigan, Idryll, and Ruby held down a corner of the bar at the Grinding Axes. Ruby had covered the shapeshifter in her human disguise, and the bartender brothers had set several reserved signs next to them to ensure their relative privacy. She planned to tip heavily in gratitude. They’d been talking about little things, each of them building up the courage to discuss the big event.

  Morrigan finally broke the ice. “So, when I detached the line, I managed to get pointed at the ground. My bow collapsed before I hit, but I couldn’t store it away properly. I’m hoping it wasn’t damaged when it struck the dirt, but I think I cushioned both it and me pretty well. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the little gully and tried to dissipate some energy from the impact by jogging it off. I stepped in the hole, and snap went my leg.”

  Ruby winced. “That hurts. Keshalla's broken mine while sparring. We imagine we know how much something might hurt, but the leg is one of those things that’s twice as painful as you’d expect.”

  Morrigan nodded. “The healing sucked, too. At least that was fast.”

  Idryll chuckled. “Perhaps you should take those flying lessons you said the troll offered you. I, of course, jumped from a moving vehicle, then hit and rolled easily, injury-free.”

  Ruby countered, “Probably in your tiger form, which is far more agile and strong than any human will ever be. Right?”

  The shapeshifter lifted her chin. “I don’t see why that’s relevant.”

  They all laughed. Ruby said, “I’m tired of reacting to these scumbags. It’s time we started going after them wherever we can. Public opinion, economics, taking out their people whenever we find them involved in something, no matter how small, sending the police after them. We need to make this nonsense stop.”

  The others nodded, and they all drank from their beverages. Morrigan and Ruby had beer from the Abbey, and Idryll was drinking fruit juice. Ruby lowered her voice so it wouldn’t carry beyond her partners. “You know, I don’t think I ever said thanks. So, thank you, both of you, for being in this with me. I’m really happy not to have to do this alone.”

  Idryll snorted softly. “Not like I have a choice. I’m stuck with you. Something I plan to take up with the mystics the next time we visit them.”

  She smacked the tiger on the arm. “You never had it so good.”

  Morrigan shrugged. “You’re my sister, and this is my home. Of course, I have to be a part of it.”

  “Thanks, still.” Morrigan nodded. Ruby cocked her head to the side, remembering. “Speaking of being parts of things, I guess I need to get a motorcycle. The Desert Ghosts turned out to be pretty valuable allies.”

  Her sister grinned and picked up her phone, swiping on the screen, then extended it to her. “Actually, you don’t.”

  Ruby frowned and looked down. On the display was a picture of a cherry red ARCH 1 motorcycle. Morrigan said, “This was supposed to be a graduation gift, but Mom and Dad didn’t realize it had to be hand-built, which takes three months, at least. The company finally let us know it was ready for delivery about a week ago. Seems appropriate that you should get it at this particu
lar moment.”

  Ruby was so overwhelmed, she almost couldn’t speak. It was her dream bike, and she never had even a glimmer of the suspicion that she might possess one anytime soon, if ever. Certainly not now. “Who paid for this?”

  Her sister chuckled. “Spirits, more or less, through the family. Dralen's not aware he chipped in, though, so don’t tell him.”

  Ruby grinned. “Does it come with a sidecar? Idryll would probably be safest in one.”

  The shapeshifter called her a bad name, and they all laughed. Ruby sent the picture to her phone and made it her wallpaper, feeling downright happy. Oh yes, my metal and chrome love. You and I are going to spend many wonderful hours on the road together. All the more reason to clean up Magic City as soon as possible. And I will. You can count on it.

  Things are coming to a head as the story continues. Join Ruby and her friends in A SHOWDOWN IN MAGIC CITY!

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  If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. Thanks!

  Magic Ops

  If you enjoyed this book, you may also enjoy the first series from T.R. Cameron, also set in the Oriceran Universe. The Federal Agents of Magic series begins with Magic Ops and it’s available now at Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited.

  FBI Agent Diana Sheen is an agent with a secret…

  …She carries a badge and a troll, along with a little magic.

  But her Most Wanted List is going to take a little extra effort.

  She’ll have to embrace her powers and up her game to take down new threats,

  Not to mention deal with the troll that’s adopted her.

  All signs point to a serious threat lurking just beyond sight, pulling the strings to put the forces of good in harm’s way.

  Magic or mundane, you break the law, and Diana’s gonna find you, tag you and bring you in. Watch out magical baddies, this agent can level the playing field.

  It’s all in a day’s work for the newest Federal Agent of Magic.

  Available now at Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited

  Author Notes - TR Cameron

  January 30, 2021

  Thank you for reading Book 3 in the Magic City Chronicles, and for continuing on to read these author notes! Holy cow, it’s the new year!

  I’m overwhelmed at the early support for the new series. I can’t express my appreciation enough to those that have taken a chance on my stories and have found a reason to keep turning the pages. Or swiping them. Or listening to them. We’re platform agnostic in this household.

  The outline for this book turned out to be pretty different than reality. Some of the scenes took on a life of their own, becoming full chapters, and by the time we reached the convoy, it felt like the natural finish of this part of the story. So, the stuff I had after that will have to show up in the next book.

  Which is going to be a hell of a ride, let me tell you. It’s time to wrap up some arcs and start some new ones, and I can’t wait to get started on it. Plus plotting the next four books in the series, which I waited to do until I was sure Magic City Chronicles would find an audience.

  To be honest, casinos fascinate me. I can’t imagine the complexity of operating one. I mean, I get the idea that it’s just a bunch of collected sub-operations doing their own small thing, but still. The scale of it all is mind-blowing. From the way they craft their brands to the fact that every single detail is meticulously accounted for, it’s just wildly impressive.

  Also impressive in detail and story is the videogame The Last of Us. I’m late to this game, playing the PS4 remastered version, but it’s incredible. Frequently annoying, but always in service to the story it’s telling. That story is as brutal as you’d expect a post-apocalypse tale involving zombies would be, although more of the brutality comes from humans than the infected. So, post-apoc and dystopian, all in one. It’s a visceral experience that literally increases my heartrate as I play. I would recommend, but seriously, the story is going to grab your heart and twist it into a pretzel. Man, I could go for a pretzel.

  Where was I? Oh, right. Videogames. Cyberpunk 2077 is on hold waiting for them to fix the glitches. That was disappointing. Going to start Elite Dangerous today, because my best friend is an addict and wants me to. Playtime is limited, but sure, why not. Ironically, my kid has the best gaming computer in the house (for Minecraft with mods, which is a resource hog), so I have to borrow it to play.

  I’m having brain drain the last couple of months. I start the day with a reasonable amount of mental energy, but it fades fast. So, board games haven’t been a thing, other than the adult version of Clue, which I’ll say is far more rewarding than playing the kids’ version was. But both my partner and child were upset that I was “lying” by accusing someone I held in my hand. Harsh words were exchanged, such as “That’s how deduction works” on my part, and “You suck,” on my kid’s part. Nonetheless, I’m sure we’ll play again.

  The Expanse continues to amaze. We’re also watching The Terror (AMC, via Hulu) which is actually phenomenal. It’s a difficult watch, as the tension never lets go.

  We’re making a list of things to do once the COVID vaccine gets to us. Being unable to take trips has been stressful on the kiddo. We drove an hour and fifteen minutes each way the other day just to try out a fast food restaurant they’d never been to (Raising Cane’s, which is as good as I remembered). We reflect daily on how lucky we are to have such mundane problems, when others have actual ones.

  I’m rereading the entire “Foreigner” sequence by C.J. Cherryh again, still to keep my brain from obsessing about things I can’t control. As in, I read all 21 books in November – December, and then I started again. I think it’s the books’ slow (but never boring) pace and the fact that I’m familiar enough with them that it’s an undemanding read that makes it work.

  Oh, also. Neil Gaiman’s Sandman on Audible. So worth it. I’ve never read the books, but the audio performance is fantastic. It’s basically a radio drama for the 21st century, and I am SO there for it.

  Finally, if this is your first taste of my Urban Fantasy, look for “Magic Ops.” I promise you’ll enjoy it, and you’ll get more of Diana, Rath, and company. You might also enjoy my science fiction work. All my writing is filled with action, snark, and villains who think they’re heroes. Drop by www.trcameron.com and take a look.

  Until next time, Joys upon joys to you and yours – so may it be.

  PS: If you’d like to chat with me, here’s the place. I check in daily or more: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTRCameron. Often I put up interesting and/or silly content there, as well. For more info on my books, and to join my reader’s group, please visit www.trcameron.com.

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  Author Notes - Martha Carr

  February 3, 2021

  I had my first attempt at flying without the aid of a plane.

  There I was walking the sweet pittie Leela, minding my own business. We were about thirty minutes into our walk and about a mile from home. Perfect Monday morning, a little overcast, slight breeze, somewhere in the sixties already. Not bad for a January morning.

  I was feeling my oats and sprinted across a lawn full of new sod, Leela sprinting in front of me on the end of her very long, red leash, attached to her pink harness.

  Out of what felt like nowhere, the front of my shoe rolled neatly into a gopher hole, pressing the new sod in with it. I was more surprised than anything. Mostly at how neatly the entire front half of my shoe fit in that hole. Like it was made for my size. 7 ½ Medium sized hole.

  My forward momentum was pretty aggressive at that point. After all, I was having a good morning, trotting along, practically leaping across that new lawn. That new sod that hid every imperfection underneath.

  I launched through the air, again surprising myself and cleared the grassy lawn entirely, landing squarely
on the hard cement driveway. Also new and unmarred till now. Both hands hit hard along with both knees. I was rolling forward with such exertion my head hit the pavement. My favorite white plastic sunglasses with the reflective blue panes took the brunt of that part.

  Leela, meanwhile had stopped to sniff around a nearby post and had not noticed anything amiss. She never looked back. I kind of respect that and even in the midst of all this hulabaloo I never let go of the leash.

  My first thought was going to be about my ankle which had done a nice quarter twist before finally leaving the hole and taking flight with the rest of me. However, before I could get to that the iWatch on my wrist let out a bong.

  The ‘hard fall’ app had gone off and was asking me if I needed EMS services. Oh geez. All my attention went to responding and not accidentally hitting the yes button. Even after I dismissed any ambulance suddenly being sent in my direction, it asked again. That’s how hard I hit the ground.

  Finally, I slowly got up and as I did, I noticed no one had come out of their house to check on me. No one in the distance was turning around to see if I was alright. And this was a spectacular fall with a lot of ground covered.

  Part of me was miffed that no one was willing to help and part of me was relieved that no one was willing to help. Reminds me of the time I screamed bloody murder when the good dog Lois took off after a rabbit. Not a peep out of the neighbors then either. (Lois did not get the rabbit.) Note to self, work on accepting help.