The Leira Chronicles- The Complete Austin Series

by Martha Carr

  “There’s something I can do. Just this once!” Leira held up her finger. “A gift for teaching me everything I ever needed to know.”

  “Well, at least everything I know. Be still my heart. Are you gonna?” He fluttered his fingers.

  “Not the jazz hands again. Promise me you’ll retire those.”

  “Berens, you put Rose’s flowerbeds back to what they used to be and I will never wave my hands around again!”

  Leira closed her eyes, focusing on the energy.

  Hagan watched but he didn’t see anything happening.

  Leira concentrated on his backyard, letting the magic lead her, choosing what to do next as she followed behind it. Green shoots erupted, growing into flowers in full bloom, arranging themselves in a pattern of purple, yellow and pink. Leira smiled at the image in her mind, letting the magic drain back into the Earth. She opened her eyes.

  “Go home. Yes, you can take my tacos with you. Then get to work. You’re going to be late.”

  “You are the best, kid, I’ll see you soon!”

  Hagan pulled into his driveway and was met by Rose on the front steps. She grabbed him around the waist and kissed him hard. Hagan started but caught on and kissed her back.

  “You wonderful man! How did you do it?” She pulled Hagan by the hand through the house and out the back door to admire the garden. “I never would have believed you could do it! I didn’t even know you were paying any attention to my garden but you must have been! You remembered every detail!”

  Hagan stepped around her, down the few cement steps that led to the yard and stepped over the dog.

  “It’s even in full bloom! The old flowers were starting to go into hibernation but you brought them all back. It’s like we get a second spring before it’s even spring!”

  “It’s beautiful,” he whispered. The garden was in full bloom from one end to the other. Not just in the swath that Hagan had mowed down. Everything had come back to life, stretching upwards to meet the warm Austin winter sunlight. If he didn’t know better, Hagan would have even sworn there was a kind of glitter.

  “Nah, must be the light,” he said, scratching his head. Rose came down the steps and wrapped an arm around his waist, admiring the garden with him. “You wonderful man! I love you.”

  “I love you too, Rose. I love you too.”

  Leira and Eireka sat outside on the patio in the late morning, enjoying the sounds of the birds. Estelle told everyone the patio was closed to give them some time to be alone. Eireka sat with her chin tilted up toward the warm sunlight, smiling.

  Her daughter’s hand rested in hers. Leira kept watching her mother, trying to believe in her good fortune and let go of the small feeling deep inside that wondered what trial was coming next.

  Things could just be good for a while.

  The air stirred, blowing the hair off Eireka’s face. It was turning colder in Austin and there was the possibility of frost. Leira knew Rose’s flowers would survive. Let her wonder why they did so well this winter.

  Another current of air blew across them as the temperature dropped. “Should we go inside? Strange weather.” Leira pulled out her phone to check the weather report.

  Eireka’s eyes popped open and she looked around, side to side.

  “Mom, what is it? What’s wrong?” Leira’s stomach clenched and she looked back at the guesthouse where Correk was still sleeping, the troll in a small box on the floor next to him.

  Maybe he’ll hear me in his head. She wrinkled her forehead but nothing happened.

  “Mama.” Eireka stood up, holding out her arms.

  “What are you doing?” Leira stood up with her, trying to see what was out of order.

  “Not with your eyes,” said Eireka. “Feel it in here.” She tapped her chest.

  The votive candle holders on the nearby tables rattled and the wind blew Eireka’s long hair into her face. Leira felt a growing sense of panic but forced herself to focus, center herself.

  Eireka grabbed her hand, flowing energy into her, connecting them. Leira closed her eyes and felt a new energy flowing through her.

  A connection reaching out to generations of women in her line that had come before her and to those yet to come. She was connected to all of them.

  A peace came over her and she smelled the scent of lilacs. It had been years, over four years to be exact, since she had smelled them last. She snapped her head to the left, her eyes still shut, to the line of women who had come before her and in her mind she saw an image that was more real than imagined. More present than past.

  Her eyes widened. “Nana,” she whispered. “You’re alive.”

  Her mother inhaled suddenly, eyes open in surprise. “She’s trapped. In the world in between.”

  “But she’s alive,” Leira’s eyebrows narrowed in concentration. “I can work with that.”

  She felt the magic go out ahead of her, reaching out toward her grandmother, getting closer. A sense of relief came over her.

  Suddenly, a look of surprise came over Mara’s face as she was abruptly sucked backward into the void of the world in between. Leira jerked forward, hoping to feel her grandmother’s energy but she was gone.

  The last thing Leira saw was her grandmother reaching out toward her, her hand outstretched.

  Sorrow seeped into the space instead and Leira yanked back her energy, recoiling from the sensation. The face of a young woman appeared in the dense mist, her energy grasping at Leira.

  Leira knew that feeling all too well from her time as a homicide detective. Someone desperate for her help. Only this time it wasn’t the murder victim’s family, it was the dead woman reaching out for answers. Now they’re sending me cases from beyond the grave. Fuck, I miss Hagan.

  “No, family first, for once. I find my grandmother.” She felt her mother squeeze her hand.

  “We do this together,” said Eireka.

  “Together,” said Leira.

  FINIS

  Author Notes - Martha Carr

  Written August 12th, 2017

  I was watching America’s Got Talent last week. I’m a sucker for any reality show that helps someone get closer to their dreams. This season there are two acts that have made it to the live shows – a singing group and a lone singer – who are older. Great singers, beautiful harmonies, great stage presence. Just never made it.

  Yet.

  The singing group had been trying since the 1960’s and gotten close… so close… but missed the mark. Now, they are on TV in front of millions and being recognized as great artists – no matter what happens next.

  I was moved to tears and thought, good for you! But a half a beat later, it really struck me.

  Hey, that’s you and you’ve finally made it.

  It’s still coming over me like a wave that there are a lot of readers, FANS! who are loving the Leira Chronicles and asking…

  Where’s the next one?

  Back when I first started writing seriously, almost thirty years ago, I was a newly divorced single mother with that baby boy, Louie. My entire family said, this is stupid. Go sell real estate. It became an echo inside of my brain. Your dream is stupid. I was already dealing with the destruction of the rest of my life plans. What now?

  Just when I needed it, an older cousin of mine, Virginius Dabney, a Pulitzer prize-winning cousin, stepped in and did this amazing thing. He quietly took down a book of his and wrote something in the cover, and without saying anything else besides, “Great idea!” he handed it over.

  I looked inside and it read, “To my cousin, Martha Carr, a great writer. Virginius Dabney.”

  I hadn’t written a word yet. But I knew the magic and the power of what he had just done. It was my golden ticket. Everyone in my family sat back, stunned – even calling each other on the phone.

  And they all shut the hell up.

  He bought me a chance at my dreams. The road was still long – I mean, it’s 30 years later – but every step was worth it. Every adventure. Better to strugg
le on the road to my dreams. And right next to me for all of that trip has been the offspring, Louie – watching me.

  Never…give…up. Never.

  Then, in 2010 I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Totally unexpected. I didn’t see it coming or I wouldn’t have let Louie sit next to me in the surgeon’s office when he casually spit out the news. “You have less than a one percent chance of living longer than a year.”

  The doctor flipped through a notebook with picture of what the next year would look like. I purposely looked away. No need to know what horrors awaited me. My entire body did a low-level shake. It was all I could do to maneuver my way out of the tiny room.

  I was doing my best to pull it together for Louie when he looked at me and said, “Weren’t you listening? He said there was hope!” That kid, who was only 21 at the time and his entire family pretty much consisted of me, heard hope.

  I still remember looking at him thinking, he’ll be okay. It’s alright.

  I calmed down and started putting one foot in front of the other. Long story short – surgery, appointments, learning to walk again – and a very strange phone call in the middle of an ordinary day.

  The nurse called and said, “Are you sitting down?” I thought the cancer had spread and braced myself. “We can’t find it anywhere. We can’t explain it. You’re in remission.” Later, they even studied my case at Northwestern and would shake their heads at appointments. “We can’t explain why you’re here.”

  I asked them to stop saying that one.

  These days, Louie refers to me as a one-percenter…. Offspring is very good with the humor. There’s a little more to this story. The same kind of cancer – new diagnoses – keeps coming up. Last surgery - #6 - was last October. I know it worries Louie – he’s asked me to do videos for all the big moments in his life that have yet to happen… just in case. It’s on my to-do list.

  But writing - took a week off, got right back to it. There was a thriller series to finish. Of course I was going to get up and write.

  It’s that dream that just lives inside of me and has since I first discovered books.

  I have something to say, to hopefully inspire or make someone laugh, or the best – feel better about their day. I hope I’m living up to my cousin, Virginius’s gift – that golden ticket.

  My cousin only lasted another year or two after that and never got to see that I finally made it – because of all of you. It’s only a couple of weeks old (can you believe it!) but it’s here. At last… it’s here.

  BIG THANK YOU for all the wonderful reviews – I read all of them and do my best to acknowledge each and every one of you (even the UK and Canada!) on my Facebook Author page. Lots of you can even attest – you write me – I write you back. It’s like hearing from a friend who I’ve just been waiting for all this time. Thank you so much for all of it!

  Worth the wait – definitely worth the wait!

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  August 13th, 2017

  First, THANK YOU for not only reading this book, but ALSO reading these author notes at the end!

  Seriously, I JUST got through talking about Author Note blocking in the back of Rogue Mage w/ Brandon Barr and his cancer story. Only to get ANOTHER cancer story with Martha and I told her, how the hell am I supposed to even come close to the awesome story she has?

  She just laughed.

  Not so much at me, as I think she is humored that I was complaining and between you and me, that was my plan.

  I’ve done over fifty of these author notes in the last two years. I’ve audio transcribed nine of them for Audible releases and have about twenty-five on my task list.

  I never thought when I wrote that first Author Note, that doing them would become something a little iconic. I am well aware that other authors have done them in the past as well, but for some reason, it feels like the byplay and fun we have here in the Kurtherian and Oriceran Universes have been amped up to a new level.

  Now, I get called Yoda by all of those who read Ell Leigh Clarke’s Author Notes from The Ascension Myth. I have fan’s poking fun at me on the Oriceran Facebook page about the wallpaper and I can look in the mirror with a scowl on my face and tell that guy…

  Mike, you only have yourself to blame.

  And, I’m good with that.

  It means the fans have gotten involved and they hopefully realize we are all in this together. We feed on YOUR interaction, and I can honestly admit that without the fans supporting me, asking when the next book is coming out, Bethany Anne WOULD NOT be as far along as she is today.

  We (myself, my little publishing group) have grown because the fans had helped push us emotionally, supported us by reading the books, reviewing the books on Amazon and of course buying and just been a kick-ass group of people to be around.

  In 2018, I’d like to figure out a way to do something special, meetups, whatever. I’m going to be in Frankfurt Germany this October, so if you are in Europe, and care to meet during the Frankfurt Book Fair, let’s get something going, ok?

  It’s time for Publishing 2.0 to explode, and I know JUST the people to make it happen.

  And it’s going to be you.

  In the next 60 days, we will be releasing four new series in the Oriceran (Or-eh-sair-ehn) Universe and we are SO excited you are reading and enjoying as we work hard…

  To Bring You The Truth…

  Thank you, again, for making our lives possible.

  Michael Anderle

  Protection of Magic

  Leira Chronicles Book Three

  Chapter One

  Leira grasped at her mother's hand, trying to reestablish the magical connection and find her grandmother one more time. But the hum of energy was gone.

  "She was right there! I know it was real." Her heart was pounding. Leira looked around the patio as if she expected to see Mara standing by the corn hole game or lying in one of the hammocks near the fence. "Who the hell was that other woman? Is my grandmother in danger?"

  Estelle watched them from the dining room inside, smoke curling around her red bouffant. She stubbed out a cigarette and left her perch to go see about a customer.

  Eireka put her hand on Leira's knee, firmly pressing down. "She was there, you're right," she said, gently. She wasn't sure how to tell Leira and chose her words carefully. "My mother, your grandmother..." She took a breath, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. "That place we saw... She's in a place called the world in between. Have you heard of it?"

  "Yes, Correk's mentioned it," she said, distracted. Leira kept looking around, wanting to believe she could find Mara, trying to shake off the dread from the dead woman. It was making it harder for her to channel the magic. She shook her head. "I don't know. He didn't say much. Made it sound horrible."

  Eireka let out a shudder, her hand shaking on Leira's knee. Leira snapped her head around, studying her mother's face, just like she had done so many times to perps in an interrogation room. People always gave away so much information before they ever uttered a word.

  "You're afraid. Tell me why," she said, sharply. It had been too many years without her mother and too many cases using her skills to get what she needed. The fastest route possible.

  Eireka gave her daughter the same look in return. "I'm not a suspect, my dear, and I won't hide the truth from you."

  Leira softened and asked again, this time more gently. "I'm sorry, habit. That fucking ghost that was with her. Wait, not a ghost. What the hell was that?" She shook her hands. "You're right. Tell me what's happened to Nana." The word, Nana, sounded strange to her after four years of not having a reason to say it. No one to say it to. The ache pounded in her chest.

  "I'll tell you what I know. It's not much. There's a place between Earth and Oriceran, like a purgatory that captures both the living and the dead and holds them there, forever."

  "I know, Correk's told me about it. Sounds more like hell."

  "Well, you're right. Your Nana used to tell me stories about t
he place when I was little. She said it was the most feared place by anyone on either planet. The newly dead are said to never get the chance to pass through completely to the other side and the living are suspended in time, watching their loved ones grow, get old and die."

  "They're in there together?"

  "Yes, for all of time. Able to see both worlds but not really...anywhere."

  Leira sat back, trying to take in the idea. Her eyes grew wide. Four years. Her grandmother must have been trapped for more than four years. Her body began to shake. "This is worse than death," she whispered.

  Eireka didn't say anything, just kept her hand on Leira's leg, doing her best to ground her. It took Leira a moment to realize her mother was pushing energy through her leg. Leira made herself take a longer look at her mother's tired face.

  She wasn't used to having someone else to be concerned with, worry about, wonder how they were doing. There was Hagan but he had Rose who did a far better job of hounding Hagan to eat better, get a little exercise. Not that it had much of an effect.

  But her mother was here, sitting next to her. Leira finally noticed the pain in her eyes.

  "Your mother is trapped in the world in between," she said. "I'm so sorry. This should be one of the happiest days for you."

  Eireka's eyes filled with tears and she brushed a dark lock of hair off Leira's forehead. "Oh, baby girl, it is. It still is. Nothing can steal this away from me." Eireka shook her head, clearing away the rush of memories and of regret for things that she had missed. "But, my mother is trapped in an eternal waiting room and with the dead shoving her around. No," she said, shaking her head again. "Not good enough. I don't accept this." She stood, clenching her fists, the same defiant stance that Leira so often took. It startled Leira to see, even without her mother there when she was growing up, she was like her.