by Linsey Hall
We’d scouted out the location of the temple earlier that day, so we knew where to go.
I swung my leg over Secretariat—I liked to name my vehicles—and kicked the clutch. The engine roared to life. Nix and Del followed, and we peeled out of the lot, leaving the dingy yellow light of the bar behind.
Our headlights illuminated the dirt road as we sped through the night. Huge fig trees dotted the path on either side, their twisted trunks and roots forming an eerie corridor. Elephant-ear sized leaves swayed in the wind, a dark emerald that gleamed in the light.
Jungle animals howled, and enormous lightning bugs flitted along the path. They were too big to be regular bugs, so they were most likely some kind of fairy, but I wasn’t going to stop to investigate. There were dangerous creatures in the jungle at night—one of the reasons we hadn’t wanted to go now—and in our world, fairies could be considered dangerous.
Especially if you called them lightning bugs.
A roar sounded in the distance, echoing through the jungle and making the leaves rustle on either side as small animals scurried for safety.
The roar came again, only closer.
Then another, and another.
“Oh shit,” I muttered. This was bad.
~~~
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Author’s Note
Thanks for reading Demon Magic! As with all of my books, I included historical and mythological elements. If you’re interested in reading more about these parts of the book, read on. At the end, I’ll talk a bit about why Del and her deirfiúr are treasure hunters and how I try to make that fit with archaeology’s ethics (which don’t condone treasure hunting, as I’m sure you might have guessed). I spoke about this in the Author’s Note in Magic Undying, so a lot of it is the same as in that Author’s Note. But it’s important stuff, so I wanted to include it here for anyone who might have missed it in Magic Undying.
So, the history and mythology in Demon Magic! This book starts out with a fun one—the wreck of the Klondike Gold Rush steamboat A.J. Goddard. I could talk your ear off about this boat. I won’t, though. Promise. But just a little bit of info, since it is just so cool.
Contrary to what fiction tells us, most shipwrecks don’t survive in good conditions underwater. Lake Laberge is actually part of the Yukon River in a section where the river widens. The water is so cold and fresh that the wreck was in amazing condition. Almost fully complete, just the way I described it. But that’s not the only cool thing about the A.J. Goddard. By far, one of the neatest elements is that this boat was carried over the Chilkoot Pass by men, women, and mules in the mountains of British Columbia. Carried over the mountains! Amazing. But if they wanted to reach the gold fields as soon as the ice melted on the Yukon River, that was the fastest way to do it.
And the boots that I mentioned on the lakebed? Those boots are really there. The boat’s engineer, Julius Stockton, took them off as the boat was sinking and jumped overboard to swim to shore. Fortunately, he made it and wrote about the wrecking event. If you want to know more about the A.J. Goddard or see some amazing pictures, just Google it or check out my Pinterest page at www.pinterest.com/HiLinseyHall. There’s even a National Graphic documentary about the boat.
The other cool historical element in this book is Dinorwic Quarry in north Wales. This is the location of the dragon cave, the Morgen, the Coblynau, and the crazy mining carts. Dinorwic Quarry is a real quarry that was in operation for about three hundred years. It’s abandoned now—slate hasn’t been mined there for decades—but it’s pretty much just as I described it, with the massive ramps and old railroad track for the mining carts. The track disappearing off the cliff because of a rockfall is even there. The lake is actually situated farther away, though. You don’t have to cross it to reach the ramps.
However, I put the lake there because I wanted to include some Welsh mythological figures. Morgens are beautiful, immortal women who live in the water and lure men to their doom. Morwena, the Morgen in this book, was somewhat more helpful than a usual Morgen, but only because she was grateful that Del and Roarke had gotten rid of the Afanc. Afanc are Welsh water monsters who also lure people to their doom, and Morwena wasn’t pleased that the Afanc was stealing her business. Coblynau are Welsh mining gnomes, but they are usually helpful and not quite so murderous (though they can be blamed for rockfalls). However, that doesn’t make for a fun trip up a mountain, so my Coblynau were given the power to kill with a touch, a power that they normally don’t possess.
That’s it for the historical influences in Demon Magic. However, one of the most important things about this book is how Del and her deirfiúr treat artifacts and their business, Ancient Magic. This is the part of the Author’s Note that is written in Magic Undying, so if you’ve read that, this’ll be a repeat. But it’s important enough that I like to include it in all my books. My conscience wouldn’t rest otherwise.
As I’m sure you know, archaeology isn’t quite like Indiana Jones (for which I’m both grateful and bitterly disappointed). Sure, it’s exciting and full of travel. However, booby-traps are not as common as I expected. Total number of booby-traps I have encountered in my career: zero. Still hoping, though.
When I chose to write a series about archaeology and treasure hunting, I knew I had a careful line to tread. There is a big difference between these two activities. As much as I value artifacts, they are not treasure. Not even the gold artifacts. They are pieces of our history that contain valuable information, and as such, they belong to all of us. Every artifact that is excavated should be properly conserved and stored in a museum so that everyone can have access to our history. No one single person can own history, and I believe very strongly that individuals should not own artifacts. Treasure hunting is the pursuit of artifacts for personal gain.
So why did I make Del and her deirfiúr treasure hunters? I’d have loved to call them archaeologists, but nothing about Cass’s work is like archaeology. Archaeology is a very laborious, painstaking process—and it certainly doesn’t involve selling artifacts. That wouldn’t work for the fast-paced, adventurous series that I had planned for Dragon’s Gift. Not to mention the fact that dragons are famous for coveting treasure. Considering where the deirfiúr got their skills from, it just made sense to call them treasure hunters.
Even though I write urban fantasy, I strive for accuracy. The deirfiúr don’t engage in archaeological practices—therefore, I cannot call them archaeologists. I also have a duty as an archaeologist to properly represent my field and our goals—namely, to protect and share history. Treasure hunting doesn’t do this. One of the biggest battles that archaeology faces today is protecting cultural heritage from thieves.
I debated long and hard about not only what to call the heroines of this series, but also about how they would do their jobs. I wanted it to involve all the cool things we think about when we think about archaeology—namely, the Indiana Jones stuff, whether it’s real or not. But I didn’t know quite how to do that while still staying within the bounds of my own ethics. I can cut myself and other writers some slack because this is fiction, but I couldn’t go too far into smash and grab treasure hunting.
I consulted some of my archaeology colleagues to get their take, which was immensely helpful. Wayne Lusardi, the State Maritime Archaeologist for Michigan, and Douglas Inglis and Veronica Morris, both archaeologists for Interactive Heritage, were immensely helpful with ideas. My biggest problem was figuring out how to have the heroines steal artifacts from tombs and then sell them and still sleep at night. Everything I’ve just said is pretty counter to this, right?
That’s where the magic comes in. The heroines aren’t after the artifacts themselves (they put them back where they found them, if you recall)—they’re after the magic that the artifacts contain. They’re more like magic hunters than treasure hunters. That solved a big part of my problem. At least they were putting the artifacts back. Though that’s not proper archaeology, I could let it pass. At least
it’s clear that they believe they shouldn’t keep the artifact or harm the site. But the SuperNerd in me said, “Well, that magic is part of the artifact’s context. It’s important to the artifact and shouldn’t be removed and sold.”
Now that was a problem. I couldn’t escape my SuperNerd self, so I was in a real conundrum. Fortunately, that’s where the immensely intelligent Wayne Lusardi came in. He suggested that the magic could have an expiration date. If the magic wasn’t used before it decayed, it could cause huge problems. Think explosions and tornado spells run amok. It could ruin the entire site, not to mention possibly cause injury and death. That would be very bad.
So now you see why Del and her deirfiúr don’t just steal artifacts to sell them. Not only is selling the magic cooler, it’s also better from an ethical standpoint, especially if the magic was going to cause problems in the long run. These aren’t perfect solutions—the perfect solution would be sending in a team of archaeologists to carefully record the site and remove the dangerous magic—but that wouldn’t be a very fun book.
Thanks again for reading (especially if you got this far!). I hope you enjoyed the story and will stick with Del on the rest of her adventure!
Acknowledgments
As always, thank you, Ben, for everything you’ve done to support me in this career. Thank you to Andrew Meredith for writing to me and suggesting Wales as an excellent place for a book, and thank you to Sue Hackling tor translating the Welsh name of the town of Cwm Y Ddraig (Valley of the Dragon).
Thank you to Jena O’Connor and Lindsey Loucks for various forms of editing. The book is immensely better because of you! And thank you to Rebecca Frank for the beautiful cover. You really bring Del to life.
Thank you to Tannith Strugnell for providing the name of the band on Connor’s T-shirt . Thank you to Aisha Panjwaneey for catching a few of my typos.
The Dragon’s Gift series is a product of my two lives: one as an archaeologist and one as a novelist. Combining these two took a bit of work. I’d like to thank my friends, Wayne Lusardi, the State Maritime Archaeologist for Michigan, and Douglas Inglis and Veronica Morris, both archaeologists for Interactive Heritage, for their ideas about how to have a treasure hunter heroine that doesn’t conflict too much with archaeology’s ethics. The Author’s Note contains a bit more about this if you are interested.
To Bryant Bowler, the coolest Gamecock I know.
Glossary
Afanc - A Welsh water monster who lives in the depths of the northern lakes and drowns those who come into the water.
Alpha Council - There are two governments that enforce law for supernaturals—the Alpha Council and the Order of the Magica. The Alpha Council governs all shifters. They work cooperatively with the Alpha Council when necessary—for example, when capturing FireSouls.
Blood Sorceress - A type of Magica who can create magic using blood.
Coblynau - A Welsh goblin who lives in quarries and kills those who trespass.
Conjurer - A Magica who uses magic to create something from nothing. They cannot create magic, but if there is magic around them, they can put that magic into their conjuration.
Cwm Y Ddraig - Valley of the Dragon, a town full of supernaturals in north Wales.
Dark Magic - The kind that is meant to harm. It’s not necessarily bad, but it often is.
Deirfiúr - Sisters in Irish.
Demons - Often employed to do evil. They live in various hells but can be released upon the earth if you know how to get to them and then get them out. If they are killed on Earth, they are sent back to their hell.
Dragon Sense - A FireSoul’s ability to find treasure. It is an internal sense that pulls them toward what they seek. It is easiest to find gold, but they can find anything or anyone that is valued by someone.
Elemental Mage – A rare type of mage who can manipulate all of the elements.
Enchanted Artifacts – Artifacts can be imbued with magic that lasts after the death of the person who put the magic into the artifact (unlike a spell that has not been put into an artifact—these spells disappear after the Magica’s death). But magic is not stable. After a period of time—hundreds or thousands of years depending on the circumstance—the magic will degrade. Eventually, it can go bad and cause many problems.
Fire Mage – A mage who can control fire.
FireSoul - A very rare type of Magica who shares a piece of the dragon’s soul. They can locate treasure and steal the gifts (powers) of other supernaturals. With practice, they can manipulate the gifts they steal, becoming the strongest of that gift. They are despised and feared. If they are caught, they are thrown in the Prison of Magical Deviants.
The Great Peace - The most powerful piece of magic ever created. It hides magic from the eyes of humans.
Hearth Witch – A Magica who is versed in magic relating to hearth and home. They are often good at potions and protective spells and are also very perceptive when on their own turf.
Magica - Any supernatural who has the power to create magic—witches, sorcerers, mages. All are governed by the Order of the Magica.
Morgen - A Welsh water monster. She is a beautiful woman who lures men to their death in the water.
The Origin - The descendent of the original alpha shifter. They are the most powerful shifter and can turn into any species.
Order of the Magica - There are two governments that enforce law for supernaturals—the Alpha Council and the Order of the Magica. The Order of the Magica govern all Magica. They work cooperatively with the Alpha Council when necessary—for example, when capturing FireSouls.
Phantom - A type of supernatural that is similar to a ghost. They are incorporeal. They feed off the misery and pain of others, forcing them to relive their greatest nightmares and fears. They do not have a fully functioning mind like a human or supernatural. Rather, they are a shadow of their former selves. Half-bloods are extraordinarily rare.
Seeker - A type of supernatural who can find things. FireSouls often pass off their dragon sense as Seeker power.
Shifter - A supernatural who can turn into an animal. All are governed by the Alpha Council.
Transporter - A type of supernatural who can travel anywhere. Their power is limited and must regenerate after each use.
Warden of the Underworld - A one of a kind position created by Roarke. He keeps order in the Underworld.
About Linsey
Before becoming a writer, Linsey Hall was a nautical archaeologist who studied shipwrecks from Hawaii and the Yukon to the UK and the Mediterranean. She credits fantasy and historical romances with her love of history and her career as an archaeologist. After a decade of tromping around the globe in search of old bits of stuff that people left lying about, she settled down and started penning her own romance novels. Her Dragon’s Gift series draws upon her love of history and the paranormal elements that she can’t help but include.
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All reference to events, persons, and locale are used fictitiously, except where documented in historical record. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright 2016 by Linsey Hall
Published by Bonnie Doon Press LLC
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form, except in instances of quotation used in critical articles or book review. Where such permission is sufficient, the author grants the right to strip any DRM which may be applied to this work.
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ISBN 978-1-942085-13-3
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