Captured by Magic

by Linsey Hall

  The Unhcegila plowed into the water and skidded in the shallows. I scrambled to my feet.

  The Unhcegila was fast, rising upward to strike again. My heart thundered as it charged.

  Bree threw her sonic boom again. It blasted past me, making my insides vibrate, but the core of it hit the monster, who flew backward again.

  It was up a half second later.

  “My power isn’t working on him!” Bree cried.

  No sooner had the words left her mouth than the Unhcegila was up and charging. It moved so fast, plowing toward the front of the buggy where Bree was stationed, I didn’t have time to call on my magic.

  She struck out with her sword as she dived toward the front seat. The blade sliced the monster’s cheek as she flew into the footwell, crashing down next to Rowan. The Unhcegila’s head slammed into the bars protecting the front platform, denting them.

  The engine roared as Rowan stepped on the gas, and the buggy jumped forward, shaking the Unhcegila off. Stunned, it slipped down into the water.

  Bree scrambled up. “I need a freaking shield.”

  “No kidding,” Rowan said. “We’ll add it to the list.”

  I spun to watch the Unhcegila, who was already rising, ready to attack again. I steadied myself on the back platform as we drove away—I was the only thing between it and my sisters.

  I’m not going to let it get them.

  Its scales glinted in the light, but there was something at its head that shined brighter. A gem—right between its eyes. A tiny red crystal.

  A memory flashed in my mind.

  “We have to smash the gem!” I cried.

  My memory was hazy, but I swore I remembered Uncle Joe telling us the tale of the Unhcegila. Destroying the gem would kill the beast—for now, at least. It would appear again to another traveler, but if we wanted to get it off our butts, we’d have to destroy that gem. And whoever did would get to keep it, and it would bring good luck.

  This was going to be up to me. Bree fought with a sword, and Rowan was driving.

  I drew a dagger from my boot. The Unhcegila charged, its breath wafting over me, reeking like hot garbage. It opened its mouth wide, fangs glinting.

  I hurled my blade, but the monster dodged, then plowed toward me. Before I could build my shield, Bree threw her sonic boom. It blasted past my left shoulder, sending me flying toward the right. I slammed into the safety rails.

  The sonic boom nailed the monster right in the face, and the beast tumbled backward.

  “Thanks, Bree!” I pushed off the rails and grabbed another dagger.

  The monster was rising, but slower this time. Bree’s repeated blasts were working. It was weakening.

  This was it. My chance.

  I used the monster’s slowness to my advantage, throwing my dagger right for its eyes. The blade pierced the crystal, and magical energy exploded outward. It blew my hair back from my face and stole the breath from my lungs.

  The Unhcegila disappeared in a burst of silver light. A small red crystal flew up into the air, turning end over end and sparkling like a ruby.

  “Turn around!” I screamed.

  “Why?” Rowan shouted.

  “Because!”

  “Great reason!” Rowan yanked the wheel to the right, and the buggy made a sharp U-turn. I clung to the railing, keeping my gaze pinned to the crystal. It hurtled back toward the ground, splashing into the water.

  The red gem glowed brightly, and I pointed toward it. “Head for the glow!”

  Rowan did as I asked, and I climbed over the side of the platform, clinging to the safety railing. “Slow down!”

  As we neared the crystal, Rowan slowed the buggy. The gem gleamed brightly, and I hung low, scooping it out of the water. It was warm in my hand, and I squeezed it tight, scrambling back onto the platform.

  “Can we keep going now?” Rowan asked.

  “Yep!” I looked at the gem briefly. The center was black where my dagger had hit it, but the rest gleamed red and bright. I wasn’t sure if it really was lucky, but I could use all the help I could get, so I shoved it into my pocket.

  Rowan cut through the rest of the Bad Water without incident, the silver liquid spraying up around the tires and glinting in the sun.

  The buggy cut across the desert as the sun beat down upon us. I shielded my eyes, squinting into the distance. Everything was beige, all different shades. And it all shimmered with danger. The air stank with it.

  “You smell that?” Rowan asked.

  “Yeah, dark magic.” It was the thing that made the desert nearly impassable, and the reason that Hider’s Haven was so protected. If you wanted to lie low—like, really low—that was the place to do it. It was full of criminals, mostly. But also innocent people who were trying to avoid criminals. Get in trouble with the magical mob? Hider’s Haven was the supernatural version of witness protection.

  Rowan expertly drove the car around scrub brush and boulders. Up ahead, the air shimmered, making it hard to determine what was coming at us. But the air stank with dark magic and prickled, abrading my skin.

  Whatever it was, I knew it’d be bad.

  ~~~

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  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading Captured by Magic! If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably read some of my previous books and know that I like to include historical places and mythological elements in my stories. Sometimes the history of these things is so interesting that I want to share more, and I like to do it in the Author’s Note instead of the story itself.

  Captured by Magic is full of myth and history. It starts in Death Valley, where I borrowed from some Native American myth. Because of the forcible dispersement of Native American people during American colonialism (not our finest hour), it can be difficult to find the myth and folklore for a specific region or group. Taking people from their homes and suppressing their culture has the unfortunate consequence of also causing the loss of cultural stories and histories. As such, some of the myth that I have used does not come directly from Death Valley, but from nearby instead.

  One example of that is the Nimerigar, a mythological group of tiny people who shot poisoned arrows from their bows. Their name means “people eaters” in the Shoshone and Paiute languages, and they were said to live in Wyoming. Another myth is that of the Princess of the Timbisha Shoshone people who lived in the half-built castle. It is a piece of folklore from the Timbisha Shoshone tribe in Death Valley and it describes the land before it became dry and desert like. I stayed as faithful to their story as I could.

  Petroglyphs like the ones carved in the sand at Death Valley in my story are found all over the world. In Death Valley, they are most often found inscribed on vertical rocks, but for the purpose of this book, I liked the idea of them being carved into the ground.

  The myth and history in Captured by Magic continues in Italy. The city of Orvieto is a real place in central Italy that is roughly as I described it, minus the river leading to the Well of San Patrizio. The well really is there, however, and I highly recommend that you google it for photos. It is truly amazing and I knew that I had to use it for the book. The well was built in the 16th century to provide water for the city in the event of a siege, and the architecture is really impressive.

  The city itself sits atop hundreds of caves, most of which were dug out of the earth to provide building materials for the city below. Some of them are older than the Romans. Many homes and business have their own private caves that they now use primarily for storage. There are several very cool wineries that have their storage underground. The one that I used for reference in the book is actually in the town of Montepulciano, which shares a similar construction to Orvieto.

  One of the most interesting places in the Orvieto underground is the area where the pigeons live. For centuries, pigeons were an important food source for Orvieto. The cave
s at the edge of the city have natural openings to the cliffs outside. Within the caves, there are hundreds of little nooks carved into the walls for the pigeons, who live free until the day that someone decides to eat them (that’s the sadder part of the story). But it’s a very interesting place, and I recommend googling that as well.

  St. Bacchus was one of the Roman gods who was made into a minor saint to help ease the transition to Christianity. The Opimian vintage that he mentions is an actual famous vintage from 121 BC. It’s amazing what you can learn on the internet.

  And last, the Parco dei Mostri, which I call the forest of monsters in the book, is based on the Parco dei Mostri at Bomarzo in central Italy. It is very similar to how I described it—a wild forest filled with huge, fantastic stone sculptures. It was commissioned in 1552 by Prince Pier Francesco Orsini in honor of his late wife. This is another one that I recommend you google. The pictures are really fantastic.

  I think that’s it for the history and mythology in Captured by Magic—at least the big things. I hope you enjoyed the book and will come back for more of Ana, Lachlan, Rowan, and Bree!

  For Janice, with love.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you, Ben, for everything. There would be no books without you.

  Thank you to Jena O’Connor and Lindsey Loucks for your excellent editing. The book is immensely better because of you! Thank you to Janice P. for sharing information about the American South West.

  Thank you to Orina Kafe for the beautiful cover art. Thank you to Collette Markwardt for allowing me to borrow the Pugs of Destruction, who are real dogs named Chaos, Havoc, and Ruckus. They were all adopted from rescue agencies.

  Glossary

  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 Sorcerer - A type of Magica who can create magic using blood.

  Dark Magic - The kind that is meant to harm. It’s not necessarily bad, but it often is.

  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.

  Djinn - Possesses invisibility and the ability to possess others for brief periods of time.

  Earthwalking Gods - Reincarnates of the ancient gods who can walk upon the earth. They are mortal but with all the power of that god.

  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.

  Magica - Any supernatural who has the power to create magic—witches, sorcerers, mages. All are governed by the Order of the Magica.

  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.

  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.

  Undercover Protectorate - A secret organization dedicated to protecting supernaturals and solving the crimes that no one else will.

  Vampire - Blood drinking supernaturals with great strength and speed who live in a separate realm.

  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 2018 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.

  Linsey@LinseyHall.com

  www.LinseyHall.com

  https://www.facebook.com/LinseyHallAuthor

  ISBN 978-1-942085-70-6