by TR Cameron
Usha’s heart swelled with gratitude, and her pleasure only increased as the woman who was her whole world revealed her plans for the upstart family, the Zatoras, and most especially, Caliste Leblanc and her friends.
Chapter Thirty-One
Tanyith walked into one of the oldest locals’ bars in New Orleans, Stan’s Pub. Everything was old wood, polished by use and pride of ownership. The lighting fixtures were antique-looking lanterns hung from walls and posts that created strange shadows around the room. It was mostly full, which was unusual for one o’clock on a Friday night going into Saturday morning. By now, the party in most French Quarter establishments had moved onto the streets.
The crowd in Stan’s was different, though. He’d never crossed the threshold before because it was a cop bar and in his former role as Atlantean gang member, he wouldn’t have been welcome. To put it mildly. He noticed Barton’s short black hair first, then the off-duty leather jacket he’d seen her wear before. The only empty seat at the long wooden bar was beside her, and he slid onto it.
“Hey. What’s up?” The late-night text had been a surprise but since he had a distinct lack of claims on his time, he’d accepted her invitation without hesitation. I’m gonna have to find a real job soon but for now, I might as well enjoy the freedom.
She gestured at the bartender and a tall glass of beer and a short one of something translucent appeared before each of them. She lifted her shot and swiveled toward him. “Cheers.” He shrugged, picked his own up and clinked it against hers, then drank it. The kamikaze burned the length of his throat, but he managed to avoid coughing by taking a gulp of his beer. Barton looked at him with a small smile and nodded. “I wanted to thank you for your part in the action the other night.”
He shrugged. “It had to be done. I’m glad I was able to help.”
The detective pointed at him and the finger wobbled slightly, which suggested that she might be a drink or two ahead of him. “You are not the person I thought you were.”
That prompted a laugh. “Is that a bad thing?”
Barton shook her head. “It is not. In fact, I might even call it a good thing. I would have hated to have to throw you in jail. Your redhead girlfriend would wind up in far more trouble without you around, I think.”
Tanyith sighed. “Let me be completely clear. Cali. Is not. My girlfriend. Even if the age difference didn’t shut that down—and it absolutely does—there’s no spark there.”
She looked hard into his eyes as if the truth was hiding in the back of his skull. “Are you sure of that? You two seem very tight.”
“She’s a friend. A good friend, even. But nothing more. Now, or ever.”
The woman leaned back and looked thoughtful. “Well, then. That’s good to know.” She stopped talking but continued to stare.
Tanyith cleared his throat. “So…uh, Detective Barton, would you be interested in going out to dinner sometime?”
Her laugh was freer than anything he’d heard from her before. “If you plan to hang out with me, you should at least start calling me Kendra. You can practice that on our date.”
At about that same moment on the other side of the Quarter, Cali and Zeb were closing up for the evening. They’d let the Drunken Dragons stay open later than usual, as the magicals in the city seemed to have weighty things on their mind that night. Conversations were more intense but less confrontational. There seemed to be a little less joy but a little more community. They’d both noticed it and neither had wanted to shatter the unique atmosphere. A few stragglers still sat and talked, but most of the end of shift tasks could be done around them.
She slid onto one of the high bar chairs to take a break, tilted her chin in Fyre’s direction, and whispered, “Hit him.” The dwarf snagged the bar gun and fired a stream of soda water at the Draksa but as usual, the creature went from apparent sleep to fully awake in an instant. He growled, snapped at the flow, and drank the fizzy liquid. They laughed at his antics, and he settled again but kept a wary eye on them.
“So, quite the week we’ve had,” Zeb said,
Cali nodded. “It was. Let’s spend the next one resting, what do you say?”
He chuckled darkly. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s our decision to make.”
Her gaze distant, she drummed her fingers on the bar. “Here’s the thing about that. I’m actually kind of tired of being acted against instead of doing the acting.”
The dwarf climbed into his own chair, lit his pipe, and took a deep pull. He blew smoke rings toward the Draksa, who steadfastly refused to notice. “That’s understandable.” He pointed the mouthpiece of the pipe at her. “You could spend more time at the library. That would be action of a sort.”
“You are a sad, sad man who lacks vision.” Her smile ensured he’d know she was teasing. “I thought about what my parents might have been doing in their lair. The more I consider it, the more it seems as if they were working against the gangs. Exactly like we are.”
He nodded. “Agreed. And taking action brought them the wrong kind of attention.”
“Very true. But that doesn’t mean I would have the same result. I could succeed where they didn’t. Plus, I have to understand what the deal is with Atreo and I have to find out how to decode those books. Add that to the urgent need to find out more about the bastards who sent a freaking Kraken to destroy the city, and there’s really only one possible path forward.”
Zeb straightened and stared at her, evidently realizing what she was planning. “Are you really sure you want to do that? There’s getting closer to the fire and then there’s jumping into it with both feet. This would definitely be the latter.”
Cali nodded. “If I allow them to keep chipping away at me, I’ll wind up exactly like my parents. I can’t let that happen so I have to do it.”
He shrugged. “If you have to, you have to.” He laughed and shook his head. “Look out New Atlantis. Cali Leblanc is coming to town.”
Cali, Fyre and her friends are heading to New Atlantis to investigate her legacy. But problems are still on the horizon back home in New Orleans. Join them as their adventure continues in Bermuda Triangle Blues.
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
December 13, 2019
Thank you for reading the third book in the Scions of Magic series! I have to say, that while this one was an absolute challenge for some reason to write, I feel like the story it tells is deeply engaging. I’m really coming to love Cali, Fyre, and the rest. Plus, it’s awesome to get more of Nylotte. As other life pressures worked on me during this time, the book really was a refuge. I am so grateful for the opportunity to share stories with you.
The unwavering support and ideas from Martha and Michael have been fantastic. Getting the keys to their world to build out the Atlantean culture is a real mark of trust, one that hopefully I’m justifying, and has been fantastic fun. In book four we’ll get a better look at the underwater city, as the second main story arc
begins. The initial plan was for three sets of three, but right now I feel like there’s enough stories in Cali and her comrades for more than that. Guess that will be up to whether y’all want more!
So much has happened since the last author notes! 20booksto50k was amazing, as always. Being around that many indie and hybrid authors, all united in the common goal of telling great stories for great fans, is a soul-enriching experience. If I knew everything there was to know about that stuff (which I don’t, for sure), I would still go for the energy. It refills my own pool of writing power.
I finished Outer Worlds. It was alright, not the best ever. Skyrim and Fallout 4 still hold those titles for me. I managed to get the kid, finally, to watch Star Wars: A New Hope. Positive response. We’ll be doing Vader Immortal in VR over the holiday break, which is something big to look forward to.
Still busy, way busy, too busy. My day job gives me a little extra time off during December, and I’m really looking forward to spending them with my child, playing board games (Carcassone is the current fave, and looking forward to getting Catan Jr. as well), video games (Death Stranding is the weirdest game I’ve ever seen), and seeing the last of the most recent Star Wars trilogy.
I’m writing this in the center seat of a plane. My family and I are headed for Disney World and Universal studios. I promised the kid that we’d do a “big” trip every four years, and the last one was four years ago, so it was time to make good on it. My emotions around it are weird. I’m very excited for the intense, responsibility-free time we’ll share. But I’m also well aware that this is the last time we’ll do something like this before she’s almost a teenager, which means most of the kid-stuff joys won’t be appealing anymore. No regrets, just, I guess, a moment of passage.
I’m beyond excited for season four of The Expanse, but have to finish getting through the earlier seasons a third time to prepare. If you’re a sci-fi fan and you’re not watching (and reading), take my word for it, you should, you’ll love it.
As we head into the end of the year and the finish of the decade, the temptation is to look back and judge, or look forward and hope. My personal goal is to try to embrace the moment as much as I can. I’m not good at that, but hey, no time like the present to improve!
Until next time, Joys upon joys to you and yours – so may it be.
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Author Notes - Martha Carr
January 2, 2020
Have you ever met someone and with everything you learn about them your admiration grows, and then like a fun twist in a really good book you find out they have a layer of sass as well? That’s Kelly O’Donnell.
I’ve known Kelly since The Leira Chronicles began back in the summer of 2017, which in my world is forever! Even then she was able to keep me straight with plot points because after book six of anything I start to forget. What can I say?
And I like to put a lot of details in my books. On top of that I took a break from The Leira Chronicles for over a year and now I’m back writing another adventure. It’s been hard to remember what Eireka’s new husband’s name is or which arm Perrom lost, or what that society of witches was called and a million other details. I’ll stop there in case anyone is now giving me a YTT Aloha for spoilers I was about to say… Never mind.
The point is lately I have been peppering Kelly with endless questions and she knows a lot of them off the top of her head and when she doesn’t, she knows how to find them – and it’s all done with grace and joy.
Even better, I had a chance to spend some time with her in Scotland and I realized there is a finely tuned snarky sense of humor under that layer of kindness that is my idea of human perfection. Imagine being able to be funny and never at someone else’s expense. That’s Kelly O’Donnell. I don’t know if this is true, but I picture her on a Harley on her way to a bake sale and she rescues a pit bull on the side of the road along the way. Probably all fiction, but I wouldn’t be surprised…
1. What turns you on?
Broad shoulders and a sense of humor.
2. What turns you off?
Liars.
3. Who do you most admire? Why?
Any first responder/ military. They are the ones running into the situations and standing on that line saying ‘not today, asshole, not today.’
4. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Sniper 12
5. What profession would you not like to do?
Anything in retail.
6. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
We gave you a free pass in, but damn, child, we had to think about it.
7. What is your favorite movie?
Lord of the Rings (all of them)
8. Who is your favorite character and from what book by which author?
Wow, that’s a tough one. I like so many of them for various reasons… Gonna have to go with Major Xi Bao from the Metal Legion series by C.H. Gideon.
9. What is something most people do not know about you?
I’m a homebody.
10. What do you look forward to most in the new year?
Seeing what this crazy fabulous life has in store for me. Good or bad, life’s an adventure and I for one enjoy that I’m still here for it.
11. What's your favorite non-LMBPN series you’ve done? What’s your favorite series inside LMBPN?
Not an author so as a reader I find myself rereading Traders Tales by Nathan Lowell just about once a quarter. As for a LMBPN series, I really enjoy any and all of the Zoo universe.
Other series in the Oriceran Universe:
THE DANIEL CODEX SERIES
I FEAR NO EVIL
THE UNBELIEVABLE MR. BROWNSTONE
ALISON BROWNSTONE
SCHOOL OF NECESSARY MAGIC
SCHOOL OF NECESSARY MAGIC: RAINE CAMPBELL
FEDERAL AGENTS OF MAGIC
SCIONS OF MAGIC
THE LEIRA CHRONICLES
REWRITING JUSTICE
THE KACY CHRONICLES
MIDWEST MAGIC CHRONICLES
SOUL STONE MAGE
THE FAIRHAVEN CHRONICLES
OTHER BOOKS BY JUDITH BERENS
Other LMBPN Publishing Books
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