Bounty Hunter Inc_An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure

by Martha Carr

  “Agreed.” Leira nodded.

  “Aloha, motherfuckers,” Yumfuck growled, standing with his paws clenched.

  They marched forward, Yumfuck swiping away any dark wizards in his path. Leira, Jackson, and Brittany’s eyes glowed as they threaded the energy from beneath their feet, pulling the light into their chests. A group of Harriken turned, smiling and ready to face off. Jackson slashed his hand to the right, sending out a wall of energy. The Harriken ducked and it flew over their heads, crashing into the ground behind them.

  Brittany threw fireball after fireball and they whizzed around the Harriken, circling back to strike two of them in the back. Their clothes caught fire and they dropped to the ground, rolling in the grass to put out the flames. Leira kept her eyes firmly on the two Harriken in front of her, squaring up with their wands. They all paused for just a moment before expelling light and dark magic at each other. Orbs of energy blew through the air in a hail of magic. They collided, bursting into small explosions as Yumfuck dove to the side, catching the edge of a fireball across the fur on his belly.

  Leira pushed out her palms, sending a steady stream of light into the middle of the fight. She gathered more and more light into the ever-growing orb swirling between them. Brittany pushed her hands out as well, followed by Jackson, all three adding energy to the light. The orb was so large it blocked the Harriken on the other side.

  With one hand sending energy to the orb, Leira swirled her other over her head. Every human and light magical creature found their feet knocked out from underneath them, dropping them onto their bellies. The Harriken and dark families looked around in wonder for a moment, but only for a moment. Leira nodded at Jackson and Brittany before pulling her palm away, then dropped onto the ground between her father and sister. Jackson rolled over, throwing his body over his daughters as the orb pulsated larger and larger, finally exploding in waves of damaging energy across the field, catching almost every enemy in the head, neck, or shoulders.

  As the light dissipated, Jackson looked up. Portals opened all across the grounds. “Here is our chance. Get them on the run.”

  The three of them stood quickly, tossing fireballs at the dark wizards as they leaped through portals and snapped them shut behind them. Several Harriken stopped and gawked as their cronies, their magical rejects, fled the scene with no regard for their contract with the Japanese mob. They growled angrily, still sending out darts of dark magic, trying to get in a couple of last shots before they fled into the portals.

  Leira, Jackson, and Brittany managed to block every shot they made…barely. Slowly the light magicals pulled themselves to their feet, joining in the battle. They threw an array of magical orbs at the remaining Harriken and dark wizards, bombarding them with energy. The dark magic was losing, but at what cost to the future?

  Correk raced across the field, sliding to the side of an injured elf. He put his hands over the wound in his side and closed his eyes, sending enough energy to lessen the severity of the blow. He opened a portal to the team on standby on the other side, waiting for the injured. Correk nodded and floated the elf into the air, passing him carefully through the portal. As soon as the elf was safe he raced to the next, trying to help as many injured witches and wizards as he could.

  Light from the center of the field caught his attention, and he watched as Leira, Jackson, and Brittany mustered one hell of a ball of magic between them and the Harriken. As Leira used one hand to send out a wave of magic to the surrounding light magic users, she caught Correk’s eyes and gave him a swift smirk and a wink. Before he could respond the wave hit him, knocking him to the ground. He picked up his head and watched as Jackson rolled over the girls, the ball pulsing faster and faster.

  He put his head down as the light sped through the entirety of the Mall, striking the enemy hard. “Yes!”

  He jumped to his feet, helping others up, and joined in, sending orbs of light magic spiraling toward the fleeing Harriken. They tried to fight back, but the whole field had turned on them, and the number of light magicals outweighed the dark families and Harriken combined—at least the ones who had come to the event.

  As the last of the enemy retreated into portals, Correk continued racing around and sending the last of the injured for help through the portal. By the end no one had died, which was a huge triumph. Correk walked over to Leira and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Good job out there.”

  “You too, Fixer.”

  They smirked and looked around, realizing there were still thousands of people on the lawn. Everyone but Leira and Correk looked wary and frightened as they found their loved ones and hugged them tightly. Smoke blew across the grass, and she could see several spots where the magic had burned it away. Leira looked at Yumfuck, who nodded. He shrunk to three feet and knelt next to a mother hugging her daughter. They were safe, but exhausted and frightened from the battle.

  Leira realized at that moment that not every magical being was a fighter. Not all of them had faced things like that before. In fact, most of them never had. Yet, in that hour of need, they had stepped up and protected the humans from harm. They put their own lives on the line for a group they weren’t even sure would support them in the future. Maybe the people of Oriceran were different than humans. Maybe their sense of bravery and protective nature outweighed what human beings had become. Between the politics and the fear, the humans hadn’t even realized what kind of noble people the magicals were. That was something Leira knew had to come to light.

  Leira stood next to Correk, looking out over the littered Mall. Those left after the fight were either headed back to the Starbucks or opening portals back to their homes. Burnt unity flags fluttered across the grounds, and what had been lively and fun tents just hours before were shredded, some still smoldering from the dark fires. She turned to Correk and shook her head, not wanting to believe that was how it would all come to a close.

  “This isn’t the beginning of the end. It can’t be.”

  Correk put his hand on her shoulder and looked at the Mall with her, feeling a mixture of emotions himself. However, behind the shock of it all—for Correk and Leira as well—there was determination. No sadness crossed their minds. There was no time to wallow in what had already happened. They had to move forward, to look toward the future and not let another day pass where the Harriken were able to create such a damaging scene, one that would surely follow them all for some time to come.

  “You’re right, but how do we make that known?”

  Leira scanned the scene again, her eyes falling on the stage across the Mall. The reporters were still there, filming the wreckage and broadcasting live from the smoldered stage, not one of them injured. Leira took off across the field, Correk following her, not sure what she had in mind. Leira knew it wasn’t the media’s fault, but they had been protected by the Harriken. The whole thing was a setup to raise the level of fear through the world. She would not allow them to have the last word.

  She went up on the stage and grabbed the first reporter she came to. “I have something to say. My name is Leira Berens. I am a human and an elf, and I want to address the public.”

  “Yes, of course,” he agreed, taken off-guard.

  The other reporters quickly caught wind of it, and before she knew it they were stacked in front of her, cameras rolling, and mics angled toward her. As she cleared her throat, flashes of the people there before the fight rolled through her mind. The smiles, the laughter, and the connectedness that had occurred in a matter of minutes.

  “I stand here in the aftermath of today’s terrible events, and I have a message for you. If you are sitting there watching this with your fear building all over again and your anger taking control, then the people responsible for this, those with dark magic, have won. They specifically wanted to destroy this rally and put fear back into your hearts. But I come to you battered, bruised, and tired to ask for unity.”

  Jackson, Brittany, Yumfuck, and Correk gathered at the bottom of the stage
to listen to her. Slowly the other magical beings who remained came over and stood behind them. Leira took a deep breath and softened her features.

  “My name is Leira Berens, and I am part human and part elf. I am from both worlds, and I am asking all sides, dark, light, non-magical, and everything in between, to please use this as a call for unity. Unite under the need and desire for peace. Unite for our children, for our neighbor’s children, and for the future we want to see in this world. Don’t let the bad guys win. Don’t let them take the love from our hearts. We must and we will let our better selves stand together, and we will not let those unwanted forces manipulate us to the agendas of the dark and powerful. I speak to everyone everywhere, in all reaches of this planet. Join hands, let the light shine, and unite us for the sake of everyone on this Earth, my beautiful home.”

  Leira nodded at the reporters, who cut the footage and looked at her with respect on their faces. “Thank you for allowing me that.”

  She turned and walked off the stage, finding her family standing there with their arms open. The group hugged, exhausted from the fight but nowhere near ready to give up. She didn’t know if her words would have any effect on people. She didn’t know if that many people would even hear her, but she couldn’t stand by and let the day end like that, not when it had started out so perfectly. She knew she took a huge risk exposing herself to the world, but the secret was out, and they weren’t going to continue to hide in the shadows.

  Yumfuck shrank to five inches tall and climbed up to Leira’s shoulder. He held onto her neck and snuggled his face against her skin as they started walking toward the house. It was a familiar spot, a place he used to ride in all the time. It had been quite a while since he had found himself there, and Leira liked it. She was as determined as ever to continue kicking dark magic ass, to find the artifacts, and to hunt down the damn Harriken. If anything, the battle had only made her more resolute.

  When they got to their block, they stopped outside the apartment complex where their neighbors stood talking. Leira thanked them for all their help, and though they looked wary, Leira knew she could count on them when she needed it most. They headed into the house and Yumfuck jumped down, running to the kitchen for a snack. Leira laughed, seeing several things falling out of the pantry.

  “At least we know a hard-core battle doesn’t affect his eating habits.”

  Correk chuckled. “Yeah. If anything it makes him even hungrier.”

  “That’s just what we need.” She chuckled. “We work to eat.”

  “That sounds like the best thing in life.” Correk laughed, catching a bag of Skittles that Yumfuck tossed at him from the kitchen door.

  Leira plopped down on the couch and put her feet on the coffee table, noticing how dirty she was. She was exhausted, though, and just wanted to sit there for a few minutes before getting into the shower. Correk sat down in the chair and pulled his hair up on top of his head into a messy man bun. Leira smiled, noting how cute she thought he was, even with smears of dirt and ash on his face and neck.

  “That was a little worse than I expected,” Leira remarked, “though not totally a shock.”

  “Your words were perfect. I know they will have meant something to the people watching.”

  “I hope so, because this fight is far from over.”

  “We’ll figure this all out together. It may take a while, but we are in it for the long haul.”

  Leira smirked. “Yeah, like a hundred years or so...if we’re lucky.”

  Leira rolled over in the bed, stretched her arms over her head, and yawned quietly. Correk was still fast asleep, his pointy elf ears wiggled in his dream state. She turned on her side and looked at the clock; it was about eight in the morning. She wanted to sleep in, but her mind was already awake. She had been more exhausted than she’d thought, and had slept through the night without even moving.

  Slowly, she climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt. She looked in the mirror at the bruise that had formed on her cheek and pulled her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head. Bruises didn’t bother her. She was just happy to still be there to fight another day.

  She headed to the kitchen and started the coffee, grabbing a granola bar from her shelf that, not surprisingly had not been raided. She leaned against the kitchen counter as she ate. The sun shone brightly in the sky overhead and everything was calm, almost like nothing had happened the day before. But it had, and she was curious to see what the reaction of the people would be.

  First things first, though—the elixir of life had to be consumed. When the coffee was brewed she grabbed her favorite mug from the cabinet, one Yumfuck had bought her after his first job. It was a picture of him smiling widely with the words, Have A Great Day, Motherfucker! written underneath him. She chuckled every time she looked at it. She filled her cup and took a deep breath of the dark-chocolate-smelling brew.

  She went outside, sat down on the front steps, and took a long sip of her hot coffee. She tilted her head up and closed her eyes, letting the morning sun warm her cheeks. When she opened her eyes again, she smiled softly to herself. Across the street a unity flag was flying on the flagpole. She looked to the right and saw several more along the block.

  Slowly she stood up and walked down the steps to the sidewalk. Up and down the street people flew the flag proudly. It wasn’t everyone of course, but definitely more than she would have expected—and it was enough. Enough to prove to Leira that maybe she was wrong. Maybe she didn’t give the humans credit for having enough bravery and heart.

  Her smile grew as she climbed the steps and thought about the speech she had given, and all the brave people who battled the day before. The flag was a symbol of that and a beacon of hope for everyone in the world. She reached for the door handle and nodded.

  “You know,” she said to no one in particular, looking at the flag next door. “We may have a chance at this after all.”

  The Fairhaven Chronicles

  Did you know there were more great series available in the Oriceran Universe?

  Victoria Brie is getting her life together. She may be just a cashier, but she has big dreams and high hopes for what comes next. In the meantime, she has everything that matters: her family and her best friend.

  If only life were that simple.

  When she comes home to find her parents murdered by an elf — yeah, an elf — she’s thrust into a world of magic, mystery, and a madman who wants her dead. The question is… why?

  Grab Glow, Book One of The Fairhaven Chronicles today.

  Available at Amazon

  Author Notes - Martha Carr

  Written July 18, 2018

  I’m surrounded by boxes and the last few small things that still need to be packed on my way from one life to the next one. That’s what this past year has been like as well writing with Michael Anderle, creating the Oriceran Universe, and dreaming up Leira and Correk and that troll… Yumfuck Tiberius Troll. Perfect name.

  I went from being a well-respected author among critics to a successful author among fans. Frankly, I like that second description better. Fans are where it’s at – we share our lives with each other, do a lot of laughing, cheering someone on who’s going for a new job or moving to a new city and send prayers and well wishes during tough moments – and are there when we all come out the other side together.

  That’s what having a great community of fans is like – we don’t have to do anything alone. Living in cooperation instead of isolation or competition. That’s another new trait for me.

  I was a single mother from the jump of the wonderful Offspring. Help was limited and there was a lot to do, and I got used to just doing it. Faster, quicker… but was it easier? I delegated only when I absolutely had to and even then, looked back over my shoulder. The bar was set way too high and I was often exhausted at the end of a project.

  My new bar is to ask myself what I really want to be doing, and then looking for help with the rest. It’s no longer
about how much I can carry, or how much I can do, but what’s best for everyone – including me.

  Michael has been a great mentor by occasionally asking me with a laugh, “Why are you still doing that?” Okay, okay… I get it. I’ll have a virtual assistant and a personal editor coming on board shortly. If you’re in my Facebook Fan Group (and you are proud to be a Peabrain) you’ve already met Felicia and will soon meet Joe.

  We always do better in cooperation…

  On July 31st, Oriceran will celebrate its first birthday and we’ll do it up right with some giveaways, special fan pricing for every first book in every Oriceran series for that day, and whatever else our brains can cook up – all out of gratitude for this ever-expanding community of fans who I’ve had the pleasure to get to know over this past year and I look forward to getting to know better in years to come. Thank you for helping to make my dreams come true. More adventures to follow. Okay, back to packing…

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Written June 18, 2018

  First, THANK YOU for taking your time to read our stories, and read all the way to the back with these Author Notes.

  Right now, I’m considering renting a space for our little company in the (very) raw Arts District here in Las Vegas.

  Why? Because I have a dream… (My wife might call it a hallucination, and she might not be far off.)

  I’d like to get to some place that I can build a little area to work, to share with other authors here in Las Vegas, and have small fan events from time to time.

  You know, party like it’s 1999 a lot during the year? (Not that I know how to do that, exactly, as I don’t drink much at all. But I’m willing to yell “WOOHOO” a few times.)