Stolen Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Huntress Book 3)

by Linsey Hall

  “All right.” He stepped close, and my heart raced.

  The memory of his kisses the other night made my skin heat. I grabbed his shirt and tugged him closer.

  “But you’ll have to earn them,” he said.

  “How?”

  “Go talk to Aethelred about your locket.”

  I’d been hoping he’d say I had to earn them with kisses or something fun like that, but the fact that he wanted me to hunt down my past made my heart flutter.

  “You’re a good guy, Aidan Merrick. Are you sure you don’t have an ulterior motive?”

  “‘Course I do.” He grinned, so handsome I wanted to eat him up. “You being happy seems to make me happy.”

  “But we haven’t even known each other that long.”

  He rubbed his jaw. “Yeah, that’s the weird thing.” He shrugged. “It just doesn’t seem to matter. You’re the strongest, bravest person I’ve ever met, and apparently I have a thing for that.”

  I grinned, my empty chest not hurting quite so much. “Fine. I’ll go to Aethelred. I want to learn about my past. And try to get my powers back.”

  A shadow crossed Aidan’s face, as if he doubted my odds at getting my powers back. Then he grinned. “Good. If there’s a way to do it, you’ll find it.”

  “Thanks.”

  “There is one thing, though,” Aidan said. “The Order of the Magica wants to meet the people who helped me with the portal. To thank you. They would make it part of the ceremony for the Nullifier.”

  I jerked back. “Hell no.”

  “You could get credit for saving Magic’s Bend.”

  That was appealing. Getting on the Order’s good side could only help me in the future, on the off-chance they figured out what I was. “I suppose I could do it before I get my power back. Now that I’m just a void of nullification, they won’t be able to sense my FireSoul.”

  “I like how you think.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. You’ll get your power back, but until then, you’ll take advantage of what you’ve got going for you.”

  “I’d better get my power back.” I clenched my fists in his shirt. “It’s part of me. I feel like hell now that it’s gone.”

  And I couldn’t be an immortal. It was like the worst life-sentence ever. Eternal loneliness once my deirfiúr and Aidan died. Just the thought made me sweat.

  “Good. You’re going to need it.” Aidan’s face turned grave. “Dr. Garriso called. He said that Victor Orriordor succeeded in taking the Chalice of Youth.”

  My breath escaped me. “No. Nothing can be stolen from the museum.”

  “I know. That’s how it’s supposed to work. But something must have happened while part of the museum disappeared at the waypoint. The chalice was stolen.”

  Shit. “So we failed.”

  “You saved the museum. Hundreds of lives. That’s not failure.”

  I nodded, but the idea of the Monster getting what he was after made my head spin. Why did he need the immortality gifted by the chalice if he was already immortal? What horrible thing did he have planned?

  “We’ll handle this, Cass. Whatever the Monster’s end goal, we’ll stop it. No matter what we have to do.”

  I hoped he was right. I had to handle it. And get my powers back. Because living like this wasn’t an option.

  THANK YOU FOR READING!

  I hope you liked Stolen Magic. Reviews are so helpful to authors. I really appreciate all reviews, and if you’d like, you can leave one by clicking here.

  The sequel to Stolen Magic will be available later this summer. Join my newsletter to find out more. I love hearing from readers. You can contact me at Linsey@LinseyHall.com.

  If you’d like to know more about the inspiration for the Dragon’s Gift series, please read on for the Author’s Note.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  I hope you enjoyed reading Stolen Magic as much as I enjoyed writing it. Writing Cass’s adventures are a labor of love for me because in addition to being a writer, I am also an archaeologist. The Dragon’s Gift series allows me to combine my two loves—writing and history—which has been amazing.

  As with my other stories, Stolen Magic features historical sites. The most important historical site in Stolen Magic is the Museum of Magical History, which is a based off the Natural History Museum in London. It’s an amazing museum, but the building itself is also historic. It was completed in 1881 and features incredible architecture that made it a perfect setting for Cass’s third adventure. Not only is it full of old stuff, the building is also old stuff as well.

  For the purposes of the story, I cleared out all the dinosaur skeletons and replaced the collections with magical archaeological artifacts. The cover image is meant to be one of the windows of the museum’s main hall, though I’ll confess that we actually used an image of Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh because it worked better from an artistic standpoint.

  But one of the most important things about the Dragon’s Gift series is Cass’s relationship with the artifacts and the sense of responsibility she feels to protect them. I spoke about this in the Author’s Note for Ancient Magic and Mirror Mage, so this might be repetitive for some folks (feel free to quit now if so), but I want to include it in each of my Author’s Notes because it’s so important to me.

  I knew I had a careful line to tread when writing these books—combining the ethics of archaeology with the fantasy aspect of treasure hunting isn’t always easy.

  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 Cass Cleraux a treasure hunter? I’d have loved to call her an archaeologist, 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 Cass got her skills from, it just made sense to call her a treasure hunter (though I really like to think of her as a magic hunter). Even though I write urban fantasy, I strive for accuracy. Cass doesn’t engage in archaeological practices—therefore, I cannot call her an archaeologist. 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 Cass, but also about how she would do her job. 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. Because that stuff is fun, and my main goal is to write a fun book. 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 Cass 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. Cass isn’t after the artifacts themselves (she puts them back where she found them, if you recall)—she’s after the magic that the artifacts contain. She�
��s more of a magic hunter than a treasure hunter. That solved a big part of my problem. At least she was putting the artifacts back. Though that’s not proper archaeology (especially the damage she sometimes causes, which she always goes back to fix), I could let it pass. At least it’s clear that she believes she 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 Cass Clereaux didn’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. Hopefully this was a good compromise that you enjoyed (and that my old professors don’t hang their heads over).

  DEDICATION

  For Catherine Bowler, one of the smartest, kindest, most genuine people I know. The world is vastly better because you are in it.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thank you, Ben, for everything you’ve done to support me. Thank you to Carol Thomas for sharing your thoughts on the book and being amazing inspiration. My books are always better because of your help.

  The Dragon’s Gift series is a product of my two lives: one as an archaeologist and one as a novelist. 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

  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 Kathy Neibarger and Kaye Amis, who caught several embarrassing errors in the final manuscript.

  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 Alpha Council when necessary - for example, when capturing FireSouls.

  ArchMage - The greatest mage of that particular skill. For example, the ArchMage of Fire Mages. There can also be an ArchWitch or ArchSorcerer.

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

  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.

  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 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.

  Halfblood - A supernatural who is half one species and half another. Example: shifter and Magica.

  Heart of Glencarrough - The child who tends the Heartstone.

  Hearth Witch – A Magica who is versed in magic relating to hearth and home. They are often good and potions and protective spells and are also very perceptive when on their own turf.

  Heartstone - A charm that protects Glencarrough, the Alpha Council stronghold, from dark magic. It was created through the sacrifice of many shifters and must be tended by the Heart of Glencarrough, a child.

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

  Mirror Mage - A Magica who can temporarily borrow the powers of other supernaturals. They can mimic the powers as long as they are near the other supernatural. Or they can hold onto the power, but once they are away from the other supernatural, they can only use it once.

  The Origin - The descendent of the original alpha shifter. They are the most powerful shifter and can turn into any species.

  Order of Holy Knowledge - A group of monks who collect and protect knowledge and who live on an island in Ireland. They are supernaturals, but they do not use their powers.

  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 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.

  Scroll of Truths - A compendium of knowledge about the strongest supernaturals. It is a prophetic scroll that includes information about future powerful beings.

  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.

  ABOUT LINSEY

  Before becoming a writer, Linsey was an archaeologist who studied shipwrecks in all kinds of water, from the tropics to muddy rivers (and she has a distinct preference for one over the other). After a decade of tromping around in search of old bits of stuff, she settled down to started penning her own adventure novels and is freaking delighted that people seem to like them. Since life is better with a little (or a lot of) magic, she writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

  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 artic
les 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

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  ISBN 978-1-942085-25-6