The debris and water pouring in rushed to the doorway where ANSWER had fled, plugging in the gaps, sealing edges and locks. I went to my knees and laced my hands behind my head while the magic burned through me, barricading the door with scrap metal, ice, and hardened dust. The remaining energy I had left with the shockwave, and the resistance I’d mustered against the siren wail collapsed entirely as the gift of Zarya’s Phi drained from my body.
The soldiers rushed me, shouting for me to stop casting, lie down, stay still. I stayed where I was, unresisting as they surrounded me, and waited.
Joshua Keen and Tomas Black walked out from the freight room with an escort, their faces drawn into hard, grim lines. Keen was stony and jowly. Eyes sunken, face pale, still covered in blood, he was riding a high, some form of drug replacing the pain of his severed hand with numb vigor. His wrist was bandaged. Tomas looked... unwell. Pinched and hard, like a dry pastry left in the sun for too long.
“You.” Keen was still weak, still hurting, but his voice was cold and clear. He pulled his pistol with the left hand, cocking the hammer. “You did this. This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”
“Surprise,” I replied. “Remember that thing about the stick-and-box trap?”
His eyes narrowed to furious slits. “Who do you work for?”
Submit. “I work for myself, stumpy.”
“You arrogant…” The Agent’s eyes were mad with rage as he lined up the shot.
“But I do still know where the Shard is,” I lied calmly. “And if you kill me here and your superiors rip out your memories during their review-”
“Shut up.”
“-They’ll see you putting yourself above your organization,” I continued. “And the next thing you know, your brothers will be throwing you into the meat grinder or the crematorium or whatever it is your ‘knighthood’ uses to kill Phitometrists like us.”
“No.” Keen shook his head, pouring sweat. It ran down his face in streams, soaking his collar. “No, Sokolsky. I will never be like you.”
I stared at him levelly, and a few of the soldiers flinched as I lifted my head. “No. You won’t.”
“You’re a monster. And when they tear that demon that passes for your soul out of your arrogant, insolent ass, I’ll be there.” His nostrils were trembling, and so was his shooting arm. “I’ll be there, and I’ll pray for you, and for your friends, and when I find the Garden I’ll go to my knees to beg God to forgive whatever is left of you. Because that’s what godly men do. Even for sick fools like you.”
“You ever wonder why your God is silent whenever you kneel down to pray?” I asked. “Because it’s NO-thing.”
Keen lowered the pistol from my face to my crotch. “One last chance before I blow your dick off to Kingdom Come. Where’s the Garden?”
Angkor, Zarya, the Weeders, and Binah were moving further and further away, much faster than they had before. “I care more about Eden than my dick. I’m almost as much a virgin as you are.”
Keen’s finger trembled. He shot the ground between my knees.
“I’ll be sure to make special care recommendations to the Director.” His voice was shaky with pain and stress and impotent rage. “We will grind you to a fine powder, Sokolsky, and we will find the Garden, whether you give up the secret alive or dead. Theta One and Fourteen, prep him for transport with the vampire. Make sure you ‘forget’ to lubricate him for contraband inspection when we get there.”
I couldn’t help it: I began to laugh, a dry raven’s caw. Vassily was a vampire, the Engine was coming, New York City was being overrun by a corrupted MahTree, and that was the best he could muster? Threatening me with a rectal exam?
Heavy hands cuffed me and yanked me up to my feet. I was still laughing the wheezy, exasperated, dark laughter of someone looking damnation in the face when the rifle butt came down on the back of my neck.
It knocked me out cold.
THE END.
In the next installment of the Hound of Eden series, join Alexi as he enters the heart of darkness and discovers the terrible secret behind the Icebox, the Vigiles’ supernatural prison. Is he strong enough to survive and reunite with Angkor, Zarya, and his friends?
Join my newsletter to be the first to know when Cold Cell, Book 4 in the Hound of Eden series, is released for your reading pleasure! Visit http://www.jamesosiris.com
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Book 1: Blood Hound ($2.99)
Book 2: Stained Glass ($3.99)
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When shit gets too weird for the Mob to handle, hitmage Alexi Sokolsky is the guy they call to fix it. Get Burn Artist FREE: http://jamesosiris.com/alexi-sokolsky-starter-library/
1986, New York City. The Russian Mafiya is neck-deep in a Wall Street heist worth millions, but things heat up when a mage from a rival gang is hired to force the Russians to back down from the deal. As the magic flies and men burn, Alexi must hunt the murderer in a feverish game of cat-and-mouse to protect his friends. But to honor his contract, Alexi must also save his most hated enemy.
His father.
Set 5 years before Blood Hound, Burn Artist is a prequel to the series which reveals more about Alexi’s past. What were the events that shaped him? Why did he murder his own father? And what are his true feelings for his best friend?
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Structure of the Yaroshenko Organizatsiya
The Yaroschenko Organizatsiya is actually two gangs: the largely autonomous Brighton Beach/USA faction who identify with Sergei’s surname, plus a larger Organizatsiya in Kiev, Ukraine who call themselves the Sviatoshyn Gang. As of October 1991, the hierarchy is as follows:
Pakhun:
Sergei Yaroshenko
Avtoritet
Nicolair Chiernenko
Brighton Beach Advokat
Vassily Lovenko
Volkhv/Spook
???
Brighton Beach Kommandant
???
Brighton Beach Street Captain/Head of Security
???
Red Hook/East Village Kommandant
Vanya Kazupov
Red Hook Advokat
???
Red Hook Street Captain
Ivan ‘Ivanko’ Andreichenko
Major Organizations in the Hound of Eden Series:
The Yaroschenko Organizatsiya
New York’s largest Russian Mafiya organization, based in Brighton Beach and Red Hook.
The Manelli Family (Italian Mafia)
The largest Italian Mafia family in the NY/NJ/PA tri-state area. Most of them are in service to Munificence. They are enemies of the Yaroschenko Organizatsiya and are (mostly) allied with the Crusaders of the Deutsche Ordern.
The Laguetta Family (Italian Mafia)
The oldest Mafia family in New York. Based in Queens. Allies of the Yaroschenko Organizatsiya.
The Templum Voctus Sol
A mysterious Morphorde cult affiliated with a being known as ‘Providence’. They seem to have some kind of relationship with the Church of the Voice of the Lord, an eccentric ‘prosperity gospel’ megachurch.
The Vigiles Magicarum
The FBI agency tasked with handling all supernatural or paranormal crimes in the USA. They were established in 1983 after the assassination of President Robert Rutherford by a ‘magical terrorist’. They work closely with the P-SAD (Paranormal Special Activities Division) and elements of the military.
While theoretically a secular, vetted branch of law enforcement, the Vigiles Magicarum was founded and is controlled by modern-day Crusaders who belong to The Deutsche Orden (Venator Dei, Gottes Jäger), a continuation of the ancient fraternity of Teutonic Knights who show every sign of being Morphorde.
ANSWER
A mysterious pro-GOD militia that operates on different worlds. ANSWER is quite
large, with a number of ‘sections’ and several largely-independent agencies. One of these agencies is CEIDR (‘seeder’), who target worlds threatened by Greater Morphorde and Morphordian organizations and seek to prevent them achieving their goals.
For more information (and possible spoilers), visit and submit contributions to the Dermal Highway Wiki: http://www.thedermalhighway.jamesosiris.com/
Afterword & Acknowledgments
The terrifying thing about Morphorde is that they are quite real—not in the fantastic way depicted in my novels, but in the factual way that we saw in Charlottesville.
2017 has been one continuous bout of shell-shock for me. When it doesn’t seem like it can get any worse, it does. The fact that The Handmaid’s Tale was produced as a (brilliant) T.V series this year is somewhat telling.
In the words of Margaret Atwood, Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. Sanity is the pursuit of reality at all costs.
Zero Sum was a bitch to write: no lie. I struggled on this book from start to finish. Hopefully it was worth the grief. It would not have been possible without the loving support of my queer-ass family, House Decided, and the patient, sometimes viciously pointed support of my wife, Canth.
Canth is the creator of the Dermal Highway setting where Alexi’s story takes place. You can see her amazing art (and commission her!) on her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/gifthorseproductions.
You can also get in touch with me (outside of the mailing list) at: [email protected].
If you want to chat on Twitter, add me with @Jamesosirisb in your Tweets.
Find me on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/groups/houndofeden.
About the Author
Dragon Award-nominated author James Osiris Baldwin writes gritty LGBT-inclusive, dark fantasy and science fiction. He was the former Contributing Editor for the Australian Journal of Dementia Care and has also worked for Alzheimer's Australia.
He currently lives in Seattle with his lovely wife, a precocious cat, and far too many rats. His obsession with the Occult is matched only by his preoccupation with motorcycles.
Contact James by email: [email protected].
View more books at: http://amazon.com/author/jamesosiris
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Free Book Offer
Structure of the Yaroshenko Organizatsiya
Major Organizations in the Hound of Eden Series:
Afterword & Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
Copyright Notice
Copyright Notice
Copyright © 2015-2016 James Osiris Baldwin
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
For permission requests, please contact James Osiris Baldwin: [email protected]
A huge thanks to Stacy Schonhardt and her excellent copyediting!
Artwork, layout and design by James Osiris Baldwin.
Gift Horses and the Dermal Highway setting are Copyright © 1980 – 2016 Canth Decided-Baldwin and are used with permission.
* * *
[1] Blat’ is the Russian term for ‘face’ or ‘honor’: a very important concept in most Eastern European and Asian countries. Blatnoi are people who have ‘face’ – who are socially important and able to leverage favors.
[2] A slang term for non-magical people.
[3] ‘My God’.
[4] A cell commander or the leader of a brigada, who answers to an Avtoritet. They are generally hands-on street commanders who lead small teams and directly supervise criminal operations.
[5] The ultimate authority of an Organizatsiya. The Pakhun (literally ‘prince’) is generally a thief-in-law with great seniority.
[6] Also a stereotypical Ukrainian food, hence the touch of guilt.
[7] ‘Sons of bitches!’ Rather more rude in Vietnamese than in English.
[8] Whore, cunt. Like ‘khuy’ (dick, fuck’, it’s used as an interjection.
Zero Sum: An Alexi Sokolsky Supernatural Thriller (Alexi Sokolsky: Hound of Eden Book 3) Page 44
