by TR Cameron
She drained the drink and gestured for another, pleased at how the bartenders lurched into immediate motion. The Kraken issue seemed even more frustrating because she’d done as she was told in that situation as she always did. But she had begun to wonder if the Empress truly understood the position of her representatives on the surface.
I have Caliste on one side, the Zatoras on the other, and the constant pressure to identify a way to rule over the unaffiliated humans when the gang finally rises to prominence. These are all big tasks with enormous risks. With only one wrong move, she would find herself no longer balanced in the middle but alone on one side with the others allied against her. I can’t let that happen.
She took the new beverage, ate the pineapple and cherry garnish, and tossed the plastic skewer behind the bar. It bounced off the trash can, which was more or less an appropriate commentary on all of her efforts at the moment.
Close but not good enough. She knew the alcohol was making her maudlin, but perhaps that was what she needed—a descent into the darkness prior to finding a way to shoot up again.
Of course, the drugs were her ace in the hole. She could pressure any one of the three groups with the proper manipulation of access to them or activation of the magic within them. The latter was a last-ditch tactic, to be sure, but it might be the right moment to start making those who were addicted less certain of getting their next fix.
And I can blame it on the Zatoras. Or, if needed, Caliste bloody nuisance Leblanc. She stood and stumbled a little, then finished the liquid in the glass and wobbled to her office.
Yeah. It’s time to put the screws to them all.
Rion Grisham scowled at his two lieutenants over the remains of the Italian dinner they’d shared. Colin Todd and Jack Strang hadn’t complained about the last-minute notice, even though he was sure he’d pulled them away from whatever other plans they might have had. Nonetheless, something this important couldn’t wait.
“We have a problem, gentlemen. And, as you’ve no doubt surmised by the absence of our mage, it has to do with the magicals in the city. Simply put, it’s time we ended them. Between the so-called council binding the aliens together and the other gang cutting in on our drug trade, there soon won’t be anything left for us. We can’t let that happen.”
Strang frowned. His sweater bulged over his prominent muscles and his bald head gleamed with a sheen of perspiration.
I probably caught him halfway through a bottle of whiskey.
“How will we do that, boss? I’m down for a battle, whenever and wherever, but it seems they have high-powered resources we don’t.”
The Zatora leader nodded. “Yeah. That is a problem. So we have to avoid a direct fight.”
Todd looked thoughtful and as always, was dressed in a conscious or unconscious imitation of his leader’s preference for suits. “So, we’ll use guerilla tactics—hit and fade, not a problem. But they’ll know it’s us, won’t they?”
“Most likely. But we can do our best to keep them off the scent. When we go after the council, we’ll try to leave enough clues to make it possible it was the Atlanteans, and vice versa. I don’t think they’re on speaking terms so we ought to be able to sow chaos for a while, anyway.”
The bigger man punched his fist into the opposite palm. “Finally. I’ve looked forward to putting boot to ass on these people for a while. How will you explain it to Ozahl, though?”
Grisham gave him a thin smile. “The first plan is to hope he doesn’t notice. If he does, the second plan is to hope he’s fooled by the evidence. But if it comes down to it, we’ll kill him. Make sure you always carry a weapon loaded with anti-magic bullets. If he even looks at us the wrong way, we shoot first and worry about any fallout later. Got it?”
Both his lieutenants looked deeply satisfied at the possibility of pumping a few rounds into the arrogant mage and they responded in the affirmative.
All right. It feels good to take action. Soon, New Orleans will be ours.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Cali was happier to be at work than on any other night she could remember. The Tuesday crowd had been raucous and wound-up, and where she might have found that irritating on another evening, it had been a balm to her battered emotions on this one. There was no time to worry about the Atlantean gang, Wymarc Jehenel, Empress Shenni, the Malniets, or any of it. The unending flow of drinks, food, and generally satisfied customers demanded her full attention.
Zeb performed his trick with the soda gun several times and sprayed seltzer at the Rottweiler-disguised Fyre for the enjoyment of those seated around the polished wooden bar. At some point during the evening, Kendra and Tanyith had arrived, but she hadn’t had time to greet them. In the quick exchanges of smiles she did manage, they seemed more comfortable with one another than they’d been in the recent past.
She let herself remain lost in the job until the end of the night when all the patrons were dispatched except for Tay and his girlfriend. Finally, she sat in a chair and Zeb brought a shot glass of hard cider, a full one of soft for her, and tall glasses of the alcoholic version for the others. He lifted his in a toast. “To Caliste, Matriarch of House Leblanc. Long may she remain the person she is.”
The others said, “Hear, hear,” and they all drank together. She chuckled. “Yeah, well, if I’m to stay the head of the house, I’ll need a ton of help. There are battles to be fought, loopholes to be found, sword pieces to recover, and chuckleheads to smack down.”
Tanyith slapped the bar. “I’m in for all of it.”
Kendra grinned. “I wouldn’t be much use in a fight against magicals, but you know you have my support.”
The dwarf coughed. “I…uh, have thought about this and believe I’m not doing you any good in the background. Valerie and I will fight at your side whenever you need us.”
She had to make a conscious effort to close her mouth after it opened in surprise. “Are you sure?”
He shrugged and gave a small laugh. “It seems like the time when people could safely walk between work and home in this city has passed. I’ll definitely be a part of punishing those who took it away in order to help it return. We’re in.”
“Well then,” Cali said, unable to keep the huge grin off her face, “There’s no possible way they can beat us. It’s time to take New Orleans back and set things right in New Atlantis.”
Fyre yawned, a loud affair that took almost fifteen seconds to complete. She laughed and shook her head. “Okay, it’s almost time. We’ll sleep first. Tomorrow’s soon enough to start taking out the trash.”
Cali and Fyre’s adventures are far from over and the Atlanteans, Zatora’s and others continue to wreak havoc wherever they go. Join Cali and her crew as the continue their battle in Sorcerer’s Waltz!
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
February 3, 2020
Thank you for reading the fifth book in the Scions of Magic series! I hope you love these characters as much a
s I do, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to keep bringing them to you!
The meme from 30 Rock where Tina Fey says “Wow, what a year, huh?” and Alec Baldwin replies, “It’s only February,” is really apt at the moment. This has been the longest, most challenge-filled month in recent memory for me. Hopefully it’s been easier for you! If you’re doing the resolution thing, I hope it’s working out the way you want it to. And if it’s not, tomorrow is always another day. Give yourself a break.
I went to the Consumer Electronics Show for the first time this year. I’ve been to big trade shows before, but this one was as crazy as anything. The Uber helicopter just seemed like a bad idea to me, as did the plethora of other autonomous vehicles. I may not be ready for that level of science fiction in real life just yet.
What I am totally ready for is the prototype exoskeleton that Delta Airlines is developing. It will allow a single person to easily lift up to 200 pounds and seeing it in action gave me all sorts of serious Ellen Ripley feels. I can only imagine the applications for medicine, and for other physically intensive jobs.
Season 4 of The Expanse was as amazing as expected, and I say this even though the book it was based on was my second-least-favorite one of the eight that have been published. Seriously, watch this show.
My enjoyment of The Witcher on Netflix compelled me to buy the first game. It’s slow going, as it’s over a decade old and the gameplay shows it. But I’m there for the story, and so far that’s living up to expectations. I’m looking forward most to Cyberpunk 2077 (by the same studio that produced Witcher 3) and the Avengers game, although I hear that the latter might be less story driven than I thought it would be. Hopefully it’ll hit the right blend. Plus, for the old school fans, there’s going to be a new Baldur’s Gate game at some point, which is also the source of many feels for me.
It’s looking like we’ll wrap up Scions of Magic with book 8, so expect excitement galore over the next three books! Not sure yet what’s on the docket after that, but as soon as I know, you’ll see it in the author notes.
The groundhog said early spring, I think, and frankly it can’t come soon enough. Even though we haven’t had much winter in Pittsburgh so far this season, I’m ready for summer. The kid and I have four road trips already planned, and I’m hoping to shove another one in there somewhere. Amusement parks galore! I’m very lucky to have someone who likes many of the same things I do.
We’ve started a daily family game time, since all of us are guilty of spending too much time with screens. We’ve played a bunch before, but more or less at random. Having an intentional time set aside is turning out to be great fun. First it was Labyrinth, which is deceptively difficult. Then, Catan Jr., which is a fun and easy romp that’s pretty dice dependent. Jumping up to Minecraft Builders and Biomes was a pretty big leap, as there are three scoring rounds with different criteria, several different mechanics available in each turn, and an element of luck that can pop up and ruin even the best plans. We’re loving it. Next up is probably Ticket to Ride Europe. If you have suggestions for games we should try, please let me know on Facebook!
Until next time, joys upon joys to you and yours – so may it be.
PS: If you’d like to chat with me, here’s the place. I check in daily or more: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTRCameron. For more info on my books, and to join my reader’s group, please visit www.trcameron.com.
Author Notes - Martha Carr
February 21, 2020
I know it’s the middle of winter for most people right now, but let’s talk summer plans. That’s what I’m thinking about right now. Maybe it’s because in nine days I’ll have my first anniversary since I left the day job.
That’s right, it’s only been just about one year. I was doing two full time jobs up till that point. Even I look back and wonder how I pulled it off. Mostly by not doing much of anything else.
It turns out, setting yourself loose from others’ expectations and forming your own day is harder than it looks. I came face to face with my own expectations and habits and found out they have a really loud voice. At first, louder than the one that was new and said, “I wonder what you could do with this day? Are there ways to fashion this so you can work and have some fun?”
That voice got drowned out at first. I did more things, not less. I put more stress on myself, more tasks, not less. It was as if I was getting a sense of self, an identity, from the doing. Doing less, or at least doing it differently meant letting go of that old and useful identity and venturing into a life I had never known.
What do you mean I can do what I want, when I want to? My anxiety was at the roofline.
But, all along I had a couple of other authors – Sarah Noffke and Abby Lynn Knorr who like to post about their vacations in Scotland and their writing spots from Tuscany (Abby Lynn once told me she had to go because her handsome new husband was taking her for a bike ride) – and I would look at those and think, that’s what I want. By the way there are far, far, far more posts from authors about how many words they got in on their commute to work or at some wee hour in the morning. Fortunately, all I wanted to say to those were, good for you. No thanks. I admire their diligence and drive but this is where I take a left turn.
But Sarah and Abby Lynn… I want to be them. So, here we are at the anniversary and summer approaches. It dawned on me that I can do one of those daydreams I’ve had for a long time but never thought would come true. I can go write from a place in Tuscany for a couple of weeks overlooking something beautiful. Maybe vineyards. I can embrace the change and go with the flow and live in the moment.
The Offspring has pointed out that he can watch the dogs so there’s no reason not to go. An Italian adventure, and maybe a little research for a few Leira books while I’m at it from a room with a view. Come on summer. More adventures to follow.
Other series in the Oriceran Universe:
SCHOOL OF NECESSARY MAGIC
SCHOOL OF NECESSARY MAGIC: RAINE CAMPBELL
ALISON BROWNSTONE
THE DANIEL CODEX SERIES
THE LEIRA CHRONICLES
I FEAR NO EVIL
THE UNBELIEVABLE MR. BROWNSTONE
REWRITING JUSTICE
THE KACY CHRONICLES
MIDWEST MAGIC CHRONICLES
SOUL STONE MAGE
THE FAIRHAVEN CHRONICLES
OTHER BOOKS BY JUDITH BERENS
OTHER BOOKS BY MARTHA CARR
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