by TR Cameron
She nodded. “That makes sense.”
Diana continued, “So, my techs did a little hacking and we discovered both a money trail leading back to the Zatora crime syndicate here and an unscheduled stop on the ship’s itinerary. We put two and two together and sent drones in to take a look. The idiots tied up over there are cheap mercenaries who were hired to wipe out the Atlanteans here. But it turns out there was an extra bonus. The additional gang members were here to offload a shipment of explosives from the ship.”
Tanyith whistled. “That’s a lucky find. Why didn’t they bring them in by portal?”
She shrugged. “Honestly? I have no idea. Maybe they didn’t come from New Atlantis but somewhere else along the way where they don’t have anything set up. It’s not how I would have done it but sometimes, even the smartest people make mistakes.”
Nylotte nodded. “Sometime, when you have a week or two, I can tell you about all the screwups Diana has managed since we met. It’s quite an exhaustive list.”
Again, Diana rolled her eyes, but the smile on her lips clearly revealed her affection for the Drow. “So I guess she’s right. We wouldn’t have been in the right place at the right time without your help. It’s my expectation that this will turn out to be a piece of something bigger, which means my team has a leg up on something we’d probably wind up dealing with anyway.”
“Your team?” Cali asked. “Who the heck are you people?”
The woman laughed. “That’s a little uncertain at the moment. We used to be a federal agency tasked with the protection of a given territory from magical criminals. That went a little sideways and now, we’re more of a self-determined organization but still focused on things magical and answerable to the United States government.”
“Do you have investigators on your team?”
“Yep. We didn’t bring our primary one with us on this adventure, but he was a detective for many years before he joined us. Plus, everyone has some basic skills in our previous careers.”
Tanyith laughed. “Are you thinking of joining up, Cali?”
“If it’ll get me away from you, show me where to sign,” she quipped,
There was a laugh from behind as another woman in dark body armor pushed through. She had long black hair, dark eye makeup, and perfect lips. Where the other woman looked like someone you’d see in real life, this one could have been a model. Or a recruiting poster. “Okay, boss, it looks like we have this place locked down. They’ll quarantine the ship until Glam and her bots can give it a proper search.”
Diana nodded. “Cali, Tanyith, and Fyre, this is Cara, my second in command.”
Cali laughed. “Wait, you have a team with two women in charge? Seriously now, where do I sign up?”
Cara smiled and replied, “Skill is the only thing that matters to us. If you have the credentials, we could certainly talk about it sometime.”
Her boss shook her head. “But now is not that time. We need to get a move on.” She turned to Nylotte. “Do you have a suggestion for where we can portal to in the city? It’d be more convenient than using the jet or helicopters if we have to pursue investigations here.”
“I can help with that,” Cali interrupted. “I mean, I could help with the investigation, but that’s not what I was referring to. My boss, Zeb, could probably be convinced to let you use the basement of his business as a landing location.”
Diana looked at the Drow, who gave her a nod. “That sounds good. How about we go and meet him?” She turned to Cara. “You and Hercules wrap things up here and head back. Rath and I will go check Cali’s place.” The other woman nodded and headed off, and the team leader asked her teacher, “Are you coming along?”
She sighed. “Given your lack of ability with people, I probably should.” Diana laughed, as she had at all the Drow’s sharp-tongued comments. Rath and Fyre stood from where they’d played some kind of game involving batting an object that looked very much like a grenade between them.
Cali summoned a portal. She couldn’t hold back a laugh when the troll did a series of flips and launched himself into it, and she followed them through with a wide grin. This is absolutely the weirdest night ever.
Chapter Thirty
It had taken Usha an hour to calm Danna’s anger over the events at the docks before she sent the woman to seek information on the results of the evening’s activities. Her subordinate was most upset over her own inability to eliminate the thorn that irritated them all but was also irate over the unexpected attack by the mercenaries the Zatoras had hired.
Danna had texted shortly after her departure with confirmation that it had been the syndicate. They had picked up one of their middle-level people off the streets and tortured him until he confessed. The enforcer, who still lived, had apparently proven quite adept at breaking bones in what appeared to have been the most agonizing way possible. While she was aware that information gleaned in that fashion was often unreliable, she had confidence in what she’d heard.
Given the successes they’d had, it made sense that the human gang would have to act and do so decisively. How they knew about the ship—and most concerning, about that particular shipment of goods from the Empress—she didn’t know. Danna had vowed to find the answer for her. As if the thought had summoned her, Usha’s second in command entered the office and joined her on the couch. She waited to be addressed before speaking, as always.
“What news?”
She smoothed her tie under her unbuttoned suit jacket. “All but nine have reported in. We are investigating whether those still missing are dead, imprisoned, or captured. The docks are still on lockdown, though, so information is difficult to come by.”
Usha nodded. “We need better people in the police department and maybe in the city government. Look into that.”
“I will. We secured additional confirmation that the mercenaries were hired by the Zatoras using the tip the captive provided about how they were paid. They went cheap.”
She laughed. “That describes our friend Rion Grisham well. He thinks he’s a classic gangster when in fact, he’s a jumped-up lieutenant at best. He doesn’t know that when you attack first, you need to strike hard enough that your opponent can’t get up. We’ll make sure he learns that lesson well.”
Danna smiled. “I look forward to being a part of that.”
“You will be. Now, what of the people in the black uniforms?”
She scowled. “I can’t find any information about them at all. They’re like ghosts. No one has seen them or heard of them. We scoured the Internet and found some stories by searching for a purple-haired troll but even then, they were inconclusive and nothing more than rumors.”
The corners of Usha’s mouth turned down. “That’s not a good sign for our future endeavors. Perhaps we’ll be lucky and discover that they’re after the Zatoras but somehow, I don’t imagine that will be the case. Since they were seen using magic, we must assume they might be interested in us.”
“It is always safest to be paranoid.”
“Agreed. Finally, then, what of Tanyith and Caliste?”
Danna sighed. “If not for the girl’s interference, I would have killed him before the woman and the troll interfered.”
Usha patted her subordinate’s leg. “Let it go. There will be another chance. What do you suggest we do about them going forward?”
She shrugged. “The girl was promised a week of preparation time. There are still several days left of that. In the meantime, we should scour the city, try to find out where their base is aside from the tavern and the dojo, and make sure we get and keep eyes on them. It might be best to synchronize the next attacks so they can’t warn one another.”
“What pairing do you suggest?”
“It seems unlikely that we can separate the woman and her dog. So that will need to be the pair on her side.”
Usha raised an eyebrow. “Clearly, it is not a dog.”
Danna nodded. “Yeah. I know. But we’re still not sure exactly what it i
s. Magical, almost certainly, since the girl can’t be powerful enough yet to maintain that veil while doing other things. The creature must be doing it for her. Plus, it keeps changing color.” She laughed softly. “It really is a shame we can’t get her on our side.”
“Maybe once Tanyith is dealt with and if she survives the next round, we can try to recruit her.”
“Voluntarily?”
The leader shrugged. “Or involuntarily. Perhaps her karate teacher or the tavern owner would be enough to convince her. Or one of the people she plays with in Jackson Square.”
Danna sighed. “I really don’t think it will work, but I agree that it has to be tried. The last issues are with the drug distribution. We have the one for the humans ready.”
“Excellent. Let’s start right on the border with the Zatoras, everywhere our territories connect. If we can drum up a demand from their side of the lines, it should weaken them and strengthen us. Even better, we might find someone who’s on the inside, which will make everything easier.”
Her second recognized her words for the dismissal they were and departed without responding. Usha drummed her fingers on the back of the couch and wondered what else they could do to convince Leblanc to join them. If she did survive the coming attack, it would speak volumes about her abilities and to add the girl to her team would be an unprecedented coup. Surely, the Empress would reward her magnificently if she could only pull it off. It might even be enough to get her a seat on her council of advisors.
She fell asleep with that image in her mind and dreamed of ways to turn Caliste to the cause of her people.
Chapter Thirty-One
After the adventures of the previous evening, Cali slept until it was time to leave for work at the Drunken Dragons. She wandered around more or less in a daze and told Zeb the whole story when she had moments to spare. He’d heard part of it the night before when he’d agreed to let Sheen and her team use the basement as a portal location and provided the magical extras that would let them pass through the wards built into the place. She’d explained to Diana that she should be honored since most didn’t have that privilege.
Toward the end of the evening, Tanyith showed up for a quick drink. He was dressed for his date with Sienna and looked charmingly nervous about the whole thing. She decided not to tease him but only wished him good fortune and went about her business. Once he departed, she took a seat across the bar from Zeb. “Do you think the date will go well for him?”
Her boss shrugged. “There’s no way to tell. People change, and the time in prison no doubt turned him into a very different person. It might be a better fit or might be worse. It’s good that he hasn’t shied away from finding the answer, though.”
She nodded. “On another topic, did you discuss last night’s events with any of your friends?”
“Yeah, a couple. They were as surprised as we all were. There was no hint that the Zatoras might try something that audacious.” He shook his head. “Life’s never dull in the Big Easy, right?”
Cali laughed. “That’s certainly one way to put it.” She scowled as someone called her name and yelled, “In a minute.” She grinned at Zeb. “I love messing with them. But hey, if you could ask around to see who knows about weird languages and symbols, that would be awesome.”
He shook his head and sighed. “You need to go to the library. I’ll let Scoppic know you’ll stop by on Sunday afternoon.”
She began to protest but his raised eyebrow stopped her. Fine. I have a ton of questions begging for answers, so I might as well dig into them. It’s probably a safe place to avoid the gang’s next attack, too. “Okay. Magical library. Sunday. Got it.” She turned and muttered, “Emalia’s right, there are no damn shortcuts to be had in this life.” Another voice called her name and she yelled, exasperated, “Shut it! I’m on my way!”
He had expected that she might cancel, but his date agreed to return to town for the occasion. Tanyith escorted Sienna into a booth on the far right of the Stallion Bar. It had seemed appropriate for them to have their night out here, the place indirectly responsible for the opportunity. She slid in first and he moved to the other side. They ordered drinks—both chose Manhattans—and he asked her to select all their food exactly like it used to be.
She perused the menu with a smile and selected an oyster appetizer—half-raw for her, half-barbecued for him—and a chicken entrée and a pasta dish for them to share. They talked about history until the meals arrived and the conversation turned serious. He explained how sorry he was about her house, and she told him it didn’t matter, that insurance would cover it, and besides, she needed to redecorate anyway. She told it well, but he knew it was a lie.
The night of the attack had been a turning point, even though neither of them had necessarily realized it at the time. While Sienna was willing to be with someone who wasn’t entirely legal, she had no desire to be a part of that world directly, and the violence and mental baggage of the event at her house had obviously affected her deeply. He saw it in her struggle to stay relaxed, in the way she held her drink, and in the slight downturn at the corners of her mouth.
He made his best effort to keep the conversation light and pleasant. When dessert arrived, he focused on watching her eat and on giving himself good memories to add to the mental scrapbook with all the other ones they’d shared. He touched her hand. “This was lovely, but it’s not there for you, I think. Am I right?”
She nodded. “You are. I thought maybe I could find it, but there’s too much history. Too much stuff.” He knew she was referring both to the distant past and more recent events.
“Well then. Friends it is.”
With a smile, he raised his glass in a toast and she clinked it. “Friends. Always.”
He’d expected that he would feel sad, but it was okay. There was some regret but nothing critical. Maybe it wasn’t right for me either. Besides, who has time for a relationship, anyway? He grinned at her. “So. Let’s talk strategy for tracking down the idiot who disappeared on you.”
The challenges continue! Join Cali, Fyre and her magical band of outcasts as they continue facing the challenges that come their way in Bewitched Alley 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
November 10, 2019
Thank you for reading the second book in the Scions of Magic series! I hope you loved it as much as I loved writing it – and I really dug the events in this book! I am grateful every day for the chance to share stories with others who love them as much as I do.
Martha’s suggestion that I include some of the characters from my other Oriceran series (Diana, Cara, and Rath) was so much fun! I enjoyed kind of seeing them from the outside, through Cali’s eyes. Hopefully you enjoyed them, too. Maybe Cali should become an agent? Guess we’ll see where things go!
Quick shout out to the beta readers who made the first book so much better. They really came through with a bunch of stuff that I was just too close to the
story to see, and in doing so made it so much better.
When I started the series, I didn’t have the character of the Empress among my initial ideas. She’s really become interesting, to me and hopefully to you, and will probably feature heavily in the second arc (books 5-8). It seems like she’s got a lot of potential depth, plus a reason to wind up on the wrong side of the heroes!
I’m gearing up for the 20booksto50k conference in Vegas. It’s the premiere indie author event, and I’ve been attending since the first one in 2017. This one will have TRIPLE the amount of people as that initial gathering, I believe, which is really saying something!
I’m an avid gamer in my occasional spare time, and I’ve been spending time that I should probably be spending on work playing Outer Worlds. So far, it’s big fuTn. Still counting the days to season four of the Expanse. And I just introduced my daughter to the Matrix, which is something I’ve been wanting to do since she was born. Very positive response, making me very happy!
My life is uncommonly busy at the moment, with strange and unexpected tasks appearing as if from nowhere. I’m looking deeply forward to the chance to surround myself with other authors and get my brain on straight again. And then it’s on to the craziness and fun of the holidays!
My grandmother died recently, with fairly little drama, at 95 years old. I can’t even imagine the changes she saw in her life, from beginnings as one of seven children whose father went out for coffee one day and never came back. She worked at a University for a lot of years, running a dining hall and making generations of students happy. Some of my fondest memories are spending summers there with her. Near the end her brain was losing its fight with Alzheimer’s, but she still managed to be cheerful and caring most of the time. I’m sad she’s gone, but glad that the pain and confusion won’t afflict her anymore. And it reminds me to grab onto each moment with my family and wring every last drop of love out of it. Definitely something I’m going to do this celebration season!
