Southwest Days (Semiautomatic Sorceress Book 2)

by Kal Aaron

  “No.” Antoine smiled. “We saved a town.”

  Aisha smiled and folded her arms. “He’s right. We delivered a resounding defeat to his master.”

  “Okay, that’s good, but I think I’m going to take a little nap now.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  A week later, Lyssa smiled when she opened the door to the black-suited elderly man on the other side. She didn’t even need the sorcery pressure to know it was Samuel. He’d scheduled an exact time for his arrival. There were no cryptic comments or ridiculous home-delivery-style arrival windows. Much like the team, it was another thing she could get used to.

  She headed to the couch to take a seat and let him commence his looming as a small reward for his administrative help on the job. Despite the lingering fatigue afflicting her from using the three showstoppers, she’d gone through the mine suffering far less direct injury than she’d received when taking down the smuggling ring.

  Antoine hadn’t been wrong when he called her a loner, but the idea of a team was growing on her. The future might bring more of those, as she suspected, but for now, there weren’t enough Sorcerers to go around, and she couldn’t have a permanent team.

  She’d made sure to get contact information for the others in case something else came up in the future. Finding people you could trust in a fight was a big deal.

  Samuel closed the door behind him before reverting to his true appearance. “I assume you’ve watched the news in the last week. That will simplify some of what I’m about to explain.”

  “Torches torch giant monster? Truth or hoax? was my favorite headline,” Lyssa replied with a smile. “I don’t see the big deal. That makes us sound good. We saved a town. This whole thing ended up with only one dead victim and one dead perp.”

  “The government was supposed to do a better job of keeping this under wraps.” Samuel’s eyebrows knitted in irritation. “I would have preferred no references to giant monsters in the Shadow media. They are, by their nature, threatening to the public imagination, so undermine Shadow trust in the Society.”

  “It’s kind of hard to explain away a building-sized monster a half-dozen cops had on camera. Not to mention the drone footage.” Lyssa shrugged. “We kept the casualties down to two people, including the main culprit. Considering everything that happened, that’s a downright miracle, and we were one day from five of those things appearing to wreck the county. I’m sure enough missiles from the Air Force would have brought them down, but this way, we were the ones who cleaned up. Illuminated cleaned up a sorcery-created problem.”

  Samuel moved to a chair and took a seat, looking at the wall rather than Lyssa. “There are so many aspects of this incident we still don’t know about. We expected a rogue at the end but found someone without our gift. The man had powerful shards, but someone had to give them to him, and he admitted serving at least one other who created the monsters that fed into their true final plan. That is annoying.”

  Lyssa folded her arms. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. I’m assuming Damien sent you the report about the guy in the robe?”

  “The EAA identified the suspect as a missing businessman with no known official ties to the Society,” Samuel replied. “No criminal record, no significant history of any note. A perfectly normal individual who wouldn’t stand out from the crowd.”

  She nodded. “And is that true? I know what the Shadow government said, but what about Society records? This guy couldn’t have come out of nowhere.”

  “I agree, but he’s nothing, to the best of my knowledge and our records.” Samuel frowned. “I’ve been able to find no indications he was a servant or a member of an Illuminated family, no matter what he said.”

  “I don’t know if he was targeting me since he didn’t send the email.”

  “Do you have any suspects other than Elder Theodora?” Samuel asked. He didn’t sound accusatory.

  “I almost feel like someone went out of their way to get our attention, but that’s the thing. He wasn’t the one who did it. He was pissed that we’d shown up.”

  “I don’t understand why someone would use such an odd, cruel, and roundabout way to get our attention as opposed to contacting the Society or the EAA directly.” Samuel shook his head. “And I doubt if this was in any way targeted at you.”

  “I’m not sure myself, but we still need to figure out who sent those emails,” Lyssa replied.

  Samuel nodded. “Agreed. On the off-chance you were targeted, they might have done so because they were related to Allard’s organization. Revenge is the most obvious explanation. It’s far from unheard of for Torches. It’s only strange you’ve gone this long without having to deal with this.”

  Lyssa scoffed. “It’s been that kind of time lately. This, on top of my brother’s regalia conveniently reappearing when I find evidence he’s alive.”

  “What evidence?” Samuel narrowed his eyes. “You’ve never told me about any real evidence your brother was alive, and what I’ve heard from Last Remnant argues the opposite.”

  It was time to gamble. She couldn’t succeed without his help.

  “I came across something else,” Lyssa said. “A picture that suggests he was alive a few years ago. I’m not going to show it to you, but I believe in its provenance. Yes, I acknowledge that means I can’t prove he’s been alive since then, but it strongly undermines the Society’s official statements about his death in the line of duty.”

  Samuel looked down at her, his expression inscrutable. “You suspect even me?”

  Lyssa shook her head. “If I suspected you, I wouldn’t have told you any of that. It’s more that I don’t know who to trust. I think there’s something going on, and call me arrogant, but I think it has a lot more to do with me than I initially believed. I don’t know if this current incident has anything to do with it or not, but it’s not impossible.”

  “You suspected Theodora of targeting you, but she had no problem offering Aisha Khatri to assist you on the assignment,” Samuel replied. “That undermines the idea that she’s plotting against you.”

  “That’s true. I’ll give you that,” Lyssa agreed, “I can’t be sure anymore that I believe Chris is alive, but if he is dead, that means someone covered up him being alive and killed him later. Then this becomes family vengeance.”

  “Perhaps your imagination is running wild. One picture is not enough to justify such an elaborate tale.”

  “But a regalia not returning for years?” Lyssa raised an eyebrow.

  “That makes a stronger case,” Samuel admitted.

  “It goes back to the same thing. I think I deserve a little trip to Ye Old Motherland, don’t you? I tracked those monsters down, kept on the case, and nearly killed myself, taking one down. If I hadn’t obsessed about this, it would have been too late, and we would have had a horde rampaging across southern Arizona and northern Mexico.”

  Samuel took a deep breath. “I agree.”

  “You agree?” Lyssa stared at him, her mouth open. “I can go to Last Remnant?”

  “I don’t make that decision, but I can certainly offer my strong recommendation,” Samuel replied. “Though I do feel compelled to note that given your concerns about trust, going there is extremely dangerous and foolhardy. That’s especially true if this most recent incident is the result of some high-level conspiracy, as you suggest.”

  Lyssa grinned. “If I die, Aisha will avenge my death.” She grinned. “Assuming Tristan St. James doesn’t take me out when I’m halfway there.”

  “What does he have to do with anything?” Samuel asked, anger filtering into his tone.

  “I don’t know,” Lyssa replied, blinking at Samuel’s reaction. “You tell me. I have circumstantial evidence that he might be tangentially involved in something related to Chris, but that’s all it is. It’s not like I know the guy.”

  “I would avoid him,” Samuel said. “He’s closer to a rogue than you might suspect.”

  “Meaning what? Come on, Samuel. Give me th
e truth. Right now, I could use more of it.”

  “He’s conducted assassinations prior to approval.” Samuel spat the last three words. “He has operated without the sanction of the Tribunal.”

  “Then why isn’t he considered an official rogue?” Lyssa frowned. “It seems like a bad idea to use someone who can get away with that kind of thing.”

  Samuel hesitated for a moment, uncertainty in his eyes. “Because they were all targets where evidence later arose that would have led to their extreme punishment or execution. That complicates matters. The Tribunal wouldn’t want to appear to support true rogues, even tacitly.”

  “Do you know where he is right now?” Lyssa asked.

  “No.” Samuel shook his head. “And I think that’s best for both of us.” He stood and smoothed his jacket. “I think we’re done here, Miss Corti. I’ll submit your request and let you know their response. Again, I can’t guarantee anything.”

  “All I ask is that you try.”

  Lyssa rolled onto her side in bed, sighing. “Do you think Samuel was right?”

  “You need to be more specific,” Jofi replied.

  “Right about me going to Last Remnant?” Lyssa asked. “We stopped the monster, and it doesn’t seem like it was a trap for me, but I have a hard time ignoring some of the lines in the email and not thinking I was targeted. But that doesn’t change anything about Chris’s regalia.”

  “I can’t say what the right course of action is. I’ve never been there, and my experiences with you color my view of the Illuminated Society. But from my perspective, it will at least allow you to continue your investigation concerning your brother.”

  “Even Samuel admits there’s something weird going on,” Lyssa said. “He just doesn’t agree about who it is. Could I be wrong? Has everything lately just been a coincidence?”

  “Adrien Allard’s pictures are suggestive of something more,” Jofi said. “It’s hard to link them directly to the current incident. In addition, if someone is targeting you and they’re connected to the Society, there is a higher probability that they know your true identity. That is even more true for Elders.”

  Lyssa sat up and frowned. “I don’t know what to make of all this. I feel like someone wanted an investigation of that mine before it was too late, but I can’t be sure. I also wonder if the same someone wanted me to be the one to investigate the shard-smuggling, too. I’m still convinced that person knew about the shard-smuggling and pushed me onto that case by sending the emails.”

  “What emails are you referring to?” Jofi asked.

  “When Damien was following up on the Alvarez raid, he found an email mentioning a message from someone in ‘the bureau.’” Lyssa glanced at her phone. “We never did figure out who that referred to, but someone might be going around using shards to send fake emails. I don’t know, it might be a stretch, but I don’t like all the weird manipulations happening around me.”

  “Or you could be falling down a hole of assumptions and paranoia where you see connections that don’t exist,” Jofi replied. “Out of a desperate desire to get closure over your brother.”

  “Being paranoid doesn’t matter if I take down a lot of bad guys. It’s a survival trait.” Lyssa sighed. “And I’ve already accepted Chris might be dead at the end of this. I hope he isn’t, but I’ll keep investigating and find out the truth if he is.”

  “What’s your immediate plan, then?” Jofi asked. “Samuel will do what you want and push for Last Remnant, but that will take time.”

  Lyssa nodded. “I know. My plan is simple. If jobs come up, I’ll do them well. Otherwise, I’ll wait for Samuel to tell me I’m approved to go, eat some strawberry ice cream, and go out on another date with Bill.”

  “Instead of Lieutenant Lopez?” Jofi asked.

  “I never wanted to date him.” Lyssa groaned. “And I’m beginning to feel like I need to separate the Torch from the woman. Sometimes, it’s nice to check out and forget who and what I am.”

  “I think no intelligent being can truly do that,” Jofi replied.

  “Hey.” Lyssa licked her lips. “I didn’t want to bring this up until everything settled down, but what did you mean when you said I wasn’t ready?”

  “I don’t understand the question,” Jofi replied.

  Lyssa frowned. “You said it when I thought I was dying after firing all three showstoppers. First, it sounded like you thought I was ready and then said I wasn’t.”

  “I have no memory of that. Are you sure you weren’t hallucinating due to the side effects of the enchantment?”

  Lyssa’s gaze ticked to where her safe was hidden. No, she couldn’t be sure she wasn’t hallucinating, but she also couldn’t ignore that she’d used very powerful spells at Jofi’s request—spells that could risk breaking his seal.

  Could he be lying?

  That didn’t seem possible. Everything she’d been told by Lee didn’t suggest the breaking of the seal would be that subtle, let alone that Jofi could manipulate people in his original or sealed forms.

  The spirit had praised her for trading her life for others. None of that added up to him returning to his true nature.

  “Forget it,” Lyssa said. “I made it out of there okay, I’ll be going to Last Remnant soon, and I have a guy I can go out on dates with. That’s not too bad.”

  “At least one of those scenarios might end with your life in danger,” Jofi replied.

  Lyssa laughed. “Probably not the one you think.”

  Southwest Truths

  The story continues with book three, Southwest Truths, coming April 9, 2021 to Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

  Grab your copy today at Amazon!

  Author Notes - Kal Arron

  March 2, 2021

  Arizona is typically referred to as the Grand Canyon State, but we have another nickname, the Copper State. The name speaks to Arizona’s mining past, as do the many, many ghost towns and their accompanying abandoned mines.

  Years ago when visiting a local mining-themed restaurant, I found myself pondering all the old mines in the state, including the most likely apocryphal Lost Dutchman’s Mine, and how they’d make great story hooks. When I started writing this series and realized I was going to use Arizona as the main character’s home base, I revisited some of those old ideas. The question turned to what sort of adventure a pistol-wielding, motorcycle-driving sorceress would have in an old mine.

  Mines have always fascinated me as they are a rich source of both ore and legends. Every culture with a history of mining has stories about dangerous creatures in them. Medieval Welsh miners feared the knocker fairies collapsing tunnels on them. Their Russian counterparts worried about the dangerous shubin spirit. Put a man in a hole and take the sun away from him, and deep, primal fears begin to rise. Those old tales can provide a lot of fodder to an author working in fantasy.

  That said, I had concerns over how I wanted to approach monsters in the series. This would be the first official “introduction” of such creatures other than off-hand references in the previous book, and I knew it’d help constrain what we did with them going forward. With that in mind, I decided to steer away from the heavy use of existing legends and monsters.

  Yes, this means Lyssa will never have a battle with an out-of-control Bigfoot or Chupacabra and Jofi won’t be advising her to use a showstopper on the Loch Ness Monster.

  That worried me a little, because I know how much old legends and tales resonate with people, but I think we can have a good time exploring what sort of twisted creatures the bad guys might come up with and the creative ways Illuminated could take them out.

  Thanks again for reading!

  Kal

  Please note you can contact me at kalaaron@kalaaron.com. If you want to be added to my new releases mailing list, please go to https://kalaaron.com and fill out the form on the bottom of the page.

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  March 17, 2021

  Thank you for not only reading this story but ta
king the time to read these author notes, as well.

  While Kal is discussing mines, I'm going to surprise nobody and steer clear of the subject. I have only been into a reasonably safe cavern complete with walking paths and lights set up to highlight the stalactites and stalagmites.

  In short, nothing whatsoever unsafe.

  …Unless a meteor crashed into earth, closing the mine forever with me in it. I admit that would be an unlikely event, but my author's mind is ALWAYS creating unlikely events.

  It's a curse.

  I have a theory that all people on Earth have a location on our planet that resonates with them. This supposed location provides them with peace, tranquility, and comfort. For me, that place is Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

  During the last five-plus years, as I grew the publishing company, I've been blessed to travel to many fantastic countries and take in the vibes, so to speak. So far, this is the little city that brings me the most joy and contentment.

  It has the peaceful feeling of Moulton, the little town in central Texas where I remember the most peaceful times of my youth… Just with a LOT more water.

  In Cabo, I can rest on a chair and look out over the Sea of Cortez to the left, with the Pacific Ocean off to my right.

  The people here exhibit a lot of energy since this is a major tourist location, but at the same time, show the calm demeanor for which Mexico is famous. This "tomorrow" attitude helps offset the go-go-go stress I inflame in myself as I strive to build LMBPN Publishing larger.

  In short, stress, meet the equalizer.

  It doesn't hurt that my favorite food is Mexican, and surprise! They sell Mexican food on every corner and often between the corners as well.

  Oh darn… Whatever shall I eat?