Valhalla Beckons

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Valhalla Beckons Page 21

by Alex Steele


  Hiroji – A member of the yakuza under his father, and former best friend and childhood companion to Blackwell. Hiroji has dark black hair, a piercing gaze, and a good poker face. He carries a katana, however unlike Blackwell's, it is not used to focus his magic.

  Alberto Bianchi – A vampire, and son of Martina Bianchi. Claims to not be part of the mob, but is revealed in Stolen Trinkets to be very deeply involved. Appears to be in his early thirties, despite being about eighty years old. A goatee hides a weak chin and ages him a little.

  Sgt. Patrice Jackson – An old mage who guards the records room, commonly known as "The Cave". She is sweet as Southern apple pie if treated right, and vicious as a water moccasin if pissed off. She is rumored to keep the remains of a stupid individual that attempted to force their way into the records room in a jar in her drawer.

  Peterson – A clumsy detective that is incapable of watching where he's going or keeping his coffee in a cup. Also an unhelpful coward that no one likes.

  Juan Carlos – On the surface, he’s an importer. In reality, he’s a smuggler. The IMIB hasn’t been able to get any solid evidence on him, but his reputation is well-known. He smuggled Costa in and out of Mexico, and is now on the run.

  Lady Swift – Lexi Swift’s mother. She runs the Swift family investments and is the civilian ambassador between mages and other races. Behind the scenes, she was more like a prim and proper British Yakuza.

  Lord High Chancellor Swift – Lexi Swift’s father. He is a powerful mage who holds the second most influential place in the Mage’s Guild. Ruthless, power hungry, and not to be trifled with.

  Mrs. Schmidt – Samuel Costa’s former coworker. She now works in Moira.

  Sarah – Victim of the unicorn attack on New York City, and Billy’s new girlfriend.

  Bootstrap – Runehacker, computer hacker, and informant for Blackwell. He is snarky, charges too much, and has a problem with authority.

  Matilda – Chief Bradley’s granddaughter.

  Alyssa – Chief Bradley’s daughter.

  Sgt. Zhang – IMIB agent that works in Moira alongside Blackwell and Swift.

  Fate – A God, allegedly.

  Glossary of Places & Foreign Words

  Magical Revolution – Much like the Industrial Revolution, this merging of supernatural magic and human technology changed the world and spurred both races to new and exciting innovations.

  Moira – A multi level city accessible only to supernaturals. The lower levels house the Rune Rail system, and the upper levels are filled with shopping, apartments, and supernatural governing bodies. No one knows how Moira was built, or where it is, other than the mages that created it.

  Rune Rail – A train system that travels through a inter-dimensional portals, taking supernaturals in and out of the city of Moira.

  The Edge – Moira is not surrounded by a wall, instead, when you reach the borders of the strange city it simply...ends. The Edge is the place where it dissipates into a strange, murky darkness. A force field prevents anyone from falling off.

  Kichijoji – A neighborhood in northern Tokyo, Japan.

  Prosaic – The term used to describe human, or non-magical, people in the series.

  Runehacker – A mage with the ability to alter, disrupt, or destroy a magical rune. This ability is rumored to be a myth.

  Arigatou gouzaimasu – Thank you in Japanese. This is the first form of thank you when speaking to someone in a higher social class than you in Japan.

  Arigatou Gozaimashita (ありがとうございました) – Thank you in Japanese, specifically for something that has happened in the past.

  Battoujutsu – The art of drawing the sword. The training is for combat effectiveness through distancing, timing, and targeting. It is not practiced as a sport.

  Hadaka no tsukiai – means ‘naked communion’ or ‘naked friendship’. It’s a term used to refer to the conversation and experience had while bathing in an onsen naked with friends or coworkers.

  Izakaya – A type of Japanese bar with inexpensive food and drinks. It is often frequented by salarymen after a long day at work.

  Kara-age – Japanese fried chicken. A popular dish at izakayas.

  Kanpai – The Japanese word for "Cheers!" in a drinking toast.

  Makoto ni Moushiwake Gozaimasen Deshita – A very formal and archaic way of apologizing that would be most commonly used by a samurai.

  Onna-bugeisha – Female, Japanese warrior that fought alongside samurai.

  Salarymen – A term that refers to Japanese businessmen that work for corporations. They often work extremely long hours, followed by drinking with colleagues and clients.

  Tzompantli – A skull rack, generally made of wood, intended for the public display of skulls in Mesoamerican civilizations.

  The True Chaos Mages

  A big thank you to my ART (Advanced Reader Team) AKA Berserker Reader Team. They helped turn a good book into a great one.

  Chris Christman II, David Botell, David Myers, Denise King, Karen Hollyhead, Larry Diaz Tushman, Laura Cadger Rogers, Penny Campbell-Myhill, Rob Hill, Samantha Rooney, Stacey Stein, Tami Cowles, Terri Adkisson, Thomas Ryan

  Follow Me

  Thank you so much for buying our book. We really hope you have enjoyed reading the story as much as we did writing it. Being an author is not an easy task, so your support means a lot to us. We do our best to make sure books come out error free. However, if you found any errors, please feel free to reach out to us so we can correct them!

  If you loved this book, the best way to find out about new releases and updates is to join our Facebook group, The Chaos Mages. Retailers do a very poor job about notifying readers of new book releases. Joining the group can be an alternative to newsletters if you feel your inbox is getting a little crowded. Both options, and Goodreads, are linked below :)

  Facebook Group:

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/thechaosmages

  Newsletter:

  https://alexsteele.net/#Follow-Me

  Goodreads:

  http://goodreads.com/alex_steele

  About the Author

  Alex Steele is the brainchild of husband and wife team: Alex and Stephanie. The persona you see online from Alex Steele is all Alex, but you can find his wife on social media as Stephanie Foxe.

  Alex got his itch for writing after Stephanie began to write and publish her series. Previously, he’d never read books (I know crazy right?). He immersed himself in countless hours of research to better help his wife succeed. It was during that time that he began reading dozens of books and thought, “Hey maybe I can do this writing thing too.” It turns out writing is hard (who knew?).

  What he did learn is that he could outline stories reasonably well and that Stephanie enjoyed writing his ideas. So, Alex Steele was born: Alex comes up with the overall concept, and Stephanie writes it. Alex then reviews it and makes edits. We pass that work on to an editor, then finally to ART (Advanced Reader Team).

  We hope you enjoy reading the stories as much as we enjoyed writing them.

  More books by Stephanie Foxe

  Misfit Pack is the first book in a new series by Stephanie Foxe. Who, if you don’t know, is Alex’s wife. She is also basically the one that writes The Chaos Mages, it’s just Alex’s idea and she works super closely with him on it.–

  A redhead with a drawl, a lawyer with pink hair, and a homeless seventeen year old have no business forming a pack.

  In a world where magic is commonplace, and your neighbor is just as likely to be an elf as a troll, three humans are unwillingly changed into werewolves.

  Unprepared and unwanted.

  The pack may have chosen Amber as their Alpha, but that’s not a title she is supposed to have. In order to be legally recognized as an Alpha she must pass the Trials, and it won’t be easy. If she fails, her pack will be disbanded and forced into a halfway house for bitten werewolves, aka The System.

  But the pack needs a sponsor in order to even enter the Trials.
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  With everything to lose, the brand new pack must learn to work together before it’s too late.

  The Witch’s Bite Series is a complete series by Stephanie that follows Olivia Carter –

  We all have our secrets. Mine involves a felony record, illegal potions, and magi–well...the last one could get me killed.

  I've been living in a small town working for the vampires for the last six months. All I want is to save up enough to open an apothecary, so I don't have to heal the neckers anymore.

  Of course, nothing in my life can be that simple.

  Two detectives show up at my door asking questions about a dead girl and trying to pin the murder on my employer. Next thing I know, I'm dodging fireballs in parking lots.

  The police and the witches want me to roll over on the vampires. The only problem is, I'm almost certain they didn't kill the girl. Although, my best friend and favorite vampire has been missing and won't answer my calls.

  Time is running out for me to save my paycheck... and do the right thing or whatever.

  www.AlexSteele.net

  www.StephanieFoxe.com

 

 

 


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