Semiautomatic Sorceress Boxed Set One: includes: Southwest Nights, Southwest Days, and Southwest Truths

by Kal Aaron

  “In my time with you, I’ve learned one important thing about human concerns.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Closure isn’t always satisfying. Please keep that in mind.”

  Lyssa continued through the pictures, seeking more clues. “No, I’ll figure this out. These pictures mean something, and now I know for sure my brother’s alive.”

  “Do you intend to tell anyone?” Jofi asked.

  “Not sure. Maybe just Tricia and Fred.” Lyssa sighed. “I can’t be sure about who I can trust.”

  She stopped on the penultimate picture. There was no preceding picture of the man out of regalia. A shiver ran through Lyssa. She wished she didn’t recognize the regalia.

  The outfit wasn’t as flashy as some, especially compared to people like Aisha and Helga. The tall, willowy man in the picture wore a pair of loose white pants, a matching belt, and a white shirt, and his face was covered with a white veil held in place with a headband. Long white gloves covered his arms and hands. The only thing visible was the back of his shaved head.

  “You seem upset,” Jofi said. “Who is this man?”

  “This is Tristan St. James. He’s an Eclipse, an infamous one. The ultimate assassin. He’s taken down some of the worst rogues in the last forty years. Every once in a while, a rumor that he’s a rogue himself pops up, but the Elders insist that’s not true.” Lyssa rolled her tight shoulders. “He sometimes goes by the name Purity. And don’t let the look of his regalia, Snow Ghost, fool you; the guy is seriously dangerous. Super-powerful spirit Sorcerer. Sometimes I wonder if the Elders downplay the guy because they’re in some sort of Cold War with him that they don’t want to admit to, or if he is a rogue but he’s taking out other rogues.”

  Lyssa advanced to the last image. In it, a regal-looking white-haired woman in a dark blue suit was leaving a French restaurant. Somebody looking at the woman might compliment her smooth skin and say she looked great for her age while being fifty years off in their guess. It was Elder Theodora, and she was over a hundred years old.

  “You know what I hate most in the world?” Lyssa asked.

  “Based on our conversation yesterday, amaretto ice cream.”

  “Today, the number one on the list changes.” Lyssa frowned at the picture. “I hate coincidences. These pictures mean something important. My brother, a grab bag of different Sorcerers, one of the most dangerous Eclipses of the modern era, and an Elder who just happened to send a woman who hates me on the same job as me. That has to mean something.”

  “I don’t think Miss Khatri hates you as much as you think, judging by what she did after the battle and her cooperation during the assignment.”

  Lyssa still wasn’t sure where she stood with Aisha. The flame Sorceress had waited with her while the police and the local EAA agents showed up, and she’d stayed with her the first day to make sure she was healing. It was awkward, and Aisha couldn’t go more than five minutes without bragging that her contributions in the final battle were superior because she’d taken down more men, but she hadn’t called Lyssa a thieving cat the entire time.

  Were they friends now? No. Frenemies who might occasionally help each other take down threats? Probably. Lyssa could live with that.

  “That’s now, but it wasn’t the same then.” Lyssa pocketed her phone. “After all, Aisha did try to kill me in Midland when she thought I was working with the Lone Five Stars.”

  “Are you accusing Elder Theodora of attempting to assassinate you?” Jofi asked. “Why would she do that?”

  Lyssa had never been more frustrated by the lack of emotion in Jofi’s voice than at that moment. An outrageous statement like that needed feeling behind it. She wanted someone to be angry on her behalf.

  “I don’t know what’s going on. All I know is I better watch my back, and Chris is alive. I have to be careful about who I trust going forward.” Lyssa frowned. “For now, though, I better get these shards taken care of.” She pulled her phone back out and dialed. “A little white lie never hurt anyone.”

  “Agent Riley here,” Damien answered.

  “I got a little tip for you on more shards. Don’t ask where I got it. These things come up when a woman does what I do. You’re going to need to call someone and have them collect some toys from a storage unit in Norman, OK.”

  “Okay. That’s good news, I think.”

  Lyssa chuckled. There was something soothing about Damien’s voice. That was what Bill the Boy-Next-Door had lacked: a good, soothing voice.

  She could ask him out on a date. Samuel said he was going to direct other Torches toward jobs for a while, but she’d just verified that her brother was alive. It wasn’t the right time to worry about dating hot feds.

  Sorry, Tricia, she thought. Looks like my life is on hold for a while.

  “It’s good news, Damien,” Lyssa replied. “Every shard we keep out of the hands of criminals makes the world a safer place.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Lyssa paced in her living room, her stomach tight. Samuel had sent her a message via the mirror, letting her know he was going to stop by and an exact time. She’d asked him to come over so they could go over a couple of things concerning the job.

  All progress resulting in him becoming more reasonable, however small, was good. The problem was she needed to figure out how to proceed with her brother. There was no way she could follow up on the memory card without help. Even going to Last Remnant to check on things would require an Elder’s permission, which meant getting Samuel onboard.

  But her suspicions lingered. Adrien might have been trying to mess with her head as one final attack, but it wasn’t like he could have set up the shards and pictures in his dying moments hundreds of miles away from Norman, Oklahoma.

  She wasn’t sure there was a conspiracy. The small number of Torches in the United States meant a given Torch had a high probability of running into trouble across a multi-state area.

  That was why she hated coincidences so much. They could have multiple explanations, which was not a great thing for a paranoid woman whose job involved tracking down dangerous people who didn’t want to be found.

  Lyssa’s perimeter alarm spells sent her to the door before the knock. Samuel wore a different disguise this time, though it was equally nondescript. She opened the door and gestured him inside. Once she closed the door, his form shifted to his normal Gentleman regalia.

  She didn’t bother to sit this time, instead folding her arms and standing in front of her couch with a defiant look on her face. Depending on how the next few minutes went, the Elder might end up an enemy, and she wanted her enemies to know she would stand up for herself.

  Samuel watched her for a moment with an irritated expression. “The Society considers the shard matter officially closed. Some of the shards recovered from the port were originally offered for sale in Japan during those incidents before the relevant parties were captured.”

  Lyssa nodded. “Then I cleaned up not just for you, but for some other Elders, huh? I think that makes me one badass Sorceress.”

  “Your success in this matter hasn’t gone unnoticed.” Samuel stroked his beard. “Nor has your cooperation with Aisha Khatri despite your history of tension with her. You’re learning.”

  “Yeah, about that.” Lyssa dropped her arms. “What the hell was Aisha doing investigating this anyway?”

  “I thought that was already clear to you.” Samuel stared at Lyssa. “Elder Theodora misunderstood the scope of what I intended for investigation. She apologized for the mistake, but it worked out to everyone’s advantage, so there’s no point in pressing the issue.”

  “Really? That simple, huh?” Lyssa chuckled. “She misunderstood the scope, but she never mentioned it to you? Didn’t pass you a little message? ‘Hey, I’ve got Flame Deva on this!’”

  “No, I wasn’t aware of it until after the battle in Houston.” Samuel narrowed his eyes. “Which means you also held back from me. Be cautious of what accusations you fling
, given your behavior. This situation is considered a positive achievement overall. Don’t taint that.”

  “Held back from you? Aisha and I, as the Torches in the field, had it handled.” Lyssa smiled thinly. “And if the Elders can’t even communicate with each other ahead of time to keep from messing up on assignments, why should we waste valuable time waiting for orders when we have a hot lead? If we hadn’t gone to Houston right away, Adrien Allard would have run off to the next country to sell shards.”

  “Watch yourself, Miss Corti. Success doesn’t mean immunity in all matters. It might not be your intention to impugn an Elder, but your words are coming close to that.”

  “Tell me that whole situation wasn’t total garbage. Convince me, and I’ll gladly back off.” Lyssa scoffed. “I know you, Samuel, and I know you aren’t that sloppy. Even if you were trying to screw me over, you wouldn’t do it that way, which points us back to Theodora. I was assigned to the job before Aisha. My involvement with the smuggled artifacts was on the freaking Shadow news and was coordinated with the EAA. This wasn’t a super-secret Society-only op.”

  Samuel watched her silently, his arms folded behind his back as if evaluating her. “The minute three humans gather in a room, politics begin. It doesn’t matter if they’re Illuminated. Politics can be unpleasant, but they aren’t the same thing as a conspiracy.”

  “That’s what this was?” Lyssa asked. “Nothing but nasty politics?”

  “Yes.” Samuel walked over to the couch and took a seat, a weariness in his posture. “If anything, it’s my fault for not foreseeing this. All Elders have a difficult task in the current days, balancing our influence with the Society, Shadow governments, and the Tribunal. Some might become overly enthusiastic about such things but be cautious of reading too much into it. You don’t need to find new enemies.”

  Lyssa shook her head. “Aisha’s not the only Torch she could have sent. Sending Aisha was almost asking for an incident. It’s like Elder Theodora wanted me to mess up or get hurt.”

  Samuel’s bushy eyebrows lifted. “And was there an incident? According to Miss Khatri, you two encountered each other in Midland and then worked together until you killed Mr. Allard in Houston. Although she has some comments about your family pedigree, her statements suggest you were an effective temporary partner, given the assignment. I was surprised by how positive she was about your involvement, given your history together.”

  Lyssa narrowed her eyes. Aisha hadn’t admitted they’d had a big fight in the warehouse. She couldn’t blame the other Sorceress. It wasn’t like Lyssa wanted to either.

  It was time for her to make an attempt at politics. She considered her next words carefully. Going to war with one Elder was manageable, but not two.

  “I’d say that’s an accurate summary.” Lyssa shrugged. “But it could have been a disaster. Half the Society knows how much Aisha resents my family over the Night Goddess. She’s sticking it in her official reports from what you just told me.” She shook her head. “Let me put it another way. Would you have sent me to investigate this if you knew Aisha was involved? Would that strike you as a good plan?”

  “I would have selected another Torch.” Samuel furrowed his brow. “But in this case, it worked out, so I have little basis to complain about another Elder’s decision. Unless you have something else you wish to share with me, there’s nothing I wish to say or do.”

  Lyssa frowned. He might be baiting her, or he might be telling the truth. She wasn’t ready to tell him about the memory card, which didn’t leave her many options.

  “Attempted arson doesn’t count if the building doesn’t catch fire?” Lyssa lifted her brow. “Come on. That’s BS. I’m not saying I want an Eclipse sent after her, but a little more than, ‘Hey, it all worked out, so no harm, no foul’ would be nice.”

  Samuel gave her a pitying look. That only enraged her more.

  “You’re far too young and naïve to play at these sorts of games, Miss Corti,” Samuel replied. “I would leave it alone. The dance of Elders may be frustrating and perplexing, but no matter how self-serving it can be at times, the Elders understand that the Society needs all of our Illuminated to be able to survive against the Shadows until we’ve established—”

  “Equilibrium and coexistence.” Lyssa waved a hand. “I get it.”

  “Do you?” Samuel looked doubtful.

  “You say the incident is over?” Lyssa asked. “You don’t think there’s anything left to follow up on?”

  “Your part of it is over.” Samuel offered the words in a forceful tone.

  “Allard’s essence was blade.” Lyssa patted her stomach where she’d been impaled. “Sure, with time and rituals, he could make some shards, but none of the shards he’d been smuggling centered around that essence.”

  Samuel nodded. “So? He was a Sorcerer. That meant he had access and knowledge concerning where to acquire them. He’d hardly be the first rogue to collect shards of power from a variety of sources. That proves nothing.”

  “And you think it’s over? Not my part, but the shard-smuggling?”

  “Over enough. A thoroughly disrupted supply line and a dead Sorcerer send a powerful message to those who might think about similar endeavors.” Samuel gave her a cool look. “If you’re implying there are other rogues, of course there are, and there always will be. Perfection is beyond the grasp of even our kind. For now, the American government sees and understands that we can quickly, efficiently, and brutally clean up after ourselves. We’re quietly offering payments to the people and companies who suffered damaged cargo as well. The lack of Shadow casualties other than the direct servants of the Sorcerer and the middlemen criminals was well appreciated by the American government and law enforcement. They commended your restraint in this matter.”

  “I did my best not to blow anything up.” Lyssa chuckled. “Even Aisha did a good job of restraining herself. It was Allard who made the mess.”

  “And it has been noticed and noted.” Samuel gave a curt nod. “I guarantee you no more assignments for at least two weeks unless they occur within a hundred miles of you. Take your time to rest and reflect.” He stood and tugged his jacket to straighten out the wrinkles. “Unless there’s something else, I should get going.”

  “I need permission to go to Last Remnant,” Lyssa blurted.

  “Why? To go to the Vault of Dreams and check for your brother’s regalia again?”

  “Something like that.” Lyssa licked her lips, wondering if Samuel could tell she was holding back. She wanted to show him the pictures, but he’d dismissed Theodora’s interference as nothing more than politics. Overplaying her hand could end with her house disappearing in a mysterious explosion. There was no such thing as being too paranoid in her world.

  “No.” Samuel shook his head. “The Tribunal wants to reduce traffic to Last Remnant, not increase it, especially in times of tension. You don’t have a valid reason to go.”

  “What?” Lyssa stared at him. “You won’t let me go there? It’s always tense with our kind. Oh, wait. That’s wrong. It’s only tense on any day that ends with Y.”

  “Not right now.” Samuel gave her a cool look. “Things are too chaotic, especially with this incident and others in different countries.”

  Lyssa frowned. “When, then?”

  “Sooner than I’d like, I imagine, but longer than you would.” Samuel headed toward the door, readopting his previous disguise in a blur—the advantage of light essence. “You should give up on your brother for your own good.” He stopped and didn’t turn around. “Unless you have some new information that would suggest this quest isn’t meaningless.”

  “Not yet, just a feeling,” she lied.

  “Be careful, Miss Corti. These are the most interesting and dangerous times I’ve lived through since M-Day. You did well working with Miss Khatri to end the smuggling, but I suspect a woman of your predispositions knows that rot seldom occurs in isolation. I know you have your frustrations, and I have them as well, but
justice doesn’t always come in a timely manner.”

  “Rot?” Lyssa smiled coldly. “Sounds like I’ll be busy.”

  “Most likely.” Samuel stepped outside. “I could convince certain parties to allow you travel to Last Remnant if you had, in their minds, earned it.”

  “Kick more ass? Take more names?”

  “I wouldn’t put it that crudely, but yes. Efficient work as a Torch benefits the Society.” Samuel headed toward the sidewalk. “Until next time, Miss Corti. Enjoy your time off.”

  “Do you trust him?” Jofi asked.

  “Kind of. Maybe. Probably?” Lyssa shrugged and closed the door. “I don’t think he’s at the top of the list of people trying to kill me.”

  “Then what is your plan?”

  “To be the best damned Torch I can be until they let me check out Last Remnant.”

  “And the pictures?”

  “Sometimes finesse and stealth are for the best. I need more than pictures before I make my next move.” Lyssa headed toward her kitchen. “For now, though, I’m going to have a pint of strawberry ice cream.”

  Author Notes - Kal Arron

  March 2, 2021

  Years ago, I had the classic author experience of thinking of a good idea and not writing it down. I thought, “Oh, well, it’s no big deal. I’ll remember it later.” Alas, I couldn’t.

  Since that fateful day, I’ve changed my strategy. Whenever I get an idea, I immediately type it into my phone, where the wonders of the cloud back it up to my computer and some mysterious hidden server that probably is sitting in the Vault of Dreams.

  When I got the opportunity to pitch a cowrite idea to Michael, I worried I wouldn’t be able to come up with something that would work. It’s not that I lacked for ideas, but cowriting is a complex dance blending two distinct creative visions to ensure the central ideas and styles of the book are something both authors can get behind. After a lot of thought, I decided to use my lengthy idea list combined with a bit of book reincarnation.