by T S Paul
George looked at me expectantly.
I put my phone away. "That was Jack Dalton. He runs the Magical Division of the FBI."
"Wow, you can call up one of your directors just like that?" George asked.
"It's not like that. He's mobile. He travels the country dealing with those cases the rest of us don't want to deal with. Like Were Crime or Trolls. He told me to be careful. He thinks those may be Cave Trolls."
"Is that good?"
I chuckled. "Way better than some of the larger ones. These guys are supposed to be more intelligent."
"Are the kids in danger? Did this Jack guy tell you what trolls eat?" George asked.
<<<>>>
Large smelly hands grabbed the three boys as they hung from the ceiling. They immediately started screaming.
"They're going to eat us!" Leo yelled.
Jason couldn't scream anymore. His throat was sore from all the yelling, and he was incredibly thirsty. He could only watch in numb silence as his two friends were pulled from the ropes and dumped on the floor of the cave. Then he felt the hands grab him too.
"Leo shut up." Jason's voice sounded like he had gravel for breakfast. "They haven't eaten us yet."
The floor of the cave was cold, and Jason's head was spinning from hanging like that for so long. "Harry, are you alright?"
"I'm better now."
"Dude, what did you do? Aaaa. Did you just pee on me?" Leo started yelling.
Jason could smell the scent of urine in the air as Harry just let go. If they weren't in mortal danger, it would be funny.
"Sorry. I couldn't hold it any longer."
The large creature returned and started dragging all three by the feet out of the room and off to somewhere...
<<<>>>
Many of the searchers were loading guns and looking grim. I needed to stop this. "George let me try and talk to them."
"The trolls? Woman, you are out of your mind." George answered.
"It's better than charging in with guns. Because let me tell you, bullets bounce off these things and all you will do is piss them off. Let me try. If I fail, we'll call Jack back, and he can mobilize the military."
I didn't give him an option. Stripping off my body armor and weapon I handed them to the Alpha. "If something happens to me, hit redial on my phone and talk to Jack."
The cave opening was small. Limestone caves can be that way. The opening small, but the interior large. There was a complex of large ones in KC that they use for cold storage and warehousing. The smell coming out to the cave entrance was nothing I had ever experienced before. Sort of a cross between a stockyard and a chicken processing plant. Rank and earthy at the same time.
"Hello? I would like to talk to the Speaker." I shouted into the cave mouth.
There was a series of grunts and growls and then silence. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see the hunters and deputies clutching their weapons. I needed to fix this.
"I'm here about the three young humans. Can we negotiate?" I shouted again.
"Speaker here." The voice was rough and deep sounding, but I could understand it.
I sighed in relief. "Can we negotiate?"
"Inside."
Carefully I ducked my head and went deeper into the cave. I could hear George and some of the others yelling at me to stop.
The light inside was very dim. I could see some sort of glowing moss on the walls and a very large pale figure. Taking this for the Speaker I looked straight at it. "Are the humans here?"
"Thieves. Not innocent. They take from our dead and destroy what we guard. Punishment." The Troll spoke.
"That graveyard is yours?" I asked.
The Speaker grunted. It was echoed by an unknown number of other grunts from farther into the cave. "Ours. Guard. Kill trespassers."
"Did you kill the boys?" This could be bad.
"No! Younglings. Thieves take. Go away!"
I just stood there for a moment. Did it mean the boys could leave or did it mean they were dead? I could hear a faint scream, and then an even larger Troll entered the small tunnel. He was dragging the three boys over the ground behind him!
"Harry, Jason, and Leo? Is that who you are?"
"Yes! Help us! They want to eat us!" The larger of the three started shouting.
"Calm down. You're safe." I replied.
"Lady you're crazy. Does this look like we're safe?"
Ignoring them, I returned my gaze to the Speaker. "Boys free?"
"Take thieves. Leave."
The Trolls slipped past the struggling boys and went deeper into the cave. The gigantic one growled at me making the hair on the back of my neck stand up and salute. And then they were gone. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Can any of you stand?" I asked.
"If you untie us we can." Was the answer.
<<<>>>
Saving the boys from the trolls was a big deal for the town. Professor Russel was disappointed that his 'Indian' graveyard was suddenly closed to him, but I wasn't going to spark a war in Kansas. But everyone understood the danger. State officials had plans to put up a big fence and warning signs to keep the lookie-lous out of the area. Trolls in large numbers were rare in the United States. The town may have been happy, but my bosses weren't. I had gone rogue in their eyes.
"Are they firing you?" Sheriff Alexander asked.
"Not sure." I had just arrived at my office. The past couple of days were filled with lots of shouting and threats from the SAIC in Kansas City and his counterpart in St Louis. According to both of them, I should have called it in. Both ignored the call I made where I was told my station didn't exist. The Assistant Director had already been replaced. I was in major hot water, and it was getting hotter. Washington was now involved.
"The calls I made before I met up with you have protected me so far. By explaining my situation to three other SAIC officers in other states, gains me a small amount of help but not much. Those Agents have way more to lose than I do. It's my prediction that my job and future career will be offered up to Washington under the sacrifice to the Great Good. Which you and I know is crap."
"Well, Maddie, the town thanks you. We could have gotten everyone killed if we just charged right in. Let me know if you're staying." The Sheriff climbed back into his car and left. I know from the conversations I've had that the Governor called George personally.
I was so screwed.
I sat staring at the box on my desk for a couple of hours. Asking myself. Should I pack up my stuff or not when the bell on the door rang out. I looked to see a man in what I like to call Government Togs standing there. "Can I help you?"
"I came here to ask you that, Agent Mills. We liked the way you took charge and dealt with the Trolls. Not very many rookies would do something so foolhardy on the first try."
“And you are …?” I asked.
The man cocked his head. "Someone who wants to help you."
"Not helping my career this time. The game is over, and the team has left the field. All that's left is to take out the trash." I replied.
"What if it's not over? I represent a group within the Government that takes more... Call it, direct, action against paranormal threats."
"Like what Jack Dalton does? Is that what you're saying?" I asked.
"Not quite. Magical Crimes is a pat on the back compared to us. I'm offering you a job here Agent Mills."
"Just like that. I go work for you and you save my career? You never told me who and what I'd be working for." I stated.
"No. I didn't. You can call me Mr. Right. Are you interested or not?"
I licked my lips. "I'm interested, but can I ever come back to the FBI?" I asked him.
"Of course. We have crossovers all the time. Think of it as career glue. We will put it back together for you." Mr. Right smiled.
"I've got nothing to lose then. Sure. Count me in."
"Excellent. Grab what you can't live without and meet us outside. We leave now." Mr. Right opened the door and went outside.<
br />
Hoping I was making the correct decision I grabbed my sidearm and other weapons. My apartment only contained clothes. The important stuff was here with me. Carrying my box, I looked out the door. A large black limousine sat there. A different man stood by the door.
"If you would give your box to Mr. Left we will get started." Mr. Right gestured toward the other man.
Handing over my box I asked. "Can you tell me what this is?"
"It's your future. Welcome to the Arcane Corps. We've got the perfect position for you."
Author Introduction – Bradford Bates
Bradford Bates is a full-time author, husband to an incredible wife, and father to three furry rescue dogs. He lives in sunny Phoenix Arizona, trying not to melt in the oppressive heat of the summer. When he isn't busy writing the next book, you can find him playing video games, and watching scary movies.
Galactic Outlaws
Forced Compliance
Genetic Purge
Star Talon
Star Talon
Lost Signal
Ascendancy
The Arena
Jar of Souls
Guardian of the Grove
Demon Stone
The Rising Darkness
Redemption
Rise of the fallen
Butcher of the Bay
Night of the Demon
Fallen Empire (Kindle Worlds)
Shadow of the Empire
Author Introduction – Taki Drake
The mixture of technology and magic is where my mind and heart live. In today's world, it mixes engineering and creativity. In the worlds of my mind, technology and magic live intertwined. I hope that you will find my stories interesting enough to be frequent visitors to where my heart beats.
I am continuing to write my stories of intertwined technology and magic. The challenges of that are fertile grounds for many story lines and series. Several of those planned for the next few months have been listed below. I am happily writing each of them, discovering new worlds, new situations and new challenges. The wonder for me is the number of readers that are enjoying my visions and tales.
Enjoy the stories in the emerging genre of techmage!
Please feel free to contact me via email at [email protected] or visit my blog or my Amazon page.
Unfettered Mage
We Are Not Prey
Fleet of the Mage - 2017
Spatial Delivery - Late 2017
BattleMage Investigates
An Attitude Adjustment
Frozen Hands - October 2017
Maritime Madness - TBD
Badger Hole Bar
Thru the Badger Hole - 2017
The Remembrance Wall - 2017
Grand Opening - 2017
Passage Beyond - 2017
Becoming Sephera
A Learning Experience
You Just Go On - 2017
Life Rebuilt - 2017
New Paths - TBD
Standard of Honor
In the World of the Federal Witch
Shade of Honor
Coven Codex -October 2017
A Confluence of Covens -TBD
Familiar Shadows
Familiar Trials - Fledgling
Familiar Trials - Expert - Oct 2017
Familiar Trials - Master - Dec 2017
Familiar Trials - Adept - January 2018
Cookbooks
The Badger Hole Bar Food Cookbook
Fergus Favorites Cookbook
Marcella's Garden Cookbook
Marcella’s Summer Bounty Cookbook
Marcella’s Autumn Harvest - October 2017
Tasting Sampler
A Food Palate - Holiday Heartwarmers
Anthologies
The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of the Science Fiction Genre
The Tide: The Multiverse Wave
Inanna's Circle: Flight of Imagination - Thru the Darkness
Holiday Heartwarmers: An Anthology of Short Stories
Inanna's Circle: The Game Begins
Mysterious Hearts
Journal with a View
Journal with a View II - Oct 2017
CyberWar: Digital Battlefield
CyberWar: Byte Conflict
Prime Fantasy
Phoenix Fantasy
Phoenix Imagining
The Imp Prince
The Goblin and the Grocer
Prime Peek I
Snapshots of Life I
Author Introduction – TS Paul
I’m now into my second year as a published author. With over 25 works under my belt already my pace is relentless. Writing was never a goal of mine growing up. I really did fall into this accidentally. My wife and family knew of my love of books and urged me to try writing. It wasn’t until an author i befriended gave me a short push off a long pier that i really gave it a go. And what a go that was!
Athena Lee and Agatha Blackmore have given way to over 50 short stories. I write a lot. The future is in books and I’m in it for the long haul. Keep your eyes peeled for new and exciting things coming from me this year. Don’t forget to check the Blog every week for a new Wilson or Fergus story.
I welcome comments and questions on my blog. Follow me on Facebook or visit my Amazon author page. I have an author page with BookBub too.
I’m excited, are you?
The Federal Witch
Born a Witch Drafted by the FBI! - Now Available in Audio!
Conjuring Quantico - Now Available in Audio!
Magical Probi - Now Available in Audio!
Special Agent in Charge - Now Available in Audio!
Witness Enchantment
Night of the Unicorn
Invisible Elder - TBD
Blood on the Moon - TBD
Child of Darkness - TBD
A Draft of Dragons - TBD
Cat’s Night Out, Tails from the Federal Witch - Audio Available
Serpent Con
Darkness Revealed
The Standard of Honor
Shade of Honor
Familiar Trials - Fledgling
Coven Codex -October 2017
A Confluence of Covens -TBD
Conflict of Commitments -TBD
Standard of Honor -TBD
The Mongo Files
The Case of the Jamaican Karma -TBD
The Case of the Lazy Magnolia - TBD
The Case of the Rugrat Exorcist -TBD
Cookbooks From the Federal Witch Universe
Marcella’s Garden Cookbook
Fergus Favorites Cookbook
Marcella’s Summer Bounty Cookbook
Marcella’s Autumn Harvest - Coming Soon!
Read and Eat Cookbooks
Badger Hole Bar Food Cookbook
Athena Lee Chronicles
The Forgotten Engineer
Engineering Murder
Ghost Ships of Terra
Revolutionary
Insurrection
Imperial Subversion
The Martian Inheritance - Audio Now Available
Infiltration
Prelude to War
War to the Knife
Ghosts of Noodlemass Past
Athena Lee Universe
Shades of Learning
Space Cadets - Coming Soon Late 2017
Short Story Collections
Wilson’s War
A Colony of CATTs
Box Sets
The Federal Witch: The Collected Works, Book 1
Chronicles of Athena Lee Book 1-3
Chronicles of Athena Lee Book 4-6
Chronicles of Athena Lee Book 7-9 plus the prequel
Athena Lee Chronicles (10 Book Series)
Standalone or tie-ins
The Tide: The Multiverse Wave
The Lost Pilot
Uncommon Life
Kutherian Gambit
Alpha Class. The Etheric Academy book 1
Alpha Class - Engineering. The Etheric Academy Book 2
The Ether
ic Academy (2 Book Series)
Anthologies
Phoenix Galactic
The Expanding Universe Book 2
Cupid’s Bow
Mysterious Hearts
Journal with a View: July - August - September
Prime Peek I
Snapshots of Life I
Non-Fiction
Get that Sh@t off your Cover!: The so-called Miracle Man speaks out
Study Guide and Timeline: The Athena Lee Chronicles