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Tales from The Pumpkin Patch (Holiday Tales Book 1)

Page 8

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 taki@technologymage.com 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

 

 

 


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