Phantom Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Seeker Book 5)

by Linsey Hall

  Which brings us to Boo Hags (or just Hags, for short). Boo Hags are also put off by the color Haint Blue. They are witches who look like people during the day (usually like a beautiful woman), but at night, they shed their skin and sneak into people’s homes to steal their energy by sucking some of the life force from them while they sleep. The person doesn’t die from this, though they will wake tired. However, if you struggle, the Boo Hag will decide that you are not worth her time and she will steal your skin (then you die). Boo Hags usually crouch over their victims while sucking their life force, which led to the phrase “Don’t let de hag ride ya!”. The only way to kill a Boo Hag is to find and destroy its skin, or to distract the Boo Hag from finding its skin before sunrise. This distraction can also protect you while you are sleeping. Boo Hags like to count things, so if you want to protect yourself and have a shot at killing the Boo Hag, leave a broom by your bed and they will be compelled to count the bristles. If you’re lucky, they’ll still be counting at sunrise and won’t have time to make it to their skin. Then, you’re rid of that Boo Hag forever.

  And lastly — the character Aleta Indigo was borrowed from fellow author Alison Claire, who knows more about Southern history and mythology than I will ever know. She’s written a fabulous series called Hell’s Belles that will come out in early summer 2017 that’s all about a group of magical debutantes in Savannah, Georgia. Aleta Indigo is one of those characters and I was lucky enough to read a sneak peek that made me fall madly in love. Alison was kind enough to let Aleta make an appearance in Phantom Magic. I love how it expands both worlds in both series. If you’d like to read a free book featuring Aleta Indigo and her fellow witches, visit smarturl.it/Belles.

  That’s it for the historical influences in Phantom Magic. However, one of the most important things about this book is how Del and her deirfiúr treat artifacts and their business, Ancient Magic. This is the part of the Author’s Note that is written in the other books, so if you’ve read any of those, this’ll be a repeat. But it’s important enough that I like to include it in all my books. My conscience wouldn’t rest otherwise.

  As I’m sure you know, archaeology isn’t quite like Indiana Jones (for which I’m both grateful and bitterly disappointed). Sure, it’s exciting and full of travel. However, booby-traps are not as common as I expected. Total number of booby-traps I have encountered in my career: zero. Still hoping, though.

  When I chose to write a series about archaeology and treasure hunting, I knew I had a careful line to tread. There is a big difference between these two activities. As much as I value artifacts, they are not treasure. Not even the gold artifacts. They are pieces of our history that contain valuable information, and as such, they belong to all of us. Every artifact that is excavated should be properly conserved and stored in a museum so that everyone can have access to our history. No one single person can own history, and I believe very strongly that individuals should not own artifacts. Treasure hunting is the pursuit of artifacts for personal gain.

  So why did I make Del and her deirfiúr treasure hunters? I’d have loved to call them archaeologists, but nothing about Cass’s work is like archaeology. Archaeology is a very laborious, painstaking process—and it certainly doesn’t involve selling artifacts. That wouldn’t work for the fast-paced, adventurous series that I had planned for Dragon’s Gift. Not to mention the fact that dragons are famous for coveting treasure. Considering where the deirfiúr got their skills from, it just made sense to call them treasure hunters.

  Even though I write urban fantasy, I strive for accuracy. The deirfiúr don’t engage in archaeological practices—therefore, I cannot call them archaeologists. I also have a duty as an archaeologist to properly represent my field and our goals—namely, to protect and share history. Treasure hunting doesn’t do this. One of the biggest battles that archaeology faces today is protecting cultural heritage from thieves.

  I debated long and hard about not only what to call the heroines of this series, but also about how they would do their jobs. I wanted it to involve all the cool things we think about when we think about archaeology—namely, the Indiana Jones stuff, whether it’s real or not. But I didn’t know quite how to do that while still staying within the bounds of my own ethics. I can cut myself and other writers some slack because this is fiction, but I couldn’t go too far into smash and grab treasure hunting.

  I consulted some of my archaeology colleagues to get their take, which was immensely helpful. Wayne Lusardi, the State Maritime Archaeologist for Michigan, and Douglas Inglis and Veronica Morris, both archaeologists for Interactive Heritage, were immensely helpful with ideas. My biggest problem was figuring out how to have the heroines steal artifacts from tombs and then sell them and still sleep at night. Everything I’ve just said is pretty counter to this, right?

  That’s where the magic comes in. The heroines aren’t after the artifacts themselves (they put them back where they found them, if you recall)—they’re after the magic that the artifacts contain. They’re more like magic hunters than treasure hunters. That solved a big part of my problem. At least they were putting the artifacts back. Though that’s not proper archaeology, I could let it pass. At least it’s clear that they believe they shouldn’t keep the artifact or harm the site. But the SuperNerd in me said, “Well, that magic is part of the artifact’s context. It’s important to the artifact and shouldn’t be removed and sold.”

  Now that was a problem. I couldn’t escape my SuperNerd self, so I was in a real conundrum. Fortunately, that’s where the immensely intelligent Wayne Lusardi came in. He suggested that the magic could have an expiration date. If the magic wasn’t used before it decayed, it could cause huge problems. Think explosions and tornado spells run amok. It could ruin the entire site, not to mention possibly cause injury and death. That would be very bad.

  So now you see why Del and her deirfiúr don’t just steal artifacts to sell them. Not only is selling the magic cooler, it’s also better from an ethical standpoint, especially if the magic was going to cause problems in the long run. These aren’t perfect solutions—the perfect solution would be sending in a team of archaeologists to carefully record the site and remove the dangerous magic—but that wouldn’t be a very fun book.

  Thanks again for reading (especially if you got this far!). I hope you enjoyed the story and will stick with Del on the rest of her adventure!

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you, Ben, for everything. There would be no books without you.

  Thank you to fellow urban fantasy author Alison Claire, for letting me use the character Aleta Indigo from your Hell’s Belles series. She gave the Bonaventure Cemetery scene something special.

  Thank you to Lindsey Loucks for your excellent editing. The book is immensely better because of you! And thank you to Crystal Jeffs, for your help with continuity in the book. You remember things better than I do, and it’s definitely a better story because of you! Thank you to Rebecca Frank for the beautiful cover. You really bring Del to life.

  And thank you to Aisha Panjeweeany, for suggesting the band name Alien Panda Jury. It is a band based out of Pakistan created by musician Daniel Arthur Panjwaneey. I chose to use the band name because it’s awesome, but then I listened to the music, which is even better.

  The Dragon’s Gift series is a product of my two lives: one as an archaeologist and one as a novelist. Combining these two took a bit of work. I’d like to thank my friends, Wayne Lusardi, the State Maritime Archaeologist for Michigan, and Douglas Inglis and Veronica Morris, both archaeologists for Interactive Heritage, for their ideas about how to have a treasure hunter heroine that doesn’t conflict too much with archaeology’s ethics. The Author’s Note contains a bit more about this if you are interested.

  To Munger, with all my heart.

  Glossary

  Alpha Council - There are two governments that enforce law for supernaturals—the Alpha Council and the Order of the Magica. The Alpha Council governs all shifters. They work coopera
tively with Alpha Council when necessary - for example, when capturing FireSouls.

  Blood Sorceress - A type of Magica who can create magic using blood.

  Boo Hag - A witch from Gullah culture. She will sneak into your house and suck out your energy.

  Conjurer - A Magica who uses magic to create something from nothing. They cannot create magic, but if there is magic around them, they can put that magic into their conjuration.

  Dark Magic - The kind that is meant to harm. It’s not necessarily bad, but it often is.

  Deirfiúr - Sisters in Irish.

  Demons - Often employed to do evil. They live in various hells but can be released upon the earth if you know how to get to them and then get them out. If they are killed on Earth, they are sent back to their hell.

  Dragon Sense - A FireSoul’s ability to find treasure. It is an internal sense that pulls them toward what they seek. It is easiest to find gold, but they can find anything or anyone that is valued by someone.

  Elemental Mage – A rare type of mage who can manipulate all of the elements.

  Enchanted Artifacts – Artifacts can be imbued with magic that lasts after the death of the person who put the magic into the artifact (unlike a spell that has not been put into an artifact—these spells disappear after the Magica’s death). But magic is not stable. After a period of time—hundreds or thousands of years depending on the circumstance—the magic will degrade. Eventually, it can go bad and cause many problems.

  Fire Mage – A mage who can control fire.

  FireSoul - A very rare type of Magica who shares a piece of the dragon’s soul. They can locate treasure and steal the gifts (powers) of other supernaturals. With practice, they can manipulate the gifts they steal, becoming the strongest of that gift. They are despised and feared. If they are caught, they are thrown in the Prison of Magical Deviants.

  The Great Peace - The most powerful piece of magic ever created. It hides magic from the eyes of humans.

  Haints - A ghost from Gullah culture.

  Hearth Witch – A Magica who is versed in magic relating to hearth and home. They are often good at potions and protective spells and are also very perceptive when on their own turf.

  Magica - Any supernatural who has the power to create magic—witches, sorcerers, mages. All are governed by the Order of the Magica.

  Mirror Mage - A Magica who can temporarily borrow the powers of other supernaturals. They can mimic the powers as long as they are near the other supernatural. Or they can hold on to the power, but once they are away from the other supernatural, they can only use it once.

  The Origin - The descendent of the original alpha shifter. They are the most powerful shifter and can turn into any species.

  Order of the Magica - There are two governments that enforce law for supernaturals—the Alpha Council and the Order of the Magica. The Order of the Magica govern all Magica. They work cooperatively with the Alpha Council when necessary - for example, when capturing FireSouls.

  Phantom - A type of supernatural that is similar to a ghost. They are incorporeal. They feed off the misery and pain of others, forcing them to relive their greatest nightmares and fears. They do not have a fully functioning mind like a human or supernatural. Rather, they are a shadow of their former selves. Half bloods are extraordinarily rare.

  Seeker - A type of supernatural who can find things. FireSouls often pass off their dragon sense as Seeker power.

  Shifter - A supernatural who can turn into an animal. All are governed by the Alpha Council.

  Transporter - A type of supernatural who can travel anywhere. Their power is limited and must regenerate after each use.

  Warden of the Underworld - A one of a kind position created by Roarke. He keeps order in the Underworld.

  About Linsey

  Before becoming a writer, Linsey Hall was a nautical archaeologist who studied shipwrecks from Hawaii and the Yukon to the UK and the Mediterranean. She credits fantasy and historical romances with her love of history and her career as an archaeologist. After a decade of tromping around the globe in search of old bits of stuff that people left lying about, she settled down and started penning her own romance novels. Her Dragon’s Gift series draws upon her love of history and the paranormal elements that she can’t help but include.

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All reference to events, persons, and locale are used fictitiously, except where documented in historical record. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright 2017 by Linsey Hall

  Published by Bonnie Doon Press LLC

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form, except in instances of quotation used in critical articles or book review. Where such permission is sufficient, the author grants the right to strip any DRM which may be applied to this work.

  Linsey@LinseyHall.com

  www.LinseyHall.com

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  ISBN 978-1-942085-45-4