by A. L. Knorr
I scanned the bullet points on the young woman’s life and immediately felt a kinship with her. My heart oozed warmth as I read the facts. She’d been raised in foster care, a straight A student, as rabid about archaeology as I had been at her age, and…
My head snapped up and I looked at Marks wide-eyed. “She’s psionic?”
Marks put up a hand. “It’s very light at the moment. Her therapist reports that it gives her a headache to read minds, and she can only move light items.”
“Still, I don’t understand how you expect to pull the wool over her eyes when she’s telepathic. She’ll see right through it.”
Miss Marks opened the desk drawer in front of her and pulled out a dull grey pebble. She set it on the desk in front of me. “That’s what we have this material for.”
I picked it up, its resonance singing through my fingers like a soprano. “Wolfram?”
She nodded. “Anyone carrying this on their person will be impervious to Petra’s attempts to read their mind. But it’s really just a stop gap. She doesn’t like to read minds and only does it when she feels it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Ah.” I handed the metal back to her. “And why do we have to stage this dig just for her?”
Marks relaxed in her chair. “You remember I mentioned a supernatural that even Ninurta would not have been able to withstand?”
“Yes.”
“That’s her, if we do our job successfully.”
I shot Marks a side eye. “I don’t understand. She’s a light psionic who gets headaches when she uses her telepathic abilities. Unless she’s got something more up her sleeve…”
“Oh, but she does.” Marks nodded toward the folder in my lap. “That young woman is in a class all her own. The locals would refer to her as the Euroklydon, but she’ll only come fully into her abilities if we give her a little nudge in the right direction.”
Euroklydon. I knew this name but it took me a moment to unearth it from the dusty back shelves of my memory. “The Euroklydon was a great wind or storm mentioned in ancient scripture, wasn’t it?”
“Very good.” Marks gave me another look of approval. “But she’s not the Euroklydon yet, and she’ll never become the Euroklydon unless we intervene.”
“Why do it all in secret? Why not just ask her if that’s what she wants and then help her turn on her powers?”
“She would never trust us if we did that. Believe me, this plan we’ve come up with is brilliant. It will ensure she’ll trust us, and that she’ll want to work with us. We’ve been watching her since birth, we know her personality inside and out.”
Something uncomfortable niggled in my gut at these words, but I pushed it aside. Marks had been nothing but kind and supportive of me, and reporting to her was my job. I had people to support, and like she said, it was for Petra’s benefit.
“Execute your part in this plan well and you’ll witness something that only happens once in a generation, the birth of the most powerful supernatural the world has ever known.” Jody Marks practically levitated off her chair at these words.
I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. “How intriguing. Libya, here we come.”
AN END AND A BEGINNING
Don’t miss the story of Petra Kara in Born of Air, An Elemental Origins Novel.
A terrifying family secret will awaken her power. Embracing it may cost Petra her life.
All Petra Kara wants in life is to study Archaeology at the University of Cambridge. And she's so close. She's got the grades, she's got the ambition. All she needs now is an outrageous sum of money and experience on an Old World archaeological excavation. If only she could find a way to get rid of her annoying low-grade telepathy. There's nothing Petra hates more than a cheat and a liar and it's too easy to cheat when you can read people's minds.
When Petra spies an ad for a volunteer position on an excavation to North Africa, she knows its meant for her. But there is more waiting for her in Libya than broken pottery and human remains. A heart-pounding race through the desert under a sky full of stars with Jesse, her sexy dig-mate and newfound crush, ends when Petra slides into an ancient cave-system with strange stones embedded in the walls.
That's where her life changes forever.
As her powers manifest, there are those who think they have a good reason to destroy her before she becomes too powerful.
Petra knows she is far more than just gales of wind. Just how old is she? Has she lived before? Who is the man in her vision with the silver eyes? But the biggest question of all is: will she survive long enough to learn who she is and what she's really capable of?
A.D. Schneider’s Notes
It's funny that writing Metal Angel was coming to the end of a fantastic journey, while within the realm of the Elemental Origins this is just the beginning for Ibby. She still has a thrilling time ahead of herself with Petra in Born of Air, but for the time being my part in the story is over. Ibby, powerful and yet fragile, made of steel but oh so human, is out of my hands and into yours as she was always meant to be. A little somber maybe, but as much as I'll miss Ibby (and Marcus and Jackie and Uncle Iry) I'm walking away from this story a happy man. I'm happy because it has been nothing but great working with Mrs. Abby, who I owe so much to. I'm happy because in my own imperfect way I got to step into the world of the Elementals and tell a new story. Finally, I'm happy because I've been embraced so heartily by you, the devoted, fabulous, and numerous fans of Mrs. Abby. I may not have been able to conjure the same magic as your beloved author, but you gave me a shot at my own rugged word-weaving and made me most welcome and more than anything I hoped you enjoyed the tale I had to tell. Thank you guys.
God only knows what the future holds, but I am certain I'll keep spinning my yarns somewhere and I'm certain Mrs. Abby has nothing but more wonders by land, sea, or air for you all to enjoy. I've had the privilege of consulting on a few, and Lord willing I will again, but no matter what I am thankful to her and to you, dear readers, for investing the most precious resources any of us have; your time and your attention. Thank you again and thus I bid you farewell, ila-laqaa'.
-A.D. Schneider
Acknowledgments
This book and the two that proceeded it would not have been possible without so many people. First, thank you to my children and my family who had to put up with me locking myself away to hammer out another few thousand words. Your patience and support was incredible, and I am very grateful.
Next, to the editors, Mr. Cross and Nicola Aquino, whose willingness to slog through my drafts, endure my ham-fisted writing, and just general ability to find the jewels which could be polished, I give my thanks and warmest regards. I never made it easy on you, but you were always up to the task.
Of course, I can never forget the woman who is to blame for all of this. Mrs. Abby, you were willing to invest in me when I had so very little to offer, and even when there seemed so very little to show for it you kept pressing forward, lifting me up and pushing me to be better. I couldn't have asked for a better ally or a better friend, thank you.
Last and most important, to my wife, my darling and my lady. You are the one who raises my head when I'm weary, tells me fearlessly when I am wrong, and the only one who every day convinces me that the fight is worth it. You are my sparring partner, my lover, and the peg o' my heart. I can't do it without you, and I praise God every day that I have you. Thanks, babe.
-Aaron D. Schneider
A.L. Knorr’s Notes
When Ibby first came on the scene in Born of Air, I fell in love with her character and knew she had a much bigger story of her own to tell. Around the same time as I was penning Petra’s story, which I hope you get a chance to read, I found an eager and talented writer who helped me choreograph some excellent aerial combat scenes for The Kacy Chronicles. I was so impressed with his work, and I was so overwhelmed by my publishing schedule at the time that I asked him if he’d be interested in co-authoring Ibby’s story with me, a series I wanted to call Ri
ngs of the Inconquo. True to form, Aaron willingly waded into the story neck deep and leant his considerable imagination and skill to breathing life in Ibby, Uncle Iry, Marcus, Adrian Shelton, Ninurta, and all the other characters that made this series what it is.
Thank you to Aaron for being so wonderful to work with, to our editing team of Brian Cross and Nicola Aquino, to my family and my husband for your unending support, and most of all to my readers, who never seem to tire of this universe. How blessed we are.
Thank you.
Abby
Also by A.L. Knorr
The Elemental Origins Series
Born of Water
Born of Fire
Born of Earth
Born of Æther
Born of Air
The Elementals
The Returning Series (Mira’s Story)
Returning
Falling
Surfacing
The Siren’s Curse Trilogy
Salt & Stone
Salt & the Sovereign
Salt & the Sisters
Earth Magic Rises Trilogy
Bones of the Witch
Ashes of the Wise
Heart of the Fae
Arcturus Academy Series
Firecracker
Elemental Novellas
Pyro, A Fire Novella
Heat, A Fire Novella
The Kacy Chronicles
Descendant
Ascendant
Combatant
Transcendent
Register at www.alknorrbooks.com to receive a free copy of Returning and to be the first to learn about new releases by AL Knorr.
Also by Aaron D. Schneider
The Warring Realm Trilogy
War-Born
War-Torn
War - Sworn
Rings of the Inconquo Trilogy
Born of Metal
Metal Guardian