by Kenny Soward
“Pop bottles?”
“Yeah. As payment. That’s all he’ll take.”
Lonnie shook his head in disbelief, but he wasn’t entirely surprised either. He was getting used to the idea they were ancient castaways from Hell. Monsters who, when backed into a corner, tore shit up. Probably a good idea to believe Selix when she said the memories of his wife and little girl were magicked. He shook his head, wondering if he would ever really forget them.
“You m-mentioned the river. He live there?”
“Yeah, under the river.”
Lonnie chuckled, tasting blood.
The end of a plastic water bottle pressed into his mouth and tilted up. Cool liquid spilled down his throat and chin. He drank greedily, every swallow an agony all the same. He chugged three-quarters of the contents before Selix pulled it away.
“Thanks,” he mumbled as they hobbled.
“No problem.”
A few more steps, and Lonnie glanced over. “Hey, what was that song you were singing back there?”
“Song? Oh, when I was dancing?”
Lonnie nodded.
“'Work the Twerk,' by Loosey J.”
“Ugh. I hate that one.”
“It makes my ass shake, and I really needed to shake it tonight.”
“Your skinny ass.”
“Skinny and magical.” Selix winked.
Lonnie smile-winced. “Try to pick something different next time.”
“Sure. How about one of those country crooners?”
“Ugh.”
As they ducked into the alley, cop cars swung onto Rose Avenue, sirens wailing and lights flashing blue across the old brick buildings. But Selix was warm beneath his arm. Close. Cinnamon. They limped along and Lonnie thought everything might be all right. At least for the next minute or ten. And that was good enough for him.
Good enough for now.
THE END
What happens to the Eighth Street Gang next?
Brushing the cinders from your clothes, you’re ready for the next adventure. You want to ride the dragon. I don’t blame you. It’s friggin’ awesome. Click the link for the next book in the series!
Galefire II : Holy Avengers on Amazon!
If you enjoyed Galefire I : Fade Rippers, don’t forget to leave a rating or review on Goodreads or Amazon!
Acknowledgements
I’m far from the perfect writer. I occasionally miss deadlines. I forget to post on social media. Sometimes (okay, a lot) my writing isn’t quite up to snuff.
Yet, you stick with me. You frequent my website and read my blogs. You give me feedback on rough drafts. You post honest reviews. You give me deals on editing and artwork and share my social media posts (when I remember to post). You offer me encouragement when I’m feeling down.
God, I’m needy.
Yet, you remain by my side.
Heather and Jarrod Seago. Sally and Beau Eadon. Jasone Staley and Jenn Sczur. Billy and Heather Tackett. All the fine folks at Ragnarok Publications: Jeremy Mohler, Alan Bahr, Alana Abbott, Tim Marquitz, Joe Martin, Melanie R. Meadors, and Shawn T. King. Eloise Knapp. Kirk Dougal. Rob Hayes. Mark Lawrence. Charles Phipps. Edea Baldwin. Missy Katano. Becca Calloway. Larry Heydorn. Last, but certainly not least, my biggest supporter and love of my life, Michele Kuchinick.
Thank you for your support. You mean everything to me.
Notes on Locale
The majority of Galefire takes place in the Cincinnati area and spills over to the Covington, Kentucky side of the river in Galefire II: Holy Avengers. While I paint a mostly accurate depiction of the city streets and buildings with regards to architecture and layout, I changed the names of some of the places in order to protect myself from possible litigation resulting in the unlicensed use of a name. You just never know, right?
Rose Park is completely made up—although in my mind I know exactly where it would be. And the things that went on there were incredible.
Cincinnati has always been a strange place to me with a dark underbelly I’ve always loved exploring. It’s a tense mix of old and new ideas. An ache to be modern but with a sort of resistance to make it happen. We make pretty good beer. We have some great bars and good food, too. The music scene is a bit like a budding Seattle that never really buds. Some of the best bands I’ve ever heard are from here.
All-in-all, a great, grim tapestry to paint a big urban fantasy series on.
In Galefire III : Tether War, Torri Dowe’s hill is located somewhere in the vicinity of Black Mountain, Kentucky, which does, in fact, exist.
Thanks for coming along with me on this journey. There’s much more to come.
About The Author
Kenny Soward grew up in Kentucky in a small suburb just south of Cincinnati, Ohio, listening to hard rock and playing outdoors. In those quiet 1970's streets, he jumped bikes, played Nerf football, and acquired many a childhood scar.
Kenny's love for books flourished early, a habit passed down to him by his uncles. He burned through his grade school library, reading Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, C.S. Lewis, and Tolkien. He spent quite a few days in detention for reading in class.
In later years, Kenny took inspiration from fantasy writers such as China Mieville, Poppy Z. Brite, and Caitlin R. Kiernan.
The transition to author was a natural one for Kenny. His sixth grade teacher encouraged him to start a journal, and he later began jotting down pieces of stories, mostly the outcomes of D&D gaming sessions, until he was finally creating his own works. If you enjoy urban and dark fantasy, paranormal and horror, with brooding, broken characters and fast paced action, you can visit Kenny at www.kennysoward.com.
Other Books By Kenny Soward
Galefire (Urban Fantasy | Horror)
Code-X (Galefire Prequel)
Fade Rippers (Book 1)
Holy Avengers (Book 2)
Tether War (Book 3)
The GnomeSaga Series (Epic Fantasy)
Rough Magic (Book 1)
Tinkermage (Book 2)
Cogweaver (Book 3)
The Dead West Series (Weird West with Tim Marquitz and Joe Martin)
The Dead West Omnibus Vol 1