Amanda closed her eyes and took a few seconds to calm her mind and body, breathing deeply as she summoned an image of Sam. She focused on him, building up her mental image of who he was and the memories they shared until he was crystal-clear in her mind’s eye.
Then she reached out.
She hunted for him, pressing her mind and Magic out into the multiverse.
As she did so, she called on her Magic and willed herself, her ship, and her friends to go there. To find him and appear close to him. In space, but close.
Then she had him. She felt his presence, and knew she could reach him. Forcing Essentia into her Magical working, the colossal energies surrounding her fluoresced and rushed in.
Light flashed behind her eyes as the ship and everyone on it Ported. They jumped universes, and the Magic faded.
Amanda nearly collapsed into her chair as the effort of the crossing took its toll. She felt like she’d just finished a triple marathon and almost fell out of her chair.
“We’re here,” Matt called. “Wherever here is. I don’t recognize anything out there, except they have a lot of defenses. Those I recognize just fine.”
“We’re not in Kansas anymore,” Liz agreed.
“I have a planet on my scans,” Matt announced. “There are dead ships, too. Looks like the remains of a battle.”
Amanda sat up and focused on her breathing. She’d need a few moments to gather herself together and get her energy back, so she concentrated on that and allowed the comments of her friends to wash over her. She listened as they called out their findings, wondering if she’d recognize anything.
“There’s life on that planet. Three…no, four large cities. Something’s down there, that’s for sure,” Matt continued.
Amanda took another deep breath as her energy returned. She opened her eyes.
“Are you okay, Mandy?” Liz asked.
Amanda smiled reassuringly. “I’m fine. It just takes a lot out of me to make these crossings.”
“As long as you’re sure.”
“I am. Right, hold on. Let me see,” she muttered as she focused on Sam once more and tried to locate him. Right away, she could feel his presence. He was close. She concentrated and conjured a set of Magical senses—vision, hearing, and smell—and willed them to manifest close to Sam.
In her mind, the image of a room appeared, with Sam sitting beside another cat and a small litter of kittens. Nearby were two figures, one of whom she recognized.
Amanda gasped. “Well, I’ll be jiggered!”
“What is it?” Matt asked.
“I know where we are,” she replied, getting up from her chair. “Stay here. I’m going to pop over and say hi.”
Amanda worked her Magic and Ported across space and into a room on a nearby ship. She appeared with a snap.
“There you are!” Amanda cried, focusing on Sam for the time being. She crouched and pulled him in for a hug.
“Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing on my ship?”
Amanda smiled on hearing that familiar, foul-mouthed voice.
Amanda turned her head. “To be sure, and that’s a fine welcome for an old friend. Now I know why I’ve had the devil’s own time locating my lost familiar. Thanks for keeping Samhain safe for me, Bethany Anne.”
“You know this woman?” the man asked Bethany Anne, brandishing a sword made from exotic energy.
“I… Yessss.” Bethany Anne blinked as the cognitive dissonance she was experiencing melted and the woman’s name surfaced in her memory. “Amanda.”
“You got me,” Amana replied, flashing a grin. “So this is your universe, huh?”
The missing piece of the puzzle fell into place for Bethany Anne.
“BOB’s Bar, right?” Bethany Anne raised an eyebrow. “Until now, I’d thought those memories were nothing more than a dimensional dream.”
Amanda chuckled. “It was as real as can be.”
Amanda remembered how those memories had felt to her after her trip to the bar. She gave Sam one last hug before standing up and turning to face Bethany Anne and Michael.
Bethany Anne seemed like quite a dramatic person, so maybe she’d appreciate a little melodrama. She put her hands on her hips. “Bethany Anne, I’m here to warn you about imminent danger to your life!”
Bethany Anne waved the energy balls away as Michael’s fiery blade disappeared.
“Amanda.” Michael sounded more exasperated than annoyed by her sudden appearance. “That’s a normal Tuesday around here.”
And you,” Amanda added, pointing at Sam. “You’ve got some explaining to do.” Her eyes flicked to the nearby female mountain lion and the kittens she was protecting.
Sam cocked his head sideways and gave a questioning grunt.
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Obsidian Detective
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Two Rebels whose Worlds Collide on a Planetary Level.
On the fringes of human space, a murder will light a fuse and send two different people colliding together.
She lives on Earth, where peace among the population is a given. He is on the fringe of society where authority is how much firepower you wield.
She is from the powerful, the elite. He is with the military.
Both want the truth – but is revealing the truth good for society?
---
Two years ago, a small moon in a far off system was set to be the location of the first intergalactic war between humans and an alien race.
It never happened. However, something was found many are willing to kill to keep a secret.
Now, they have killed the wrong people.
How many will need to die to keep the truth hidden?
As many as is needed.
He will have vengeance no matter the cost. She will dig for the truth. No matter how risky the truth is to reveal.
Available now at Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited
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The Valkyrie Returns (The Kurtherian Endgame Book 7) Page 28