by TR Cameron
Idryll touched her shoulder tentatively, then gripped it harder. “This is a win. We’ll get the others back.”
Ruby nodded and put her hand over the shapeshifter’s. “Damn right we will.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Julianna Sloane rode in the back of the armored SUV, trying and failing to get rid of her scowl. Her lieutenants sat across from her, looking equally upset. She said, “Who was captured?”
Smith replied, “Three of the meeting attendees. Don’t worry. They won’t talk.”
“Who has them?”
Thompson said, “PDA.”
Julianna gritted her teeth. “Do we have people in that organization?”
Smith was almost apologetic. “Only low-level.”
She shook her head. “Anyone with direct knowledge of our involvement has to be freed or killed immediately. I don’t care which, and I don’t care how. This can’t be allowed to connect back to us. Do you understand?”
Her lieutenants blinked, seeming surprised at her ruthless demand, then nodded. The SUV slowed to a stop, and the sound of a garage door closing came through the vehicle’s skin. Smith climbed out and offered her a hand.
She took it and walked from the garage into the living room of a suburban home. Inside the door was a hard-looking Drow male holding a pistol in his right hand and doubtless with a spell ready to cast. When he recognized them, he stepped aside with a nod.
She continued onward to find the Drow bounty hunter, the only one who had succeeded at her task, reclined in the living room. Her feet were up on the coffee table as she watched a screen showing two children playing in what looked like a bedroom. Blocks floated in the air between the pair, with Xs and Os on them, and she realized they were using magic to play tic-tac-toe. I guess that makes sense, learning through games.
She shifted her gaze to the Dark Elf. “Are they well?”
The other woman nodded. “Very. A little put off by the fighting, as you might expect, but they’re rebounding adequately.”
“Are you ready for the next phase?”
The Drow laughed and dropped her feet to the floor, leaning forward. “Just tell me which finger you want to send.”
Julianna released a dark chuckle. “Hopefully that won’t be necessary. Very good work. There will be a bonus payment in your account by the end of the day.” She turned to her lieutenants. “Thompson, begin Phase Two of this operation. Smith, find us more competent people for the next round of attacks. Those Magic City bastards haven’t begun to suffer.”
Ruby’s body was in her meditation space, kneeling on the hard floor with magical wards raised around her. Her mind though, was in a place of her creation. Oddly enough, it took the form of a comfortable living room set in the middle of a wide-open grassland. The sun shone overhead, the only clouds in the sky were aesthetically pleasing, and a trio of chairs rested on an ornamental rug facing one another in a triangle.
Shalia sat to her left, and Tyrsh was on her right. Her sword’s personalities seemed quite satisfied with the most recent battle and had congratulated her on her previous wise choice to use them against the artifact.
She asked, “Can you do anything more to help me with it?”
They looked uncomfortably at one another, then Shalia shook her head. “We’ve given you all the support we’re able. Short of having us constantly at hand, where we are empowered to provide active assistance, you have the best we can offer.”
Ruby sighed. “In that case, my options seem seriously limited. Meditation works, but that requires finding the time to do so. As recent events have shown, that’s not always practical.” She shook her head as the realization of what she had to do descended upon her. Nadar is going to be so happy. “I guess my only option is to see if completing the next stage of the venamisha will give me something that I can use against it. More power, a tool, anything.”
The two looked reluctant, but they nodded in agreement. “Be sure to bring us along, and use us wisely.”
Ruby smiled. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Her body opened its eyes, and she rose stiffly to her feet. “How long was I out?”
From beyond the locked door, Idryll's muffled voice replied, “Two hours.”
She sighed. Time is so not on my side. “Okay, open up.”
Morrigan said, “First we have to make sure it’s you. Tell me what happened when we went to that fancy restaurant for Dad’s birthday when you were twelve.”
She groaned. “Seriously?”
“We’re only being careful, as Diana told you we should be.”
Ruby rolled her eyes. “I spilled lobster bisque all over myself, and Dralen called me crusty crustacean for a week.”
Both Morrigan and Idryll were laughing as the door opened. Ruby said crossly, “You know, the artifact will probably have access to my memories if it wins.”
Her sister nodded. “I know. I just love hearing that story.”
Ruby smacked her sibling as Idryll laughed. The shapeshifter said, “So, what’s the plan?”
“There’s only one thing I can think of. We’re heading back to Oriceran to fulfill the next part of the prophecy.”
Idryll stared her hard in the eyes. “You’re taking me with you. Any argument and I’ll kill you right now.”
Ruby smiled in genuine affection for her partner’s loyalty. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The Story Continues
Challenges continue to present themselves to Ruby as the bad guys just can't get the message: Don't mess with Magic City! Continue Ruby's adventures with Idryll and her team in Law and Disorder in Magic City.
Author Notes - TR Cameron
April 18, 2021
Thank you for reading Book 5 in the Magic City Chronicles, and for continuing on to read these author notes! This was a tough one, not going to lie. But it sets up the three-book finish really well, and I believe stands alone as strongly as any of the others.
Another one of those surprise moments was the appearance of the Drow in the alley. I had planned for the gang members to go after human tourists, and then he showed up out of nowhere. I love it when that happens, even though it means extra revision and planning to make it work.
Did you ever wonder why the Drow are so often villains, historically speaking, in fantasy? I mean, until Drizzt, I don’t think there was a non-bad-person Dark Elf in the genre. My argument would be that a difficult life underground has made them all highly capable, and they bring that capability to the surface, where it looks like something different.
I’m really interested to see what our new addition to Magic City turns out to be!
Martha has given her blessing to the idea of bringing back the Federal Agents of Magic (FAM) for my next series. Tentatively, it’ll be Rogue Agents of Magic (RAM) which I think works really well. It’s my plan that, just like Diana, Rath, and company have appeared in the Scions and Magic City series, we’ll see Ruby, Idryll, Cali, and Fyre in that series. I can’t wait to see what everyone has been up to while we’ve been spending our time in Magic City!
Civilization VI is beyond addictive. No one should play it. Next up is Sackboy on the PS5, I think. I still have to finish The Last of Us 2, but it went into a flashback and I lost interest and then I bought Civilization and it keeps crashing…. Oh, the trials and tribulations of being me. So challenging.
WandaVision is perhaps the most unique show I’ve ever watched. It’s good. Quite good. But I can’t really binge it or anything. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, on the other hand, it hitting all the right notes for me. Started on Star Trek: Discovery as well, and I have to say, the first season really holds up against the best of Trek.
The kid is pumped for the Marvel movies in the theatres this year. So am I. We made our pilgrimage to Hershey Park for opening day, which is an experience we’ll (hopefully) never do again. Amusement parks and cold weather just don’t go together.
I’m working on an epic amusement park trip for the
summer. Three parks, plus a half-day hike in a giant cave, a full day of hiking in a waterfall-filled state park, and finish with a visit to my longest-lasting friend. Then, maybe one more Amusement park on the way home. I’m not sure I have the stamina to keep up with a 10-year-old for that long one on one, though. I’m not sure anyone does.
Before I go, once again, if this series is your first taste of my Urban Fantasy, look for “Magic Ops.” I promise you’ll enjoy it, and you’ll get more of Diana, Rath, and company. You might also enjoy my science fiction work. All my writing is filled with action, snark, and villains who think they’re heroes. Drop by www.trcameron.com and take a look!
Until next time, Joys upon joys to you and yours – so may it be.
PS: If you’d like to chat with me, here’s the place. I check in daily or more: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTRCameron. Often I put up interesting and/or silly content there, as well. For more info on my books, and to join my reader’s group, please visit www.trcameron.com.
Author Notes - Martha Carr
April 12, 2021
My father was fond of saying my best trait was also my worst trait. I’m stubborn. Now, my relationship with my father was ‘complicated’, and that saying was aimed as yet another joke at my expense.
But he was right, sort of.
I have recently gotten a reminder of the value of that saying, and just how much of the wonderfulness that makes up me that he missed.
It started with trying to do some of the things I had put off between moving to Austin, house buying, and then all of 2020. (2020 is probably going to become code word for monumental cluster fuck.)
One item on my list was to get a physical and find a general practitioner. One visit, though, lead to a few tests, which lead to a lot more doctors and before I knew it – a few interesting diagnoses. I’ll keep this part short.
Turns out I had an impressive hiatal hernia and an enlarged thyroid – no symptoms. Maybe. It’s kind of fun when you see specialists and get to watch their eyes grow when they find out just how far things have failed. Then they would ask me the question again. “Are you sure? No symptoms?”
Nope. Again, well, maybe.
Two things were probably happening. It came on so slowly that I was the frog in a pan of water as it slowly turned hotter. I didn’t notice. The other was that I had things to do so I kept going. It wasn’t big enough to get me to stop and pay a lot of attention That stubborn trait may have been at play.
Anyway, both were far enough along that it wasn’t if they had to be repaired, but when. One surgeon had an opening in two days so I took it. And voila, a week ago the hernia was fixed. A week and a half from now the thyroid will be vanquished and I will be learning to deal with that too.
Here we are at the place where stubbornness is going to come in handy, and where there’s more to me, if someone just looked more closely, that is serving me well. After operation number one I tried to get back up and return to semi-normal and for once, it didn’t work. Even doing a series of small chores in one day added up to a miserable evening.
It didn’t take long for me to notice that if I wanted to get better, I needed to change my behavior. Added plot twist – I live alone with two dogs and things still need to get done.
I could have chosen to hang on to stubborn and get more frustrated or knuckle down and just do it. But instead, I did this wonderful thing that was always just on the other side of stubborn.
I reached out and asked for help from everyone around me. For little things mostly. Take the garbage cans to the street. Walk the dog. Come and sit next to me. The response has been immediate and amazing. I even made it clear that these requests were going to continue for probably the next month.
That second operation is looming and will take an entirely new type of adjusting, but I’ll get there, and I’ll do it with help.
Once again, I was reminded that most of us want to give as well as receive. We want to be wanted, even in the smallest of ways and I ended up giving myself a gift as well. Closer connections, more rest, and a reminder the helpers are always there when we look for them. (Thank you Mr. Rogers) How weird that from some of the toughest patches of a journey come the sweetest memories. More adventures to follow.
Magic Ops
If you enjoyed this book, you may also enjoy the first series from T.R. Cameron, also set in the Oriceran Universe. The Federal Agents of Magic series begins with Magic Ops and it’s available now at Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited.
FBI Agent Diana Sheen is an agent with a secret…
…She carries a badge and a troll, along with a little magic.
But her Most Wanted List is going to take a little extra effort.
She’ll have to embrace her powers and up her game to take down new threats,
Not to mention deal with the troll that’s adopted her.
All signs point to a serious threat lurking just beyond sight, pulling the strings to put the forces of good in harm’s way.
Magic or mundane, you break the law, and Diana’s gonna find you, tag you and bring you in. Watch out magical baddies, this agent can level the playing field.
It’s all in a day’s work for the newest Federal Agent of Magic.
Available now at Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited
Other series in the Oriceran Universe:
THE LEIRA CHRONICLES
SOUL STONE MAGE
THE KACY CHRONICLES
MIDWEST MAGIC CHRONICLES
THE FAIRHAVEN CHRONICLES
I FEAR NO EVIL
THE DANIEL CODEX SERIES
SCHOOL OF NECESSARY MAGIC
SCHOOL OF NECESSARY MAGIC: RAINE CAMPBELL
ALISON BROWNSTONE
FEDERAL AGENTS OF MAGIC
SCIONS OF MAGIC
THE UNBELIEVABLE MR. BROWNSTONE
DWARF BOUNTY HUNTER
CASE FILES OF AN URBAN WITCH
OTHER BOOKS BY JUDITH BERENS
OTHER BOOKS BY MARTHA CARR
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