by Autumn Dawn
Oh, and it would nice if she could avoid killing Lady Glass.
The shield was smooth, with no useful weakness. She thought about her next move as the power flexed inside her, eager to be used. She smiled and unleashed it in a powerful jet that raised the trilobite several stories, suspending it safely away from the cliff. With the arthropod controlled, she chose a spot near the generator and played with the water there, shifting through it to find the smallest particles, molecules, atoms. She played with them, carefully constructing something she’d found in Surge’s mind, praying she did it right. Mentally holding the tiny device next to the force field, she waited a steadying moment and detonated it.
A hole the size of a coconut blasted through the shield, and she was in, sending a concentrated water jet to blow a hole in the generator. She reached for the drugged mermaid, attempting to cut her bonds, and the trilobite began to buck. Thrashing wildly, it escaped the water jet and careened against a ledge, barely missing Lady Glass as it rolled.
Rattled, Alicia blinked and looked around. The water elementals and mer were cheering, attacking the mammoth water bug, but she doubted they would stop it before it smashed Lady Glass into fish food. Even if they did kill it, how much damage would the death throes do?
She was tired, but it didn’t matter. Focusing carefully, Alicia increased the density of the water around the trilobite, binding it in thick sludge the consistency of hospital oatmeal.
With the trilobite contained, rescuers rushed in to free Lady Glass.
That’s when Alicia felt the power surge. There was a bomb inside the bug! She had just enough time to fling the crowd away from the trilobite and clamp her power around it. The bug rippled like a giant bag of jelly as she directed the force of the blast up, away from the crowd of mers.
Dear Lord, it hurt. The bomb was insanely strong, a nuclear blast. She struggled to keep it checked, to maintain the barrier of water that kept it from leveling this section of the sea. It was slipping; she wasn’t good enough. They were going to die.
Except Surge wouldn’t allow it. He swept in, his power scooping up the blast like a massive hand, containing, directing and…cleaning? She marveled as he took the poisonous elements from the bomb and broke them down into harmless particles, reducing the toxic waste to nothing.
Panting with exhaustion, she looked up at him and demanded, “What took you so long?”
“Olan,” he said curtly. “Hush. This isn’t easy.”
She closed her eyes and laughed. “Yeah, I know.”
It turned out Olan’s plan to eliminate the royal family was three pronged. Killing Alicia, Jace and Surge separately, at the same time, was brilliant, and he’d almost taken out Lady Glass as well. She’d live, but it had been a near thing.
If Alicia hadn’t had the necklace, hadn’t rushed to Jace’s side, they would be dead. Surge suspected an ambush and he’d been prepared, but he hadn’t thought Olan would use an earth elemental to attack Alicia. He contacted Tremor immediately to arrange suitable safeguards for the island.
“But what about Olan?” Alicia demanded as he took her home and placed her safely in their house, carefully surrounded with elementals of every kind. He would never trust her safety to only water again.
“He’s dead. He wanted my head; I took his instead.” Surge smiled grimly, remembering the blistering rain of elemental-infused bombs. Earth and wind energy permeated the force nets they’d tangled him in, but they’d underestimated him. He would rather die than be captured, and he’d eaten the energy. It was equivalent to a human swallowing cyanide with an acid chaser, but he’d survived to slice Olan’s head off with his own dagger.
He rubbed his stomach. It was still tender; it was an agonizing experience he wouldn’t care to repeat.
He waited until Tremor and Raze gathered at his house with their wives to discuss the real problem. While the ladies were occupied on the (heavily fortified) beach, the men lounged on the patio. He kept a careful eye on Alicia, still not relaxed when she was out of arm’s reach. “The Oracle and the air elementals are the issue,” he continued, expounding on the problem they’d been discussing. “Alone they were a problem; together they’re a menace.”
“We’re closer to a weapon to kill the Oracle, but the wind elementals are tricky. There are so many factions, so very divided. If we battle one we risk war with others, and it’s hard to predict loyalties.”
“It would be a good time for the North Wind to return,” Tremor muttered into his cup.
Surge was about to make an acid comment when he noticed a commotion on the beach. The ladies were excited about something. Putting aside his drink, he hurried to investigate. As he got closer, he could see that Alicia’s otters were tangled in a net and she was trying to free them. Kira handed her a knife…
“What is this stuff?” Alicia asked in disgust as she tried to untangle Ollie from the nylon mesh that was tightly wrapped around his middle. It was a wonder the little guy hadn’t drowned. “Hold still, buddy,” she soothed. “We’re going to fix it.”
Amazingly, the otter stilled and looked at her expectantly.
“Here, try this.” Kira handed her a knife.
“Thanks.” Alicia sliced, careful in case Ollie moved. The mess refused to part, the tough strands surprisingly resistant. Almost unconsciously, she pushed water energy into the blade, further sharpening the razor edge. She heaved a sigh of relief as the strands parted. “That’s more like it.” In moments Ollie was free and scampering around her joyfully. She held the knife safely away from him, and Surge plucked it from her hand.
“Oh, thanks,” she said absently, laughing as Ollie almost pushed her over. The ladies fussed over him, cooing.
“Is that what I think?” Tremor demanded as the men strode up, following in Surge’s wake.
Raze stared at it, then at his wife. “Kira? What did you do to this?”
Kira glanced at the knife and winced. “Sorry! Was it important? I thought it was a junk knife.”
“Not anymore,” he said with a bemused laugh. “Mind sharing what you did?”
“Well…” She related the story, smiling tentatively when he gave her a crushing hug. “You’re happy?”
“Ecstatic,” he assured her. The men took turns admiring it.
“Now all we need is an air elemental to charge it,” Tremor said enthusiastically. “I know a few ladies who might help.”
Cara glared at him.
“Not like that,” he assured her. “Friends. Well, most of them.”
“I don’t think it would work,” Kira said thoughtfully, averting a potential butt chewing. “Think about who we are: transformed humans, wives of high powered, formerly incarcerated elementals.” She ignored Raze’s frown. “I’ll lay odds the only one able to charge this knife will be an air elemental in the same boat.”
“There are no such humans. Besides, the North Wind is still imprisoned,” Surge argued.
“Are you sure?” Kira asked. “And if so, for how long?”
“That’s an excellent question,” Providence murmured. She abandoned the scrying glass and adjusted the sleeve of her poufy white parka.
Destiny checked an oversize hourglass and ran her fingers over a half-finished tapestry. The threads had been newly woven that morning. “Soon.”
Fortune set aside the brightly dyed yarn she’d been sorting. “I can’t decide which color to use,” she grumbled.
“It will come to you,” Destiny smiled. “I think I’ll wear the Laplander parka. It’s going to be cold.”
Providence giggled and admired her shaggy white boots, complete with pompom tassels. “I can’t wait.”
“Let’s finish it, then.” Fortune pulled on her beaver coat and topped it with a tall Russian hat. She couldn’t wait to get this done; she wanted to get back to her work. She did so love weaving tales.
The End
About the author:
Autumn (also writing as R. Lilly) is a professional writer and stay at home mom with
three kids, a dog and a half, and an active imagination. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, John, who is known to bring her flowers "just because".
After 34 years in Alaska, she moved to Washington with her family to enjoy a state with actual seasons.
She started self-publishing in 2010 after a string of rejections that read, “We love your writing, but we’re not sure how to market it.” She published on Smashwords, Amazon and Barnes & Noble, which led to a number of bestsellers. After The Charmer hit #1 on Barnes & Noble for fantasy romance, she threw herself into editing and uploading her backlist.
The next year and a half passed in a blur as she worked non-stop, and productivity declined as she took time to homeschool her autistic son, who was suffering from bullying issues. With boxing lessons and a year to boost his confidence and academic skills, he’s now doing well in mainstream high school.
It was a challenge maintaining a business and home schooling while taking care of her family, but God blessed her and the results were worth it. Her income for 2011 was $100,000, far exceeding her best year with traditional publishing.
In 2012, Amazon acquired Dorchester books and Autumn gave Amazon the right to publish two of her Spark Series books, When Sparks Fly and No Words Alone, believing that diversification is good business.
In 2013 the iBookstore in the U.K. and Ireland listed The Charmer as a new breakout book, and it remains one of Smashwords’ bestsellers.
While Autumn is grateful for the opportunities traditional publishing provided, she remains passionate about self-publishing.
For more about her books, check out autumndawnbooks.com
Connect with Autumn online at:
www.autumndawnbooks.com
http://authorautumndawn.blogspot.com
Bibliography:
Spark Series:
When Sparks Fly Amazon books
No Words Alone Amazon books
Solar Flare
Anthology for the Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance:
Hemlock & Iron
Indie books:
Dark Lands Series:
The Charmer
Dark Lands: Homecoming
Scent of Danger
The Golden Bell
Ghost in Her Heart
Beast Wars
Dark Lovers Anthology (includes The Golden Bell & Homecoming)
Dark Warriors Anthology (includes Ghost in Her Heart & Beast Wars)
Ladies in Waiting:
The Woman Inside
The Other Woman
Through the Looking Glass
Draconian Series:
Ride the Stars
Careful, He Bites
Aliens Do it Better: Anthology featuring Careful, He Bites and Interstellar Lover
Interstellar Lover
Under the Bridge
Women, Whiskey & Gold
Fire, Earth & Water Series:
One Night to Burn
When the Sea Burned
Excerpt from The Charmer
Jasmine didn’t realize her friend Wiley was special until they were drawn into another world. Here Wiley is betrothed to the ruler of the Haunt, a wererace both dangerous and proud. Cousins to wolves, they have no place for a human, especially one helping their reluctant princess escape.
Will Jasmine find the portal home, or will she find a wolf of her own?
***
The Charmer
by
Autumn Dawn
* * * * *
PUBLISHED BY:
Autumn Dawn
The Charmer
Copyright © 2011 by Autumn Dawn
www.autumndawnbooks.com
* * * *
CHAPTER 1
“Wait a minute, Lemming! Let me catch my breath,” Jasmine gasped as she clutched a slender poplar for balance. A shower of bright leaves and water peppered her head and shoulders as the tree swayed. For a moment, her vision blurred and her legs trembled, but she stiffened them to wait out the asthma attack. The painful tightness in her chest nagged at her.
Grumbling, she dug out her inhaler and took a couple puffs. She hated resorting to medicine. Every couple of days it seemed, the TV would announce that people were getting cancer from some drug or another. Her favorite ads were the ones for male impotence that announced in fine print that the side effects included impotence. Next they’d announce that inhalers caused black lung.
She shook her head at her imagination and shoved the inhaler deep in her pocket. There was no sense being morbid.
Lemming trotted over to her, tail wagging, and sat gracefully at her feet. The black and white Border collie was used to such stops, but unlike her companion, she still had energy to burn.
Jasmine inspected a large rock that had washed free of the sticky clay, looking for ants. Satisfied, she shifted the holstered pistol on her hip and sat down gingerly. Cold seeped into her jeans from the lichen covered stone, even with the extra layer of long johns underneath. She ignored it and took in the view.
Densely wooded Alaskan hills rolled away in the distance without a sign of civilization. Autumn had hung her gold coins from every birch and cottonwood as far as the eye could see, and the golden wash of late evening sunlight showed them to their best advantage. Even the dark spruce covering the gentle slopes were sprinkled with the bright leaves.
She glanced at her watch, her breath frosting in the chill air. It was 7:44 P.M, and it would start getting dark soon. This late in September, it could snow at any time. Too bad it wasn’t June. If it were then she wouldn’t have to worry about the darkness at all, since the sun never set during the height of summer.
She stood and hefted her pack, her lungs giving a tired protest. To cheer herself, she counted her blessings. She could have been born allergic to chocolate, or dogs. She glanced at Lemming affectionately.
Come to think of it, if she’d been allergic to dogs, she wouldn’t have to be out here.
Suppressing a groan, she pushed herself to her feet and started out again. Wiley better have something hot on the fire, or there would be war. The least her friend could do after coaxing her into the boonies was to make camp.
Rapidly losing steam, she trudged up the trail, really little more than a brushy track, noting the moose nuggets and cloven hoof prints in the soft turf without enthusiasm. She didn’t fancy running into an irate cow with a calf. She didn’t want to spend the evening stuck in a Mexican standoff while the cow tried to decide if she was worth trampling or better off ignored.
While she was looking down she noticed the bounty of cranberry bushes. It really was a shame she didn’t have the energy to stop and pick some. They were plentiful this year and she could use a good batch of cranberry bars.
Hey, while she was dreaming, how about a hot date, an end cut of the Turtle Club’s prime rib and a dry pair of socks?
Maybe she should be dreaming about a hot date for Wiley, she thought with disgust. If her friend and roommate paid more attention to her love life, maybe she wouldn’t feel the need to run off to the woods at a moment’s notice. It was all great and well if Wiley had the itch to commune with nature, as long as she didn’t drag her friends into it.
The only itch Jasmine felt were the ones left by the hordes of gnats and mosquitoes. It was almost pointless using repellent; the mosquitoes mistook it for ketchup and came back for seconds.
Lemming barked from somewhere up ahead, signaling that she’d found Wiley’s camp. Jasmine’s head came up and she eagerly picked up her pace. In a minute she’d be sipping hot cocoa and roasting herself in front of a fire. Wiley would sweet talk her with chili and she’d forget she’d just spent the last hour stomping through the woods.
She entered the mossy clearing where Lemming waited and stopped, confused. It was empty.
Later, as Jasmine nursed a cup of cocoa by a fire she’d had to make herself, she tried to figure out what could have happened. At first she’d circled the area, calling Wiley’s name and trying to find evidence as to her recent
occupation. It occurred to Jasmine that her friend had played a trick, maybe hid higher on the hill and grinned as she watched Jasmine wade through stickers and brush. It wasn’t like her to make Jas worry, though.
As full dark descended, she had known Wiley wasn’t playing a game. Something had happened to her friend, and it was too dark to make her way back to the Jeep to get help. If Wiley had tumbled down a hill, it would be no help to her if Jasmine got lost. Instead she tried to reason out what might have happened.
Wiley might take off at a moment’s notice on her perverse games of hide and seek, but she always left a map, and she never strayed from it. If she said she was going to be forty-five minutes east of the Dalton Highway that’s where they’d find her. Or rather, Lemming would find her, and Lemming always found her quarry.
She glanced at the search and rescue dog Wiley had trained from a pup. Lemming rested quietly at Jasmine’s side with her chin on her paws, content with a job well done. Jasmine had tried to get her to keep tracking, but she’d only sat, looked at her in confusion, and thumped her tail once. As far as she was concerned, her job was over.