Black Ice (Black Records Book 3)

by Mark Feenstra

  A long moment of silence followed. I was dimly aware that Nathan had ceased whimpering. His body still rose and fell with each breath, but he’d either passed out or fallen into a wordless stupor. Bloedermeyer still sat clutching his daughter to his chest, but he’d gone strangely silent too.

  Eric crouched by edge of the fissure, staring into the darkness below. He turned to me just as the first ripple of energy emanated from the depths. It was subtle at first, little more than a vibration I almost dismissed as exhaustion. Then it came again. The ground shook with an echo of great power being unleashed somewhere far below our feet.

  “Alex, look.” He gestured towards Nicola.

  Free of Nathan’s compulsion now, she looked into my eyes with obvious confusion.

  “Alex?” she asked. “Did I do okay?”

  “You did great, kiddo,” I said with reassuring a smile. “You did just fine.”

  Eric stood up and took a few quick steps back from the fissure just as the next shock wave rolled through the cavern. A few loose rocks fell from the roof of the cave. The shocks were clearly getting stronger. The next one could very well collapse the entire cave system with us inside.

  “We should probably get out of here,” Eric said.

  As if to punctuate his concern, the ground began to rumble steadily. No mere aftershock, the reverberations were strong enough for edge of the fissure to shake and fall apart, massive chunks of rock spilling into the darkness below.

  “Grab Nathan,” I said to Eric. “Nicola, can you walk?”

  She nodded and stepped away from her father’s support.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here then,” I said.

  We ran for the exit, dodging stalactites that detached from the ceiling, hurtling towards the ground like rock missiles. Having had my power completely restored by the owl, I was able to cast a shield above all of our heads to deflect the worst of it. A few chips and shards got through. By the time we were out into the cave and making our way back to the surface, spark spell lighting the way, everybody had a few new cuts and scrapes.

  The rumbling was less pronounced the farther we traveled away from the cavern. Gone too was any remnant of the Black Fog that had plagued me these last few days. Like a weight off my shoulders, I no longer felt the oppressive anger and hate that had gradually been taking control of my emotions. When we emerged into daylight, I smiled and knew Nicola and her father would finally be safe.

  Eric dumped Nathan unceremoniously to the ground, doubling over and resting his hands on his knees while he sucked air into his lungs.

  “What are you going to do with him?” Bloedermeyer asked, nodding towards Nathan’s still unconscious form. “I’m still not sure why you let him live.”

  “I don’t exactly know what to do with him,” I said. “But I couldn’t let him die. The Black Fog affected all of us back there. I’ve been struggling with it for days, but I just got here. Who knows how long it was working on Nathan before it drove him to the point of willing to kill in the hopes of stopping it.”

  “I’ll see that he’s placed in good hands,” Eric said. Having recovered his breath a little, he straightened up. “I felt the Black Fog lift right before the first tremor. Nathan will need well-supervised time to recover, but I don’t think he can be held fully accountable for his actions.”

  “All the same, I don’t see myself going on anymore snowmobile trips with him any time soon,” I muttered. “He’s still the only Lorekeeper in this region, though. If there’s even a chance his people can rehabilitate him, it’s worth taking.”

  “So long as he never comes near my daughter again,” Bloedermeyer said. “Now where’s that damned helicopter. I’m ready to get out of here.”

  We began the careful descent of the cliff face we’d climbed what felt like days ago, further slowed down by having to pass Nathan’s unconscious body between us. Once we were back on flat ground and hiking towards the clearing where the helicopter pilot had said he’d pick us up, Nicola lagged to the back of the group to talk to me. Her father had given her his jacket, and it looked comically large on her slight frame. It was a painful reminder of just how young she was to have experienced such terrible things.

  “What exactly happened back there?” she asked. “All I remember is being at the bar, and then waking up in that cave.”

  I thought about holding back the truth of what Nathan had attempted to do through sacrificing her, but only for a second. I supposed I saw too much of myself in her in that moment, and the last thing I’d have wanted was for someone to keep me in the dark. Nicola had proven herself more than capable of sniffing out when someone was lying in the name of protecting her.

  So I told her everything.

  Nicola listened throughout my short recap, her face an unreadable mask of focus while she listened. When I was done, she simply looked up the trail to where Eric had Nathan slung over his shoulders, then shook her head and turned to me.

  “Poor guy,” she said. “He must have been pretty messed up by the Black Fog to do something like that. Do you really think his people can straighten him out again?”

  “I hope so,” I told her as we reached the edge of the clearing where the helicopter was already spinning up its rotors. “I really do hope so.”

  We climbed aboard, and the pilot lifted off before we could even get our headsets on.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Ada embraced each of us with a firm hug – Mr. Bloedermeyer included – then disappeared into the kitchen with promises of enough food to ensure we never felt hunger again. We’d taken the helicopter back from the development site, dropping Eric and Nathan off along the way.

  “I don’t know how to thank you for everything you’ve done for my family,” Bloedermeyer said.

  “All part of the job,” I told him.

  Nicola rolled her eyes. “Yeah right. You are, like, the least professional bodyguard I have ever had.”

  I shrugged. “That’s what you get for hiring a mage as a bodyguard. I’m used to operating under a slightly looser set of rules.”

  “Well, you saved my daughter,” said Bloedermeyer. “And after everything I saw today, I do believe you might just have saved everyone in this town from something I don’t even fully understand.”

  “For now, at least,” I said. “You do understand that your development is what triggered this in the first place, right?”

  Nicola’s father nodded solemnly. He went into the living room and sat heavily on the couch. Nicola and I joined him, taking seats in the neighboring armchairs.

  “How could I have known?” he asked. “I know half the town would argue otherwise, but I’m not an evil man. This country has more undeveloped wilderness than almost any other in the world. All I wanted to do was build a few homes.”

  “And put another billion dollars in your bank account,” I added.

  Bloedermeyer sighed. He ran a hand through his hair and shrugged.

  “You’re not wrong,” he said after a long silence. “And I’m not going to pretend that I’m suddenly going to change my ways completely. You can, however, believe that I’m going to do what I can to ensure that entire region is turned into a nature sanctuary. By the time I’m done, no one will ever be able to build there again.”

  “That’s a good start,” I said.

  “What if you hired Alex full time?” asked Nicola. “She could be a consultant, making sure you don’t build anything on a magically sensitive site in the future.”

  I smiled. It had taken a week and several near-death experiences, but it seemed Nicola had finally come around to me. Now that it was time for me to go, she was looking for ways to get me to stay. I was flattered, but not enough to partner full-time with someone like her father.

  “Sorry kiddo,” I said. “As much as I’d like to keep spending time with you, I’ve got a life back in the city. My partner has no doubt lined up a job for the second I get back. Your idea is good, though. Eric will be able to help you find someone who can
do exactly that for your father.”

  “I’ll look into it immediately,” Bloedermeyer said. “The last thing I want is to cause problems like this again.”

  Nicola jumped off the couch, then disappeared into the other room. She returned a minute later with three glasses and a bottle of her father’s whiskey. Bloedermeyer eyed the third glass while she poured, but he kept any potential protest to himself.

  “To surviving an ancient evil hell-bent on destroying the Bloedermeyer line,” Nicola said, holding her glass up for a toast.

  Her father and I each took up a glass, clinked them together with hers, and drank deeply.

  “You know, maybe I could get used to this after all,” I said. “Do you think it would be all right if I came to visit once in a while?”

  Nicola beamed. “You did save my life at least a couple of times. I think that gives you an open invitation.”

  “My daughter speaks for both of us,” Bloedermeyer said. He leaned forward and refilled his glass. “You’re welcome here anytime. And you can expect a fat bonus for what you’ve done for us. I don’t want to insult you by thinking that’s all you’re worth to us, but I don’t know any other way to properly show my gratitude.”

  “No, no, money is fine.” I grinned and leaned in to grab the whiskey bottle. “I haven’t taken a vacation in… well, ever. After nearly freezing to death on more than one occasion this week, I’ll happily use that bonus to go someplace tropical.”

  “Cheers to that,” said Nicola. “I think I’ve had enough snow for a while myself.”

  We drank in silence for a time, each of us processing everything we’d been through. For me, it was little more than mental post game wrap up. I was already analyzing the choices I’d made on this job, cringing inwardly at the numerous mistakes I’d made because I hadn’t thoroughly thought through the consequences of my actions. I knew I’d get an earful from Chase when he sat me down and forced me to recap every detail, and I knew I’d deserve every bit of criticism. Once again, I’d acted more like an insecure twenty-eight-year-old than the professional consulting mage I was trying to pass myself off as. Already swearing to myself I’d do better next time, I refilled my glass a third time, wondering when breakfast would be ready.

  Afterword

  I know a lot of people skip these, so if you want learn how you can get the free Black Records prequel novella, jump ahead a few pages.

  I’ve decided to forgo the Acknowledgments section in this book, so a quick thanks to those who dropped whatever they were doing to help with early draft feedback. Thanks to the beta readers, and special thanks to the members of my ARC team for helping me launch this book in style.

  And, as always, the biggest thank you goes to those of you reading and enjoying the Black Records series. It’s still a little surreal that so many of you are buying and borrowing the books, but without you, I’d probably only be able to get a new book out every year or two instead of several times a year.

  This is the second Black Records book to come out in the first quarter of 2017, and there are more to follow throughout the rest of the year. The next book is called Black & Tan, and all I’ll say about it now is that Alex is going to get that tropical vacation she mentions at the end of this book, but as you can probably guess, it’s going to be a far cry from the relaxing beach-side lounge she and Chase had planned.

  That’s right, Chase is coming back for Black & Tan. It was a bit of a risk leaving him behind this time, but fans of Alex’s best bud will be happy to know he’ll be back in the next few books.

  I don’t have a release date for Black & Tan yet, but it will most likely be sometime in early summer. I’ve got a few other projects on the go, and I want to be able to give Black & Tan my full focus when it’s time to write that first draft.

  Thanks again for coming along for the ride, and I’ll see you next time!

  Oh, you thought that was it? I do have one quick favor to ask…

  Basically, if you’re enjoying the Black Records series so far, tell a friend! Word of mouth is the absolute best way for people to discover new books, and without a huge promotional budget, I count on people like you spreading the good word in person or online.

  If you really like the books and want to see more, it helps me out if you leave a review on Amazon.com. (Specifically the American site for all you lovely international readers.) Reviews are the best gift you can give an author — besides liquor and a new TV series to binge — so that goes for any other books you love.

  There, that wasn’t so painful, was it? We got through it together. Playing the super-confident promoter is not my favorite thing in the world, but I’m told it comes with the job.

  On a lighter note, how are you enjoying the books? If you’re on the mailing list, you can reply to any of those emails and it’ll land in my inbox. It may take me a few days to reply, but I adore getting reader mail. Send me some fan art, and you might even discover your name has found its way into an upcoming book!

  - Mark Feenstra, April ‘17

  THE NEW BLACK

  Thanks for reading Black Market! If you enjoyed it, consider signing up for my mailing list. As thanks for staying connected, I’ll send you a free copy of The New Black, the prequel to Black Magic and the Black Records series.

  Visit markfeenstra.com/mailing-list to sign up and get your free copy of The New Black prequel novella. Available exclusively to subscribers.

  About the Author

  Mark lives in Vancouver, British Columbia where he’s attempting to adapt to life with a wildly entertaining nine month old daughter. At any given time, he’s probably avoiding exercise, trying not to eat an entire pizza by himself, or just maybe he’s working on the next book in the Black Records series.

  @mfeenstra

  authormarkfeenstra

  www.markfeenstra.com