Tales From The Oriceran Universe
Volume 1
Michael Anderle
Tracey Byrnes
Lisa Frett
TR Cameron
Tim Bischoff
Kat N Snow
Mandi F
Lucinda Pebre
Craig Lewis
Tales of the Oriceran Universe, Volume One (this book) is a work of fiction.
All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.
Copyright © 2019 Tracey Byrnes, Tim Bischoff, Lucinda Pebre, Kat N Snow, TR Cameron, Mandi F, Lisa Frett, Craig Lewis, and Michael Anderle
A Michael Anderle Production
Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing
LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
LMBPN Publishing
PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89109
First US edition, January 2019
The Oriceran Universe (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are Copyright (c) 2017-19 by Martha Carr and LMBPN Publishing.
Contents
Tales From The Oriceran Universe Team
Introduction
Trapped
White Mountains Manifestation
Black Magic Mafia
Just A Little Magic
A Confluence of Metal and Magic
Troll Tales
All In A Day’s Work
Southwest Style
Other series in the Oriceran Universe:
Books by Michael Anderle
Connect with Michael Anderle
Tales From The Oriceran Universe Team
Thank you to the following JIT Readers
Angel LaVey
Micky Cocker
James Caplan
Daniel Weigert
Misty Roa
Diane L. Smith
Chrisa Changala
Jeff Eaton
If we missed anyone, please let us know!
Editor Lynne Stiegler
Introduction
Road Trip!
What’s better than stuffing Correk into the old green Mustang and grabbing the necessary snacks? (No eating them till we’re out of the city limits… Leira rules) It’s eight new stories packed with new adventures from Fans like you!
The Oriceran Universe is expanding and we’re taking this show on the road. Hang on, I’ll grab my mask and cape, just in case there’s trouble.
We put out the word we were looking for new adventures and the Fans answered the call!
22 submissions, over 500 votes, and too many great stories to have just one volume of stories. That's right, Volume 2 is already selected and will be out in March/April of this year!
There are 8 stories in this first volume. Five of the authors appeared in the Kurtherian Fans Write for the Fans anthologies, and there are three new voices joining the family. Some of the stories like Trapped are set back before humans knew Oriceran existed; the good-ol-days with just me and Leira (and Voodoo Donuts, Cheetos, Dr Pepper). Has anyone seen Hagan?
Some are set in the more cut-throat world of bounties and bounty hunters 20 years later … I think Jed in Black Magic Mafia would get on great with Brownstone… Keepin’ it simple.
There’s even a story about my furry cousins back on Oriceran - shout out to my friends in Troll Tales! Someone tell Mom I’ll be home for the Two Moons Dance.
Inspired to get involved?
Join us on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/OriceranFansWrite
or join our sister group at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TKGFansWrite
And don't forget to follow yours truly at https://www.facebook.com/OriceranTroll
Happy reading!
Yumfuck Tiberius Troll
Trapped
By Lucinda Pebre
Being born into crime has its difficulties. In order to save her brother and herself, Stacey must enter a hotel belonging to her family's main competitor.
Stacey is a thief, but this job is different—the stakes are higher. She is forced to steal in exchange for her brother's life. When she finds an injured wolf, she discovers there's more in the universe than she has ever known, but now she has to choose whether to risk all or let the wolf die.
Jason will sacrifice everything, even himself, for his Pack. All humans lie and cheat, which is why he’s aware of the dangers when he knowingly walks into their trap. What he didn't expect was to meet a woman who would selflessly risk herself to save him.
A growing attraction between the two threatens their lives. Trust can mean the difference between life and death in a world full of deceit and lies. Will they have the courage to trust each other?
Dedication
For mum, who would have loved this.
Chapter One
Death holds no fear for a warrior—unless he is chained to the wall of a cheap hotel room, waiting for Death to bring along his best friend Torture.
There was only one reason Jason was still alive: he'd managed to remain in human form, which wasn't what they wanted. No, they needed to see the animal to justify murder. At least, that's what he thought, although they weren't a cerebral lot, so perhaps it was something else.
Ordinary chains might not have held him, but there was something special about the metal coiled around his body. For one, it glowed with a greenish light and was slowly leaching his energy. He'd heard of a talisman that had the power to hold a shifter but had never encountered one.
He groaned. The whole situation was way too embarrassing, talisman or not. It might be better to let them kill him, because if he survived, he was never going to live this down.
He should have known from the beginning that it was a trap, but he'd been eager to have a solution to the problem that had been plaguing the Pack for years. That wasn't an excuse for forgetting one of the fundamental rules: never trust a fucking human.
Jason's head dropped toward his chest. It had been a stupid idea to come alone; it had been true arrogance. Tyler had argued against it, but since Jason, as Alpha, made the rules and Tyler only enforced them, there'd been no contest.
Both arms and legs were encased in a ridiculous number of chains. They clattered when Jason stirred, and the greenish glow they emitted nauseated him. He presumed any significant effort would alert a guard outside the door. He should be flattered that they thought he was that strong. In reality, it hurt too much to move. The reek of burnt flesh was enough to make him pass out, and the drain on his energy was just as bad as the pain.
They had not started torturing him yet, but with his superior hearing, he'd heard them discussing it; it wasn't something he wanted to stay around for. His mind played out various scenarios to get out of his predicament. Pain he could handle; it was mutilation that turned his stomach. As far as he could tell, they didn't want anyt
hing from him. Torture was probably their sport, and they'd get off on placing bets on how long he would last. If these chains hurt a little less and didn't weigh him down so much, he would beat himself around the head for being caught in the first place.
Chapter Two
Stacey tucked her long blonde hair under a baseball cap. She should have it cut. The bloody stuff was too memorable and got her more attention than necessary. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and thought of Aaron.
When they were kids, he'd always been the one leading the way into trouble. One of her first memories was of the time he'd broken into school for a copy of a test paper. There'd been no reason to take his baby sister along, but he’d called it "training". Naturally, they'd been caught, and since he was so much older, he'd taken the blame. That was why she had to do this now—for all the times he'd looked out for her.
From the furtive action behind reception, Security had been alerted as soon as she'd crossed the hotel's threshold. She sighed, there were times when a reputation could get in the way. Fortunately, on this occasion, that was precisely what she wanted.
Jez, Kemp's personal bodyguard, blocked her way. "Staaceey?" He drew her name out as if they were intimate. "Is this a personal visit?"
To anyone listening, the question would have seemed innocent enough, but she knew differently. She hadn't forgotten his last attempt to get her alone. Stacey was straightforward. She did not give mixed signals, and yet, despite consistently rejecting his advances, Jez persisted.
She saw him glance at the blue rucksack slung over her shoulder and wondered if he knew about her arrangement with his boss. What he couldn't know was that although her worldly belongings were in there, the item they wanted was not.
Tall and lean, she still only came to his shoulder. "Perhaps if you did something about that single eyebrow. Shave a track down the middle or something." His face turned a deep shade of red, but she didn't stop. "No, who am I kidding? Not a chance in hell."
Why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut? Perhaps it had something to do with the simmering rage inside. Stacey had no idea where it came from, only that it had been there forever, and she had to work hard to contain it in circumstances like these.
The two scars on Jez's right cheek became prominent against his skin. "I think we should discuss this in the back."
He was right. There were too many people watching, some of them criminals like her, searching for a job. The last thing she needed was this conversation getting back to her family. They'd think she'd lost her mind if she was caught dealing with Kemp.
Jez's shoulders were stiff as she followed him through the lobby. A woman with wispy hair and a heavily made-up face sat behind the check-in desk. Her eyes slid away from Stacey as if she were thinking, “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” Shit, they were headed for the lifts.
Stacey thought she might have gone too far in pointing out his monobrow. "I have what Kemp wants." Not on her, but it was worth a try.
"Shame you had to get mouthy. I don't put up with mouthy bitches, whatever Kemp says."
She had to jog to keep up with his long strides. "That's part of my charm." There was no way she was going to be overly nice to this creep.
The gold doors of the lift opened with a jerk, and she stared dubiously inside. "Can't we take the stairs?"
"Up three floors? I don't think so." He grinned, displaying a missing right incisor. "You scared?"
Well, yes, but she would be damned before she'd show it. With a deep breath, she stepped into the small metal box and was immediately surrounded by mirrors. All four were broken. At the sight of her wide eyes displayed by multiple shards, she had the urge to giggle hysterically. Then Jez stepped inside and reality caught up with her.
The space shrank, and for a moment, Stacey could have believed that she'd entered the world of Alice in Wonderland. She became conscious of her heart thudding against her ribcage and had to concentrate to keep her breath even. Instead of coming up with a strategy to get her out of the situation, her brain chose to consider scenarios where she had managed to not get into the lift. A small knife dropped from her sleeve into her palm. It wouldn't be enough, but she'd fight.
Jez's face slowly morphed into a crazy grin. "I think we should discuss your attitude." His hand shot out to slap the red emergency button and the lift shuddered to a stop. Like she couldn't have guessed that was going to happen. "There might be a way for you to make it up to me."
If an opponent is a threat either due to skill or size, it's imperative that you strike first. Aaron had drilled that into her until she couldn't get it out of her head. The trouble was, that applied on the street where she could stab an enemy and run, not a confined space where she couldn't get away. And that was without the added complication of what Kemp would do if by some miracle she managed to kill Jez.
He reached out slowly, and she refused to back away. It would be a pointless exercise with the wall one step behind her. He flicked off her hat, which landed on the floor, where it would stay. She wouldn’t bend down to retrieve it and make herself even more vulnerable.
Blonde hair tumbled down Stacey's back, warming her neck and ears. She held rigid, knowing that even a hint of fear would escalate the situation. She hadn't survived growing up with six brothers without learning a thing or two.
He leaned closer. "That's better. You shouldn't hide such beauty."
It took her a precious second to understand that he wasn't being sarcastic. He was serious, and that was not good. He started to step into her space, so they would be toe to toe.
Stacey's arm shot towards his head. The knife slashed skin above his eyes, and for a tense moment, nothing happened.
"Bitch!" His hand went up. "What did you do?"
She knew from the multiple stab wounds she'd had in the past that there would be a stinging sensation but little else. A line of blood appeared, slowly at first, then falling in a curtain into his eyes. Jez hit the emergency button, releasing the lift, with one big hand while the other covered his forehead. The wound wasn't deep and wouldn't hurt much now, but that hadn't been her intention. The appearance of the blood had had the desired effect of making him panic.
Stacey tried not to bask in the satisfaction of out-maneuvering an opponent. She wasn't out of danger, though; she had yet to face Kemp. He would be a much more significant challenge.
Chapter Three
Jason heard a commotion outside the door, but the accumulative effect of the magic had taken its toll. He struggled to lift his head from his paws and focus. This must have been what they intended all along: leave him here to die. Yet, even knowing that, he didn't have the strength to do anything about it.
There was a male voice directly outside. "She needs to learn manners. Put her in with the wolf."
The part of his brain that still cared tried to work out what it meant and whether there might be an opportunity. He didn't want to die, although he was less concerned about that than he had been an hour ago.
There was a scuffle. "Careful, she's got a knife." A boot hit the bottom of the door. "Fuck." Something struck the wall.
A female voice said, "I have what Kemp wants. Tell him—"
The door opened halfway and a woman was thrust into the room. As she fell, she snatched a backpack from the hand that shoved her in. She landed on her ass but was up immediately, launching herself at the closed door. Blonde hair covered her shoulders and went halfway down her back.
Jason liked long hair.
The sound of three men laughing and congratulating each other came from the corridor outside, stirring something in Jason for a few seconds. He could only see her face in profile as he waited for her to bang on the door and shout to be let out.
She didn't. With hands bunched into fists, she took a deep breath and scowled at the door. "Glad I could provide a fucking bonding opportunity."
Jason chuckled, which came out as a whine. His throat was raw from the burning chain wrapped around his neck. It wouldn
't be long before he'd lose consciousness.
The woman swung to face him. At first, he only registered big blue eyes, but as she cautiously approached him, he saw that she had delicate features and was pretty.
She stared at him like he might tear the chains out of the wall and attack. He'd tried that earlier; it hadn't worked. That was when he'd been stronger, which meant there was no chance of it now. In fact, he didn't think he had long left. He'd been wrong about the torture. It must have been their plan to kill him all along. There was little risk to them.
The woman was talking, and her soft voice had a lilt he rather liked. "Nice wolfie." She crouched slowly, trying not to frighten him. "What have they done to you with that heavy chain?"
She stayed out of reach, studying him. Sensible woman. Then, in an involuntary movement, she reached toward him.
Recognizing what she was doing, she snatched her hand back. "You poor thing. I can't leave you like this with all those chains hurting you."
Tales from the Oriceran Universe: Fans Write For The Fans: Volume 1 (Oriceran Fans Write For the Fans) Page 1