William Montague- Brother to Tristan Montague. Reported deceased-location unknown.
Yama-Assigned bodyguard to Georgianna. A personal guard of Michiko Nakatomi. He is known to exhibit dizzying heights of eloquence in grunts and stares.
ORGANIZATIONS
Christye, Blahq, &Doil-Law firm that shares the same floor with the Montague & Strong Detective Agency. Never seem to be open, but always ready for business.
New York Task Force-(AKA the NYTF) a quasi-military police force created to deal with any supernatural event occurring in New York City.
SuNaTran-(AKA Supernatural Transportations) Owned by Cecil Fairchild. Provides car and vehicle service to the supernatural community in addition to magic-users who can afford membership.
The Dark Council- Created to maintain the peace between humanity and the supernatural community shortly after the last Supernatural War. Its role is to be a check and balance against another war occurring. Not everyone in the Council favors peace.
AUTHOR NOTES
Thank you for reading this story and jumping back into the world of Monty & Strong. Tombyards & Butterflies was an absolute blast to write. That made writing this book easy and hard. I wanted to make sure it did justice to the first book and yet I wanted to introduce you to different elements of the world Monty & Strong inhabit. Let me know if I pulled it off.
There are some references you may get and some…you may not. This may be attributable to my age (I’m older than Monty) or to my love of all things sci-fi and fantasy. As a reader, I’ve always enjoyed finding these “Easter Eggs” in the books I read. I hope you do too. If there is a reference you don’t get feel free to email me and I will explain it…maybe.
You will notice that Simon is still a smart-ass (deserving a large head smack) and many times he’s clueless about what’s going on. Bear with him—he’s still new to the immortal, magical world he’s been delicately shoved into. Fortunately he has Monty to nudge (or blast) him in the right direction.
Each book will reveal more about Monty& Strong’s backgrounds and lives before they met. Rather than hit you with a whole history, I wanted you to learn about them slowly, the way we do with a person we just met—over time (and many cups of coffee).
Thank you for taking the time to read this book. I wrote it for you and I hope you enjoyed spending a few more hours getting in (and out of) trouble with Tristan and Simon.
If you really enjoyed this story, I need you to do me a HUGE favor— Please leave a review.
It’s really important and helps the book (and me). Plus it means Peaches gets more chew toys, besides my arms, legs, and assorted furniture to shred and we want to keep Peaches happy, don’t we?
I really do appreciate your feedback. Let me know what you thought by emailing me at: [email protected]
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Montague & Strong Case Files.
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Still here? Amazing! Well, if you have made it this far—you deserve something special!
Included is the first chapter of the next Montague & Strong story-BLOOD IS THICKER here for you to read. Enjoy!
BLOOD IS THICKER
Montague & Strong Book 3
“You did thirst for blood, and with blood I fill you.”-Dante Alighieri, Inferno
ONE
A biting wind cut across the water as we landed on North Brother Island. We stepped off the ferry and onto the slick, deserted dock. The dawn rain pelted my face until Monty gestured and formed a shield around us, stopping the cold droplets from landing.
Peaches, fearing I might be too dry, shook the water off his body, drenching me but somehow missing Monty.
“Really? Thank you,” I said with a groan. “It’s not like I was soaked or anything.”
“You need to lay off the pastrami, and then you would have less surface area,” I said, looking down at him as we walked. He appeared to be a Cane Corso, but was really the offspring of Cerberus, minus the three heads. He stepped close to me and kept pace as we walked off the dock and onto a short boardwalk. The boards creaked under his weight as he padded by my side.
“There’s no getting about it. You sound like you’re going to break through the boardwalk. Maybe Ezra has a low-fat pastrami option.”
“I told you to stay home, but you wanted to come,” I said, ignoring his nudge into my leg. “We’ll swing by Ezra’s on the way back—you can eat then.”
A low rumble was his response as we kept walking.
“Are you talking to your creature again?” Monty said looking at me. “You need to find a less overt method of communication. One that doesn’t make you appear as insane as you are.”
I patted Peaches on the head. “Everyone talks to their dogs. It’s even therapeutic and healing.”
“Everyone talks to their dogs not with, and that” —he glanced at Peaches—“barely qualifies as part of the dog species.” Monty held a small wooden box and looked farther inland. He narrowed his eyes and pointed. “That way.”
“I didn’t even know these islands existed.” I pulled my coat tighter against the elements. Monty seemed unaffected by the rain and wind. “Are you sure he’s here? She could have lied. Dragons aren’t known for their honesty.”
“We checked the South Island, and his energy is in the vicinity. Check the device again.”
The Hack, after recovering from nearly losing Manhattan to a black hole, had finally answered my calls. I assured him the city wasn’t going to disappear in some cataclysm and he’d grudgingly provided me with his latest ‘magical tech.’
He called it a runic filter. It was designed to detect spikes in magical energy. It could distinguish between ambient energy and magical energy in any given environment, according to the Hack. It looked like a smartphone, only thicker. I pressed on the screen. Three blips showed up on the topographical map of the island.
“Monty, I think we have a problem.” I showed him the screen. “Which one of those is your brother?”
“The dragon lied,” he said with a smile. He examined the filter closer. “This is actually good news.”
“Why am I not surprised?” I said, handing him the filter. “Do you think she even saw your brother or was it all smoke? And, excuse me, good news?”
He nodded and pushed some hair out of his face. “I don’t know the purpose of Slif’s deceit. What I do know is that these mages are quite powerful.” He closed his eyes. “They must have found a way to replicate William’s energy signature.”
“And this is good news because…?” I said, confused. “Wait, how do you know they’re mages?”
“It’s good news because there’s a possibility William is still alive. I know what they are because I can sense them irrespective of this device” —he held up the runic filter—“and it seems we’re here to have a conversation.”
“Shit, can we just go back the way we came and avoid this conversation?” I said, shaking my head. “They never end well, mostly because they’re heavy on the fireballs and light on the actual conversing.”
“How did they mimic William’s energy signature?” he said, rubbing his chin and handing me back the filter. “They must possess something of his with a recent imprint. It’s the only way they could have created such a powerful signature.”
We arrived at the only standing structure on the island. It was an abandoned hospital erected at the turn of the nineteenth century to deal a smallpox outbreak. The building was partially intact. Trees and undergrowth had reclaimed most of the property. In front of the hospital, a circle roughly fifty f
eet in diameter had been cleared away. Covered in runes, it held a small pulsing orb in the center.
“That looks recent,” I said, pointing at the circle before looking around into the trees. I pressed the runic filter again, but it came up blank. “Looks like they left. Maybe they got tired of waiting for you?”
“Unlikely.” He narrowed his eyes as he looked around. “I still sense them. They must be close.”
Three figures materialized inside the cleared circle. They wore black robes with deep hoods that covered their faces. Each of the robes was trimmed in gold brocade. A large golden circle rested on the chest of each.
Peaches dropped into a ‘pounce and maim’ posture and rumbled next to me. He lowered his head and spread his forepaws, the muscles of his back rippling with anticipation.
“Golden Circle police?” I asked as I opened my jacket to give me easier access to my weapons. “The ‘dark and ominous’ thing works well for them.”
“Envoys—messengers sent to escort rogue mages back to the Sanctuary,” Monty said, and shook out one hand. “Usually by force.”
The Envoy in the center stepped forward and pushed back his hood. A look of recognition crossed Monty’s face. The Envoy appeared to be in his mid-thirties. His long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail. He gave me a cursory glance and let his dark eyes settle on Monty with a look of disappointment.
“Friend of yours?” I asked, taking a step back and letting my hand rest on Grim Whisper. “I get the impression he doesn’t like what he sees.”
“Gideon, I see you’ve been made an Envoy,” Monty said with a nod. “When I left, you were still an apprentice. How are you?”
“Better than you,” Gideon answered and formed an orb of fire in his hand. The two Envoys next to him did the same.
“Why do mages always default to fireballs?” I whispered under my breath, drawing Grim Whisper. “They don’t seem in the conversing mood, Monty.”
Monty took a step forward and flexed his hands. Gideon extended his other hand and formed a second fireball. “Don’t do this, Gideon.”
Gideon allowed the orbs in his hand to float lazily in front of him. “Mage Tristan Montague, by order of the Elders of the Golden Circle, you are hereby instructed to surrender yourself to the custody of the Envoys. You will be returned to the Sanctuary to await judgment for the crime of casting a forbidden spell—a void vortex—in a populated area.”
“And if I refuse?” Monty asked, keeping his eyes on Gideon while placing the box he was holding on the ground.
“Then we are authorized to use deadly force to carry out our mandate.” Gideon entered a defensive stance. “Don’t make me hurt you, Tristan.”
Thank You!
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All of My Books
*Books denoted with an asterisk are only available via my website!
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’m finally beginning to understand that each book, each creative expression usually has a large group of people behind it. This book is no different. So let me take a moment to acknowledge my (very large) group:
To Dolly: my wife and biggest fan. You make all of this possible and keep me grounded, especially when I get into my writing to the exclusion of everything else. Thank you, I love you.
To my Tribe: You are the reason I have stories to tell. You cannot possibly fathom how much and how deep I love you all.
To Lee: Because you were the first audience I ever had. I love you sis.
To the Logsdon family: JL you saw the script and pushed me to bring my A-game and flesh it out into a story. LL your notes and comments turned this story from good to great.
Your patience knows no bounds. Thank you both.
Arigatogozaimasu
To my Launch Team: Dolly S. Steve L. Bill T. Mark R. Leslie P. Tracy B.
MaryAnn S. Chris S. Jonathan G. Penny C-M. Derek C. Tammy B. Angie H. Kate. John P L.(Author Guru Extraordinaire) Rachel S. Darren. David S.
Bryan G. Michelle S. Kerry. Brian R. Melissa K. Katy L. Jim Z. Marie McC. Jeff B. Carrie O’L. Bill H. Carmen E. Leigh Ann M. Channah H.(Blurb Jedi). Chris P. Cheryl. Cassandra H. Myles C. Terry B. Lorella. Lawrence G. Wayne G. P Sophie.
ART-Group
(In no particular order)
EricCandace, Carrie, Thomas, Brenda,
Timothy,Frederick,Cassandra,Penny,Tracy,Maryann,Bill,Isabel,Elena,Mae,
Christopher,Stephanie,Joscelyn,Marie,Darren.Sue,Amanda,Charlotte,Mary,Claudine,
Karla,Julie,Amy,Bernice,Lynne,Eliz-sha,TracyB.,Davina,Natalie,Amy Beth,Elizabeth,Mandy Pants,MaryAnn
You took on reading my (very) rough draft and helped me polish it into something resembling a legible book. YOU GUYS ROCK!
The Montague & Strong Case Files Group AKA- The MoB(The Mages of BadAssery)
When I wrote T&B there were fifty-five members in The MoB. As of this writing there are 156 members in the MoB. I am honored to be able to call you my MoB Family.
You all withstood the torture of snippets(lol) and shared your insights into the characters, the story and other ideas(still looking at you, Jim) that sometimes my brain was not caffeinated enough for. Thank you for being part of this group and M&S. You each make it possible.
THANK YOU.
Special Mentions
On occasion, in the course of writing the book and our daily conversations some of you have shared some incredible ideas, thoughts and insights. Most of these make it into the current book in some way shape or form. Somehow my twisted brain takes it and reworks it. These mentions go out to those who have influenced my thought process.
Jim-for the brain melting pre and post coffee conversations
Bonni-For the trip through the magical forest of Ash, Rowan,and Yew. (Plus COFFEE!!)
Kate-Because Karma can be a bitch, but not YOUR bitch. That was excellent.
Carrie-I don’t know how many energy drinks it took…but thank you!! ( GAME ON!)
Davina(AKA the Comma Ninja) who knew I was so allergic to commas? You did.
Kane and Sierra@Death Wish Coffee-for fueling the evenings, morning, (and afternoons) of frenzied activity with Valhalla Java-The Coffee of Valkyries! Thank you for letting me use your amazing coffee in the book.
Michael and everyone over at 20Books to 50K. Your selfless sharing and motivation was key in my having a strong community of readers.
I’m sure I missed some, but I will be taking notes from now on.
TEA-The English Advisory
(they needed a posh name, being English and all)
Aaron, Penny, Carrie
This small but select group advised me on all things English. Since I wasn’t born in the UK they helped with ideas regarding Monty’s speech and behavior. If Monty seems to be authentically English it’s due to this group…Cheers!
WTA-The Incorrigibles
JL,BenZ, EricQK, S.S., and Mac
They sound like a bunch of badass misfits because they are. Thank you for making sure I didn’t rush this one. My exposure to the slightly deranged and extremely deviant brain trust that you are made this book
possible. I humbly thank you and it’s all your fault.
Deranged Doctor Design
Kim, Darja, and Milo
You define professionalism and creativity. Thank you for the great service and amazing covers.
YOU GUYS RULE!
To you the reader:
Thank you for jumping down the rabbit hole with me. I truly hope you enjoy this story. You are the reason I wrote it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Orlando Sanchez has been writing ever since his teens when he was immersed in creating scenarios for playing Dungeon and Dragons with his friends every weekend. An avid reader, his influences are too numerous to list here. Some of the most prominent are: J.R.R. Tolkien, Jim Butcher, Kat Richardson, Terry Pratchett, Terry Brooks, Christopher Moore, Piers Anthony, Lee Child, George Lucas, Andrew Vachss, and Barry Eisler to name a few in no particular order.
The worlds of his books are urban settings with a twist of the paranormal lurking just behind the scenes and generous doses of magic, martial arts, mayhem, and mischief.
Aside from writing, he holds a 2nd and 3rd Dan in two distinct styles of Karate. If not training, he is studying some aspect of the martial arts or martial arts philosophy.
He currently resides in Queens, NY with his wife and children and can often be found in the local Starbucks where most of his writing is done.
Please visit his site at OrlandoASanchez.com for more information about his books and upcoming releases.
Full Moon Howl: A Montague & Strong Detective Novel (Montague & Strong Case Files Book 2) Page 19