Legacy, page 24
“Chuck sends his apologies about the psi-ops tech,” Teag added. “It did work, but the time it took to ‘warm up’ was badly underestimated. To say the least.”
“And the Dokkaebi?” I’d been so worried that the bottle would shatter and set the goblin free, I’d overlooked all the rest of the danger to prevent that from happening.
“Still safely trapped,” Sorren replied. “Now that the gadget and its spell set up the connection, the device isn’t needed anymore. Rowan checked all the sigils on the bottle, and made sure it’s secured so there’s no danger of it falling if we get more tremors,” he added with a pointed glance toward me.
“Since the renewed guardian spell restored the energy Gideon and Ramon needed to continue their protection, drawing on the goblin is more like an emergency generator,” Sorren continued. “He’s as safe in the crypt as he would be at the Briggs Society and useful in a pinch as well.”
Teag looked to Sorren. “With everything that happened, I never asked if anyone noticed that Carter Etheridge disappeared. Did they?”
Sorren chuckled. “Alistair and the museum board members certainly did. Without Etheridge, the whole lawsuit falls apart. Rumor has it that Etheridge might have been under investigation for tax fraud and skipped town ahead of the Feds.” His smile showed just the tips of his eyeteeth, a hint that he was the one who had started that very convenient bit of gossip.
“He’s not the last of his family,” Teag said. “What’s to stop them from picking up where he left off?”
Sorren shrugged. “Nothing—except that I paid them another visit to let them know that the guardians are back at full strength and that the Alliance would take an extremely dim view of any interference. It would be inconvenient for them if we were to take even more of an interest in the family’s affairs.”
While Sorren treated his allies with fond protectiveness, he was a badass vampire, an apex predator, and anyone who messed with him or the people under his protection quickly found out just how lethal he could be. Having him personally involved could certainly make the Etheridges reconsider their meddling and seek less dangerous opportunities elsewhere.
Anthony looked to Teag. “I don’t want to know.”
Teag smiled. “I wasn’t going to tell you, sweetie.”
We’d talked shop enough for one night. “What’s up with the wedding plans?” I asked Teag and Anthony. Time for what I hoped would be good news.
The two men shared a fond smile. I was glad to see them happy. “The announcement about my parents pulling their endowment from St. Philips Church worked out for the best,” Anthony replied.
“As it turns out, other people weren’t happy with the church’s choice to exclude people. There’s been a debate for a while now about owning up to the role that wealthy members back in the day played in the slave trade and owning enslaved individuals. Heaping the marriage equality issue on top of that will probably cost them members and donations beyond just his parents,” Teag said. “It’s too early to know if that will lead to any changes, but I think they finally heard the message, loud and clear.”
Anthony had his arm around Teag’s shoulders and pulled him a little closer. “My folks have been asked to take a role in a couple of LGBTQ charities. They’re definitely considering it—as well as redirecting the money from the endowment. They never hid the fact that I was gay, but they never announced it from the rooftops either. Taking a much more visible advocacy role will draw the attention of their social circle to the issues. So I guess there’s a silver lining, after all.”
“And the rest of the plans are going smoothly?” Maggie asked. “If you run into any nasty cake bakers or photographers, let me know. My knitting club takes a dim view of that kind of thing. We’ll roast them on Yelp.”
Anthony shook his head and Teag grinned. “Thank you,” Teag said. “We appreciate it. But so far, everyone other than the church has been wonderful about working with us. And while we can’t tell Anthony’s parents the whole truth about Father Anne’s work outside of her parish duties, she’s got them completely wrapped around her little finger.”
I’ve met Anthony’s folks at various fundraisers and charity events. They’re gracious and friendly, in the staid Old Charleston manner. Imagining them hitting it off with Father Anne was charming—and something I couldn’t wait to see in action.
“Before I forget—” Teag said. “I kept an eye on your email while you were recovering. There’s one from Adiel Nielson about his supernatural histories project.”
I nodded. “Great. He’s working with the Fox Institute to document the history of people with magic and supernatural creatures—with all the proper precautions—and I thought that Gideon and Ramon had earned a mention. I’ll send a reply once I get my second wind.”
The group broke up early, and while I knew it was in deference to me being not quite back to normal, I also realized I was rapidly running out of energy. I hugged Anthony, Teag, and Sorren at the door and thanked them again for all their help. When they were gone, I turned to the kitchen, expecting to do clean up, only to find Maggie was way ahead of me.
“It’s finished,” she announced with a satisfied smirk. “I’m going to sit up reading for a while, but you’ve had a busy day. Get some sleep, and if I wake up in time, I might have bacon ready for you in the morning.”
I gave Maggie a big hug and thanked her profusely. Then I let Kell lead me off to bed. I was still too wiped out for anything more risqué than sleeping, but I always slept better with him beside me.
“Thanks for saving the world,” he murmured as we cuddled beneath the covers. “It’s the only one we’ve got. But it wouldn’t be the same without you, so be more careful, please?”
I snuggled against his chest and slipped an arm around his waist. “I promise. I want to stick around.”
Once again, the odd little fellowship of friends and allies we had cobbled together managed to stop a major catastrophe. Most of the world would never know—but recognition wasn’t the point. Whether we were lucky or cursed, we had the rare skills and opportunity to make a real difference. My friends and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Tomorrow would bring new dangers, and there were no guarantees.
That just made every win and every good moment all the sweeter.
Afterword
Every time I write a new book in a series, it’s like visiting old friends. It’s always a joy to come back to Cassidy, Teag, and her Charleston crew. Since all the modern books written under my Gail Z. Martin name and Morgan Brice name interconnect, it’s also fun to see where characters you’ve met elsewhere might pop up! For me, it just seems natural that people playing an active role in the supernatural community would know each other, and I love the way it makes the larger fictional world feel more real and complex.
St. Philip’s Church in Charleston did actually change its denomination because of marriage equality/gay clergy. That saddens me greatly. I don’t know for sure the impact that decision had on membership and donations, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to suspect that some folks chose to make changes.
St. Sebastian’s plague church is a figment of my imagination. I visited a similar church in New Orleans that was built to handle Yellow Fever victims, and since Charleston also suffered recurrent epidemics of both Yellow Fever and Malaria, I figured the addition made sense, although I can’t find any documentation of that type of church actually existing in Charleston.
Earthquake activity on the fault line near Bermuda is possible but unlikely, according to the sources I found. There are actually undersea caves and mountain ranges near Bermuda, so that part is real. Dokkaebi are part of Korean mythology, although, as usual, I took a little editorial license with the details.
At some point, we have a wedding to look forward to! I’m not sure when, but it will happen—and when it does, you’ll definitely be invited.
I hope you enjoyed this visit to Charleston—there will be more to come!
Acknowledgments
Thank you so much to my editor, Jean Rabe, to my husband and writing partner Larry N. Martin for all his behind-the-scenes hard work, and to my wonderful cover artist, Lou Harper. Thanks also to the Shadow Alliance street team for their support and encouragement and to my fantastic beta readers and the ever-growing legion of beta and ARC readers who help spread the word, including: Andrea, Anne, Ben, Chris, Christi, Darrell, Dawn, Debbie, Dino, George, Glen, Jason, Justin, Kara, Karen, Karolina, Kathryn, Kimberly, Laurie, Leonard, Michael, Miki, Robin, Sandra, Sharon, Sherrie, Sue, Susan M., Susan S., Teri, Trevor, and Vikki! And of course, to my “convention gang” of fellow authors for making road trips fun.
About the Author
Gail Z. Martin writes urban fantasy, epic fantasy, and steampunk for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing, and Darkwind Press. Urban fantasy series include Deadly Curiosities and the Night Vigil (Sons of Darkness). Epic fantasy series include Darkhurst, The Chronicles Of The Necromancer, The Fallen Kings Cycle, The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and The Assassins of Landria. Under her urban fantasy MM paranormal romance pen name of Morgan Brice, she has five series (Witchbane, Badlands, Kings of the Mountain, Fox Hollow, and Treasure Trail) with more books and series to come.
Co-authored with Larry N. Martin are Iron and Blood, the first novel in the Jake Desmet Adventures series and the Storm and Fury collection; and the Spells, Salt, & Steel: New Templars series (Mark Wojcik, monster hunter), as well as Wasteland Marshals and Cauldron: The Joe Mack Adventures.
Gail’s work has appeared in more than forty US/UK anthologies. Newest anthologies include: The Weird Wild West, Gaslight and Grimm, Baker Street Irregulars, Across the Universe, Release the Virgins, Tales from the Old Black Ambulance, Witches, Warriors,& Wise Women, The Four ???? Of the Apocalypse, Christmas at Caynham Castle, and Trick or Treat at Caynham Castle.
Join the Shadow Alliance street team so you never miss a new release! Get the scoop first + giveaways + fun stuff! Also where Gail and Larry get their beta readers and Launch Team! http://www.facebook.com/groups/MartinShadowAlliance
Find out more at www.GailZMartin.com and on her blog at www.DisquietingVisions.com. Join the newsletter and get free excerpts at http://eepurl.com/dd5XLj Gail is also a con-runner for ConTinual, the online, ongoing multi-genre convention that never ends. www.Facebook.com/Groups/ConTinual
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Also by Gail Z. Martin
Darkhurst
Scourge
Vengeance
Reckoning
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Ascendant Kingdoms
Ice Forged
Reign of Ash
War of Shadows
Shadow and Flame
Convicts and Exiles: Collection
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Chronicles of the Necromancer / Fallen Kings Cycle
The Shadowed Path: Jonmarc Vahanian Collection
The Dark Road: Jonmarc Vahanian Collection
The Summoner
The Blood King
Dark Haven
Dark Lady’s Chosen
The Sworn
The Dread
Watch for the new Legacy of the Necromancer series, which picks up 17 years after the end of The Dread.
Deadly Curiosities
Deadly Curiosities
Vendetta
Tangled Web
Inheritance
Legacy
Trifles and Folly: Collection
Trifles and Folly 2: Collection
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Assassins of Landria
Assassin’s Honor
Sellsword’s Oath
Fugitive’s Vow
Exile’s Quest
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Night Vigil
Sons of Darkness
C.H.A.R.O.N.
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Other books by Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin
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Jake Desmet Adventures
Iron & Blood
Storm & Fury: Collection
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Spells, Salt, & Steel: New Templars
Spells, Salt, & Steel: Season One
Night Moves
Monster Mash
Creature Feature
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Wasteland Marshals
Wasteland Marshals
Witch of the Woods
Ghosts of the Past
Shutdown Crew
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Joe Mack: Shadow Council Archives
Cauldron
Black Sun
Chicagoland
Gail Z. Martin, Legacy
