Solomon's Sieve (Knights of Black Swan 7), page 1
Solomon’s Sieve
Solomon’s Sieve
(Black Swan 7)
Victoria Danann
Copyright 2014 Victoria Danann
Published by 7th House at Smashwords
(7th House is an Imprint of Andromeda LLC)
Read more about this author and upcoming works at http://VictoriaDanann.me
Smashwords License
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
I love them all but I think my Favorite character is Deliverance. A happy-go-lucky sex demon. He is all you could want and more in the bedroom as long as that is all you want. Outside the bedroom he is an impulsive teenager who only has respect for his daughter and granddaughter! I find it quite sad that he found love once with Litha's mother and will never know that again.
Dee Bowerman
For my assistant, Sarah Nicole Blausey, who starts my morning – no matter how early - with a cheerful, “Good Morning,” every day, sometimes including weekends and holidays even when she’s not scheduled to work. I can tell how much others appreciate her by the fact that she’s so often included in posts, comments, and email communication.
Thank you, Sarah, for always being on my side no matter what.
For the fan-in-chief, my daughter, Kelly Danann, who was the first person to read My Familiar Stranger and convince me that it really was good enough to publish. Forever indebted. Annnnnd, guess who’s YOUR biggest fan?
Thank you, Kelly, for always being on my side no matter what.
For my husband, who is my counsel-in-chief. Whenever an Indie business question arises, he’s my first stop. Whenever someone has left a review that makes me want to never write another word, he’s my first stop. And with every celebratory milestone, whether it’s an award nomination or another hundred reviews, he’s my first stop.
Thank you, Tom, for always being on my side no matter what.
For the proofer-in-chief, Julie Roberts, I write with super confidence knowing that you’re going to find the gnarly stuff. It takes a very special sort of editor to understand when NOT to edit and to adjust your style to the eccentricities and egomania of the author. Love you for that!
For Simon Whistler (Rocking Self Publishing Podcast) and Arial Burnz (PNR Radio) who boosted my profile this year with guest features on their podcasts. Thanks guys. You’re the best.
For all the bloggers who have written phenomenal reviews that help me fake it as a legitimate literary figure – drinks on the house!
If you bought one of my books, THANK YOU for making me a full-time writer. If you told someone else they should really read Knights of Black Swan, thank you even more.
Three times blessings on you all.
If you’re interested in serving on the best street team anywhere, email blackswanjunkie@gmail.com or visit here http://victoriadanann.me/the-street-team/.
A TEAM MEMBERS
Anna-Marie Coomber
Bobbi Kinion
Brandy Ralston
Cheryl Lewis Fennimore
Cindy Hunt
Cristi Riquelme
Crystal Lehmann
Debera Smith
Dee Bowerman
Diane Nix
Elizabeth Quincy Nix
Ellen Sandberg
Fawn Phillips
Gina Whitney
Janine Fromherz Diller
Joy Whiteside
Kim Staley Schommer
Lindsay Thompson
Lisa High
Lisa Lopez
Maggie Nolan
Michelle Stein
Mountain Crew
Nelta Baldwin Mathias
Pam James
Patricia Smith
Rebecca Stigers
Renay Arthur
Robyn Byrd
Shanyn Clark Doan
Tabitha Schneider
Tifinie Henry
TABLE OF CONTENTS
So Far… Books 1-6 in summary.
Prologue The beach, Cape May, New Jersey
Chapter 1 New York, New York
Chapter 2 Shamayim Super Dimension
Chapter 3 Jefferson Unit, Fort Dixon, New Jersey
Chapter 4 Overseer Dimension
Chapter 5 Shamayim Super Dimension
Chapter 6 Overseer Dimension
Chapter 7 Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Chapter 8 Jefferson Unit, Fort Dixon, New Jersey
Chapter 9 Jefferson Unit, Fort Dixon, New Jersey
Chapter 10 New York, New York
Chapter 11 Jefferson Unit
Chapter 12 Jefferson Unit, New York, Cape May
Chapter 13 The Black Swan Vineyard, Napa Valley, California
Chapter 14 Jefferson Unit, Fort Dixon, New Jersey
Chapter 15 Sozopol, Bulgaria
Chapter 16 New York, New York
Chapter 17 Sozopol, Bulgaria
Chapter 18 Sozopol, Bulgaris
Chapter 19 Jefferson Unit, Fort Dixon, New Jersey
Chapter 20 Sozopol, Bulgaria
Chapter 21 Sozopol, Bulgaria
Chapter 22 Sozopol, Bulgaria
Chapter 23 Sozopol, Bulgaria
Chapter 24 Sozopol, Bulgaria
Epilogue The beach, Cape May, New Jersey
So far …
This series is also a serial saga in the sense that each book begins where the previous book ended.
There is a very old and secret society of paranormal investigators and protectors known as The Order of the Black Swan. In modern times, in a dimension similar to our own, they continue to operate, as they always have, to keep the human population safe. For centuries they have relied on a formula that outlines recruitment of certain second sons, in their early, post-pubescent youth, who match a narrow and highly specialized psychological profile. Those who agree to forego the ordinary pleasures and freedoms of adolescence receive the best education available anywhere along with the training and discipline necessary for a possible future as active operatives in the Hunters Division. In recognition of the personal sacrifice and inherent danger, The Order bestows knighthoods on those who accept.
BOOK ONE. My Familiar Stranger:
The elite B Team of Jefferson Unit in New York, also known as Bad Company, was devastated by the loss of one of its four members in a battle with vampire. A few days later Elora Laiken, an accidental pilgrim from another dimension, literally landed at their feet so physically damaged by the journey they weren't even sure of her species. After a lengthy recovery, they discovered that she had gained amazing speed and strength through the cross-dimension translation. She earned the trust and respect of the knights of B Team and eventually replaced the fourth member, who had been killed in the line of duty.
She was also forced to choose between three suitors: Istvan Baka, a devastatingly seductive six-hundred-year-old vampire, who worked as a consultant to neutralize an epidemic of vampire abductions, Engel Storm, the noble and stalwart leader of B Team who saved her life twice; and Rammel Hawking, the elf who persuaded her that she was destined to be his alone.
BOOK TWO. The Witch’s Dream:
Ten months later everyone was gathered at Rammel's home in Derry, Ireland. B Team had been temporarily assigned to The Order's Headquarters office in Edinburgh, but they had been given leave for a week to celebrate an elftale handfasting for Ram and Elora, who were expecting.
Ram's younger sister, Aelsong, went to Edinburgh with B Team after being recruited for her exceptional psychic skills. Shortly after arriving, Kay's fiancé was abducted by a demon with a vendetta, who slipped her to a dimension out of reach. Their only hope to locate Katrina and retrieve her was Litha Brandywine, the witch tracker, who had fallen in love with Storm at first sight.
Storm was assigned to escort the witch, who slowly penetrated the ice that had formed around his heart when he lost Elora to Ram. Litha tracked the demon and took Katrina's place as hostage after learning that he, Deliverance, was her biological father. The story ended with all members of B Team happily married and retired from active duty.
BOOK THREE. A Summoner’s Tale: The Vampire’s Confessor
Istvan Baka was captured by vampire in the Edinburgh underground and reinfected with the vampire virus. His assistant, Heaven McBride, was found to be a "summoner", a person who can compel others to come to them when they play the flute. She also turned out to be the reincarnation of the young wife who was Baka's first victim as a new vampire six hundred years before.
Elora Laiken was studying a pack of wolves hoping to get puppies for her new breed of dog. While Rammel was overseeing the renovation of their new home, she and Blackie were caught in a snowstorm in the New Forest. At the same time assassins from her world, agents of the clan who massacred her family, found her isolated in a remote location without the ability to communicate. She gave birth to her baby alone except for the company of her dog, Blackie, and the wolf pack.
Heaven was instrumental in calling vampire to her so that they could be intercepted and given the curative vaccine. Baka was found, restored, and given the opportunity for a "do over" with the wife who had waited for many lifetimes to spend just one with him.
BOOK FOUR. Moonlight: The Big Bad Wolf
Ram and Elora moved into temporary quarters at Jefferson Unit to protect mother and baby. Sol asked Storm to prepare to replace him as Jefferson Unit Sovereign so that he could retire in two years. Storm declined, but suggested twenty-year-old trainee, Glendennon Catch for the job.
Litha uncovered a shocking discovery about the vampire virus by accidentally leading five immortal host vampire back to Jefferson Unit. Deliverance struck a deal with Litha to assist Black Swan with two issues: the old vampire and an interdimensional migration of Stalkson Grey's werewolf tribe.
In the process of averting possible extinction of his tribe, the king of the Elk Mountain werewolves, Stalkson Grey, fell in love with a cult slave and abducted her with the demon's assistance. He eventually won his captive's heart and took his new mate to the New Elk Mountain werewolf colony in Lunark Dimension where the wolf people’s ancestors had settled centuries before.
Throughout this portion of the story, Litha's pregnancy developed at an alarming rate. Since there had been no previous instance of progeny with the baby's genetic heritage, no one knew what to expect. The baby arrived months ahead of schedule. The birth was dramatic and unique because Storm's and Litha's new daughter, Elora Rose, "Rosie", skipped the usual delivery with a twelve inch ride through the passes and appeared on the outside of Litha’s body.
BOOK FIVE. Gathering Storm
Book Five opened with Storm and Litha enjoying quiet days at home at the vineyard with a brand new infant. Sol shocked Storm with the news that he was getting married to Farnsworth and asked Storm to help Glen run Jefferson Unit so that he could take a vacation – his first ever – with his intended. Storm agreed, but when Rosie reached six weeks her growth began to accelerate drastically.
Deliverance was to pick Storm up every day, take him to Jefferson Unit so that he could spend two hours with Glen and supervise management of Sol’s affairs, then return him to Sonoma, but the demon lost his son-in-law in the passes en route to New Jersey. Every paranormal ally available was called in for a massive interdimensional search. Finally, Deliverance was alerted that Storm had been located.
The demon picked him up and dropped him in Litha’s bedroom, but it was the wrong Storm. B Team, Glen and Litha all undertook a project to do a makeover on the fake Storm so that nobody would find out that there was a huge flaw with interdimensional transport.
Jefferson Unit was attacked by aliens from Stagsnare Dimension, Elora’s home world, with nobody there to offer defense except Elora, Glen, the fake Storm, Sir Fennimore, the non-combat personnel and the trainees.
BOOK SIX. A Tale of Two Kingdoms
The book opens with a look behind the metaphysical scene. It seems that the strings governing Earth related operations are being pulled by a group of misfit adolescent deities who were, eons in the past, given the planet and its derivative dimensions as a group project.
Kellareal leads the elves and fae to discovery of the truth that they were once the same people, but were separated in the distant past because of a tragic estrangement of siblings. After believing that they had escaped the politics of their families, Duff and Song were captured and separated. With the angel’s help, however, they were reunited. Meanwhile, Aelsblood, Ram’s older brother was removed as monarch and his son, Aelshelm, succeeded as king in name only under the agreement that Ram’s father, Ethelred Mag Lehane Hawking, would reign in Helm’s place until he is old enough to decide whether he will join the family business and accept a career as king.
PROLOGUE
The beach Cape May, New Jersey
Sol
Regrets? Well, sure. Nobody dies without regrets.
The only way to avoid that would be to sleep even less than I did and be rearranging your priorities every minute. Of course, if you rearranged your priorities every minute, then there’d be no time for anything else and, at the end of your life, you’d regret that you’d wasted your time working so hard at trying to reach the finish line without regrets that you never got anything done.
What’s my biggest regret? The first thing that comes to mind isn’t exactly a regret, but more a disappointment. I wish I’d had more time to spend with Farnsworth.
I never expected to find love so late in life. Neither did she. I asked her once why she’d never married. She said she was waiting for the right crusty old bastard to come along. I liked that answer. I liked just about everything about Farnsworth.
All those years I would stop off at the Hub and grab one of those rank strong coffees with a cheese and ham and egg thing they nuked while I waited, which was never long because the way I stared at them made them so fidgety they could hardly wait to give me my order and get me the hell out of their space. Makes me smile just thinking about it.
So every morning I was just steps away from where Farnsworth was in Operations, really running the whole show at Jefferson Unit while I was taking credit for it. Fuck me. She’s one of a kind.
It’s funny to think that all those years she was right there and we just never made that connection. I guess it’s not exactly funny.
Now that I have one foot on the other side, the pieces all fit together better and it’s easier to see things clearly. Got to stop and laugh at my own jokes, because who else is going to? That was funny because I only have one foot. Looks like the damn dune buggy cut off my leg. And my life. I’m bleeding out, listening to the weeping of the only woman I ever loved and that’s the hardest part.
The only reason I can joke about this is because it’s temporary. I can’t stay gone. There’s too much going on.
I was planning to wait until I got back from the first vacation I ever took in my life to inform the interested parties, that would be almost everyone I know, that the great bright promise of curing vampirism with a vaccine… well, it’s not working. And, unfortunately, the conclusion is that it’s not going to work. Ever.
It’s starting to look like it would be easier to rid the world of cockroaches and we all know how that’s going. No one doubts that, in the end, cockroaches will be the last life form left on Earth.
So I don’t have any plans for crossing to the other side and dancing in the sunshine or singing “Kum Ba Yah” with people who don’t have anything better to do. I’m going to lie here and wait until this body gives up the ghost, while this magnificent woman beside me cries her heart out. Then I’m going to raise hel until they find a way to bring me back.
CHAPTER 1
New York
The facilitator looked at him like she’d rather have him thrown out than help him get caught up to speed. Yes. He was late. Yes. He was a mess. “Is that blood on your face?” she’d asked, looking down her nose.
That’s only one of the shitty things that’s likely to happen when you pick the wrong fight in a battle with extra-dimensional assassins. Among others, you could end up locked in a freezing basement cage for hours.
His answer was to stare in bald challenge. “Just tell me where I’m supposed to be.”
She hesitated, but decided it would be less disruptive to the event to go along with the maniac than to cause a scene. “Very well, Mr…,” she looked down at the card, “Nightsong. Everyone will be changing stations in…” she looked at her stop watch, “five, four, three – go to station seven now – two, one.” She raised her voice. “Time everyone! Move on to the next table.”
