Vendetta - Vendetta Deadly Curiosities 2 Page 0,162
Sorren,” Donnelly said. “Do you have what I asked for?”
Sorren nodded and reached into a pocket, withdrawing a World War Two-vintage man’s watch. He handed it over to Donnelly, who took it carefully between both hands. Donnelly closed his eyes and began to murmur. A faint mist gathered near the headstone, glimmering with flecks of light. The mist thickened and in another moment, a figure stepped out of the fog.
This was Helen Butler as she had been seventy years ago, the beautiful, sassy girl from the old photograph. Sorren stepped toward her, and at least from where I stood, when he held out his hand to her, it looked as if she clasped his in return.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you,” Sorren murmured. “I failed you.”
Her laughter carried on the night air. “Never. You were always there. You didn’t think I knew, but deep inside, I did. And at the end, you made me remember the old days. You gave those back to me – to us.”
“My friends will make sure your crossing is smooth,” Sorren said, his voice tight with emotion. The grief in his eyes was at odds with how young he appeared. Even though he knew this day would come, I guess it never gets easier.
“I had a very good life, a long life,” Helen said, and reached out to touch Sorren’s cheek. “Not as long as yours, but long enough. I’m glad I had a chance to say good-bye before I left.”
Sorren wasn’t crying, but I was. Teag looked a little misty, too. In Father Anne’s business, it’s necessary to have a game face for doing funerals, but I could see in her eyes that she was touched.
Sorren leaned toward Helen’s apparition, and they shared one final kiss. Then she stepped back and waved good-bye. Donnelly murmured again, and the mist dissipated. Next to me, Father Anne began to read quietly from the Book of Common Prayer.
“Oh God of grace and glory, we remember to you this day…”
Teag walked me to my car when the service was over. The insurance company had finally processed the paperwork, and I had a new blue Mini Cooper. He slung his arm over my shoulder and I put mine around his waist, partially out of camaraderie, and partly to keep from tripping over gravestones in the dim light.
“All’s well that ends well?” he asked.
I glanced behind us. Father Anne and Archibald Donnelly were walking toward the parking lot. Sorren remained behind, head bowed, standing in front of the headstone.
“Yeah,” I said, “as well as it can be, I guess. And better than it could have been.”
Just then, my phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was a text message from Kell. I meant what I said about taking you to dinner. Pick a nice place and we’ll make it a night on the town.
Teag read the message over my shoulder. “So? You gonna go?” I must have hesitated, because he gave me a stern look. “Life’s too short to miss out on the good stuff,” he said. “Anthony and I are clear on that now.” He shot me a grin. “Besides, if you start going out with Kell, we can double date.”
Despite everything, I chuckled. “Go ahead, twist my arm,” I said, though I had already intended to take Kell up on the offer. Sounds good to me, I texted. Is there a restaurant in Charleston that isn’t haunted?
THANKS FIRST TO my agent, Ethan Ellenberg, to my editor, Jon Oliver, and to all the folks at Solaris Books who have been wonderful to work with over the years.
It has been a lot of fun to see Cassidy, Teag, and the other characters grow and explore their world in this novel and in the related short stories and novellas. Part of the fun is also finding elements from real-world Charleston that can be tweaked and twisted to make the book that much more rooted in the setting.
My partner and husband, Larry Martin, has come to play an increasingly important role with the books over time. He is my primary beta reader and first editor, with an eye for finding typographical errors and continuity issues. Over the years, he has become an excellent plot brainstorming partner, and he played an essential role in bringing this book to life. The books are stronger because of his involvement, and I am happy that a life partnership has developed into a creative partnership as well. That’s how we came to co-author our new Steampunk novel, Iron and Blood.
Charleston, South Carolina is a real place. Some of the landmarks and a few of the historical figures in this book do exist, and some (but not all) of the historical events were real. Even the Ghost Bikes are real tributes to fallen cyclists, and you can learn more about them online. But the characters and their shops are all a work of fiction. So for example, if you go to Charleston (and I hope you do, because it’s a lovely place to visit), you can see the real Charleston City Market and walk down King Street, but you won’t find any of the businesses or restaurants I’ve mentioned by name. The Angel Oak is real, but not its magic (so far as I know). Any resemblance to real people or actual businesses is completely coincidental.
Many people in Charleston will tell you that the ghosts, however, are real. My ghosts are fictional, but that’s because Charleston has enough of its own already. But don’t take my word for it. See for yourself.
Want more about Cassidy, Sorren and Teag? Check out my Deadly Curiosities Adventures e-book short stories on Kindle, Kobo and Nook!
GAIL Z. MARTIN writes epic and urban fantasy, steampunk and short stories. She is the author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series, the Fallen Kings Cycle series and the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga series of epic fantasy books, as well as the Deadly Curiosities urban fantasy world and Iron and Blood, a steampunk novel, co-written with Larry N. Martin. Gail is a frequently contributor to US and UK anthologies. She also writes three series of ebook short stories: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures, The Deadly Curiosities Adventures and The Storm and Fury Adventures.
Find her at www.DeadlyCuriosities.com, on Twitter @GailZMartin, on Facebook.com/WinterKingdoms, at DisquietingVisions.com blog and GhostInTheMachinePodcast.com. She leads frequent conversations on Goodreads goodreads.com/GailZMartin and posts free excerpts of her work to wattpad.com/GailZMartin.
When she’s not writing, Gail also enjoys reading, cooking, and hanging out with her husband, kids, and dogs.
Welcome to Trifles & Folly, a store with a dark secret. Proprietor Cassidy Kincaide continues a family tradition begun in 1670 – acquiring and neutralizing dangerous supernatural items. It’s the perfect job for Cassidy, whose psychic gift lets her touch an object and know its history. Together with her business partner Sorren, a 500-year-old vampire and former jewel thief, Cassidy makes it her business to get infernal objects off the market.
When a trip to a haunted hotel unearths a statue steeped in malevolent power, and a string of murders draws a trail to the abandoned old Navy yard, Cassidy and Sorren discover a diabolical plot to unleash a supernatural onslaught on their city.
It’s time for Kincaide and her team to get rid of these Deadly Curiosities before the bodies start piling up.
‘Great characters, awesome magic, huge thrill ride!’
John Hartness, author of The Black Knight Chronicles
Available from Kobo
“What’s the first thing you think of when I say ‘angel’?” asked Mallory.
Alice shrugged. “I don’t know... guns?”
Alice isn’t having the best of days - late for work, missed her bus, and now she’s getting rained on - but it’s about to get worse.
The war between the angels and the Fallen is escalating and innocent civilians are getting caught in the cross-fire. If the balance is to be restored, the angels must act - or risk the Fallen taking control. Forever. That’s where Alice comes in. Hunted by the Fallen and guided by Mallory - a disgraced angel with a drinking problem he doesn’t want to fix - Alice will learn the truth about her own history... and why the angels want to send her to hell.
What do the Fallen want from her? How does Mallory know so much about her past? What is it the angels are hiding - and can she trust either side?
‘Dark, enticing and so sharp the pages could cut you, Blood and Feathers is a must-read.’
Sarah Pinborough