Magick's Finest

Magick's Finest Cover

"Magick's Finest"

Lauren Romain has spent her being the ignored youngest child.   Growing up in the shadow of the talented Maya, now Queen of all the witches, and Lon, most powerful male witch in history, she always came out 3rd.  When her body developed into distracting proportions, she lost the battle to be taken seriously. After being wounded in a viscious assault, she has given up caring what others think.  Now she is just herself, whatever that is…  

Detective Lieutenant Mark Ballard is one of the top men in “Magick’s Bounty Hunters,” the peacekeeping force designed to ease human and witch relations.  He is also in love with a witch.  He has known Lauren Romain for nearly a decade, and has grown to respect her for the quiet woman behind the flamboyance she shows when she’s around other witches. 

When Lauren is cursed by a demon and must avoid magicks, the only lifestyle she knows, Ballard is there to help. If only that demon would quit coming around and attacking… 


And now a preview of "Magick's Finest"

I hate men.  I especially hate men that have control.  What the hell do they think, we’re too stupid to figure out things for ourselves? 

            I had already explained that I was a witch and part of the Magick’s BountyHunters  Program.  Still, he was not giving an inch.

            “Like I said, little lady,” the fat cop repeats, “We don’t need your help.  We’ve got it all under control.”

            “My name is Lauren, not ‘little lady,” I said again.  “By law, I am in charge of this scene  now since it is magickally based.”

            He puffed up and said, “Well. little lady, The way I see it, I’m the only police officer here,  not some ambassador to the witches.”

            The top half of the building across the street bursts into green flames.  Cries of fear and pain echo in the valley of buildings.  Time to get to work.  No more playing Miss Nice Witch.

            “Enough!” I yell.  I let a force wave fly.  The wave of energy pushes all the officers in front of me out of my way.  I run towards the building.  There are people in danger, I have to help. 

            The heat of the fire nearly singes my hair as I approach the building. I whisper a protection spell and feel the heat dissipate around me.

 “Lauren?” a feminine voice behind me asks.

            I turn and see my sister-in-law.  She has her gun drawn and aimed right at my face.

            “Terra!” I gasp.

            She lowers her gun and steps up.  “What’s going on here?” she asks. “I got the call to get here, and when I pulled up I see you knocking over the patrol.”

            “I tried to tell them who I was, but they didn’t listen.  Then all hell broke loose.  I have to get up there!”

            She glances up at the bright green flames.  “Right. Let’s go!”

            I grabbed her elbow. “No,” I insist, “You can’t risk the baby.”  I know my brother Lon would never forgive me if I allow his pregnant wife to run into a burning building.  Not that I could actually stop her. A few weeks ago Terra got into a knock down drag out fight with Eris, the Greek Goddess of chaos.  To punish Eris for interfering with mankind against his will, Zeus gave Terra Eris’ god-like powers.

            “I’m fine,”Terra says.  “I’m going in that building with you.”

            “Terra, you might be immune to magick, but your baby isn’t.  You can’t go in there!”

            Terra hesitates.  I can see she’s worried.  Her job is to be the first human in any situation like this, but the baby is new. I don’t think she’s really had time to think about how her pregnancy affects her job.

            I knew what I had to do.  I concentrated on one of my spells.  She’ll be mad, but I have to stop her.

            “Aquis!” I shout as I gesture to the road beneath her.  As intended a six foot diameter of road turns into water. The hole drops her into the storm drain below.  The fall might hurt her a little, but not as much as going inside the building will.  The road re-solidifies above her.  At least now, she has to either blast her way out, or find her way out of the storm drain.  By then I’ll either have things handled, or… well, hopefully the other immunes will get here and do the job.

I hear her yell some rather unflattering things about me as I turn and run for the building.  I hate when people call me boob brain.  But, what can I expect?  My boobs seem to be the only thing people notice about me.  I really wish I was taken more seriously, but what can I do? 

            I get to the forcefield around the building.  It has a blue glow to it.  Blue, that means either water magick if it’selemental, or low bandwidth magick.  I concentrate on the force and visualize a bubble forming in front of me.  I let my power flow outward and feel it ripple into the wet wall of force.  A person-sized bubble forms and I step inside. The bubble flows towards the building.  Wow, this is one thick force-wall!  It has to be at least eight feet thick! 

            My bubble pops me out into the broken front door. I look around and see the devastation.  Goddess! There are at least twenty people in here.  All of them are hurt, I think some are dead. What did all this?

            I pick my way through shattered furniture and scorched walls.  I see piles of dirt and rock in some areas, and puddles of water in others.  There are scorch marks all over the walls and some on the floors. I flash the room into etherlight.  Now I can see magickal residues and hidden beings.  There are no hidden beasties there, but my goddess there’s residue.  Every square inch of the room is covered in magick.  This room is a mess.  I need to know what is happening, and where people are.  I cast a life-sight spell and look around the room.  There are ten lives in this room. All of them are helping each other.  I look up and saw the people above me.  There must to be hundreds of them. Well, what did I expect in an apartment building on a Sunday afternoon?  My life-sight flashes on an odd life-form on the roof. What is it?  I’ve never seen anything like it before.  But I do see gestures that might be a spell to bring down the building.  Hundreds could die.

            I have to do my job.  I concentrate on time and space and move my body from one point in this reality to another as I teleport to the roof.

            I barely have time to reappear when I feel a horrible pain in my chest.  I look at the sword and try to gasp, but I can’t. My mouth opens and I tell my body to breathe, but what ever parts of the body that actually do the work to breathe have decided to quit. I look at the long blade sticking into my chest and then at the bright red glowing monster in front of me.  He begins to laugh.

© STEVE STONE 2018