Attack by Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Valkyrie Book 4) Read online

  We’d scouted out the location of the temple earlier that day, so we knew where to go.

  I swung my leg over Secretariat—I liked to name my vehicles—and kicked the clutch. The engine roared to life. Nix and Del followed, and we peeled out of the lot, leaving the dingy yellow light of the bar behind.

  Our headlights illuminated the dirt road as we sped through the night. Huge fig trees dotted the path on either side, their twisted trunks and roots forming an eerie corridor. Elephant-ear sized leaves swayed in the wind, a dark emerald that gleamed in the light.

  Jungle animals howled, and enormous lightning bugs flitted along the path. They were too big to be regular bugs, so they were most likely some kind of fairy, but I wasn’t going to stop to investigate. There were dangerous creatures in the jungle at night—one of the reasons we hadn’t wanted to go now—and in our world, fairies could be considered dangerous.

  Especially if you called them lightning bugs.

  A roar sounded in the distance, echoing through the jungle and making the leaves rustle on either side as small animals scurried for safety.

  The roar came again, only closer.

  Then another, and another.

  “Oh shit,” I muttered. This was bad.

  ~~~

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  Author’s Note

  Thanks for reading Attack by Magic! The author’s note is where I normally talk about the history and mythology in the book, and Attack by Magic had plenty of it.

  To start, Oya, the mercenary leader in the beginning of the book, is based off an African goddess of the Yoruba people. In Yoruba, her name means “she tore”, and she is a warrior associated with winds, lightning, death, and rebirth.

  Cocidius is another Celtic war god, not dissimilar from Belatucadros. The Celtic culture spread all over Europe during the Iron Age, and as a result, there are many different gods from different regions that represent basically the same thing. I had quite a few Celtic war gods to choose from, but I chose Cocidius because he was worshipped in roughly the same place as Belatucadros—around Hadrian’s Wall in the north of England.

  The carved design of the man holding the sword and shield that Dr. G found in the Attack by Magic are based off of actual carvings that have been discovered of Cocidius around Hadrian’s Wall. The fortress that they visit in the book is based off of the fort at Bewcastle in western England, which was originally a Roman fort associated with the worship of Cocidius. The Romans called it Fanum Cocidi—The Shrine of Cocidius. Bree notes that there are mounds of earth—these were once Roman defenses. Over time, a castle was built and the fort fell into disrepair and took on other uses.

  When Bree and Cade visited Cocidius’s half realm, they noted that there were massive trees all around—far bigger than what is common in England today. The reason for this is one of the most interesting points in history. During the 16th and 17th century, the Royal Navy was so massive and powerful that they quickly decimated all the large forests in England in search of trees to build their ships. Many of their colonies were formed (at least in part) for the purpose of finding more timber for their ships. The Massachusetts Bay Charter of 1691 talks specifically about the trees belonging to the crown.

  The fancy hotel and bar that Cade and Bree visited in Ghent was based on 1898 The Post, a hotel and bar that is currently housed in the old Post Office building. Gravensteen Castle is in fact located on one of the rivers, but there is no secret entrance to the underground harbor with a torture chamber (that I know of). There is a torture museum in the castle, which used to be located in the basement, and it’s pretty horrifying. As with many large castles in Europe, it had a varied history after it was no longer used as a defensive stronghold. After it was abandoned in the 14th century, it was used as a courthouse, factory, prison, and even split up into houses. The castle underwent renovations in the late 19th century (a period when other similar castles were being renovated due to increased interest in history) and is currently an amazing place to visit.

  The riddle that they encountered on the stairs in the castle is an old riddle from 18th century England. I found it while hunting for old riddles online (I like to use historic ones whenever possible), but it rang a bell in my head as being vaguely familiar. Then I placed it—the riddle was featured in Die Hard 3. It is a riddle that can be hissed very quickly and can sound quite threatening, so it was perfect for Attack by Magic.

  Well, that’s it for now. Hopefully I didn’t miss any other historic elements. Thank you again for reading the books, and I hope you’ll stick with Bree, Ana, and Rowan throughout their adventures!

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you, Ben, for everything. There would be no books without you.

  Thank you to Lindsey Loucks and Jena O’Connor for your excellent editing. The book is immensely better because of you! And thank you Eleonora, for your keen eye in spotting errors.

  Thank you to Orina Kafe for the beautiful cover art. Thank you to Collette Markwardt for allowing me to borrow the Pugs of Destruction, who are real dogs named Chaos, Havoc, and Ruckus. They were all adopted from rescue agencies.

  Glossary

  Alpha Council - There are two governments that enforce law for supernaturals—the Alpha Council and the Order of the Magica. The Alpha Council governs all shifters. They work cooperatively with the Alpha Council when necessary—for example, when capturing FireSouls.

  Blood Sorcerer - A type of Magica who can create magic using blood.

  Dark Magic - The kind that is meant to harm. It’s not necessarily bad, but it often is.

  Demons - Often employed to do evil. They live in various hells but can be released upon the earth if you know how to get to them and then get them out. If they are killed on Earth, they are sent back to their hell.

  Dragon Sense - A FireSoul’s ability to find treasure. It is an internal sense that pulls them toward what they seek. It is easiest to find gold, but they can find anything or anyone that is valued by someone.

  Djinn - Possesses invisibility and the ability to possess others for brief periods of time.

  Earthwalking Gods - Reincarnates of the ancient gods who can walk upon the earth. They are mortal but with all the power of that god.

  Eclektica - A jack-of-all-trades who deals in spells.

  Enchanted Artifacts – Artifacts can be imbued with magic that lasts after the death of the person who put the magic into the artifact (unlike a spell that has not been put into an artifact—these spells disappear after the Magica’s death). But magic is not stable. After a period of time—hundreds or thousands of years depending on the circumstance—the magic will degrade. Eventually, it can go bad and cause many problems.

  Fire Mage – A mage who can control fire.

  FireSoul - A very rare type of Magica who shares a piece of the dragon’s soul. They can locate treasure and steal the gifts (powers) of other supernaturals. With practice, they can manipulate the gifts they steal, becoming the strongest of that gift. They are despised and feared. If they are caught, they are thrown in the Prison of Magical Deviants.

  The Great Peace - The most powerful piece of magic ever created. It hides magic from the eyes of humans.

  Magica - Any supernatural who has the power to create magic—witches, sorcerers, mages. All are governed by the Order of the Magica.

  Order of the Magica - There are two governments that enforce law for supernaturals—the Alpha Council and the Order of the Magica. The Order of the Magica govern all Magica. They work cooperatively with the Alpha Council when necessary—for example, when capturing FireSouls.

  Seeker - A type of supernatural who can find things. FireSouls often pass off their dragon sense as Seeker power.

  Seklie - Sea creatures lived off the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. They are seals who can also become human and draw their magic from the sea.

  Shifter - A supernatural who can turn into an animal. All are governed by t
he Alpha Council.

  Transporter - A type of supernatural who can travel anywhere. Their power is limited and must regenerate after each use.

  Undercover Protectorate - A secret organization dedicated to protecting supernaturals and solving the crimes that no one else will.

  Vampire - Blood drinking supernaturals with great strength and speed who live in a separate realm.

  About Linsey

  Before becoming a writer, Linsey Hall was a nautical archaeologist who studied shipwrecks from Hawaii and the Yukon to the UK and the Mediterranean. She credits fantasy and historical romances with her love of history and her career as an archaeologist. After a decade of tromping around the globe in search of old bits of stuff that people left lying about, she settled down and started penning her own romance novels. Her Dragon’s Gift series draws upon her love of history and the paranormal elements that she can't help but include.

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All reference to events, persons, and locale are used fictitiously, except where documented in historical record. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright 2017 by Linsey Hall

  Published by Bonnie Doon Press LLC

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form, except in instances of quotation used in critical articles or book review. Where such permission is sufficient, the author grants the right to strip any DRM which may be applied to this work.

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  ISBN 978-1-942085-54-6