Southwest Days (Semiautomatic Sorceress Book 2) by Kal Aaron (best book recommendations TXT) 📕

“This time, I’m not walking into a trap.” Lyssa scoffed. “And nobody’s going to start something major by randomly sending monsters to an old abandoned mine in the middle of nowhere. If it’s not some idiot who got his hand on a weird potion or shard, it’s most likely an idiot Sorcerer who let things get out of hand and thought he’d found a place he could experiment without getting caught.”

“I would continue to advise caution,” Jofi replied.

“Fair enough, and I don’t intend to let my guard down,” Lyssa replied. Some of her confidence left after a thought crept into the edge of her mind. “There is one thing that bothers me about this.”

“What’s that?” Jofi asked.

“Why were the two guys there? Why did two random California college students decide to go to an abandoned mine in Arizona?”

Lyssa changed lanes, zooming past a minivan full of excited children gesturing her way. Their father kept nervously checking his mirrors as if she might kill them all on a whim. She never knew how someone might react to seeing her, but she was going so fast that the entire encounter was over in seconds, the minivan soon far in her rearview mirror.

“You suspect something?” Jofi asked. “You think the victims weren’t innocents?”

“I don’t know what to think,” Lyssa replied. “Looking at what sticks out is the best bet in an investigation, but it’s not the only bet. It might be bad luck, or there could be something more. I’m guessing there are one or two small hydras or overgrown rats with weird jaws in the mine. The solution’s the same either way. We blow them away and flush out the creator. Easy.”

“I suppose we’ll see.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little hope.”

Lyssa slowed her bike as she approached the low plastic fence blocking off the front of the mine. It extended far enough to meet the rock outcroppings. A gap in the middle was blocked by a sheriff’s department cruiser.

The fence looked new and hastily constructed. She doubted it’d do a great job of stopping javelinas, let alone monsters, but it’d discourage people from entering at least.

A rotting wooden entrance below a dusty nearby hill led directly into the mine. Rusty pieces of metal littered the area, including a hole-filled cart that was probably older than Samuel. Fresh wooden boards lined the entrance of the mine, but anyone with good boots could kick their way inside. Much like the fence, the new construction wasn’t going to keep any monsters inside.

Two deputies were leaning against the back of the car. They waved at Lyssa.

Lyssa considered the fence and the boards— flimsy unbroken defenses pointed to monsters unwilling to come outside and escape. That was promising for containment.

She stopped her bike near the deputies, killed her engine, and brought down the kickstand. The deputies watched her with curiosity and without the angry scowls that had marked her last major police encounter and her recent trip to the federal building.

Instead, she saw something she hadn’t expected on their faces: obvious relief. While she’d eventually developed a good relationship with the authorities in San Diego, it’d taken years. She’d expected every cop in Arizona to distrust her until she did something ridiculous like saving a truckload of cute puppies on live television. It was nice to have people start with a positive attitude.

One of the deputies advanced. His nametape read Ortiz.

“I’d ask for ID, but I don’t think many people could fake that look,” Ortiz said with a chuckle. “Weird. You can see the shadows around you even during the day, huh?” He stared at her. “What do we call you? Hecate? Miss Hecate? Torch Hecate?”

“Hecate is fine,” she replied, glancing at his partner, who was reaching into his pocket.

The other deputy, Adams, pulled out a notepad and pen. “Uh, I don’t know if I have to pay or call the EAA for permission, but can I have an autograph?” He held it out with a nervous look.

Lyssa stared at him. Part of her wanted to give a spooky speech about embodying darkness and being the enemy of all who would threaten its peace, but instead, she took the notepad and scribbled, Keep arresting criminals and be safe. Hecate. She handed it back with a shrug.

“Thanks,” Deputy Adams said with a grin. “My son is going to worship me for this. He’s so excited we’ve got a Torch in Arizona. He talks about you and that stuff in Houston all the time. I don’t think he quite gets that he can’t train to be a Torch yet, but hey, I figure I can get him to be the next best thing—a cop.”

Lyssa smiled. Maybe the next generation of Shadows wouldn’t fear the Illuminated. An autograph was a small price to pay to help that happen, but she was here for something more important than her fan club.

“That’s nice, but let’s get down to business.” Lyssa nodded at the mine. “The EAA gave me a briefing, but I’d like to hear yours in case they were filtering something I need to hear.”

She wasn’t trying to throw Damien under the bus, but she couldn’t ignore what had happened with the shard case. Not being surprised meant gathering all the information she could.

Ortiz brought his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. “The victims arrived last night, Jake Colmes and Lucky Nardi, both age twenty. Those are their real names, by the way. According to the survivor, Nardi, they got here shortly after sundown. They were in the mine for only fifteen minutes before they were attacked. Colmes got dragged off by a monster Nardi couldn’t make out clearly. He was also attacked, but he made it back to their car, drove to town, and flagged down help. He passed out from his wounds shortly after explaining what had happened. He’s lucky to be alive.”

“And none of your people have been in there since the incident?”