Echoes of the Anvil (Valerie Stonehold Book 5) by Renée Jaggér & Michael Anderle

Author:Renée Jaggér & Michael Anderle [Jaggér, Renée & Anderle, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2024-08-06T00:00:00+00:00

Dimension lag made Tetra’s eyelids feel heavy. She stifled a yawn as she stomped across the third floor of the NYHQ, the Staten Island-based headquarters of the OPMA. Curious, nerdy paras in the bullpen office that took up most of the floor watched her pass.

Tetra ignored them. She picked leaves off her Stonehold Security shirt as she strode to the office door at the far end. The bronze plaque read Captain Bianca Hartshorn.

“Miss? Miss, you can’t just—” the twittery assistant at the desk by the door protested.

Tetra ignored her. She shoved the door open, picking mouse bones out of her teeth with a thumbnail, and flung herself into one of the leather armchairs facing the large desk.

Bianca turned around. She was standing by the window that overlooked the campus. Two paintings hung side by side above her head, framed between her spiraling gazelle horns. One depicted a burly, bushy-eyebrowed man on a rearing horse, the other a naked faun with ripped abs.

“What’s up, Cap?” Tetra rested her feet on the desk. “I saved the troll. The drow are none the wiser.”

“So I hear.” Bianca fell into her desk chair. “Great job…again. Something tells me you’re not here for an attaboy.”

Tetra raised her eyebrows.

“Attagirl,” Bianca corrected.

“Actually, no.” Tetra studied her grimy fingernails. “Qeeth wanted me to talk to you about something.”

Bianca sighed. “Look, I already told him the Eternity Throne can’t throw its weight around regarding a species’ customs or culture. We won’t force Maeve’s guardian to let them date.”

“Amazingly, it’s not that,” Tetra told her. “It’s about a potential threat.”

Bianca straightened. “To Qeeth’s life?”

“Nope. To society in general, I guess.” Tetra waved her hands. “The Eternity Throne and shit. Avalon.”

“I’m listening.” Bianca leaned forward.

“Qeeth thinks there’s a drow in the embassy who’s up to no good, and by that, I mean dark magic. He sounds certain about it. He says she sets off his senses, and trolls have good ones if Qenzi is anything to go by.” Tetra folded her arms. “He says there are rumors that this drow has ties to Aine.”

Bianca steepled her fingers and studied Tetra with interest. “Is it Niamh?”

“Yep.” Tetra raised her chin. “Do you know about her?”

“Less than we’d like to, but we confirmed that Niamh ran with Aine back in the day. She renounced Aine and Mordred during the Purge of the Gleann, the period when Oisin and his allies tried to root out every trace of dark magic from the drow lands,” Bianca explained.

“Sounds bloody.” Tetra grinned. “I like it.”

Bianca laughed. “Oisin’s zeal for destroying dark magic was laudable, but many paras disagree with how he went about it. Drow have always been trigger-happy. Hundreds of drow were executed without what we would think of as a fair trial, but that’s how drow justice works. Anyway, during that time, Niamh came forward with information about a group of Aine’s supporters still practicing dark magic. The information was considered an honor price, and she was restored to her full societal standing.”

Tetra placed her feet on the floor and leaned forward, intrigued.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.