Tomb Raider Emeritus: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (I Fear No Evil Book 6) Read online

  Tomb Raider Emeritus

  I Fear No Evil Book Six

  Martha Carr

  Michael Anderle

  TOMB RAIDER EMERITUS (this book) is a work of fiction.

  All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

  Copyright © 2018 Martha Carr and Michael Anderle

  Cover by Andrew Dobell, www.creativeedgestudios.co.uk

  Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

  LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  LMBPN Publishing

  PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy

  Las Vegas, NV 89109

  First US edition, September 2018

  The Oriceran Universe (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are Copyright (c) 2017-18 by Martha Carr and LMBPN Publishing.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Author Notes - Martha Carr

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Other Revelation of Oriceran Universe Books

  Books by Michael Anderle

  Connect with The Authors

  Tomb Raider Emeritus Team

  Thanks to the JIT Readers

  John Ashmore

  James Caplan

  Peter Manis

  Keith Verret

  Mary Morris

  Daniel Weigert

  Larry Omans

  Paul Westman

  If we’ve missed anyone, please let us know!

  Dedications

  From Martha

  To everyone who still believes in magic

  and all the possibilities that holds.

  To all the readers who make this

  entire ride so much fun.

  And to my son, Louie and so many wonderful friends who remind me all the time of what

  really matters and how wonderful

  life can be in any given moment.

  From Michael

  To Family, Friends and

  Those Who Love

  To Read.

  May We All Enjoy Grace

  To Live The Life We Are

  Called.

  1

  Alison looked around the main room of Warehouse One for a few long moments before frowning and sticking her hands on her hips. “You need to put more powder on stuff. I can’t see anything, Aunt Shay. I can see you, and those knives you have on you, but I can’t see any of the obstacles.”

  Shay crossed her arms and shook her head. “No powder. All out. Too bad, so sad.”

  “Too bad, so sad? What are you, ten years old all of a sudden?” Alison laughed. “No, actually I think ten-year-olds have better insults.”

  With the recent victory of James in a court hearing to move ahead with his adoption of Alison and the defeat of the Drow queen Laena, the tension concerning the girl had lifted from everyone’s shoulders. The ever-present threat of her being taken had vanished in a couple of short weeks. Now, the makeshift family could enjoy the rest of the summer without waiting for a Dark Elf ambush and spend time in such wholesome activities as tactical and obstacle training.

  Shay rubbed her chin.

  Maybe I can’t train you until you’re as good as me physically, kid, but you’ve got real magic, so you don’t need to be as good. But we still need to make sure you’re ready for all situations.

  “Seriously, though, Alison. Not gonna use any powder.”

  Alison spun toward Shay and blinked. “No powder? How am I supposed to make out anything without the powder?”

  The tomb raider grinned. “Yeah, now that you’re officially and legally the daughter of the James Brownstone, I decided that I needed to make your training harder. In the real world, there’s not always gonna be convenient magic powder on walls or obstacles to help you see things. The real world doesn’t give a shit if you’re blind.” She shrugged. “That said, I’m still working on getting you an artifact to help you with your sight, but in the meantime, we need to focus more on your general situational awareness. Even when I get the artifact, you might end up losing it, and every weapon you have in your arsenal means a better chance of you coming out ahead in a difficult situation.”

  Alison shook her head. “At the rate you and Dad are going, you’ll be shoving me out of an airplane and telling me to just sense when to pull the cord on my parachute.”

  “Don’t give me any ideas.”

  “Have you jumped out of a plane?”

  “A few times. It’s a handy thing to get used to.”

  Alison laughed.

  Shay wandered over to a tire-running obstacle. “I’m wondering if you can cheat a little bit in the meantime. Before you get the artifact.”

  “Cheat?” Alison tilted her head slightly. “What do you mean?”

  “Echolocation.”

  “Like a dolphin?” The teen’s face scrunched in confusion.

  “Yeah. It’s something I’ve read about. Some blind humans do it, too. They can click their tongue and listen to the subtle sound differences. They use that to get a pretty good image in their heads of their environment. I saw a guy who could even differentiate different types of trees by the wood texture.” Shay pointed at Alison. “The problem is you’re just not blind enough.”

  “Not blind enough?” Alison laughed. “What do you mean? You just were talking about getting an artifact to help me see, and now you’re saying I’m not blind enough? How blind do I need to be?”

  Shay kicked one of the tires, enjoying the pushback against her boot. “I’m saying that because you’ve always had your soul sight and can see auras or soul energy or whatever you want to call it, you haven’t had to develop the kind of skills that you would have if you were completely blind. Stuff like that echolocation. You’re already able to fool most people as it is.”

  “Okay, I guess I can understand that.” Alison shrugged. “So, what…you want me to start clicking my tongue or something? Become a human dolphin?”

  The tomb raider shook her head. “No. I’ve got a better idea, but it was inspired by that idea. If you use a small amount of magic, it’ll leave a light residue for a while, right?”

  Alison nodded. “Depends on the magic, but yeah. What about it?”

  “There’s your echolocation or magolocation. Just send a small pulse of magic out, not all that directed. It doesn’t have to be powerful or last long, just long enough that you can make out things for at least a second. Sure, it’s gonna mean anyone else who can sense magic can track you, but if you’re wandering around a mall or in the m
iddle of a fight to the death, that’s not gonna be a huge concern. This is just about giving you a new situational awareness tool.”

  The girl grinned. “Oh, I get it. I’ve spent so many years without realizing I could do magic that I never even thought about something like that.” She shrugged. “No one suggested it at the school either, though I guess it wouldn’t matter. It took me a while before I could see magic and not just soul and life energy.”

  Shay tapped her forehead. “Sometimes you just need a different perspective. I’m not a witch, so I don’t think like one. The technique isn’t a total substitute for being able to see your environment, but at least it would be a nice thing to develop. Another tool in your kit.”

  She wandered away from the obstacle to a table containing wooden swords. “You can see living things easily enough, which means you can fight somewhat, but a big part of fighting in the real world is using the environment, so we need to work on that. Try something now—a magolocation pulse. I’d give you advice, but it’s not like I know shit about using magic other than artifacts.”

  Alison nodded and took a deep breath, then held her hands to her sides palms-out and half-closed her eyes. A translucent lavender pulse blasted from her palms and passed through the room, fading as it moved.

  Shay tensed but didn’t feel anything as the light passed over her.

  Sometimes I let myself forget that she’s not just some teen, but she’s a Drow princess. Someday she might even be more powerful than James.

  “I think…” Alison sighed. “Okay, let me try again.” She gritted her teeth and another pulse shot from her hands. “Okay. Not as easy as I’d hoped, but I can tell that you’re standing by a table with some sticks on it.”

  “Wooden swords, but good job.” Shay furrowed her brow. “Is there any way you can do that without making the light?”

  Alison shrugged. “Maybe. I’ll have to work on it.”

  “Guess it’s not a big deal if you do it somewhere that’s brightly lit. Most people probably won’t even notice.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Can you still see the magic on the table?”

  Alison frowned. “Yes, but it’s fading really quickly. If I hadn’t looked at the table before, I wouldn’t be able to make out what it is, and if I use more magic so the residue lasts longer, it’ll drain me pretty quick. Sending the big unfocused pulse is harder than I thought it’d be.”

  Shay smiled. “Doesn’t matter. All in all, still a good start. Like I said, not a replacement for the artifact, but good in a pinch, and something to work on. I think it’s more reliable than you trying to develop echolocation.”

  The girl raised her hands again and sent out another magical probe.

  Shay picked up a sword and tossed it toward Alison, and the girl snatched it out of the air with ease. Not quite Lily, but damned impressive for someone who was blind.

  “Good reflexes, kid.” Shay picked up a wooden sword from the table. “We’re not gonna go all-out in the fighting. Today I just wanted to see if you can use that trick to move around the room better. James’ fancy tactical room has at least helped teach you the importance of cover in a fight, so we’ll work on just being aware of where you are for now.”

  “Meaning what, exactly?”

  The tomb raider held up the sword. “Can you see my sword?”

  “No, but I can see your soul energy, and I can tell you’re holding a sword from the way you’re standing. It’s something I’ve been practicing for a long time.”

  Shay grinned. “Good. Inference is a powerful tool in a fight too. I’m gonna chase you around a little, and I want you to evade. Try to find places where you can slow me down but keep your weapon in hand at all times. If you lose your weapon in a fight, you’re done.”

  Alison frowned. “Not sure if I can get a good image using just one hand.”

  “That’s a good limitation to know and practice then. Sometimes when I’m doing raids, there are environmental limitations. If I’m gonna go underwater, for example, I know I can’t rely on my standard weapons. I have to predict, adapt, and overcome the challenges if I don’t want to get hurt.”

  “I’m not going to be a tomb raider.” The girl chuckled. “At least I don’t think I’m going to be. Although I’m not going to be a bounty hunter either, Dad keeps having me do bounty-hunter training.”

  Shay stalked toward Alison, smirking and raising her weapon. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t think I was gonna be a tomb raider when I was your age either. We never know what the future’s gonna bring.”

  Alison backed away. She lifted a free hand and emitted another pulse before pointing her hand behind her and doing it again. She turned and rushed toward a raised sparring ring Shay had set up in a corner.

  Good girl. I didn’t even tell you to try to go there.

  The tomb raider grinned and jogged after her. The teen rolled through the bottom ropes with ease and hopped to her feet.

  She shot Shay a grin. “I don’t know how long I can keep this up, but it’s fun. If I were being chased, I could blast my attackers with magic, too.”

  “True, but today isn’t about blasting away with magic.” The tomb raider hopped into the ring and over the ropes and swung at Alison. The clack of the girl’s wooden sword meeting Shay’s echoed in the warehouse.

  Shay took another swing. Alison dodged it this time.

  “Can you see the sword, or are you reading my body again?” the tomb raider asked.

  “Reading the body.” Alison thrust forward, and Shay blocked the attack.

  “It’s great having you home for summer break. James isn’t as mopey as he usually is. It makes everything more fun.”

  Alison laughed and tried two quick swings, but Shay blocked them with ease. She could knock the sword out of the girl’s hand if she wanted to, but she wanted the teen to get used to the idea of situational awareness and the new technique before they started drilling more hardcore. Humiliating her wouldn’t help in this situation.

  “Dad isn’t mopey, he’s just a thoughtful introvert.”

  Shay burst out laughing. “That has to be the first time that someone has ever described James Brownstone as a thoughtful introvert.”

  Alison took several quick steps back and held her hand to the side to send another pulse. She hopped over the ropes and out of the ring, and once she hit the ground, she ran toward a climbing rope that led to a raised platform.

  “He just has trouble expressing his feelings, is all,” she called over her shoulder. “I think he doesn’t realize what a good man he is. I keep telling him, but he thinks I’m just making stuff up.”

  Yeah, James loves himself some Catholic guilt, that’s for sure.

  The tomb raider rolled under the ropes and returned to her feet. “That we can agree on, kid.”

  Alison leaped onto the rope and grabbed it with her free hand while she gripped the sword in the other. She scooted up the rope at a decent clip with the help of her feet. It was an awkward movement with a wooden sword in hand, but if she’d been holding a gun, she would have been able to return fire without too much trouble.

  Good tactical instincts. You can’t teach that.

  The platform led to a series of swinging ropes, so Shay waited for Alison to reach the platform, then jumped onto the rope herself to follow the girl.

  The teen wobbled at the edge, and Shay hissed. She didn’t have most of the safety mats out. She hadn’t planned on the girl taking on the higher obstacles that day.

  The tomb raider climbed faster. “Can you see the obstacles still?”

  “No, but I’ve got a pretty good idea where they are.” Step after step, Alison moved closer to the edge.

  Should I say something? She’s supposed to have situational awareness, but shit, if she falls she could break something. I’ve got a healing potion, but that’s a pretty expensive lesson, and James will be pissed.

  Damn it.

  Shay crested the platform, her heart pounding as Alison dan
ced near the edge. One of the girl’s feet moved over the edge, her foot lowering itself toward nothing but air.

  “Careful,” the tomb raider shouted. “You’re about to fall.”

  Alison stood there on one foot, a grin on her face. She waved her sword and waggled her other foot. “You know what the guys at Camp Brownstone would say about this situation?”

  Shay took a deep breath and shook her head. “What?”

  “All warfare is based on deception.” Alison hopped back to the center of the platform and sent out another pulse. “Just wanted to mess with you a little, Aunt Shay.”

  The tomb raider rolled her eyes. “Cute, kid. Very cute. Annoying, too. Just so you know.”

  Alison rested the sword on her shoulder. “I appreciate what you and Dad are trying to do with all this training, and a lot of it’s been helpful or just fun.” She shrugged. “But I do think that sometimes you guys forget I’m not a little girl who needs to be protected from all risks.”

  Yeah, you just whined to your dad about having to do physical training at the start of your vacation. Then again…

  Shay chuckled. At Alison’s age, she was already murdering people for money. The girl did have a point. Her handicap was a disadvantage in some situations, but an advantage in others.

  The tomb raider shrugged. “We know you’re not a little girl, but we just want to do what we can to make sure you’re able to take care of yourself. You’re getting older, and you’re not always gonna be somewhere we can protect you. We both know how dangerous this world is, especially because of your heritage.”