Storm of Dragon and Stone

By Thomas K. Carpenter

Dispatched to the realm of Montanhas to save the family business from bankruptcy while each of them vie for the approval of their father and leadership of the company, Moriganne and her siblings find they've been sent into a disaster of occult origins.

The newly purchased company of Lifestone was supposed to be their company's savior but has proved to be a demonic anchor around their necks. With restricted windows to evacuate and deadly conflict brewing between the workers and the nearby town, Moriganne tries to thread a dangerous path while trying to save everyone—but sometimes tragic events make heroic choices impossible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Carpenter
• Release date: May 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005987183

Thomas K. Carpenter

Thomas K. Carpenter resides in Colorado with his wife Rachel. When he’s not busy writing his next book, he's out hiking or skiing or getting beat by his wife at cards. Visit him online at www.thomaskcarpenter.com, or sign up for his newsletter at https://www.subscribepage.com/trialsofmagic.

Book preview

Chapter One

Montanhas Realm

August 2017

Leena Cohen had never killed anyone, and she didn't intend to change that today. There'd been a few close calls. A riot in Zorras, Chile, when she was chased to the corporate helicopter by a massive mob; the wars in the late '80s that forced them to shut down harvesting operations on the eastern side of Iraq; the mugger in Manhattan with a knife and balls the size of the borough who demanded her purse while she was wearing her Hall robes after leaving an alumni gathering.

Will you authorize lethal force? asked Mikhail Dresden, her head of security. The man had the warmth of a reptile. She was always surprised when he blinked. His blue eyes matched the environment in Montanhas—cold and inhospitable.

The day I authorize lethal force is the day that we have irrevocably failed.

Gate security personnel was hit with a rock. He'll need twelve stitches and need to be sent back for an MRI at the next available opportunity. It could have killed him.

Leena stared out the window overlooking the Lifestone compound. On the far side of the brick offices, past the barriers and shock lines that encircled the gate, a mixed group of humans and Montas with signs that read No Lifestone in Montanhas! or Corporate Rapers chanted.

No reprisals. Your man shouldn’t have had his helmet off, nor been outside the gate building. He was taunting them. I watched the footage, said Leena as she took a sip of her black coffee. Control your people.

"My apologies, but if you don't allow me to make a statement, they'll be emboldened by your reluctance. Fault or no."

Dresden stared unblinking, as if he knew her thoughts.

Noted, said Leena.

When he left, she shivered. There'd be a missive to headquarters, a complaint about her unwillingness to back his reprisal and that it was jeopardizing safety—as if violence could prevent violence.

Leena stared past the company compound to the ring of mountains—jagged, snow-kissed, a greenish tinge from copper corrosion, as the rocks were dotted with the mineral. Her mind tricked her into thinking it was Earth. At least until she glanced into the sky to the twin moons that hovered over the mountains: one grayish blue, the other rust red. Olho Frio and Vermelha. Night brought unfamiliar stars. She liked to tell herself she was still in her original universe and that one of those pinpricks could have been the sun, but researchers at the Halls had long ago proved these were separate universes, each to its own rules, like soap bubbles pushing against each other. Some were stranger than others. The idea of the Eternal City fascinated her, but the maetrie were dangerous and prickly, a deadly combination. Montanhas, thankfully, was nearly identical to her own world.

A faint rumble in the balls of her feet brought a tightness in her midsection. It was the third one this week. Leena checked the seismograph, noting the unsightly squiggle mark. The circular graph next to the first showed a similar trajectory, except it was measuring the presence of faez. A report on her desk from headquarters projected there could be a significant impact to the region in the window of six to fifteen months, which had increased their demands to extract as much product from the region as possible before they were forced to shut it down.

The gray smoke over the factory alerted her to a new batch of Aevita, the life-extension elixirs that had been a huge hit back home. No one else had been able to duplicate their results because they didn't understand the critical quality that gave their users three to five times the extension that D'Agastine Industries' and Pyramid Health's did. The only problem was that bathing their alchemical agents in copious amount of faez created secondary problems like the degradation of local environments. It'd cost Lifestone a fortune to find another realm that had thin barriers where faez could be extracted, since industry in the Undercity beneath Invictus was forbidden.

Leena thought about putting in for a transfer. She'd have to leave soon anyway, but the thought of winding down the plant that she'd run for eighteen years brought an ache in her soul. The only thing keeping her from doing that was she knew they'd bring in someone to wring the last drops from the factory, and while she knew she'd had to make unsavory decisions over the years, there were worse managers in Lifestone, who would treat Montanhas like a lawless frontier and let Dresden off his leash, ignoring the concerns of the native Montas and the colony of former Portuguese who'd bribed one of the patrons to bring them here through the portal network. There'd be bloodshed, she was sure of that.

A stab of migraine forced her to squint, taking the rods from her knees. Leena leaned against the desk. When she could muster a thought again, she rooted through her desk for the bottle of pills, popping an extra due to the severity. What she wanted was a drink—her bottle of Severance fungal-whiskey was empty—but the last shipment from Invictus had been over a month ago, and the next wasn't due for two more weeks.

Two weeks. Leena was glad the security guard hadn't been hurt worse. While she had a way of leaving the realm in emergencies, the cost was brutally high and possibly more dangerous than waiting, which made it unusable except in the direst of situations.

And that was the one thing that made her want to give Dresden a bit more leeway. Unlike the other times when Lifestone was run out of countries, she couldn't just pick up and leave on a corporate helicopter, whisked away at a moment's notice to safety. Extraction. If things went sour between regular shipments, they'd be at the mercy of the locals, and just as the seismic activity had given her more frequent indigestion, it'd spurred the locals to angrier protests. What would happen if there was a significant event?

Leena stared at the waving signs of the protesters on the incoming road. The safety of her people was paramount. Reluctantly, she leaned down and pressed the intercom button for Dresden's desk.

Mikhail. I'd like to talk some more about security measures. I think we could use some beefing up around here.

Agreed. I'll be right up.

She stabbed the button to end the call. Something about his tone gave her the creeps, but at least he was on her side if things went wrong.

Chapter Two

Ice Hold Realm

August 2017

The expanse of snowy near-vertical drop beneath Moriganne gave her vertigo as she regripped her poles and shifted her skis. The tips hung over the edge, one of five sets. Her siblings were to her left and right. The surrounding peaks were a mixture of ice and stone with few trees, at least what this place called them, and those were only at the lower elevations.

The worst thing about it was that it had been her idea. They'd come to Ice Hold for a family vacation (though Victor had only arrived this morning). The five of them had taken to the backcountry skiing, enjoying the recreation as one might, except they were in a different realm, rather than the resorts in Colorado or the Alps.

Shall we make this interesting? asked Ares. He'd bulked up during the summer and wore a heavy red jumpsuit. Moriganne wondered if it was in response to what Eloise had done to him. The bid to become stronger, to be more in control of himself.

Interesting, as in you tumbling down the mountain like an out-of-control snowball? I'd say it's pretty damn likely, said Ivan with a surly grin, leaning on his poles, wearing only a thin skiing outfit despite the sub-freezing temps. As usual, he was relying on his elixirs to carry the day.

A bet, you erectile dysfunction in human form, said Ares. What do you say, like a million apiece?

Ivan rolled his mascara-smudged eyes. He'd been up all night doing who knows what in the bar. I don't know. That's pretty lame.

Are we going to race to see who gets your syphilis when you die? asked Ares.

I reserve my STDs for only the most special people, which you are certainly not, said Ivan.

You'd have been dead years ago if it weren't for modern medicine, said Andromeda as she adjusted her black ski coat as if it were confining her. The area between the shoulder blades had a little bulge.

Har har. Thanks, little sis, said Ivan. You'd have been placed on the iceberg or fed to the local cannibal if you'd been born back in the day.

Hoping to veer them away from the meaner comments, Moriganne asked, What about, whoever comes in last has to do the dinner dishes?

Okay, I thought Ares' was lame, but that makes his look like a stone singer in comparison. Or maybe one of Ares' poor little swimmers. Ivan made an open-handed shuffling motion. Sorry, sis.

Can we just get on with this? said Kitty. All the dick measuring is tiring.

Her affection for all black had continued in Ice Hold. She held herself like a missile about to be launched.

We all know that Mori has the biggest one, said Ivan. Taking on Vic last year was ballsy.

The banter made Moriganne smile, even if the comments were cutting. Family, even as dysfunctional as the Charmer siblings, was precious. The last four days at the private off-realm resort had been memorable. They'd been skiing together in rough circumstances, aided by magic and obscene wealth, and now were about to set off down a steep mountain in a pseudo-friendly competition.

First one to the bottom gets to be Vic's successor, said Andromeda.

"That's stupid, Android, said Ivan. Only King Vic gets to decide that. Besides, the old syphilitic bastard isn't planning on dying, ever, just to spite us."

I like that, said Ares, nodding to Andromeda. Not for real, obviously. But you know, bragging rights.

The other siblings nodded, so Moriganne did as well. The friendly expressions turned colder, focused. Despite the windy, freezing air, there had been a warmth to their conversation, but that drained away at Andromeda's suggestion. The symbolism of the race had taken on a significant weight.

First one to reach the snowcat, said Ares. Everyone ready? On three. One...two...

Before he said the last number, Ivan tipped over the cornice with a whoop, a swirl of powder bursting around his impact.

Hey, that's—

Moriganne didn’t hear what Ares had to say, as she, along with the rest of them, pushed off the edge. The snow rose up around her but before it could interfere with her vision, she was rocketing down the face, picking up speed with every second, taking slight turns avoid larger obstacles, nudging her skis to faster speeds.

If she'd been a normal person, the pace would have been untenable, but her reflexes, endurance, and senses were all amped up from elixirs. The skis were enchanted for speed and stability, adjusting for her middling skill, and bracelets the proprietor of Ice Hold had given them would minimize impacts if they happened to fall off a cliff, or misjudge and hit a tree or rock. Still, the furious pace had her adrenaline on eleven.

The first ten seconds of the race was about picking up speed. The near-vertical slope gave her a dragster's acceleration. The wind was like ice against her face, even through the enchantments.

Both Kitty and Ivan were ahead, the black-clad assassin rapidly catching up to her twin, utilizing the reflexes and speed of her hall. As she moved to pass, Ivan flung something from his hand, which exploded with a bright flash and a thunderclap. Kitty went over in a ball of snow, tumbling, until she could no longer be seen, which brought a fist pump from Ivan. But then she popped out of the snowy mess, back onto her skis, having lost speed, but not her intensity.

Moriganne smirked at the skirmish until she heard a roar behind them. Ivan's pyrotechnics had unleashed an avalanche. Their hosts dropped explosives to knock loose built-up snow, but had warned them that not all dangers could be eliminated.

The slope funneled into twin chutes. Moriganne took the left, a fraction ahead of Ares, as the tumbling snow careened after them. Forced to take tight turns to avoid the rocky outcroppings, her skis tangled briefly, and Moriganne found herself out of control, riding on one rail with the other in the air. She barely got her ski down in time to avoid a broken stump, and the distraction gave Ares a chance to pass her.

As the five siblings burst out of the two chutes, the avalanche in swift pursuit, they reached the halfway point of the mountain. Kitty tucked into a downhill skier pose, ignoring the obstacles and forgoing the occasional swish of speed reduction. Her headlong embrace of gravity had the rest of them tucking to follow.

As the oxygen in Ice Hold was less dense than home, the elevation at which vegetation grew was lower. This wasn't a groomed slope, manicured for its attendees, but a jagged mountain with trees growing across its base like stubble on Ares' chin.

Far to the left, Moriganne saw an opportunity. She could veer over, losing some speed, but hitting an old avalanche path that had bowled over the forest, providing a safer skiing lane. Or she could continue ahead, dodging around the trees.

Ares took the avalanche path, but her other siblings stayed the course. Moriganne kept her focus downhill, shifting her hips slightly to cut around the trees.

The twins were fifty feet ahead and Andromeda was on her right. Unless she could pick up speed, she wasn't sure she could catch them.

Ivan attempted another flash-bang, but Kitty was waiting for it. The explosive bounced back, throwing him into a tumble, skis flying into the air away from his body. Moriganne almost blew past him, but remembered the avalanche careening after them.

She cut hard, the effort of stopping burning her legs and yanking on her knees as she slid up to Ivan, who was climbing out of his impact, delirious and spitting out snow. There was no time for him to find his skis and put them on.

Climb on my back, she told him.

Ivan blinked as he looked upslope, recognition hitting him. He hopped on. She abandoned her poles to hold his legs. The increased weight made maneuvering harder, but it helped their acceleration.

We're not going fast enough, yelled Ivan in her ear.

The avalanche was gaining on them. It was a roaring, tumultuous white wall that turned the snow around them to a sliding, liquid mess.

Throw one of those bangs behind us, she yelled back.

I'm out!

Moriganne tucked, her thighs burning with lactic acid. The vibration from the avalanche was turning the snow into slush, slowing them when they needed to go faster. A tree to her right snapped in half, splinters exploding out in a spray.

Fearing they weren't going to make it, Moriganne cut at an angle across the slope, hoping to slip out of the path. As she skied left, the tumbling snow bounced into her legs. She felt like a surfer in the center of a wave tunnel, trying to make it out the other side before it collapsed.

The sun and everything blotted out in a sea of white as the avalanche consumed her. Ivan was yelling in her ear. Snow pressed against her legs, severed tree branches slapped at her arms, and then, like a missile shot out of a cannon, they burst free.

The avalanche crashed past them, ripping whole trees from the ground. Worried that a second one might start, Moriganne kept skiing, even though her legs trembled with exhaustion.

They made it down the mountain long after the others. Ares was sulking at the snowcat with his arms crossed. Kitty was cleaning her skis methodically, while Andromeda looked like a snowy angel with black wings extending from her back.

Thanks, sis, said Ivan, hopping off as if nothing that terrible had happened. Android won?

She cheated, said Ares.

I didn't read anything in the tournament contract about not using wings, said Andromeda.

Moriganne high-fived her youngest sister. I guess we'll tell Vic that you're taking over for him.

Speaking of, said Ivan, gesturing towards the resort perched on the edge of the opposite mountain. A red flare arced through the empty sky. Looks like he finally arrived.

Good timing, said Kitty, nodding upward. Storm coming.

The mountains behind them were covered in clouds, the white mist descending. After taking off their skis, the five of them crowded into the snowcat for the rumbling drive back to the resort. Moriganne sat in back with her sisters. Andromeda leaned her head on her shoulder, and Kitty managed to let her leg rest against hers—a minor miracle. The snowcat climbed through the trees as thick snow assaulted the window. Halfway up, her ears popped from the altitude and all she could think about was sitting in front of a roaring fire, sipping whiskey and laughing about the day's adventure.

Chapter Three

Ares brushed the snow out of his hair and threw his helmet and gloves into a pile where one of the resort attendants would pick them up. His siblings were laughing as they climbed out of their cold weather gear, elbowing and pushing each other. He smiled when they looked to him—the big brother, the first to graduate from the Halls. He should have been the one to win.

I'm going to go clean up. Make sure you're down in a few. Vic has a lot for us to go over, he said.

Ivan made a face. "Thanks, Dad."

The others laughed with him.

Quit being so infantile, said Ares, leaving them behind. He caught Moriganne's glance. He didn't know how to read her anymore. There'd always been the naked ambition. She frightened people, much like Vic did. But now, it was different. The ambition was there, but it was something else entirely. He couldn’t see the direction the gears were grinding, couldn't see which way the knives were pointed. Or maybe she didn't see him as a threat anymore. She'd eviscerated him last year, using the footage of his crimes to end the feud with Vic and destroy him in their father's eyes—all in one convenient package.

When Monique had made the attempted takeover, Ares was sure it was going to ensure his position with Victor. Ivan was too much of a druggie, Kitty too aloof, and Andromeda—well, she was just her. Moriganne was his only true rival. The battle for control should have taken her out, but instead, she came out stronger. Vic saw her as a fighter, and saw him as a pawn. How could he have let Eloise fucking Lake dominate him like that? It didn't matter that she'd been inhuman. It didn't matter that she'd done it to others. She'd done it to him. Made him weak in front of his father. Victor had made no mention of it, but he could feel the looks, the disappointed glances. It was the Bastille charity event all over again.

Back in his room, snow pelted the window. The storm had collapsed over the resort, and he could barely see the railing on the balcony through the heavy downfall.

The mirror in the bathroom was not kind. He could see the doubt in his eyes. Was that what Moriganne was staring at? He made a fist and pounded down on the granite. The pain radiating from his knuckles felt good. Too good.

He wondered what they thought. They'd barreled down the mountain ahead of the avalanche, while he'd taken the easy way out. If it weren't for Ivan falling to his own backfired trick, he knew he would have been last.

The ski clothes had felt uncomfortable, but when he slid into his dark blue business suit it felt like proper armor. Can Vic see it? The thought was brief. He punched the counter again, breaking skin on his knuckles.

Before he left his room, Ares found the package of vials he'd brought from home. He'd gotten them from a friend at Coterie. He unstoppered one and threw it back. He'd been warned they tasted like shit—and they did. Ares made faces and shoved his mouth under the faucet to wash it away.

Ares strode into the lounge area, expecting to be first, but found Moriganne sitting next to the roaring fire across from their father, laughing about the avalanche. They sat in matching high-backed chairs. The head of a manticore hung over the fireplace—the almost human-like face of a lion with sharp canines in a permanent snarl. Fierce in expression, but no longer dangerous, just like him.

Ares, my boy, said Victor with a contemptuous grin, his watery red eyes regarding him. Third place. I would have expected Ivan to fuck his own shoe like that, but not you. Why didn't you stay the path? You could have won. Instead, you let the freak win. He tilted his head. At least she wasn't afraid of a little falling snow.

It was an avalanche stuck in his craw, unsaid. No matter that Ivan could have died, except for Moriganne's bravery. Damn her. She manages to win even when she loses.

It was a dumb race.

Right, said Victor, glancing at Moriganne with a surreptitious grin as if they were compatriots rather than father and daughter. He raised his glass of amber liquid to her and she matched his gesture. Well done. Nothing like stepping into the path of the storm to keep your brother safe.

Thanks, Vic, said Moriganne, nodding and then taking a sip.

She wore a dark blue- and black-patterned dress and had brought her laptop. He'd thought she would have showed up in après-ski clothes for a party.

Ares dragged a chair from the bar over to the sitting area, taking the spot next to Victor. A few moments later, the other three stumbled in. Ivan's eyes were dilated and his cheeks flush with whatever elixir he'd consumed. Junkie.

Andromeda had already shed her wings, thankfully. Every time he saw her body modifications it was a reminder of her wasted potential. It was a spit in Victor's eye. At least Kitty was a force in her own way. A good soldier. Once she graduated, she could head the Charmer Inc. security and corporate espionage division. At least that's how he would use his sister.

Well done, kids. The side-glance was filled with disappointment. Good on you, Andromeda. Maybe you're more ingenious than I give you credit for. Keep surprising me. He winked.

To Ares' surprise, Andromeda blushed as if she cared what he thought of her. If she really did, she'd have joined the hall he'd wanted her to, instead of scurrying off to the Weird Circus.

We all good? asked Victor from his chair by the fire. Good. Because I need your full attention.

Ares smiled to himself because he already knew what was going to be said. Even Moriganne didn't know. He'd worked on it all summer, getting it ready for the moment of reveal. He sat tall.

"Charmer Inc is in a world of hurt right now. Even before last year's...difficult situation, we were struggling. The Meraki deal cost a lot of capital, and my age has the hounds gathering for a feast. The unrest in Invictus isn't helping. Too many weird events have people thinking less about business and more about covering their ass. When the tide goes out, I don't want to be caught naked with a lobster having a go at my balls.

What that means is we need to grow to survive. If we don't eat someone else's lunch, someone's going to make us theirs. I spent the summer going over potential targets–Ares puffed up his chest, waiting for the acknowledgement of his work—and what I decided after a lot of research and strategic analysis was that we're going to go after Lifestone.

Don't you—

The words were out of his mouth before he thought about it. Victor glared in his direction.

Did you have something to say, boy?

Ares swallowed, feeling the heat of their gazes on him. No. Nothing. It's fine.

Victor went on speaking as Ares wallowed in shame. Why couldn't you keep your mouth shut? Fawning after his attention like a schoolboy isn't going to cut it. Look at the way Moriganne doesn't give a shit about anything. Why can't you be more like her?

Ares? You with us? asked Victor.

What? Yes, of course.

Victor curled his lips downward. "Well, I asked you to explain the details, but since you didn’t come prepared, I guess I'll have to do it for you.

"As I