Eye of the Jaguar: A Paranormal Thriller (The Protectors Book 1)

By Jeff D. Ellis

In a far away land to the north lies the Eye of the Jaguar, a powerful relic that allows the worthy to travel along the path of the Dark Sun to the Land of the Dead. It will be found by a shapeshifter touched by the gods of both earth and spirit. His mate will be a Shaman. Together they are the Protectors of their people. ~Mayan Prophecy

David and Abby are coworkers at a video game company. Their lives are turned upside down as David is chosen to protect the world against monsters, and she discovers her magic. Their partnership blooms into a powerful romance which neither are prepared for. Together they must face an evil that claimed the lives of David’s parents over an artifact of great power, the Eye of the Jaguar.

Five star reviews:
★★★★★ "Story moves like a bullet! Fun read!"
★★★★★ "An unusual shifter tale!"
★★★★★ "Great First Book!"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeff D. Ellis
• Release date: Sep 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005569495

Jeff D. Ellis

My novels are usually classified as paranormal romance or urban fantasy, but they're really all over the place, always with a great big dose of action and adventure. I've written two series set in modern day Seattle: Illicit Seattle (vampire romance and shady paranormal business dealings) and The Protectors (monsters and urban paranormal action).I grew up with a steady diet of reading fantasy and science fiction novels and writing computer programs. Later my tastes ran to the likes of Ian Fleming and Tom Clancy. Some of my current favorite authors are Jim Butcher, Craig Johnson, Daniel Silva, Michael Connelly, Larry Correia, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, and Neil Gaiman.I'm a fun-loving guy with a degree in Psychology and Computer Science, with more than 30 years experience working with computers and managing IT departments. I enjoy being creative with writing, 3D printing, and woodworking. I've also been an instructor of 3D animation. One high point was being introduced by Stan Lee as part of a team at ComicCon for work on 3D animation for Iron Man and Fantastic 4 back in the 1990s.I live in Auburn, WA (Seattle area) with my wife, one demanding cat and two ferociously protective dogs.

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Contents

Title Page

EYE OF THE JAGUAR

The Protectors Book I

Jeff D. Ellis

EYE OF THE JAGUAR

Copyright © 2017 Jeff D. Ellis

All rights reserved.

Published by DragonSight Publishing, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

This is a work of fiction.

Any resemblance it bears to reality is entirely coincidental.

First Edition: January, 2017

Updated: December, 2017

To my wife, Sheri, I could not have done this without you.

Paying the price

Connor could not believe he got sucked into this mess. His job was to protect people from monsters, not give some necromancer even more power! But they had his wife, Robin. He had to find the Eye of the Jaguar to prevent her death. It seemed like the best option to play along for now.

He was tired, hurt, and running out of time.

As Connor walked down the passage, it opened up in front of him and he found himself on a high ledge looking into a large cavern. The floor below was littered with stalagmites and water. The other side of the cavern was about twenty-five feet away and it seemed like that was where he needed to go. He could try and climb down, but he might not be able to get back up. He could try and make the leap across, but he had never jumped that far before and the fall could kill him.

I am a monster hunter, not a tomb raider!

Decision time. Connor took off his clothes, shoved them into his messenger bag, adjusted the straps, and hung it around his neck. Connor started to shimmer, and suddenly he became a jaguar. He walked back in the passage so he could make a running jump. The bag hung close around his neck. He hoped it would not impede his movements. It would have been better strapped across his back, but he would have needed help to put it there after he changed.

Connor closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He visualized the jump across. Once it was set in his mind, he took off running. The aches and pains from the earlier fighting were pushed out of his mind, as he ran faster than he knew he could. His claws grabbed into the earth, giving him the traction of a spiked runners shoe, and his powerful jaguar shoulders propelled him forward in huge strides. At the precise moment at the edge of the cliff, he leaped with all his might, flying through the air towards the other side. He stretched out as far as he could, extending his claws in hopes of grabbing the earth on the other side. He started to realize it was not going to be good enough. He slammed into the other side of the cliff with all his weight. His claws grasped at the sides of the cliff, trying to find any way to slow his descent. Success! He slid down the side of the cliff without falling, and reaching the bottom, he hit the water with a loud splash. The cold felt good on his strained muscles.

The water was neck-high on a jaguar. Connor changed back to human form and shifted the bag over his shoulder. He stretched out and felt noticeably better. It was one of the side effects of the change. Judging by the way he slid down the cliff face, going up was not going to work. Time was running short. He pushed himself to keep moving.

Connor followed the wall around and found a passage that had been blocked from the view above by the stalagmites. He shivered as he stepped onto the dry floor. He missed the protection and warmth of his jaguar pelt. He put on his dry clothes over his cold wet body. The passage was mostly level with a slight downward slope. Connor hoped that this was the right way. Getting lost could have dire consequences. As he traveled down the passage, the walls got smoother and more polished.

Connor could see an eerie blue glow coming up ahead. He slowed his movements and the sound of his footsteps became quieter. The passage ended at the entrance to a room where mysterious glowing light was emanating. Connor tried to see as much of the room as he could from the passageway. Mystic symbols were carved into the marble-like rock above the opening. He could not see any threat in the room, so cautiously he entered. The room was not unlike an indoor pool in some house of the rich and famous.

There were steps leading down into the water. The far side of the pool was fed by a flooded tunnel. Connor crouched down to see if he could tell how far the tunnel went before it came back up for air, but it looked like it had a gentle down angle. Finding air pockets along the way was doubtful. He could not afford the risk of added drag as he went through the water. Connor removed his clothes and left everything behind in the room, and stepped into the water.

Crap! This was not the calm pool it looked to be. It was like a rushing river that exited around the steps. He was facing a current that would try and expel him as he went. The way looked grim, but he had no choice if he was going to save his wife. Connor took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He wanted to build up as much oxygen in his body as he could before making the attempt. With one last deep breath, he dove into the icy current.

The water was clear and he could see a good distance ahead. He made better headway against the current than he had expected. Connor’s body started to ache from being deprived of life-giving air, but he pushed on. Panic was starting to set in. He tried desperately to quiet his mind. He could see it. The light at the end of the tunnel was getting larger. He just had to hold on a little longer. He could see by the reflections in the water that there was a room up ahead. Just a little more pushing and he would be done. His body felt like it was on fire. He was way past the point of no return, but he knew he had to push though it. He reached out with all his strength but the darkness was closing in. His body could take no more and was forced to take an involuntary breath. Water filled his lungs and the current now was winning. It was pushing him farther away from the air he so desperately needed.

As the darkness took over and everything was lost, only the love for his wife and son remained.

Visions of change

Fifteen years later….

David was standing in a forest. It was starting to get dark. He was unsure how he got there. The last thing he remembered was going to sleep at home. Maybe it was all a dream, but things were way too vivid to have been any dream. Normally his dreams were in muted colors and the moment he tried to direct anything in his dreams, he would wake up. He started walking down the trail between the trees. It seemed like the hiking trails on Cougar Mountain just up the hill from his house. David tripped over a tree root that knocked him to his knees. His vision shimmered and he felt a touch of vertigo. He blinked his eyes and colors were brighter. Oh, what was that smell? His nose was assaulted by a variety of things. He quickly narrowed down the most offending scent. There was rabbit poop next to where he fell. It was strange. He never noticed the smell when rabbits pooped in his yard at home. Sounds were also more directional. Even his skin felt different. He looked down and noticed he had paws. He must be in the body of some sort of wild animal like a fox or coyote. Judging from the coloring, he decided he must have become a coyote. David stretched his body and felt the reactions of his muscles. He felt light and powerful. It was strange seeing the world from knee level. Everything was the same but different. Funny how a change of perspective made a familiar place feel strange and new. It was time to give his new body a try.

He took off running through the forest. His new body moved faster than he ever had before. The ground moved quickly under his feet. He was jumping over tree roots and rocks with a natural grace he had never felt before. The forest breeze brought the scent of a rabbit to his coyote nose, and he took off after it. The hunt was on. As he followed the rabbit, he started gaining on it. Suddenly he lost sight of the rabbit. He circled around in order to pick up the scent, and took off again with laser focus on his prey.

The scent was getting stronger.

He heard the cry of a cougar. David was startled as the cougar jumped down behind him. The hunter had become the hunted. David was pelted by the bushes as he blindly ran to get away. As his mind calmed, he looked for ways to lose his hunter. He crossed a stream and found a log to hide behind. The rush of the water clouded his hearing. Maybe he lost the cougar. David quietly risked heading back. All of a sudden, he was slapped across the side by the cougar, like a cat playing with a mouse. David jumped and bolted off in another direction. He ran off the beaten trail into the bushes. He heard the cry of the cougar getting louder in pursuit. David leaped over a bush and found himself falling though the air. His heart was racing in a full-blown panic. His fear of falling was getting the best of him.

He felt the shimmering around him as he fell. Air took on a different feeling as his body soared. He had transformed into a peregrine falcon. He rose up on currents of air, and soared in large lazy circles. His body just knew how to sense the air currents and thermals. A calm was coming over him as the danger passed. His vision was amazing. He was able to notice the rabbit who had fooled him as well as the cougar. He was now death from above for the rabbit, but he decided the rabbit had earned some peace for the night. And he was definitely done messing with the cougar.

David decided to give his house a fly over. It was cool to see it from high above. It was much more vivid than looking at it on Google Earth. Three crows flew up from the trees behind his house. They were coming straight for him. This was not a friendly visit between birds. For the second time in one night, David had gotten himself in trouble. He flew up hard with his powerful body and banked sharply into a turn and was now above the crows. David dived down at the group, causing them to scatter out of the way of his claws. He pulled up and turned right as the crows tried to regroup. They were no match for David tonight. It was as if he was flying a fighter jet in one of his video games. The crows could turn tighter with their shorter wingspan, but he had more power. David widened the playing field as the crows broke off the attack. He was all alone in the sky again, but he was also far away from his house where these crows lived and nested. The crows got what they wanted.

David could see Lake Sammamish now and decided to take his own aerial tour of Issaquah and Bellevue. Looking down, he could see different fish swimming in the lake. David decided to give in to his instincts and picked out a nice salmon to hunt. He swooped down at what must have been 100 miles an hour. It only took a couple of heartbeats to close the distance. For a guy that normally got motion sick on rollercoasters, he found diving down through the air was incredibly liberating. David flared up and extended his claws just as he hit the water in order to catch the salmon.

At that moment, everything started to shimmer again and he felt a wave of vertigo. He was now under the water and everything was very different. Swimming was effortless and he glided through the water. He could feel sounds with his entire body. His vision was disorienting with his fish-eye view of the lake. Being a salmon was nothing like anything he had ever experienced. This was the most alien feeling of the night. He spotted a school of fish and headed their way. They scattered away at his approach. To be social, he was going to have to look for other salmon to swim with. Thinking of the falcon, David decided to stay farther away from surface. He did not want to end up as food for a falcon or an eagle. The water was getting dark and cloudy. David became worried he would not be able to see danger coming. Maybe he should try and find some silt to sleep in. Sleeping on the bottom of a lake did not sound like much fun.

A wave of panic flowed over him. He did not know how to get home. It’s not like he could tap his heels together and say ‘There is no place like home’. He swam up to the bank of the lake. As he started to feel the air over his fins, the shimmer happened again. David once again felt human.

The feeling of cold sweaty sheets clinging to his body woke David up. It took a moment for him to understand where he was. In the darkness, the shapes of items of his room took on new meaning. His heart beat quickly in his chest. He rushed over and turned on a light. David looked over at the clock and saw it was three a.m. How was he ever going to make it back to sleep? Did he want to? David felt more alive than ever before. It was as if he saw color for the first time in his life. He felt both stressed and exhilarated at the same time. The dream had unlocked something in his life and he was forever changed.

Just another Monday

David awoke Monday morning in a fog, and panicked. He was running late and was tired after the restless night of sleep. He quickly tossed on some clothes and grabbed a soda to go. David hit the road in his white Audi A3 Quattro. It was sprinkling today and he felt safer with all-wheel-drive. Seattle may not be as rainy as people think, but when it started raining after a dry spell, it was like people forgot how to drive. In the winter, there was sometimes black ice to worry about. His Quattro just made David feel a little bit better. Many people in the area bought Subarus. David shuddered at the thought of taking a lady out for a date in a WRX that screamed boy racer. He also did not want to feel embarrassed by handing a valet the keys to a cheap car. No, he wanted something with a little more class. Not that he got out much. His work-life balance programming video games was mostly work. It was a short drive to work. When he stuck to surface streets, sometimes he could be at work in twenty minutes. The freeway would actually make the drive take longer. The freeways in the Seattle area got clogged up really easily.

Dragon Sight Software was a small video game company in Bellevue located just off the 405 Freeway on 8th Street. It was a small game company with about fifty employees, about one step above independent game developers. The large game companies could afford to put several hundred people on each of their AAA games for years at a time. DSS took pride that the small teams own their games from start to finish. The company still operated like a startup. There was free coffee and soda, and a pool table in the lunch area for break times. People also visited the QA department to take their out frustrations on a heavy punching bag, a subtle attempt to encourage employees to stay longer. It worked. Employees could be seen at all times of the day or night in the building.

David had been writing game engine code for about three years at DSS. Not the glamorous graphics code, but more of the behind-the-scenes code that did things like collision detection. It was important since no one liked to shoot and miss, or get shot when behind cover. It was considered bad form to die from a sword stroke that was several feet away from hitting. The company had a mix of shared offices and cubicles. Because David had worked for the company for several years, he had a shared office, but had not worked there long enough to get an office with a window.

He shared the office with Abby. They were hired at the same time and had been paired up on projects from the start. She worked on the graphics everybody judged a game by. He and Abby had become really close friends over the years. Abby kept her long black hair tied up in a ponytail. She had hypnotic amber eyes and tattoos on her arms, and always wore black high-heeled Dr Martens boots that make her seem taller than her five-foot-five frame. Abby was already in the office when David arrived. She looked up and smiled.

Hey, David, Mark was looking for you. He wanted status on your bugs. You really look tired! I know it’s a Monday morning, but it’s not like you to look that bad. Did you have a fun weekend or something?

Morning to you too, Abby. I am just really tired. I had this weird dream. After that, I was tossing and turning, trying to sleep, and not getting any.

Abby, with a little twinkle, asked, Erotic dreams keep you up?

No, there was nothing erotic about it, just me and some animals.

She looked a little shocked. You weren’t doing anything bad to them, were you?

David was a little miffed. You know that’s not my style.

She smiled. I know, just teasing. I need to hear about this dream. Remember, I shared that dream where I was with another woman! That had to be more embarrassing than your animal dream!

David was not sure he wanted to share, but he knew Abby was going to keep digging until she knew what was going on.

I’ve never had a dream like this. Normally my dreams are more muted, like bad recordings, and usually when I realize I’m dreaming, I quickly wake up. This was totally vivid. For a time, I couldn’t tell if I was awake or dreaming. I think there are elements of the dream that could get made into a fun video game someday.

Her eyes went wide. Now I really want details!

I promise I will tell you. Can it wait until we go on our mocha run later?

She smiled again, that crinkly, warm smile that always got to him. Sorry to be pushing so hard. I was just trying to have a little fun. Sure, I can wait for our break time. She nodded and went back to her work.

David got busy fixing bugs in his code. He had