Crossroads: An Artifactor x Deepwoods Short Story: Deepwoods, #5

By Honor Raconteur

Sometimes, as is often the case with magic, things go awry. Sevana's quite accustomed to magical explosions, fires, and curses in her daily life. People abruptly appearing inside of Big from a different planet? Well, she has to admit, that's a first.

Deepwoods Guild specializes in traveling, but with Grae at the helm, they've never had a path fail. Until now. For the first time in his professional career, Grae has no idea where they are or how to get them back home again.

But maybe, if the Pathmakers and Artifactors can put their heads together, they can figure it out.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raconteur House, LLC.
• Release date: Mar 30, 2025
• ISBN: 9798230365792

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Acknowledgement

Author’s Note

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Thank you for reading Crossroads!

Other books by Honor Raconteur

Author

Published by Raconteur House

Plymouth, MI

CROSSROADS: An Artifactor and Deepwoods Crossover Short Story

A Raconteur House book/ published by arrangement with the author

Copyright © 2024, 2019 by Honor Raconteur

Cover by Katie Griffin

steampunk vintage background with mechanical gears and cogs on canvas paper by Magergram/Shutterstock; Natural brown leather texture background. Abstract vintage cow skin backdrop design by Hitdelight/Shutterstock; Steampunk golden key with mechanical wings on rusty textural background by Black Moon/Shutterstock; Three steampunk keys with gears of gold, bronze and steel on black background by Black Moon/Shutterstock

This book is a work of fiction, so please treat it like a work of fiction. Seriously. References to real people, dead people, good guys, bad guys, stupid politicians, companies, restaurants, cats with attitudes, events, products, dragons, locations, pop culture references, or wacky historical events are intended to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. Or because I wanted it in the story. Characters, names, story, location, dialogue, weird humor and strange incidents all come from the author’s very fertile imagination and are not to be construed as real. No, I don’t believe in killing off main characters. Villains are a totally different story.

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Author’s Note

For your understanding and to avoid confusion, let me make the timelines clear. This happens two years after Fallen Ward, the last Deepwoods book. On the Artifactor side, this occurs just after Dreamer’s Curse. I set it at this time for two reasons: a) When a fan first gave me the idea, I’d just finished Fallen Ward and we were currently working on the third Artifactor book, so this timeline got stuck in my head; b) It was the only way, as I needed Sevana’s magic to work in order for this story to make sense, so it had to take place before Scofflaw Magician.

At any rate, there you have it.

Chapter One

Sevana blinked up at the ceiling, parroting back, There’s nice people inside?

Big, sounding both defensive and sheepish, gave a guttural groan of assent, the rocks sounding as if they slid against each other. Nice people. Sorry. Lost.

Oh, for the love of… Sevana was accustomed to Big taking care of any unwanted visitors (mostly looters), but never had someone accidentally entered the mountain before. Big normally closed them off before they got more than a foot inside. The only people who actually managed entrance were either very dangerous magicians, or people with terrible timing. I.e., when Baby and Grydon were bored and wanted something to chase. Sorry, nice, lost people was a new category altogether.

All right, fine, she huffed, laying down the tools in her hand. She wouldn’t get any more work done until the matter was straightened out. Where are they?

Show you.

Tugging up her goggles to rest on her forehead, Sevana followed the guides as Big led her out of her workroom door and to the left. The path sloped ever so slightly downward, indicating the way, but she’d barely switched to a different tunnel before she started hearing voices.

The voices got closer and more distinct as she walked, and Sevana tried to get a headcount as she moved. Big hadn’t mentioned an exact number, but it sounded as if there were at least eight people. She had a wand on her, and of course she’d snagged her sword, but strangely, she felt as if she wouldn’t need either. Big had been quite firm they were nice people, and she trusted his judgement. She rather had to as she couldn’t discern a single word they said. Sevana wasn’t exactly fluent in all the languages of the world, but she’d had enough exposure to them that she could usually at least pick out what language was being spoken.

This one sounded utterly foreign to her. She couldn’t begin to place it.

Following the curve of the tunnel, she stepped out into the wider cavern and paused there, a lantern in hand. A preteen, three women, eight men and—good grief, two of the men were veritable giants, although clearly not related. One of them was dark-skinned as any dark elf, and the other as pale and blond as the Fae themselves. These people did not look at all like thieves. They all wore bright colors for the most part, a clear mix of cultures based on their general appearances, and they didn’t have a single thief’s lamp or loot bag among them.

Sevana barely had two seconds to get an overall impression before three of the group instantly turned around. The two dogs—both of them dark-furred creatures about half the size of a full-grown wolf—whined at her approach. A thin, blond man raised his head sharply, spying her. She’d made no sound to speak of, but he’d detected her approach all the same, and his muscles and