AIR Series Box Set

  Table of Contents

  Stonecoat: Novella 0.5 (AIR Case Files Book 1)

  Shattered Soul (AIR Series Book 1)

  Broken Paths (AIR Series Book 2)

  Stolen Sight (AIR Series Book 3)

  Fenrisúlfr: Novella 3.5 (AIR Case Files Book 3)

  Fractured Worlds (AIR Series Book 4)

  Stonecoat License Notes

  Copyright © 2017 by Amanda Booloodian

  Cover Art by Deranged Doctor Design

  Formatting by Vicki Deiter

  Published by: Walton INK

  Printed in the United States of America

  ISBN-10:0-9973353-6-X

  ISBN-13:978-0-9973353-6-1

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions, please contact Walton INK.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Walton INK

  www.Booloodian.com

  Dedicated to all of my friends and family who have provided support and encouragement.

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  Stonecoat Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  The monotonous click click click of the too-old keyboards might as well be a company jingle. Keying in thousands of numbers into a spreadsheet wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I became an accountant. Mom called it paying my dues, but I think I just ended up in a crappy job. Occasionally, I would get the chance to analyze the data.

  How sad is it that I spent my work hours wishing to analyze data?

  It's a job, though. Not glamorous or exciting, but hey, at least you're sure to have nightmares with a clackity clack sound in the background. Oh, and you'll be able to pay the bills.

  Two people walked by my cubicle and I paused long enough to watch them. Aside from lunch, it was sure to be the highlight of my day.

  My phone rang, which was a welcoming change.

  "This is Cassandra Heidrich, with Simpson, Stone, and-"

  "Cassie, this is your grandmother."

  "Hi, Gran, I'm glad you called. Mom mentioned-"

  "Sorry, sugar, there's no time. I need you to pick me up."

  "Um, I'm at work right now."

  "It's an emergency."

  I sat up straighter and came out of the work-related stupor to which I had regressed. "Is everything okay? What happened?"

  "No time to explain. Get on over here."

  "Where are you?" I asked.

  "Home, and I'll expect you here in five minutes."

  My heart began to beat faster. Ever since her third husband had passed away, she'd been living alone in a two-story house that was far too big for one person.

  "Are you hurt? Should I call 911?"

  "What you need to do is get over here," Gran said.

  "Right, I'm on my way." Gran hung up and I snatched my purse from my desk drawer, paused for two seconds to tell my boss I had a family emergency, and then ran out of the building.

  There was no way to make it to Gran's in five minutes, but I was damned sure going to try as hard as I could. Our town wasn't exactly large, but it was a college town. For the next three weeks, we were stuck with idiots who walked in front of cars and created more traffic than necessary. Since I had attended school here for most of my college years and had been one of those idiots, I knew how to avoid the worst of them.

  Stop signs became more of a suggestion than a rule as I flew through town. Keeping an eye out for the police wasn't easy, but I was ready to explain how that light really had been green when I had entered the intersection, or that my accelerator was stuck. Generally, the lies would come easier, but my brain couldn't spare extra thought. Right then, it was busy trying to shove down different scenarios of finding Gran injured. The trouble was that when I knocked one thought out of the way, another one took its place. Each one was worse than the previous.

  When I screeched to a stop in her driveway, risking whiplash or house damage with my sudden stop, I was pretty proud of myself for not being in tears. However, the shaking in my hands gave me away.

  Tearing out of the car, I ran up the steps and came face to face with Gran leaving the house.

  "Gran, are you okay?" I asked while looking her over. No blood, no bruises, and not a rumple in her shirt.

  "I'm not hurt, I'm in a hurry," Gran said. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Now give me a hug and let's scoot on out of here."

  After hugging her a bit more tightly than I normally would, I tried to calm my nerves.

  "So, what's the emergency?" I asked, trying to make the comment passive to hide my panic over her expected condition.

  "I'll explain on the way," Gran said as we got into the car.

  "I'm going to need to know where we're going to get us there," I said.

  "We're headin' south," Gran said.

  "I need more than that to go on."

  Gran was quiet for a moment. "Go towards Mares County, whichever way is fastest."

  Once we were making good time on the highway, Gran appeared more at ease.

  "You mentioned something about your mother," Gran said.

  "Oh, yeah," I said, “she thought we should get together sometime soon. Maybe have dinner at your place."

  Gran sighed. "You mean she wants to snoop around."

  "I think she's worried about you." It was a sentiment that I shared.

  "Does she want to bring that husband of hers?"

  "Probably, but she didn't say one way or the other."

  "That man is the dullest person I've ever met. I'll never understand why your mother ended up with him."

  Bob was definitely not the most exciting person around, but he was nice and didn't pry. Since Mom married him before I was out of high school, these were essential qualities, so I didn't say anything in response.

  "Did she tell you she wants me to move in with her?" Gran asked.

  "No," I lied. Mom had mentioned it several times, usually accompanied by phrases like, 'she's getting on in years,' or 'she needs to learn to ask for help.' Personally, I didn't think Gran needed any help. I worried about her, sure, but Gran was always on the go with friends and she's active. Mom had been trying to make it sound like Gran was getting too old to be on her own.

  "Humph," Gran said. "You'd think that a family full of psychics would be better at lyin’."

  "I'm not a psychic, Gran, and Mom tries to forget about the whole thing," I said.

  "She wasn't always that way," Gran said, looking out the window and sounding a bit further away. "There was a time when I thought she'd outpace me."

  "I've never seen that side of her."

  "It was a long time ago." Gran seemed to come out of her reverie. "And you are going to outstrip us all."

  "I'm a Reader, Gran, not a psychic."

  "I know very well what you are, young lady, and I know you've stopped using your gifts."

  Once again, I didn't say anything. Gran was right. I hadn't read the Path in ages.

  "It's none of my business," Gran said. “No, that's wr
ong. You’re my granddaughter, so it is my business. You had one bad experience, but you shouldn't be hiding away."

  "My fiancé convinced me and everyone we knew that I was crazy and tried to have me committed." I gripped the steering wheel hard. I hadn't thought of Zander in a month and I didn't appreciate the reminder. "That's more than a bad experience."

  "I suppose," Gran said, not sounding remotely convinced, “but if you don't open yourself up to it again, it's not going to be there when you need it. Your mother is a prime example."

  I let out an exasperated breath and rubbed my head.

  "You're okay, though," Gran said after sitting quietly for a while. "I know you'll be fine."

  This was the most aggravating part of my grandmother. She'd say something, sounding like she knew exactly what would happen. If it were a premonition, it would happen. She'd never been wrong. If I wanted to know if it was a prediction of the future or Gran making an assumption, I 'd have to ask.

  Sometimes, it was better not to know.

  "What are we doing out here, Gran?" I asked, desperate to change the subject.

  "We're pickin’ someone up," Gran said.

  My frustration levels rose, but I tried to keep my voice level. "How is that an emergency?"

  "If we don't pick them up the moment they arrive, bad things are going to happen," Gran said.

  I shifted in my seat, frustration leaking out. "What kind of bad things?"

  "Turn off the highway here," Gran said, “make a left, then a right at the sign."

  I waited for more, but Gran remained focused on the road. "Gran? The bad things?"

  "What? Oh, the bad. It'll be the end of the world as we know it," Gran said.

  I rolled my eyes at her dramatics. "You're saying that if we don't pick up this friend of yours that the world is going to end?"

  "Don't be so dramatic," Gran said.

  My mouth dropped open to protest, but I never got anything out.

  "The world isn't going to end," Gran said. "It's going to change. That's why I said the end of the world as we know it. "

  I closed my mouth and shook my head.

  "Well, things are going to change anyway. They always do," Gran said. "You passed the sign!" Gran twisted in her seat and looked back.

  "There isn't a stop sign anywhere around here. In fact, there's nothing around here." Which was true. There weren't even any cars on the road, and the road itself was lined only with farms and the occasional tree line.

  "I didn't say stop sign. It was that blue sign back there. Turn around."

  "Right," I said, "turning around."

  Once I found the correct road and was moving in the right direction again, Gran appeared satisfied.

  "So, what can cause the end of the world as we know it?" I asked.

  "Just about anything, really," Gran said. "Most recently, my world was turned over by your grandfather passin’ away."

  "Are we picking up a friend of his?" I asked.

  Gran laughed. "I doubt that, and it's not my friend. I've never met them before."

  "You're telling me we're going out to the middle of nowhere to meet a complete stranger?"

  "Not going," Gran said, "we're already out in the middle of nowhere. Pull over up here, before the bridge."

  I did as she asked, making sure the parking brake was set since we were on a hill. "Gran, I don't think this is a good idea."

  Gran opened her door and got out. Before I had made it out of the car, she was already moving towards the bridge.

  "Gran, wait a minute!" I scurried after her. "This isn't smart. There's no one around. You could be out here waiting for a deranged lunatic to show up."

  "Darlin', you've got to relax."

  "Does that mean that things turn out okay?" I asked.

  "I'll let you know when I find out."

  No one was out here. I eyed the trees around the creek ahead. It was only us. Maybe Mom was right and Gran did need looking after. Gran could do what she wanted out here, but I was going to have to talk with my mother and let her know what happened.

  "You're going to get dirty if you move into the ditch," I said. "Why don't we stay on the road?”

  "Cassandra Anala Heidrich, I don't know what's happened to you." Gran turned to me and put her hands on her hips. "Do you remember when the boy next door said something mean and you made him take it back?"

  "That was a long time ago, Gran."

  "You threw him into a mud puddle and sat on him until he apologized."

  "I was young."

  "And that girl who was mean to your friend Willow in high school?"

  "You mean the girl who kicked my butt? Mom grounded me for two months. I remember."

  "The point is, you never put up with anyone doin' somethin' you thought wasn't right. You weren't afraid to jump in and get your hands dirty, despite getting’ hurt. You stood up for yourself and others."

  I crossed my arms, more out of embarrassment than frustration. "That was a long time ago, Gran."

  "You've been cowed, lettin' others push you around and tell you what to do. You let that man Zander frighten you."

  My face felt like it was burning with humiliation mixed with a healthy dose of anger. "That's not fair!"

  "It's not, is it? Well, you let me know when my Cassie gets back. For now, I'm going under the bridge."

  Gran walked through the tall grass and made her way through the ditch. She had never spoken to me like that before. My grandmother was sweet, baked cookies, and helped her only granddaughter anytime I needed it. When Mom and I fought, Gran was almost always on my side, and she always had time for me.

  Now she was telling me I was unnerved and was letting people beat me down. That wasn't my Gran.

  That wasn't me, was it?

  I sniffed. Maybe I'd meet with Mom this evening. Now, though, I needed to be strong and take care of Gran when she found out no one was meeting her.

  After a few steadying breaths, I followed her. My good heels were immediately ruined, sinking into some sort of sludge that ran through the ditch. Cringing, I caught up with Gran as the grass turned into rock and concrete.

  "Should we be here?" I asked.

  "Tsk, tsk," Gran said, shaking her head.

  "I meant, is this legal."

  "Does it matter?" Gran asked. "What's the worst that could happen?"

  "Getting a ticket, getting arrested, getting shot for trespassing."

  "You're soundin’ more like your mother every day."

  I didn't have to be a mind reader to know that Gran didn't mean it as a compliment.

  "There's no one here," I said. "How long do we need to wait?"

  "Only a few minutes. I think we need to move back, though. Closer to the edges of those metal beams."

  We moved as far away as we could while still being under the bridge. My stomach was twisting around and I felt like I was going to be sick. Anticipation of who might show up was only a small part of my trepidation. What Gran had said was causing most of my discomfort. Had I really changed that much?

  Thinking about the last two years wasn't helpful. Gran and Mom had dragged me away from college during my senior year. The whole time they had argued with Zander about my sanity. It was worse when they got me home and had to spend time fighting with me, trying to convince me I hadn’t lost my mind. After a semester off, Mom had me transfer schools and finish up my degree out of state.

  I was still me, right? I mean, I knew Zander was wrong, and I knew what I could do. My powers were real, not make believe.

  A small, forgotten part of me squirmed. If that was true, why had I avoided reading the Path for this long?

  I didn't let people tell me what to do, right?

  That was even worse to think about. The click click click of fingers on keyboards rang through my head, but that was life, wasn't it? Grow up, get a job, buy a house, get married, have kids. Sure, I wasn't ready to jump into dating anyone, and after leaving my fiancé, I couldn't imagine myself ever getting married.
The rest, though, I could do that.

  Is that all there was for me?

  "Dry your eyes now," Gran said lightly.“We're about to have company."

  Blinking, I noticed my tears for the first time. Great, now I was crying in public. Well, public was pushing it, but I was outside of my house anyway.

  "I don't see anyone," I said after wiping my eyes with my sleeve. “And I didn't hear a car."

  "I don't think this person is arrivin’ by car," Gran said.

  "They're walking?" I glanced behind me, expecting to see someone sneaking up.

  "Sit still and watch." Gran pointed a finger.

  There was nothing there. Trees rustled a short distance away, but nothing else. Then pressure began to build in the air.

  "Something’s wrong." I closed my eyes. It felt like the air was pushing at me from all directions, compressing me.

  "Another minute, darlin'," Gran said.

  When I opened my eyes, she appeared completely untroubled, but she was watching intently straight ahead. I turned to see what might be coming through the trees. A bright light hovered ahead of us, underneath the other side of the bridge.

  It was moving. The thick air squeezed me, putting my stomach in even worse distress than I had managed on my own.

  The light grew dim, but it was expanding in size and moving in a circle. It was a whirlpool of air, but standing upright.

  What was this thing? What had Gran brought me to? Something inside told me to run, get away. A smaller piece, one that I was good at ignoring, wanted me to move closer. The whirling mass grew almost to twice my height. Then there was a flash of light and the heavy air flew away as if a balloon had been popped. Feeling light headed, I clasped my hands to my skull, trying to get rid of the feeling I was going to pass out at any moment.

  "Don't be foolish," Gran said.

  "Hey!" I said, offended by her words. Looking up, though, I saw that she wasn't talking to me.

  The swirling mass had been replaced with a large rock and Gran was walking over to it. I watched her while letting my head clear.

  "Hello." Gran rapped her knuckles on the rock. Nothing happened, so she did it again.