Cormorant Run Read online

  Cormorant Run

  J. C. McKenzie

  Contents

  Books by J. C. McKenzie

  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

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Characters

  Glossary of Terms

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  “Up!” she yelled. With a strong pump of her wings, she strained upward.

  The bird-brained prince gaped at her.

  Argh.

  She swooped down, gripped a fist full of his hair and yanked.

  Up! Up! Up!

  “Up!” she screeched again, straining for the angry sky.

  Ronin growled but listened, angling upward, and beating his powerful wings.

  The tension from pulling his hair eased as he caught up to her.

  “Stop pulling my—”

  “Move!” she hissed and let go of his hair. The energy pooled in the depths directly below them. The monster was too close.

  And too hungry.

  “Move!” She beat her wings frantically. It wasn’t enough. They weren’t going to make it.

  The Sea Beast burst from the ocean. Only his gaping mouth with rows of sharp jagged teeth and the dark depths leading to his empty stomach were visible. An ambush attack from below. The giant monster thrust upward from the ocean, driving his toothy mouth closer and closer toward them.

  Praise for J. C. McKenzie’s books

  Conspiracy of Ravens

  “Raven is my kind of people. Half hot-mess, half bad-ass, all awesome… the story was had plenty of humor, action and mystery rolled up in a nice paced story.”

  ~ Urban Fantasy Investigations

  Nevermore

  “The dramas, dangers, intrigue, and tension of NEVERMORE will have you glued to the pages, and when it is finished, Ms. McKenzie will have left you satisfied yet wanting more.”

  ~ Fresh Fiction

  Queen of Corvids

  It has all the classic comedy, angst, and drama that I have come to expect from J.C. McKenzie, and then it piles on mystery and more interesting characters.

  ~ Lady with a Quill

  The Call of Corvids

  “This is a fascinating read that brings together a world that has been marred with fae wars”

  ~ Fresh Fiction

  The Night House

  “From the very first page till the very end I was hooked on this book and read it in less than one day...it had everything you could want from a story romance, secrets, lies, suspense, surprises and more.”

  ~ Paranormal Romance Guild

  Shift Happens

  “SHIFT HAPPENS has excitement, intrigue and lots of danger. I love the whole cast of characters and how they played a part in the story” ~ Fresh Fiction

  Beast Coast

  “I loved this book as much as the first. There are secrets, surprises, and all manner of supernaturals.”

  ~ Paranormal Romance Guild

  Carpe Demon

  “The story keeps the adrenaline pumping and spine tingling tension building throughout the story with well written scenes full of vivid details that capture the imagination and make it easy for the reader to become engrossed... ~ Literary Addicts Book Community

  Shift Work

  “It’s a terrific series and if you like supernatural reads, with a side of romance, the sort with solid and intense plots, gripping and very real dangers, hard choices, supernatural people some of whom can be selfish, cruel and bloodthirsty…You’ll be hooked.”

  ~ Jeannie Zelos Book Reviews

  Beast of All

  “This time out, J. C. McKenzie has outdone herself with high-velocity action, soul deep emotions and one of those finishes that you want to replay over and over!”

  ~ Tome Tender

  Dangerous Dreams

  “This new world promises to be an adventurous one full of snark, passion, thrills, romance, danger and wonderful characters and I can’t wait to read the next one.” ~ Stormy Vixen Reviews

  Dangerous Liaisons

  “Loved this story and loved Raf and strong, stubborn Lara and I can’t overlook Lara’s dragon who brought humor to this story.” ~ Paranormal Romance Guild

  The Good Griffin

  “THE GOOD GRIFFIN is as addictive as a double shot of espresso, only without any of the withdrawal symptoms.” ~ N. N. Light

  Books by J. C. McKenzie

  Cormorant Run

  The Night House

  Conspiracy of Ravens

  Nevermore

  Queen of Corvids

  The Call of Corvids

  From the Shadows

  Shift Happens

  Beast Coast

  Carpe Demon

  Shift Work

  Beast of All

  Dangerous Dreams

  Dangerous Liaisons

  Dangerous Decisions

  The Good Griffin

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Cormorant Run

  COPYRIGHT © 2020 by J. C. McKenzie

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art: Eerilyfair Design

  Publishing History:

  First JCM Publications Edition, 2020

  ISBN: 978-1-9992394-8-0 (print)

  ISBN: 978-1-9992394-9-7 (ebook)

  To my children, L and V

  My two favourite reasons to smile…

  And also my two favourite reasons for getting grey hair.

  “It has been claimed that genetic engineering is like nuclear science, as both confer a power on humans for which they are psychologically and morally unprepared.”

  D. R. J. MACER

  1

  "Oh, meltdown. It's one of these annoying buzzwords. We prefer to call it an unrequested fission surplus.”

  Mr. Burns, The Simpsons

  A monster free flight. Things were looking up. The salt spray lifting from the churning ocean below slid over Cora’s skin like a calming balm to her soul. She tucked her wings in and dove closer to the surface. Described by ignorant people as a cross between humans and birds, sapavians like Cora were neither, and both at the same time. She might have bird DNA running through her veins, but other than the giant wings protruding from her
back and bird-like tendencies, Cora could pass as a human.

  Not that she’d want to.

  Ugh, humans.

  She shuddered and dropped her arm to trail fingers in the ice-cold water. Finally, she was free to glide in the air flows on another run. The day-long journey had flown by. Pun intended. No dirty city filled with members of the Seagull Clan squawking at each other, no vultures haggling over prices in the market, no pigeons flapping around, getting in the way to deliver important messages, or hawks watching everything to report back to the king. And no eagles…well, no eagles being eagles. Pompous, self-righteous egomaniacs, the lot of them.

  As a member of Cormorant Clan, Cora preferred the serenity of the ocean. If she had time, she’d dive below the surface and check for the pink run. They were later than usual.

  The treeline of the awaiting shore loomed closer. Iom, the Isle of Man, led by King Aeneas. Humankind defied their name because there was nothing kind about them. The vicious beasts shot arrows at anything with wings. Humans had a wealth of land and other resources, yet loathed sapavians for their mastery of the ocean.

  A flash of silver caught the fading sunlight. A jumper. The pink run had finally arrived.

  Cora dipped closer, the salt spray coating the underside of her black wings and flying leathers.

  Something cold sliced her shoulder. Her skin stung.

  What the hell was that?

  She patted the area with her hand. The cold sensation quickly turned to burning heat. She stared at her red fingers. Blood.

  Blood.

  Alarm bells screamed in her head.

  She careened to the side. Another arrow shot past, narrowly missing her. She clenched her teeth and rode the surface of the ocean, weaving back and forth. She couldn’t go skyward now. Without momentum, ascension took time. If the archer reached her over a kilometer from the shore, she’d become a pincushion if she tried to gain altitude right now.

  Instead, she turned to the left, straight for the cliff. Another arrow flew into the sea directly in the path she’d travelled. Her heart pounded and her skin tingled. She needed to get out of range. She veered harder to the left. More arrows hit the water.

  She strained forward, pushing her wings against the turbulent air to stay aloft and increase her speed. The sounds of arrows smacking the water’s surface grew distant. Or was that hopeful projection?

  The Cap Cliffs grew closer. With a great thrust, she angled up, flying leathers brushing the rough sandstone cliff as she flew along the surface and away from her would-be murderer.

  Fucking humans.

  They always scouted the Channel Access Point but getting shot at the Cap rarely happened nowadays. Bad luck? Or something else? Had they discovered her contact in the nearby village?

  With the wind under her wings, Cora pushed forward and into the protection of the trees. Out of sight and out of range, she touched down. Her leather boots pressed into the dry summer soil and the wind caressed her back with sweet promises. Just turn around, the sea wind whispered. Return to my sweet embrace.

  She tucked in her wings, the tips touching the sun-warmed path. The contact was more of an annoyance than a hindrance. She didn’t like walking when she could fly. And she hated getting shot by an arrow even more.

  Gingerly pressing against the wound, her fingers came away bloody again. Thankfully, the cut wasn’t as bloody as before. The bleeding had eased, but a dull throb radiated from the injury. The arrow hadn’t sliced deep as it whistled past her and it hadn’t caught an artery or a wing. Just a nick, really. She’d been lucky. As long as she kept the wound clean, she’d mend. If she could take a dip in the ocean, she’d be even better.

  Cora sighed, her wings drooping with the action. She needed to deliver the message to her contact and return home to report on the salmon run. Splashing around in salt water with humans actively hunting her would be irresponsible, and just plain stupid.

  The sun dipped below the treeline and cast Cora in a world of shadow. The trip took most of the day and all her energy. She’d have to wait for the morning to return to the Eyrie across the Carrion Channel, but she had little hidey holes around the area. Even with the heightened danger, she enjoyed this time abroad.

  As she walked, she stepped on fallen pine needles and stirred up the sweet smell she associated with the end of summer. The forest hummed with wildlife. Birds cooed and called from the branches. At one time, her people had been synonymous with the birds, but a nuclear tsunami in the aftermath of extensive genetic experimentation had changed that.

  Cora continued down the forest path. The clank of metal, the groan of wood and the clamber of humans talking trickled up from the town through the trees. The townsfolk of the small fishing village would be busy finishing the day’s work before they lost the light.

  From all accounts, the humans had history books just like sapavians, which told stories of grand cities with all sorts of convenient amenities, many of which didn’t require electricity. But a lot of humans believed if they started using the ways of the pre-cascade societies, they’d invite further ruin. The advance of technology had been the previous empire’s downfall, after all. So instead, humans shied away from some of the ancient knowledge, embracing a practice they called, “the forgetting.”

  Complete nonsense. Dad always said, “Work smarter, not harder.”

  She took a deep breath and regretted it. Lack of technology also meant questionable hygiene and waste disposal for some of the smaller fishing communities. She struggled to tolerate the outskirts of town. Assuming she wasn’t shot down first by an arrow-happy human, she’d never survive if she actually ventured in. If only she could practice her own form of forgetting.

  Cora found the deteriorating stump and pulled out the candle and flint from the notch in the side. After making a small pile of dried twigs and grass, Cora knelt down and shielded her work with her wings. She struck the flint with the stone. Sparks shot out and the grass caught on fire. Cora leaned down and blew, coaxing the red embers to life. The twigs cracked and popped as the fire spread and warmed Cora’s face.

  Finally.

  She dipped the wick of the candle into the small fire. When she first started making these runs, she’d tried to light the candle wick directly from the stone and flint. She’d failed, epically and repeatedly. Maybe she should’ve practiced more, but she found a method that worked and stuck with it.

  Armed with her single flame, she stood and snuffed out the burgeoning campfire with her foot. Cora walked farther down the path to another open area. Similar to the previous one, this break in trees offered shelter from the coastal winds and a clear view of the town below. A single stump sat in the middle of the small clearing, close to the cliff’s edge. Cora placed the candle in the holder sitting on the stump.

  Well, that’s done.

  After leaving the candle to flicker in its protected location, Cora walked back to the woods and made her way to the meeting location. Hopefully, her contact looked out the kitchen window tonight. Once, it had taken days for her signal to garner a response. She’d gone through five candles and had to restock her supplies.

  Cora enjoyed many things about her trips to Iom, but not humans or fishing villages.

  2

  “Someone didn’t get the message about not shooting the messenger.”

  Cora Cormorant

  A branch snapped and Cora pulled herself upright, withdrawing a dagger from her thigh-sheath in one smooth motion and waited. This better be Ava. If some numbskull stumbled upon her in the dark, the whole mission would be a bust and they’d have to figure out a new system and meeting place. Cora liked this one. The trees shielded her from the wind, and if she needed a quick getaway, she could take three lunges to the left and dive off the cliff to the murky ocean below.

  The sounds of stumbling footsteps echoed in the dark forest and a woman hissed.

  “Please, speak up,” Cora whispered. “I don’t think the whole village heard you.”

  Ava sc
owled under the moonlight and swatted a branch out of her way. “I hate this place.”

  “Really?” Cora rose her eyebrows and brushed her dark hair out of her face. “I think it’s perfect.”

  “You’re not the one facing imminent death if you walk two steps too far to the north or east.”

  “Please. With those stubby legs, you have at least four steps until you fall to your death.”

  Ava narrowed her dark, almond-shaped eyes at Cora and placed her hands on her hips. “If you weren’t so generous with intelligence, I wouldn’t be here at all.”

  Cora sheathed her dagger and brushed off her hands on her leather pants. She pulled the sealed letter from the pocket of her bodice. No crest covered the seal, but she recognized the smell and colour of the wax. Only one house on the Eyrie used this particular premium red wax. The same house Cora preferred to have nothing to do with.