Triple dare book three o.., p.1
Triple Dare: Book Three of Dare2Believe, page 1
Triple Dare
D.H. Aire
Book Three of Dare2Believe
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Your non-refundable purchase allows you to one legal copy of this work for your own personal use. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload, or for a fee.
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination based on documented history, or used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 D.H. Aire
Cover design by Pawel Kardis
First Edition
Works by D.H. Aire
The Highmage’s Plight Series
Highmage’s Plight
Merchants and Mages
Human Mage
Highmage
Well Armed Brides
Prophecies’ Pawns
Paradox Lost
Hand of the Highmage Series
For Whom the Bell Trolls
Of Elves and Unicorns
Goldilocks and the Three Dwarves
Sleeping Beauties and Beasts
Dare2Believe Series
Dare 2 Believe
Double Dare
Triple Dare
Double Double* (forthcoming)
Terran Catalyst Series
The Terran Catalyst
Plymouth and the Rock
Other Works
Crossroads of Sin and Other Stories
Dedication
For Sarah
Acknowledgements
I gratefully thank my copyeditor, Karen MacLeod, for assistance in offering editorial advice on this book. Additionally, I wish to express my appreciation to Pawel Kardis for this wonderful cover design. This is Pawel’s first cover for me and I’m looking forward to working with him again in the future. As ever, I also wish to thank my family and friends for all their support.
Finally, to you, my friends and readers, who have purchased this book, if you’ve not yet realized it, this series is related to others of mine in unusual ways. That may mean you’ll feel there are insights and spoilers for my others series. Then again, there are spoilers and there are spoilers. This series is intended as a standalone work, but you may enjoy reading my others for, well, insights. You might say my other works provide the most extension backstory I could possibly have written in advance.
Dare to believe,
D.H. Aire
October 2019
Table of Contents
Triple Dare
Works by D.H. Aire
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
Prologue
Part 1: Chapter 1 – Dare You
Chapter 2 – The Plane
Chapter 3 – Trelor
Chapter 4 – Tarmac
Chapter 5 – In Flight
Chapter 6 – Over the Pacific
Chapter 7 – Magic Mountains
Interlude
Part 2: Chapter 8 – Daring to Believe
Chapter 9 – Protectorate
Chapter 10 – Search
Chapter 11 – Lijuan’s Responsibility
Chapter 12 – Kraken Rearing
Chapter 13 – Character Complications
Chapter 14 – Trade offs
Chapter 15 – For Want of a Horse Shoe
Interlude
Part 3: Chapter 16 – Imperial Capital Resort
Chapter 17 – Seventh Tier
Chapter 18 – Crescent Lands
Chapter 19 - Niota
Chapter 20 – Catha
Chapter 21 – Northlands
Chapter 22 – Kraken Heads
Chapter 23 – Niota, and the Spaceport
Chapter 24 – Spaceport
Chapter 25 – Props
Part 4: Chapter 26 – Northern Imperial Border and Catha
Chapter 27 – The Imperial Wall
Chapter 28 – Dealing from the Bottom
Chapter 29 – Goblins, Goblins Everywhere
Chapter 30 – Imperial Court
Chapter 31 – First Tier
Chapter 32 – Northlands
Chapter 33 – Kraken Heads
Chapter 34 – The Power of Prayer
Chapter 35 – Aftermath
Epilogue
About the Author
Prologue
Standing by the resort pool, deck chairs long abandoned, umbrellas furled or carried away by more than the wind, Jess Montoya looked up into the blue sky. Feeling the magic, tasting it on the very air with every breath, Jess felt emanate around her, engulfing the world, and heard it whisper, ‘Seeress.’
Shutting her eyes, she wished she had never read the story, never chose to sign up for this role online. She had thought it merely a distraction from her life on set, her love life, perfect for the tabloids. Well, at least I wasn’t the only one fool enough to think that.
No, definitely not the only fool. She waved at the sky. “Sorry about the honeymoon,” she said, shaking her head.
The draw of vision tugged at her, she turned around. “Oh, George, having fun yet?”
The author lay unconscious in the belly of a mechanical battle steed. The Summoning as the plot dictated doing its best to warn him of what was coming, though George thought he had tricked fate by establishing setting a double to tackle the next leg of the story, giving him time to deal with the bigger problem, which he would now be realizing was much worse than he’d realized.
“Hear that, George? You need to work on a rewrite. Right now, George. Hear me? We’ve a bigger problem than that the goblin mage, waiting to kill you… We need more help than can be found at this so-called theme park resort. Hear me, George? We need help! A lot of help!”
If he heard her, she received no sign.
She sighed, knowing what she must do; visions of an army of goblins, far larger than anything they could imagine thus far, would soon be assaulting the island Enchanted Universe Theme Park and Resort, which was the focus of the rip in reality which had overtaken the planet and spread outward to the moon itself. Those goblins were hungry and the island’s population were looking delicious…
She fought back the vision of goblins feasting as they overwhelmed the defenders along the Imperial northern border. The price for doing that staggered her as the vision was replaced by one she personally did not want to confront, which brought her to her knees. “No,” she gasped.
“Um, hi, Denny,” the young woman said, coming up behind him as he directed the latest group of the injured sent to the healers.
“Uh, Loralee,” he said, turning about, “I wondered when you’d show up.”
“I figured Jess would tell you.”
He shook his head. “She’s apparently elsewhere.”
“I see,” she smiled.
Sighing, “Your siren song ripped into the goblins just at the right time… You saved my ass.”
She blushed, and bit her lip. “It’s a cute ass.”
“Uh huh… About that… Look, Loralee, I really love Jess.”
“That’s been obvious for years, though, your escapades in the news show otherwise.”
“I’ve not been ready to, well, settle down.”
“I’m not ready yet, either.”
“Uh, Loralee, that’s not what I meant.”
Loralee said, “I know that. But I wasn’t planning on any of this, either. Not becoming a siren and able to kill— kill with my voice.” There were tears in her eyes. “Nor falling for you.”
“I’m, I’m sorry.” He couldn’t help himself. He drew her close and hugged her as she sobbed.
#
Tears streaming down Jess Montoya’s face, knowing what she must do, and the price it would cost her, she walked across the Trelor Resort, visions haunting her every step, until she found herself confronting her startled friends, Tye and Liz.
“Jess?” Liz stared. “Are you all right?”
She didn’t know if she heard those words in that moment or she was lost in vision. “M’lord Duncan, I have had a vision of your homeland.”
“Jess, you what?” Tye said.
“You must reach Gwire in two days or Lord Renald and his Rangers will die.”
“Um, Jess, there is no Gwire… The Northlands aren’t part of the island.”
“Tye, get with the program,” Jess said in an aggrieved tone. “The Northlands will be docking shortly and you need your army to help drive the goblins out.”
“Goblins?”
“Lots of them. Oh, and you’ll need the dragon.”
“Um, Jess, you’re joking, right? We just fought du Blain and his goblins… Those that escaped ran for the Gwed
“Jess, are you serious?” her friend asked.
“Completely, Liz…” then she said in her oracular sounding voice, “Milady, you have your task to fulfill in the meantime.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry, but you won’t be able to change back to human form for a while. So, I suggest that you and Lord Duncan spend some time together, you have but a few hours.”
“What?”
“You know who your character is.”
“Oh, Lord… Tye, we’d better get a room—”
“With a balcony,” he finished, looking pale as he grabbed her arm and fled toward the main resort hotel.
Jess sighed and looked up, “Huh…”
#
The alpha class spacecraft was well on its way to the moon and Adam Lawson winced, “A little more to the left.”
Eve and Wendy, both covered in healing salve, looked at each other. Wendy smiled in a way Eve recognized all too well. “Of course, Adam, my pleasure.”
“OW!”
Eve shook her head. “Wendy…”
“Adam, who’s captain of the Good Ship Lollipop II?”
“Wendy,” he protested, glancing back at her. “This is my ship.”
“The ship that was trying to digest us.”
“It is not like it was ship’s fault, Wendy.”
Eve nodded, gesturing about the bridge, offering, “And the bridge is almost completely changed back.”
“I appreciate the lack of saliva as much as anyone,” Wendy admitted, “but I’m captain of this ship— just like I am of this family.”
“Wendy, this is our, uh, honeymoon,” Adam offered lamely.
“Lord Lawson,” she retorted, “I am very happy that you think taking us to the moon — literally— is romantic, considering on your first trip you left with Eve without even saying goodbye.”
“Err, that was different. We were on a rescue mission.”
Eve nodded, “He’s right.”
“Don’t help, Eve… I’m not exactly pleased by your choice of prayers lately.”
“Wendy, it’s just the three of us— can’t we just enjoy—”
“Adam, we most definitely can— just tell the ship I’m officially captain.”
“Wendy, you don’t even know how to fly this thing.”
“You have it on auto-pilot.”
“Well…” he admitted.
“Say it, Adam. Tell the ship I am captain of it.”
“As long as you don’t officially rename it.”
“Fine, I agree to that.”
“Mother.”
“YES, CAPTAIN LAWSON.”
“My wife, Lady Wendy Lawson, is officially senior captain of this ship.”
“ACKNOWLEDGED. SENIOR CAPTAIN LAWSON, WELCOME ABOARD.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
Adam smiled. “Give me a kiss?”
She smiled.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
They turned to stare at the bridge entry door behind them.
“Um, as you’re Senior Captain, you going to get that?” Adam asked.
“Mother, who’s at the door?” she frowned.
“UNKNOWN. SECURITY SYSTEMS STILL REBOOTING.”
The pounding sounded more insistent this time.
“Do you think it’s the ghost?” Eve asked.
“Answer the door, Junior Captain,” Wendy ordered, but not quite with her usual sarcasm.
Adam hesitantly approached the door and stared at the release. He palmed it with his slippery hand. The door slid aside.
He stared, as cries of “Adam!” filled the bridge.
Little Eves in nightgowns rushed him, knocking him to the floor.
“Girls, what are you doing here?” Eve demanded, rushing toward them, before suddenly stopping and staring beyond them.
“We wanted him to tuck us in,” came the plaintive reply.
“You didn’t come home, and you needed to kiss dolly goodnight!” another said.
As Lawson fought to keep himself upright, he noticed that Eve and Wendy had gone quiet. He glanced at them and saw them desperately trying to cover themselves where their clothing had been burned away by the ship’s saliva.
“What now?” he muttered.
In the doorway stood at least a dozen people wearing Cathartan black livery they seemed less than pleased to be wearing. “EVE? IS THAT YOU?”
“Mama?”
#
“Now, Mama, he is a good man,” Eve said
“Eve, what do you mean you’re all married to him?” her recently quite dead mother glared.
“Faith, get away from him this instant!”
“Charity! Come here!”
“My name’s Eve,” they said, hiding behind him.
“Ladies, you don’t understand… I’m more a father to them.”
Peering around him, one of the girls said, “He kisses our dollies good night.”
“Girls, get away from him,” Eve’s mother glared.
The bridge hatch closed behind them. “CAPTAIN LAWSON, DO YOU WISH TO ARREST YOUR BONDED FOR MUTINY?”
“My what?” Lawson gasped.
“Mutiny?” the ladies muttered.
Eve’s youngest sister, who had formerly died in her arms of smoke inhalation, peered from behind her mother and mouthed, “Eve, is that really you?”
Wendy blinked, “Eve, please tell me you didn’t pray to have your mother on our honeymoon?”
“I did not,” she whispered back. “And most definitely would not bond Mama and them to him.”
“What are you talking about?” her mother demanded.
Eyes widening, Lawson hastily consulted his handheld, “Oh, my Lord…”
“Don’t blaspheme,” Eve warned.
“Your mother’s, um, your mother.”
“Huh?”
Wendy gasped, “She’s her mother’s character?”
“Uh huh,” he answered.
“But how? Who prayed for—” Wendy began, then turned to the little girls. “Eves, what did you pray for before your Sisters sent you to bed?”
The girls looked in every direction but back at her.
“Well, that explains that,” Lawson muttered.
“What I want to know,” one of the other mothers said, “is exactly where we are.”
The girls turned and pointed at the observation screen showing the moon larger and more clearly than they had ever seen it.
“About that,” Lawson said, “let me officially welcome you to the Good Ship Lollipop II, which is currently on its way to the moon, but shortly will return home rather urgently… if the girls are to get to bed.”
“It is definitely past their bedtime,” Wendy admitted.
“The Moon…” Eve’s mother muttered.
“We’re on a space ship,” Wendy offered, not wanting to explain this had been their honeymoon cruise, particularly with her arms crossed as they were.
With a sigh, Eve, however, went up to Lawson and said, “Mother, Adam is my lawful husband, and this is the end of the world.” Quite literally, Adam carefully did not say aloud, though, Eve definitely heard his errant thought. “Though, uh, we now know he is not the last man alive, he is among them—and the Lord has brought you back to help our family save the world.”
“The Lord’s what?”
Several of the girls were beginning to look at the computer consoles. One set her dolly on one. “Girls, please don’t touch anything,” Adam cautioned.
“SENSORS ACTIVATED. SCANNING. WARNING… WARNING… GOBLINS CLOSING ON ENCHANTED UNIVERSE.”
“What?” Adam and Wendy chorused, hurrying over to the computers.
“Goblins?” Eve’s mother muttered.
Eve’s little sister hurried past her mother in her black livery and touched one of the consoles, then announced, “Five thousand Goblins one hundred six point two nautical miles west.”
The little Eves chimed, “At current speed of Enchanted Universe, goblins will arrive in two point eight days.”
“Mother,” Lawson said.
“SENSOR ANALYSIS’ REPORTS CONFIRMED.”
“Sensors… You mean the girls are the ship’s sensors.”
“CORRECT.”
“What unholy witchcraft is this?” Eve’s mother demanded.
“Um, Mama, it’s more the Lord working in mysterious ways than, uh, magic.”
“It doesn’t seem so to me!”
“Mother,” Wendy said, looking up at the ceiling, “set course back to Enchanted Universe spaceport.”
