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    Fracture: Divergence
    Fracture: Divergence
    Fracture: Divergence
    Ebook188 pages3 hours

    Fracture: Divergence

    By Erik Schubach

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    One case, two realities.

    Magic is destroying the fabric of reality and only Alex King can stop it before it is too late.

    Alex must find the man responsible using both magic and investigative prowess. But confusion reigns as Alex is male in one reality and female
    in the other.

    Alex tries to reconcile finding himself trapped in the body of his female counterpart along with discovering that the woman he loves is harboring a dark secret.

    Alex finds unlikely allies in the Justice Coven and together, they take on the most dangerous magic user the world has ever faced.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherErik Schubach
    Release dateNov 15, 2013
    ISBN9780988999893
    Fracture: Divergence
    Author

    Erik Schubach

    I got my start writing romance novels by accident. I have always been drawn to strong female characters in books, like Honor Harrington. And I also believe that there is a lack of LGBT characters in media. So one day I came up with a story idea that combines the two... two days later I completed the manuscript for Music of the Soul.My writing style may not be the most professional nor grammatically correct, but I never profess to be an English major, just a person that wants to share a story. I maintain that my primary language is sarcasm.Each of my books features strong likeable female characters that are flawed. I think that flaws and emotional or physical scars make us human and give us more character than simply conforming to some "social norm".I have also started a SciFi series, The Valkyrie Chronicles which features a Valkyrie, Kara, who was left behind on Earth five thousand years ago to help the Asgard race escape the onslaught of the Ragnarok horde. With the aid of a human, Kate, she holds the line in battle to herald the return of the Asgard!If you like magic, paranormal romance and witches, then my new series Fracture might tickle your fancy. In the first book Fracture: Divergence, Alex King must stop magic from destroying reality. The problem is that Alex must solve the case in parallel universes where in one Alex is male and female in the other.There is even a modern shapeshifter paranormal series, Drakon. Featuring a fiery Irish woman with a sharp wit and sharper temper who finds out she is a dragon of legend.

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      Book preview

      Fracture - Erik Schubach

      Fracture: Divergence

      By Erik Schubach

      Copyright © 2013 by Erik Schubach

      Published by Erik Schubach at Smashwords

      P.O. Box 523

      Nine Mile Falls, WA 99026

      Cover Photo © 2013 Heckmannoleg / Depositphotos.com license

      ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. 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 express written permission from the author / publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, blog, or broadcast.

      This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

      Manufactured in the United States of America

      FIRST EDITION

      ISBN 978-0-9889998-9-3

      Prologue

      The bolt of negative energy streaked toward me as I dove behind the dumpster in this godforsaken alley. Shit! I exclaimed as half the dumpster dissolved into rot. This bastard is no entry level alchemist! What the hell has the Justice Coven gotten me into? Those women told me he had broken some minor magi edicts. I pulled a ward I had charged on a natural lay line last week, out of my shoulder pack. If I could just get close enough to get an artifact of binding on him... I checked my pocket for the trinket I could use for the binding. I could feel the pocket watch I would use where it belonged.

      I dove to the other side of the alley and this time arcane energy of unraveling struck the stack of bricks I was behind and they sloughed down into the mud they were composed of. I couldn't see what tools he was using to throw this many spells at me. I had been chasing him for fifteen minutes and he hasn't stopped casting yet. Only women can wield magic, we men have to charge tools on lay lines in order to capture the arcane magic that imbues the items with the power of the spells that women of a coven cast upon them for us.

      I ran at the man, Mage Talbot, as he unleashed yet another bolt of arcane energy at me, green this time, acid. I deflected it with the group of bundled owl feathers in my hand and the spell on my ward dissipated. Shit, he is powerful. The Justice Coven themselves spelled that ward for me! And I saw this time, his spell had erupted from his hand like a witch! That is impossible! Only women can wield magic!

      I tackled the man and was reaching for my binding artifact when he hit me with a spell of confusion then slipped from my grasp. I shook off the spell; I had been hit with a lot worse in my line of work. I was the best mage investigator in New York. Well at least that's what my business cards say, Alex King, Premier Arcane Investigations. The Justice Coven handed the case over to me; my job was to locate him and to bring him to the coven's conclave for judgment. Talbot was good; it took weeks to track him down to the warehouse district.

      A moment later I was hit by a group of filled trash cans that had been pulled to me by one of his castings. Damn that hurt! And now I smell rancid like this alley. This bastard is going down. I reached into my trench-coat and pulled out a willow branch and sneered. I charge this one over lay lines whenever I am not on a case and it has a couple years worth of power stored in it. I had an old witch friend of mine imbue it with a spell of immobility. This will rival the strength of anything this guy can throw at me.

      I pulled out another ward, crap, I'm running out. This guy is dwindling my supply quickly; I'm

      down to my mirror wards now. Well beggars can't be choosers. I needed to finish this now, then collect my bounty and get back to my girlfriend, Jackie.

      I charged after Talbot, he had somehow jumped up to a fire escape landing about twelve feet up. I leaped and grabbed the chain on the fire escape's ladder and pulled it down to the alleyway and started quickly climbing. I smirked. This was an old fire escape with a cast iron railing, rendering his magic useless as the cast iron will dissipate it.

      I got to the roof and ducked down as he disintegrated part of the ledge. I dove over the top, rolled across the roof, came to my knees and was just able to get my ward up in time. His magic reflected back on him and my ward fell apart. He got knocked back ten feet but was able to remain upright.

      For the first time, he looked frightened. He took out a knife and sliced the air in front of him and it was like he tore a hole in space. Was it a transport portal? I raised my willow branch, chanted, and purple energy shot toward him. His movements were so fast, he must have had a haste charm. He got his arm up and black energy raced to meet mine.

      The explosion of energy was incredible. In an instant, his spell canceled out two years worth of charging on one of the most powerful lay lines in the state. The release was immense and a crater was left in the roof while we were both blown backwards. By luck, well maybe it was my rabbit's foot charm, my left hand was able to catch the parapet as I was thrown off the roof.

      I quickly scrambled back onto the roof. On the other side of the large smoking hole, Mage Talbot was staggering back to his feet. I pulled out a haste charm and said the incantation. Then in a blur I thrust my hand in my coat pocket and grabbed a handful of cast iron nails and threw them with all my might. He had no defense against cast iron and at least three struck him and buried deep in his skin due to the immense speed at which they were thrown. He howled in pain.

      Still hastened, I snarled and ran around the destruction and dove at him as he jumped into the tear in space. I couldn't stop my momentum and fell into the void with him. Shit! I was falling through distortions; it was excruciating and felt like the flesh was peeling from my bones. I could see him off to the left far below me.

      And then I saw a woman in a red trench-coat falling... up? Directly toward me. I started twisting my body to avoid an impact. She was mirroring my moves exactly. We were going to collide and at this speed... I could feel the blood drain from my face... we couldn't survive.

      I saw the same realization on her face at the same instant. Then it was like time slowed. I knew this was it. The bastard had won; Talbot had killed me, and this woman. What kind of spell did he use?

      The last thing I thought as we collided in that void was, Huh, she's cute. I'd do her. Then everything went black.

      Chapter 1 – Awakening

      I was stirred from a fitful sleep by the sweet soprano voice of my girlfriend, Jackie. "Alex, baby.

      Time to get up and get to work." I looked at her in confusion, last night must have only been a dream –

      a really vivid dream. I was alive and I sighed in relief.

      She was laying on top of me smiling into my face. I grinned at her and she kissed me passionately then licked her lips. Here let me help you wake up. She giggled and disappeared under the covers.

      She was kissing slowly down my stomach teasingly working her way down. I couldn't believe how aroused I felt. Oh yeah; I could wake up like this every day. She was insatiable. She reached her hands up to massage my breasts as her tongue reached her target and I felt an impossible sensation between my legs.

      I sat bolt upright and flung the covers off of us, foreign weights swung on my chest. What the...

      My voice was all wrong, too high pitched. What the hell?

      Jackie looked up at me in surprise. What's wrong, Alex? You usually like a little something something in the morning.

      Holy crap! I was a woman. Well of course I'm a woman, I have always been one, another part of me thought. I had distinct memories of growing up as Alex King, son of John and Monica King, but at the same time I also had distinct memories of growing up as Alex King, daughter of John and Monica King. Which one was real?

      I recalled what had happened last night and I remember the mage battle I fought. Then I thought some more about it and different memories flooded in. The same battle but I was a woman conjuring the magic through my body instead of using my mage tools.

      Okay, okay, calm down Alex. So my first memories are male, unless I pull the alternate memories.

      So that means I am male. Right? How did I get in a female body? And these other memories? I know of no spell that can change genders. Was this some sort of elaborate glamour spell combined with a confusion spell? But why did Jackie not notice? Was she under an enchantment? Did Talbot do this?

      I needed to get to the Justice Coven and get this sorted out. Do you... notice anything... different, about me this morning?

      Jackie looked at me. You look tired. It must have been a long night on stakeout. Then she pushed me back down onto the bed. I remember her doing this many times in both my male and female memories and gawd was she good. Both of me couldn't believe we were lucky enough to be with her.

      Smart, sexy, fun. Foreign but familiar arousal won out over my thoughts. I can sort this out later.

      Right now, Jackie was owning both me and my body.

      ***

      Holy crap! I sat there giggling in post-coital bliss. I felt like a virgin who was just showed what making love was really all about. At the same time I realized I had done this multiple times with Jackie. I was a man and a lesbian at this moment and I was so confused. Happy, but confused.

      She came out of the bathroom all dolled up, her strawberry blonde hair done up in a bun for her day as a hostess on the river cruise boats. She smiled at me, one side of her plump lips curled into a cute smirk. What ever you ate last night, have it more often. I almost couldn't keep up with you this morning. I almost feel like skipping to work. Her smile doubled as she winked, then she came over and gave me a lingering, toe curling kiss. Bye baby, I'll see you tonight or are you still on that case?

      I replied, and I still wasn't used to the sound of my voice, I still have some things to work out with the case but I'll call to let you know if I'll be late baby. Baby? I never called her baby. It slipped out like I had done it a million times. Duh, I have done it a million times the fem-me said to myself. This must be what someone with split personality or a severe mental disorder feels like. There seemed to be a slight surge of power inside me when I called her baby, I cant describe it.

      She gave a tiny wave as she left. Bye, love you.

      I grinned as I admired her perfect curves as she sauntered off. Love you, too.

      I thought about the surge and remembered it is just the feel of magic coursing through me. I am a sorceress after all. I mean mage. Oh hell, whatever. Wait. I thought of the magic energy I have always commanded and yet never commanded and I could feel it, taste it in me; it was almost seductive to the part of me that had never been able to wield it. Gawd am I lame, magic is easy.

      I got out of bed, feeling an odd comfort in the feel of my body and its center of gravity. I kind of liked the familiar weight of my breasts as I walked over to my dresser and absently grabbed some panties and a bra then snagged a posh business suit and skirt from the closet. Then I padded into the bathroom. As I hung the clothing on the hook on the back of the door I realized I had done all of that without even thinking, I seemed to know where all my stuff was and what I needed. Well duh, it is my stuff after all.

      I realized that I felt a slight surge of power every time I thought duh. Male me never used that word, I usually say no shit. I thought about it. I had been feeling tiny surges all morning. There was some sort of pattern to it that I just couldn't put a finger on.

      I shook my head and started the shower. I turned to look in the mirror as the water warmed up.

      Holy crap. I was the woman in that void. Gawd, I was cute. I felt arousal building.

      I almost slapped myself. It's nothing you haven't see in the mirror every day Alex! Stop perving out over yourself! And since when do you think gawd? I closed my eyes and turned from my

      confusing reflection and stepped into the shower.

      Moments later I was feeling extremely awkward as I washed my soft body. Son of a bitch! Come on girl me, take over here! I tried hard not to think and went into autopilot, soon I was simply taking my normal morning shower. I felt little surges inside as I shaved my legs like I had done it the thousands of times I had. That was another thing male me didn't do. Curious. I put it together a little.

      All these little surges come when I am doing something male me never did.

      I shrugged and got dressed like I did it every day. Then I turned to the mirror and raised my hand and, without thinking, willed the magic forward and released a glamour. With a tingle of magic my makeup was done up the way I like it, professional but dangerously sexy. My hair was now neatly tied back into a ponytail to keep my peripheral vision clear. I froze. Holy crap! No, holy shit. I'm girl-ing out here, this isn't good. I just used magic and it felt as seductive as I thought it would, no that I remembered. If I were still a guy I'd probably be tenting out the skirt I was wearing in an embarrassing spot.

      The realization hit me. I was wearing a skirt and makeup and I wasn't freaking out. I felt proud of my looks. I didn't have to magically augment myself like most magic users do, like Tiffany Fero from my high school pep squad. I mean does anyone believe those things are real? I shook my head over

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