As head of the Border Patrol’s Paranormal Operations Unit, Clay Chiles has found a place where he can function and a surrogate family to replace the one he never truly had. He keeps hidden a lot of secrets, and both fears and longs for the day he may be able to take that one long step out of solitude and darkness into love and light.<br><br>Before he can do that, however, he has to face some surprising facts about himself and deal with some horrific enemies. Although not a weak man, he’ll never have the strength alone to confront all those demons. But who can help him there?<br><br>Arondel Wanderer is a son of the ancient Elven royal clan, but far enough from the throne to be expendable. He obeys his queen’s orders to visit Earth and find what is going wrong there. One task he faces is to contact and recruit a human keystone in the desperate effort to stop an invasion of ancient evil that could corrupt the elves’ original home beyond redemption. Aron, a loner and solitary emissary from Elvenheim, never expected to find his soul-mate on this mission, but surprises, both good and bad, have always been part of his long and adventurous life. He’ll take anything good he is given, and once he sights the partner he’s always wanted, the most extreme danger is not enough to deter him.

Runes of Revelation

His own small group was the last to leave the campsite. Once out of sight of the camp, they spread out about twenty yards apart and walked off along an arroyo in the north northwest quadrant he’d selected. After they had covered about a mile, he tried to send a telepathic message to his two partners. Stefan got it; Gerta either didn’t, or chose not to acknowledge him.


Although the morning had begun cool, as the sun ascended, the heat rose with it. They stopped under a big mesquite just below the crest of a hill, a tree large enough to offer decent shade. All three drank deeply from their canteens.


“Don’t wait for me to tell you when. If you get thirsty, drink,” Clay told his companions. “Neither one of you is used to the desert. The dry air sucks moisture right out of your body. You can dehydrate seriously before you even realize what’s happening.”


Chapter 7