Summoning Annika_The Viking Witch Trilogies Read online

  Summoning Annika: The Viking Witch Chronicles

  Copyright © 2018 by Lizzie Vega 5 Series Publishing

  The information provided within this eBook is for general informational and entertainment purposes only.

  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.

  No part of this eBook 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 written permission from the author.

  Summoning Annika: The Viking Witch Chronicles

  If you plan to summon something, have a plan to send it back.

  All Michael wants to do is build some cool cosplay props for a college party. His snarky roommate Parker thinks it’s finally a way for shy Michael to meet girls.

  But when some antique store treasures begin to take on a life of their own, engineering student Michael thinks he’s found away to bring some closure to a painful event in his life.

  Enter Iris, the fledgling young witch who vows to help keep the growing circle of friends safe from harm. Unaware of the power that she is going to unleash, she steps into the summoning circle.

  A mistake will be made.

  In the process, three deep secrets intersect as the colorful lightning strikes around the city begin to attract unwanted attention. Will the beckoning night sky open to reveal his destiny? Is it a warning? Or a mistake that should never be revealed?

  Chapter 1

  “Jesus, Mike, you throw like a girl.”

  Although the impromptu game of catch had been going all of fifteen minutes, it was apparent that Parker was already becoming bored as he began to bait Michael with gentle taunts. Nothing too obvious, just enough to dig a little, pick an invisible scab or two.

  Having been friends since high school, becoming roommates at the U seemed like the logical thing to do. It surprised Michael when Parker first broached the subject after graduation.

  Parker had what he needed to start his engineering career without any assistance from anyone. Well-off parents, a long list of social connections and an overall pick up artist attitude that gave him a polished, confidant persona. Tall and handsome, Parker was a head turner and he knew it.

  Michael’s biggest advantage for college was that he was smart. College, for him, would be easy, but for all things non-academic, he likely would struggle. The computer science scholarships would help with the finances. The insurance settlement that his mother following his father’s death could assist if things got financially difficult.

  Socially, he was a different story. Awkward and scrawny when he was younger, he lacked Parkers’ confidence in almost any social situation. As his genetics would dictate, his body matured long before his social skills did.

  Michael did possess one characteristic that had so far eluded Parker. He was intuitive, he was able to take along view of the world and he was patient. Deep down, he knew that sooner or later, he would come into his own. He would shake off the ‘immature’ label he had been saddled with in school. When the time was right, he would make his move. He used that phrase frequently.

  While Parker would never admit it, Michaels’ depth was the quality he most admired. They had never discussed it directly, but Parker’s invitation to room together at school was, in part, an attempt to see if some of Michaels emotional intelligence might rub off so that Parker could broaden his skills.

  Michael was in awe of Parker’s social skills, but he wore his geek label proudly, to the point of avoiding any social outing that might call for him to push his boundaries past his self-imposed comfort zone.

  “Thank you, Parker, may I have another insult please? Why let this beautiful day go to waste?”

  Michael tried out for a number of sports in middle and high school. His dad encouraged him to at least try. He was one of the younger kids in his grade. A bout with bronchitis sidelined him early in his sophomore year and that, along with his father’s death, provided a one-two punch that took him out of sports and inadvertently led him back to the safety of his studies.

  The science club didn’t have quite the cache of being a football captain like Parker, but it was comfortable.

  There was, deep down, a part of Parker that understood he might be able to help Michael in some way, his way of course.

  As long as it didn’t get boring.

  Although Michael wasn’t a great athlete, he did possess a growing awareness that his physical skills were improving as his body matured. He took good care of himself, ate right but didn’t make a big deal out of hitting the gym and crowing about it constantly like Parker did. Didn’t seem that important. There stood Parker across the lawn from him, his tanned body now glistening in the heat of the day. Michael kept his t-shirt on. It didn’t seem appropriate with all the other apartments able to see them.

  As he wound up for the next toss back to Parker, the slight twist of his forearm put a little more speed on the baseball. He also knew that Parker had grabbed the older of the two gloves that the boys kept in the apartment. He threw it hard.

  “Fuck,” was the response as the ball caught Parker right on the sweet spot of his palm. It was like he had caught it bare handed, “dammit Mike,” as he took off the glove and attempted to shake the sting out of his hand, “That hurt. Let me know the next time you’re gonna burn one in on me.” Parker was shaking his hand, but he had a smile on his face. He wasn’t mad.

  Michael shrugged his broad shoulders and smiled back at him. “Sorry, my arm got hung up in my bra.”

  “You wish, Mike,” was Parker’s retort, “When was the last time you actually saw a bra, let alone get tangled up in one. We gotta fix that situation.”

  Michaels’ expression let Parker know he had crossed a line. “Maybe a little louder next time, ok, I don’t think the entire building heard you.”

  “Hey, you started it. I just amplified it, a little.”

  Michael had to admit that he had a point. He knew full well that Parkers’ social ease was an attractive quality and, aside from occasionally being a complete douchebag, he did possess a couple of traits that Michael deemed valuable.

  Now that they were in their third year of college, it worked to their mutual advantage. Parker’s reputation as a player fascinated Michael. He understood the inherent shallowness of it, but deep down, he definitely wanted to finally run the bases with the right girl.

  “Let’s wrap this up, I want to go over to my mom’s for a bit and then head downtown and hit a couple of the thrift stores before it gets too late.”

  Parker was actually felt borderline guilty for second, “Sorry about the loud comment,” but he quickly regained his snarkiness, “Ah, yes, the thrift store journey, where one man’s junk is another man’s Star Trek costume, I forgot about the nerd festival. I’ll tag along, plus I haven’t seen your mom for awhile.”

  Michael would have preferred to go by himself, but he recognized Parker’s attempt to be nice, “Yeah, fine, just don’t be a jerk. We’ll only be there for a couple minutes. Do you want me to grab you a uniform for the party? I have both red and green tunics.”

  Parker protested, “Red? No way, I’d get killed in the first reel. Everybody knows that.”

  Michael just laughed and rolled his eyes, “Yeah, even my mom knows that one, nice try though. That’s entry level geekdom.”

  Parker managed a weak smile, “Whatever, I’ll drive. Let me put on a new shirt, this one’s all pitted out
.”

  “And for that,” Michael offered, “Both my mother and I, thank you.”

  Chapter 2

  The little game of catch had drawn a discreet spectator. “Samantha, I believe you were drooling.”

  Sam jerked back from the window, “Crap, Katie, you scared me.”

  “You had it coming, Sam, why don’t you just go out there and say hello? Is that so difficult?”

  “Well, for me, yeah, plus I wouldn’t want to interrupt them. They are having fun. Looks like they’re done now.”

  Katie was used to this deflection, “Sam, someday you’re going to die of a heart attack, because you think interrupting the ambulance is rude. Good luck with that. It’s funny though, because you and what’s his face out there, you have exactly the same personalities.” Katie cocked an eyebrow and waited for Sam to take the bait.

  Samantha put her hands on her hips. “His name is Michael. And, so what?” her blue eyes flaring, “if we are both shy people, it’s ok to be shy. Hey,” she added, “I’ve had two boyfriends, ya know.”

  “Sam, really?” Katie had that motherly tone, “Two?”

  Samantha blushed, “Okay, one. Kevin.”

  Katie jumped her, “Ha, Kevin, he was a cute little pup. Looked like he was twelve. Oh, and your other boyfriend, even though he served the purpose, let’s call that what it was, ok?”

  Sam just scowled and pushed her glasses back up on her nose, “God, Katie.”

  Katie just grinned. It was so easy to get under Sam’s skin. She knew that, sooner or later, her prodding might yield some positive results for her friend. “Yes, it is ok, but surveillance isn’t a way to start a relationship or even a friendship, get that into your head, please.”

  “I’m not just spying on him. I have a class with him and I see him at the mall. There’s plenty of opportunity to strike up a conversation.”

  Katie just laughed, “Ah, you’re stalking him at the mall now, great.”

  Samantha could feel the color rushing to her cheeks. “I know, busted.”

  “Speaking of shopping, we are going to go out to the mall and do a little shopping on your behalf. You and I both know you’re one little makeover from becoming one fabulous babe. That would go a long way to building up a little confidence for you.

  Sam scowled at Katie but grabbed a lock of her long auburn hair, “Yeah, I could use a trim here.”

  “I agree. I can get my friend Iris to get you all fixed up.”

  “Huh?” Samantha gasped, “I’m not looking to go all Gothic, next you’ll have me with black fingernails and tattoos. No thanks. She’s scary.”

  “Oh jeez, of course not. I’ll admit Iris is a bit edgy looking, it’s Goth by the way, but I’ve known her forever and I’ve seen what she has done for some other people and it’s nothing like her own personal style, she’s really good. Trust me.”

  Chapter 3

  They were only at Michael’s mother house for a couple of minutes, but just long enough to again confirm to Parker that Michael was indeed deeply bitten by the lure of science fiction. “These are still in the original boxes? Is this stuff worth anything? This room is like a shrine. I’m worried about you, bro.”

  Michael’s mom just laughed, “Actually, some of this stuff is mine. Michael got me started with it as well. He likes Star Trek, I’m a little more partial to Battlestar Gallactica, or lately, The Walking Dead.”

  Parker just stood there in stunned silence. Michael took a couple of Trek tunics out of his closet, “How about one these, Parker?” and he glanced at his mom.

  “Oh dear, Parker, not the red one,” she counseled and put her hand on his shoulder, “it’ll be a short evening for you.”

  Parker laughed so hard he snorted, “God, it’s true. It runs in the family.”

  Michael just smiled. She had timed it perfectly.

  “Thanks, Mom, we’re gonna head downtown now. “I’ll call ya later, ok?”

  “Of course, honey, have a fun time. Let me know if you need anything, you too Parker.”

  The boys jumped into Parkers car and backed out onto the street. Parker asked quietly, “Is she doing ok? She seems like she’s doing pretty well.”

  “Yeah, she is. She branching out in her world finally, but I know she misses him.” Michael paused, “I miss him too.”

  Parker knew they were headed into awkward territory and changed the subject, “Bro, you’re in charge of road tunes,” he gestured to the sound system display on the console, “Make it loud, but choose country, and you’ll walk downtown.”

  Michael knew Parker was uncomfortable with talking about his father’s death and quickly punched in a selection, “Avenged Sevenfold with a side helping of Disturbed, how loud does this thing go?”

  “To eleven, crank it,” Parker hollered as he stepped on the gas and squealed around the corner.

  Chapter 4

  The first two shops didn’t produce anything that Michael deemed worthy of his collection so, at the last stop, Parker spoke up, “Ok, this is the last one, please, it’s liking shopping for shoes with my mom.”

  “Well it’s a good thing that this store has the biggest selection then isn’t it?” Parker just groaned as he got out the car. “I never see any cars here, how can they stay open?”

  Michael just shrugged his shoulders, “No idea, maybe they do a lot of online business. I love this place. Every visit is an adventure.”

  Located right next to the railroad tracks, the store had been an old Woolworths five and ten store in the 70’s and was now stacked to the ceiling with a most eclectic mix of merchandise. Two floors of arts and crafts from local artisans, vintage clothing and tons of antiques were all over the place. The fun part was also the challenge, nothing was organized, it was all random. If Parker hadn’t tagged along, Michael would have spent the entire evening exploring.

  A pretty young store clerk greeted them as they entered. She was dressed in all vintage clothing, Michael knew the drill, “Anything specials today?” he asked.

  “Always,” was her immediate answer and she pointed to the back of the store, “All clothing is half off.”

  Parker interrupted her, “Clothing half off? I would think it would be busier.” And he winked at the young woman.

  “Sure…” she continued, “some new arrivals in antiques and Mr. Goodmund has set up a bunch of grab bags over by the exit. Let me know if you have any questions.” She laughed at Parker, “that was weak, you’ll have to do better.”

  Michael just shook his head, he thought it was funny, a typical and usually effective way for Parker to break the ice with a pretty girl. From the look on Parker’s face, she had stopped him cold. Parker looked back at the clerk and then to Michael and grinned, “Take your time looking, Bud, she just challenged me.”

  Michael just grinned. He would try to keep within earshot. Parker, under pressure, could be very convincing, he might learn something from the master. They rounded the corner and headed into a section where books and newspapers were stacked almost to the old tin ceiling. Display cases caught Michaels eye and he headed over to them.

  As he made his way around an old dresser set, he saw the owner polishing up one of the old dining tables. Michael had seen him many times before during his shopping visits.

  The man greeted Michael, “Hi there, welcome back, anything special today?”

  “Well actually, I’m looking for some props for a party that coming up soon, a science fiction theme.”

  The older man’s eyes lit up behind his little round glasses, “New sci fi or old sci fi? Steampunk, maybe? I have a section of old tools and machine parts if you’re thinking of making phasers or other weapons.”

  Michael was pleasantly surprised, “Maybe both actually. We have some time before the event, so I could work on some ideas.”

  Parker had just caught up with him and looked at the man, “Let me guess, also a geek?”

  The man chuckled, “Oh yes, from long before it was fashionable. I have heard about this part
y. A couple of pretty young ladies from the U were in today as well, they mentioned it too. I think Marci at the front desk knows about it as well. You boys look around, let me know if you have any questions.” Michael just smiled, the old man spoke with just the hint of an accent, Michael couldn’t quite pin it down.

  “Thanks, we will.” said Michael as the old man went back to polishing the table top.

  Parker disagreed, “You will. I’ve got her name, I’m going to browse up front.”

  “Sure, knock yourself out, I’ll be over at the tools. Good luck?”

  Michael walked around the corner of a large room partition and was pretty sure he had hit the motherlode of tools. Old parts, shiny new machine parts of copper, aluminum and steel. He had no idea what any of it had come from, but he saw it as a gold mine for potential Klingon battle gear. He started to make a small pile, but that soon grew into a larger pile, which then presented a problem.

  “Mr. Goodmund?” he called out, “Do you have any boxes? I found quite a bit of stuff.”

  Turned out he was just around the corner. “Let me see what I can find.” He returned shortly with a couple of larger cartons and a big box. He set the boxes down next to Michael, one of the boxes rattled a little. The shop keeper looked inside and then looked back at Michael, his eyes twinkling, “Looks like more parts, keep ‘em if you like, toss ‘em if you don’t.”

  “Great, thanks, I’ll have to be careful here, this is going to add up.” The old man hooked his fingers in his suspenders and looked up at the boy, “Nah, Twenty bucks, tops, from one nerd to another. You’ve got some good stuff there, have fun with it. I’m not going to help you carry it,” and he laughed as he walked away and then he stopped short, “You’re a frequent customer, help yourself to a couple of the grab bags at the front as well, a one-time offer.”

  Michael found Parker up at the front of the store. He watched as the young woman typed something into Parker’s phone and handed it back to him. He had gotten her number.