Child of the Fall
Page 43
Her escorts led her to a chamber at the center of the tent, then motioned her inside without following. When the folds of the chamber door closed, complete blackness enveloped her. Anna had seen only a dais in the center before it went dark. This should be terrifying. It was terrifying to the small part of her the voice had left untouched, but the fear was a distant buzz, easy to ignore. She had been given a mission, and that was the most important thing of all.
When Anna heard a rustling ahead of her, she began to slowly walk forward. The voice had been vague about what this would be like, but it had promised her there would be no fear.
It was wrong, but her fear made no difference.
She stopped when the eyes flared to life, grateful beyond reason that there were only two of them. Lights around the edge of the room began to glow, revealing a giant hulking figure sitting on the throne in front of her.
Its outline wasn’t firm. This wasn’t a solid creature. It was a spirit, and a giant one. She could sometimes see through it, and sometimes not. The impression was of power, ancient and unknowable. Anna found herself on her knees with no memory of their bending.
When it spoke, it was with a thousand voices and one, terrible and seductive. Anna wanted to run screaming even through the command she’d been given, and if she had a million years to live, she would want it to speak to her without ever stopping.
“So,” it said, and the fact that it was speaking to Anna drove her nearly insane with a desire to please this terrible, amazing being, “my scout brings me news from beyond the grave. Your name is Anna?”
She could not speak, but that would represent a base failure. Anna wanted to serve this master more than anything she’d ever desired before.
“Yes.”
This seemed to please the master. “The impossibilities pile up. Tell me, Anna, where are you from?”
To be questioned by such a being, to have knowledge it wanted, made her breathe deep with a pride that threatened to crack her chest. “Earth.”
“The ultimate impossibility, a place whose existence I was unaware of until this moment. Come close, Anna of Earth.
“We have much to discuss.”
THE END
The Gemini Gambit saga
will continue with book four:
Death’s Harvest.
Afterword
Unlike before, getting this far was supposed to be down to my efforts. This is, again, not the case. Cheryl Lowrance graduated from editor to writing coach and helped me turn a jumbled mess into the story you just finished. If you’re looking for help getting your own work off the ground, I can’t recommend Ink Slinger Editorial Services more highly.
I’m very grateful for PBJ Management’s granting me permission to use Edmund, Lord Blackadder, as a jumping off point for my own Edmund.
I’d also like to thank Bobby Martin and Marcel van der Westhuizen for taking my weird questions seriously and giving me solid answers instead of “wait, what?”
Scott Bradford did a yeoman’s job with his technical review of the manuscript. That said, any errors you find are my fault, not his.
I am grateful for my superb cover artist, Melissa Lew. It’s extraordinary how she can interpret vague hand waving and confused sentences into art. Her jewelry line is not to be missed!
Lighthouse24 continues to excel at book composition.
My family continue with their great support and willingness to listen to endless hours of authorial shop talk. My daughter Olivia even came up with June!
Getting the word out about books like these, from reviews to social media posts to simply telling a friend or family member, is how they really become successful. I continue to be thrilled but also humbled by how many of you have spread the word about the Gemini Gambit series. Thank you so much for all your efforts.