The Magic Book
Page 20
The leader of the Authority remained unconscious throughout all the travels and the skirmishes. He was still comatose when Goldman’s car finally ran out of energy, and he stayed that way through the rest of the trip to Opellius’s land.
The hive mind had quickly secured Gustavus to a chair, much as Gustavus had done to Nathaniel and Goldman. To Nathaniel, that was nicely poetic. Goldman, in his strange way, taught one of the hive mind how to use the energy weapon on its de-powering setting, and set the creature to guard Gustavus. Were he to awaken, he was to be de-powered again.
“You’re sure you’re okay keeping him here?” Nathaniel asked Opellius.
“There’s nowhere safe to keep him anywhere else,” Opellius said. “And staying in your territory was not going to be possible for you.”
“Aye. I had grand dreams that I would be greeted as a hero, with my talk of truth. The reality was far less pleasant. If not for Goldman, this would have all worked out quite differently.”
“He did prove himself to be an asset.” Opellius cocked his head as a thought struck him.
“What is it?” Nathaniel asked.
“I was going to say what a pity it is that Gustavus received the powers of a Great One rather than Goldman. And then I thought…”
“…that it doesn’t have to be only Gustavus,” Nathaniel finished. “The thought did cross my mind.”
“So what of it?” Opellius asked. “There are two of us here who could do the job. Three, if we include Gustavus, though I’d be wary of that.”
“I’m wary of all of it,” Nathaniel said. “Goldman isn’t one of our normals. He’s from someplace else, and his body might not handle the transformation the way Gustavus did. And what’s more, you and I both know the cost of being a Great One, particularly one who gains powers from you or me.”
“A rapid decline, culminating in death,” Opellius said. “That is indeed a heavy toll to pay for the gifts we offer.”
“Indeed it is. Either the powers won’t last, or they may be a death sentence.”
“I could make the counter-argument that Goldman’s continued existence either here or in his home world without the Great One powers constitutes a death sentence as well. He is weak and out of his element here, and a man with a target on him in his own world. His allies in the shadow government that hired him were unable to protect him from harm. He would be dead if you hadn’t arrived to save him.”
“I will think it over. In the end, we will need to present it to Goldman, and he may have his own reservations or considerations about the matter.”
“Present what to me?” Goldman asked as he strolled across the room from where he had been engaging with two of the hive mind in a strange game of mimicry that Nathaniel didn’t understand.
“Just talking about our future plans,” Nathaniel said. “It’s nothing you need to be concerned about.”
“Well, I’d very much like to know what we do next,” Goldman said. “All things considered, this little trip to your homeland was awesome, Nate. I mean it was like Disney World, just with slightly more near-death experiences. But now what? We haven’t liberated your territory, or all the other territories. And then there’s my world.”
“There are many mysteries,” Opellius said. “We don’t know what Goldman’s world is, or how it’s connected to the book. Or how Goldman connects to the book, for that matter.”
“That book freaks me the fuck out,” Goldman said. “But what I want to know is what happened to the one from Nathaniel’s territory. I want to know if it’s also my journal. And I want to visit the place that had this book. I want to get to the bottom of all of this.”
“There’s one thing that stuck in my mind the entire time you were on your journey,” Opellius said.
“What’s that?” Nathaniel asked.
“The plight of our world and the plight of Goldman’s world…they bear similarities, even without the book as the connecting point between the worlds. There is more at play than I believe any of us understands.”
“You’re all going to die, you know,” said a low voice.
Nathaniel, Opellius and Goldman turned and saw Gustavus, still slumped and bound in the chair. The hive mind with the weapon held it to Gustavus’s head and looked at Opellius for orders.
“You’re awake,” Nathaniel said.
Gustavus spat on the floor. “You think you’ve beaten me. You think you’ve conquered the Authority. But you’re so very wrong.”
“I don’t know,” Goldman said. “You’re looking pretty conquered, pal.”
“Mock me all you wish,” Gustavus said. “But the Authority will continue its rule in my absence. And the prophet’s word will still be law.”
“Your creed of Weber remains as false as the lies about what exists outside the wall,” Nathaniel said.”
“You think to fool me with your nonsense,” Gustavus said.
“No nonsense,” said Nathaniel. “You’re in the land outside the wall right now. And as you can see, there’s no hellfire.”
Gustavus’s eyes widened, then he scowled. “True or not, the existence of a world outside the walls doesn’t disprove the existence of the prophet.”
“He’s a fantasy,” Nathaniel said.
Gustavus laughed. “Fantasy! Ah Nathaniel, for all your years, you remain quite ignorant. Weber the Prophet is not a figment of my imagination.”
“Why? Because of his teachings?” Opellius asked. “They could have been placed there by Authority leaders long before your time. You have been duped by your own people in at least one matter, Gustavus. Likely far more than just the one.”
“The great prophet is beyond time and space.” Gustavus said. “He is beyond any understanding you have of the workings of the world.”
“What does that mean?” Goldman asked.
“Weber the Prophet lives!” Gustavus said, twisted joy blazing in his eyes. “I have spoken to him. And when he learns what you’ve done, there will be nowhere in any world for you to hide from his wrath. You are all doomed!
To Be Continued…
THANK YOU FOR READING!
I hope you enjoyed reading this book! Reviews are so helpful to authors. I really appreciate all reviews, both positive and negative. You’re welcome to leave a review on either Amazon or Goodreads.
And if you’re looking for more of the Atlantic Island: Divided series, Book 2 is called “The Lost Enclave,” and it will be available April 10, 2020. You can preorder it here!
The Atlantic Island Universe
Atlantic Island Trilogy
Atlantic Island (Book 1) - Re-releasing Dec, 2019!
Rising Tide (Book 2)
Omega Protocol (Book 3)
Atlantic Island: The Traveler
Atlantic Island Universe: An Anthology - Winter, 2019!
Atlantic Island: Vacancy
Vacancy (Book 1)
The Forge (Book 2) - 2020!
Atlantic Island: Divided
The Magic Book (Book 1) - October, 2019
The Lost Enclave (Book 2) - April, 2020!
Atlantic Island: Multiverse Academy
The Elite (Book 1) - Early 2020!
For Cheslie. Without you none of this would be possible.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my friends and family who continue to encourage my crazy storytelling passion.
Thank you to Mike Waitz, who edited this book and made it everything it could be.
Thank you to my readers and Atlantic Island fans who’ve committed to following me down this path into the unknown. It’s my goal to make the journey as comfortable as possible.
About Fredric
Fredric Shernoff is the author of the Atlantic Island Universe, including the Amazon Top 100 "Atlantic Island" and the Barnes and Noble #1 bestseller "The Traveler.”
Fredric lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida with his wife and best friend, Cheslie, and their three amazing children.
Follow him at fredricshernoff.com
&nb
sp; This is a work of fiction. All reference to events, persons, and locale are used fictitiously, except where documented in historical record. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright 2019 by Fredric Shernoff Published by Whitemarsh Productions LLC
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form, except in instances of quotation used in critical articles or book review. Where such permission is sufficient, the author grants the right to strip any DRM which may be applied to this work.