Vicinus (Walking Shadows Book 3)

by Talis Jones

  Gentle chimes begin to sound signaling that my scheduled use of the meditation room is coming to a close, soon the opaque walls will begin to transition back to transparent, and my gaze crashes back towards the dead girl at my feet. The girl’s long hair is splayed out on the floor and my eyes catch on a familiar ornamental bundle of Christmas holly and gold pinned to her dress.

  Show time.

  With fingers still thawing from shock I unravel the cord of my headphones before fitting them snuggly over my ears, bursting forth a wave of memory and blocking out the ending toll, the footsteps in the hall as the room begins to unseal itself, and, once I smash the “play” button on Yosef’s gift, the twisting of my thoughts.

  Mustering up an only half-sane grin, my head drops back and my feet groove to the rhythm. I spin my knives along my fingers, warming them from the winter chill. When the music plays, I am no longer here.

  So let the music play.

  Take me from here.

  Let the music play.

  “One night in temptation’s alley and the world turns to play sand running through your fingers and dancing far below…I’ve won! I’ve won! Chants the beat from far below…”

  I lean down towards the dead girl and examine the sneaky explosive. Remember, remember, the twelfth of December, when white coats and black hearts met the wrath of dark knights and sweethearts. Not a perfect poem, but good enough to make me smile and it speaks true enough.

  “Say goodnight, Charlie,” I bestow with a final murmur and I set foot on this new path that at last bends towards home.

  Acknowledgments

  The year of 2020 has been anything but predictable and I can’t say I’m not relieved to leave it behind. Regardless of the hardships endured this year, I feel so happy and fortunate to have been able to complete this book! With all that was going on I really wasn’t confident it could be possible.

  Thank you Jesus for always being there for me whether I was working, writing, or sick.

  Thank you Mom and Dad for your continued support and for being my number one fans.

  Thank you Andy for once again helping me by designing the cover for another one of my novels.

  Thank you Sarah for always letting me pester you with questions, frustrations, and ideas.

  Thank you reader for choosing to pick up this book and giving it your (hopefully kind) attention. It takes a huge amount of work to write a book, a terrifying amount of bravery to publish a book, and your appreciation makes it all worth it.

  I’d also like to add that while I use real state names of the current United States of America, everything in this book is a product of my imagination. This book takes place in a fictional future I created so if any facts used are incorrect then it is either unintentional and I apologize or it is part of the fiction fun.

  About the Author

  Talis Jones is a Mexican-English author of magic and mischief. Graduated Suma Cum Laude with a degree in Theatre she has explored both stage and film, now finding herself drawn towards the literary world as a new venue for storytelling.

  Find out more about Talis and her books at www.talisjonesofficial.com.

  Also by Talis Jones

  Otherworld Trilogy

  Crooked Raven

  Carrion Crow

  Wings of Ruin

  Walking Shadows Saga

  Alarum

  Solus

  Vicinus

  Ultio

  Thank you

  Hello reader! Thank you so much for choosing to read one of my books! After all, what is a book without someone to read the story within? If you enjoyed this book (which I sincerely hope you did) and you would like to help me out then would you please take a couple minutes to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads? Reviews not only help other readers discover my books, but actually help boost my rankings and, in short, allow me to continue publishing books as a way to afford food to eat. It doesn’t have to be long or fancy, but if you could take a moment to pop online to review I would be wildly grateful. Thank you!

  -Talis