by JN Chaney
“I expect it hasn’t been easy for you, but I promise things will get better,” said Jinel.
“What’s better for one person might be worse for another,” answered Lena.
Jinel rose, clutching the rifle at her side. “That’s how it is with war. There’s always a winner and a loser.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” muttered Terry, staring at the barrel of her gun.
“How’s that?” asked Jinel.
“No one wins in the end,” he said, simply. “Even after the bodies are stacked, and the dust is settled and the rubble is cleared…even when you’ve wiped it all away, you’ve still got blood on your hands, and half the world’s still dead…and then it comes again.”
EPILOGUE
Near the great wall of Everlasting, far from the coast, a ship sailed through a moonless, quiet night. On most days, the ship carried a crew of twelve, but tonight it had two new passengers on its deck.
A man and a woman. A husband and a wife. A farmer and a priestess.
Ludo stared out across the sloshing waves, toward the city of Everlasting, or where he imagined it must be. The wavemaster Hux had told him of a way through the wall, an opening so large a passenger boat could fit. Now they went to find it.
Beside him, Ysa stood with quiet resolve, saying nothing. She had insisted on coming with him, her life owed to the lost boy on the other side of that wall.
Together, Ludo and Ysa had fled as Terry sacrificed himself to save them from the Guardians of Everlasting. They owed him their lives.
For centuries, the people worshipped the Eye. For years, they believed their gods were waiting in the holy city on the hill. Perhaps it was true, and the two of them sailed toward their own destruction.
But they would not be denied.
Together, Ludo and Ysa had defied the gods before for love. Now, it was no different. Now, they did it for Terry, their chakka-kin. Their family.
Ludo gripped the hilt of Terry’s sword, its shimmering blade reflecting starlight. He had found it in the field after the fight, and had not allowed it to leave his side since. With his other hand, he squeezed his wife’s fingers. “The air is cold tonight,” he remarked.
She nodded. “We are far in the north now. Farther than I have ever been.”
“We have our wings to guide us,” he assured her. “They will carry us to him.”
“Strong as they are,” she answered.
He squeezed her hand once more and smiled. “Strong as they are.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. N. Chaney has a Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing and fancies himself quite the Super Mario Bros. fan. When he isn’t writing or gaming, you can find him online at www.jnchaney.com.
He migrates often but was last seen in Avon Park, Florida. Any sightings should be reported, as they are rare.
Hope Everlasting is his fourth novel.
Table of Contents
PART 1
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
PART 2
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
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