Fil opened his mouth to argue, and then shrugged. “My opinion—and the next moving target for my fastball—remain unchanged.” He tossed the ball to Will.
“Fair enough.” Will caught the ball and threw it back to Fil. “I understand you learned to throw a pretty nice slider in your day.”
Fil nodded. “See if you can catch this, old man.”
“Old man? You’re two hundred years old yourself, you know.”
“So my wife likes to remind me.” He threw the ball, which curved down and away, well out of Will’s reach. “I thought you played college ball, old man? How can you miss that?”
“Freak knee injury back in my day. And you missed the target.”
A streak of black fur shot out from the tent. Smokey grabbed the ball in her mouth and jogged back to Fil, who laughed and scratched the dog behind the ears.
The twins spotted the dog and shrieked with excitement. Ignoring the cold and Angel’s orders to stay inside, they ran at the dog. Smokey spread her front legs wide, looking as if she would pounce, and growled at the children. Eva and Charlie growled back. Smokey barked, and little Eva fell down, prompting howls of laughter from her twin brother. Most of those in attendance joined in as well.
He heard a scream from the forest surrounding the house and was on alert.
Fil looked at him. “Sounded feminine. I don’t think Porthos invaded.”
Will nodded and jogged back toward Hope, stopping several feet away.
Her eyes had gone wide and her breathing was shallow.
“Hope? Hope, what’s wrong?”
“Put me down, you overgrown lunk!” The shout came from the forest. Hope’s left hand gripped the armrest of her chair as her right hand whipped over her heart.
Will was at her side in an instant. “Are you okay? Are you having a heart attack? Do you need to go to a hospital?”
“No! I told you! I. Don’t. Want. To. Go!”
The woman’s voice grew louder and Will followed Hope’s eyes to the spot where the sound originated.
Seconds later, Adam emerged, hauling a strange woman over his shoulder. She was pounding her fists into his back, screaming at him. Adam’s eyes were on Hope.
Will frowned. Were the two of them doing the sibling secret thing again?
Adam marched forward, all eyes upon him. The woman stopped shouting when he passed the first people in the tent, and she knew she’d be seen. Instead, she punched him once more and tried to twist around, trying to see where he was taking her.
Gena looked at Will. “Is this some kind of birthday entertainment?”
Will shrugged. “If so, it’s failing pretty miserably right now.” He pointed at Hope, who had only blinked once since the first shout emerged.
Adam walked near Hope and set the woman upon the ground. He put his hands on the woman’s shoulders. “She’s right behind you,” he told her. “If you run now, she’ll know. You’ve been hiding for far too long, and for no reason. It’s time.”
And he stepped away.
Will glanced at Hope and at the woman. He saw the long, golden hair, the piercing blue eyes, saw the incredulous look of recognition and warmth as the stranger looked upon Hope. He looked back at his wife and watched, dumbfounded, as the first tear slipped from her eye.
Everyone had gone silent, save for the children, who tried to entice Smokey to play more. But Smokey looked at the stranger, panting, tail swinging merrily.
Hope stood, still not blinking, and moved forward. “Mom?” she whispered.
The woman nodded. “It’s me, sweetie.” Her face had grown damp. “I don’t believe it either. But it’s me.”
“But… how… I saw you…”
The woman stepped forward. “Hush. I’m told that in this era, with this group of people, things are never what they seem. Even death.” She took Hope’s hands. “Some of that magic visited me.”
Hope and Will both looked to Adam, who grinned sheepishly. “Birthday wishes for everyone, even the ones whose birthday isn’t today.” He moved away, back toward Gena, who looked at him, blinking in confusion.
Hope collapsed into the woman’s arms, sobbing.
Will stared at them, fighting the crazy idea that he’d not misheard Hope.
The woman stroked Hope’s hair. “It’s okay, Lizzie.” She looked up at Will, smiling. “Thank you for caring for my daughter. She’s a bit of trouble at times.” Hope choked on her tears as she laughed. “But she’s worth it.”
Will stared at Genevieve, still in disbelief. She’d died before his arrival in the past. Died before Energy. Died before nanos. Died before…
He looked at Adam. Adam smiled back. Detour, he mouthed.
He struggled to understand. Fil stood and approached, and Angel rose from her seat as well, staring.
Detour?
He looked at Fil and Angel as they approached their maternal grandmother.
It clicked.
The detour on the return trip from 2030. The detour to Eden. Fil and Angel, wandering the Island, discovering the mythical place. Adam, left alone. With a time machine. He himself had been unconscious inside, or perhaps left behind. Smokey, traveling with him. He saw the dog’s affection for a woman she shouldn’t know but clearly did. And he knew.
Somehow, Adam had gone back in time. He’d saved Genevieve from the death Hope had witnessed. And he’d brought her to the present to reunite with her daughter.
He suspected it was an incredible story. He’d ask Adam to tell it one day.
For now, though, he smiled.
This was the birthday he’d always wanted, the one he’d wanted since before that horrible fire. No, this was the birthday he’d wanted since birth. Surrounded by extended family, tears of joy, stories impossible to believe even for him. And a good steak.
He moved forward and hugged the two women as he heard Gena murmur to Adam, letting him know the contractions were strengthening.
He squeezed them both a bit tighter. Best. Birthday. Ever.
###
The End
(For Now)
From the Author
It began as a small idea several years ago. A man standing before his home, watching as it burned to the ground, knowing the love of his life and his reason for living died as the embers formed, and vowing that in some manner, he’d find those responsible and make it all right.
The precise details changed quite a bit, of course. It didn’t take much effort for Will Stark to find those responsible; they came after him. But I don’t think Will had any more idea than I did when I started writing of the huge swath of history leading up to the events unfolding that day.
It’s taken a lot of work, a lot of sleep deprivation, but Will’s story is finally told. He’s gone through a lot, grown a lot, but in the end, he got to spend his birthday just as he wanted: surrounded by loved ones without the pressures of the outside world crushing him with expectation. I think Will would change a lot if he could; too many died before that happy day related in the Epilogue, and he’ll carry that burden with him for a long time. But far more benefited from his actions in the distant past, where he chose to use his advanced knowledge and skills for the betterment of all, rather than for their exploitation.
If there’s one message I hope you take from these stories, it’s exactly that: one person can make a huge difference. The Alliance motto, modified from a similar quote uttered by Gandhi many years ago, reflects that. We’re each only one person, but each word we say and action we perform has the chance to change the lives of at least one other. Will it be a change for the better? I hope so. Look for those opportunities to do random acts of kindness, and encourage those helped to pay it forward, rather than paying it back. Small changes add up over time. Challenge yourself to be the start of something great.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you, the reader. I hope you’ve enjoyed these stories, and I hope my ability to tell them has improved over time. You’ve invested your money, and, far more importantly, your t
ime in these books, and I’ve tried with each publication to give you more in exchange for both.
So what’s next?
The Aliomenti Saga is part of a much, much larger storyline, filled with series that stand alone but which affect and impact each other. I’ll be focusing on these interconnected series as my primary focus in the future, starting with a series called The Ravagers. The first book in that series is available now (click here), and I hope you’ll enjoy the story and figuring out just what’s happened since Will’s birthday party… and just who, from the world of the Aliomenti, might be playing a part in that new series.
I’m not abandoning the friends we’ve grown to know in this series. They still have more to do, and I’ll sneak back to Will and Hope and Angel and Fil and Adam and Gena and the rest to see what they’ve been up to. Personally, I’m quite curious about the “detour” Adam mentioned in the Epilogue, the one that involved him fetching Genevieve from the ancient past. I suspect there’s a lot more to it than a quick trip to the early eleventh century. But we’ll let Adam share the details when the time is right. Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter (alexalbrinck.com/Subscribe) so that you’re alerted as soon as each new story goes live. In the interim, I hope you’ll enjoy the new series!
Thanks again for everything!
Alex Albrinck
November 2014
[email protected]
Also by Alex Albrinck
The Aliomenti Saga
A Question of Will
Preserving Hope
Ascent of the Aliomenti
Birth of the Alliance
Preserving Will
Stark Cataclysm
Convergence
The Ravagers
Activate
Detonate*
Deviate*
*Pending release at time of publication
About the Author
Alex Albrinck is a lifelong Ohio resident, where he lives with his wife and three children. When he’s not trying to be in three places at once with his active youngsters, he’s following local professional and collegiate sports teams, or possibly unscrambling a Rubik’s Cube. In lieu of sleep, he writes fiction.
You can reach him via his website (www.alexalbrinck.com), on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAlexAlbrinck), through Twitter (https://twitter.com/AliomentiWriter), or email ([email protected]).
To receive email notifications of each new book release along with access to exclusive content, sign up for his newsletter at alexalbrinck.com/Subscribe.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII
XIII
XIV
XV
XVI
XVII
XVIII
XIX
XX
XXI
XXII
XXIII
XXIV
XXV
XXVI
XXVII
XXVIII
XXIX
XXX
XXXI
XXXII
XXXIII
XXXIV
XXXV
XXXVI
XXXVII
XXXVIII
XXXIX
XL
XLI
XLII
XLIII
XLIV
XLV
XLVI
Epilogue
From the Author
Also by Alex Albrinck
About the Author
Convergence Page 30
