On the other side of the rip our last warriors battled their way to safety, but Catane was right there on the edge of them. He pulled up beside An’alepp, grinning widely as he saw her petrified form in Ra’shara. He stopped for a moment, looking her up and down and then he opened his palm and shattered her pillar-like form into a thousand flying shards. From the knees up, there was nothing left of my mentor.
Catane shrugged, and then, with a flick of his hand, he destroyed the last of our warriors in Axum, his unweaving ripping them to shreds. He was going to run through the gap and I did not have the strength to stop him. A tear trickled down my face, but I had no strength for anything else. It had all been for nothing. All of it. Kjexx, An’alepp. Watching Rusk die and then reversing time to save him. It would all be for nothing when he dove through with us. I couldn’t stop him like this.
Catane leapt for the gate. He was sailing through the air when the scintellex flared, a pattern of bright green shot through the rip, sending Catane spinning backwards and spreading out across the sky of Axum like a shooting star. My rip collapsed on itself and my last glimpse of Axum was of An’alepp’s frozen feet glowing green in the light of the scintellex.
The last of my energy gave out and I fell to the ground.
Epilogue
SOMETHING SOFT AND WARM was against my face. I snuggled into it. Every one of my limbs felt heavy as lead and my eyelids wouldn’t budge. I just needed a few more minutes of sleep. I’d get up then. Someone’s breathing, rhythmic and soft lulled me, made me feel safe. Ah. I could sleep like this forever. Is this where the expression ‘sleep like a stone’ came from?
With a start, I remembered An’alepp’s stony frozen visage. Bitter sadness swept over me. I had grown very fond of my ancestor. Worse, she had always seemed to see and know things that I hadn’t. Who would I turn to now that she was gone? Too many people had died for me. Toure, Kjexx, Rusk — for a short time — and now An’alepp.
Rusk. I needed to be sure he’d really made it, that he was really alive. I opened my eyes. I was curled up against his chest on a rocky ridge looking out over the jagged landscape of the Canderabai wilderness. He’d shed his outer layers and someone had taken off mine, too, so that we were both in the simple silk underclothing we’d worn under our constant need for winter furs in Axum. The sun on my face felt like an absolute luxury. It was low on the horizon, but I was too confused to know if it was rising or setting. Na and Shareesh, the twin moons glowed softly above us, and with the sight of them a sense of familiarity flooded me. We’d made it back. We were home.
Just below us the Landers had erected tents and cook fires glowed. The bugling of the Eaglekin off to the side brought a foreign element to my world. As if by journeying far away and coming home I had not just forever changed myself, but forever changed my world, too.
“Rusk?” I gently caressed his arm. What was that on my hand? It sparkled slightly as if it had a golden tattoo.
“You’re awake.” His voice was warm. His ko glowed warm and bright above his head.
I turned so that I could press my cheek against his and wrap him in my arms.
“I’m so glad you’re alive. You were dead.”
“It was only a dream. You found a way to bring us home.” His hands caressed me and I felt something tangle around my body. I reached for it. The tether, cold and hard, met my fingers. “And the Black Talon and the Eaglekin are safe.”
“You linked us back together.” I’d forgotten in the madness of the moment. “Why would you do that? It doesn’t just limit your freedom. It puts you at risk. When we return they could do anything to you! I don’t know how to remove it. Only Amandera and Catane knew how.”
He didn’t remember that alternate history where he’d died. He didn’t know, like I did, that the chain signified he was earmarked for death. I ran a hand through my hair.
“Don’t look so worried, Tylira.” His smile was soft and protective. “I don’t mind being attached to you. Especially now that I know that I can lend you my strength.”
“But you had the chance to be free! You could walk separately from me, have some privacy, do what you wanted without being under my gaze.”
“All that without you, just felt kind of hollow.” He kissed me teasingly, on the forehead. “Or maybe you’re saying that you’re the one who wishes she was free of me? You do know that we’re married now. Or did you think I’d forget in the excitement?”
“I hadn’t forgotten,” I said, enjoying the look in his honey-brown eyes. I shivered slightly as I remembered another, glassy look. I’d watched him die in my arms. I couldn’t ever live through that again.
“Good,” he said, “because the Landers lent me a tent and the plans I have for us tonight won’t be ruined by a tether — they might even be more fun with it.”
Why sit and dwell on pain and ghosts with an offer like that spread before me? Tomorrow would be soon enough to save the world. Maybe the scintellex would prove to have a few more surprises, or maybe I’d just have to solve the problem on my own. It didn’t matter. All I could think about was how alive Rusk felt in my arms and how quickly my heart was racing.
I kissed him, letting all my passion and desperate need for hope fuel the kiss.
“Easy, girl,” he laughed. “We’ll have a lifetime for that! You don’t have to roll all your kisses into one.”
A lifetime would never be enough.
Over on the horizon a light flared. It was almost too far away to see, but I thought I saw a flood of black figures pour out onto the plains of Canderabai. It was just my imagination, but I shivered all the same.
...
Read the rest of the story in “Thunder Rattles High, Book Three of the Unweaving Chronicles.”
More by Sarah K. L. Wilson
THE MATSUMOTO TRILOGY – Young Adult Science Fiction
Not many sixteen-year olds have to stand up against an Empire . Not many would be so good at it.
THE EX-PACIFIST – Book One
Vera and her bodyguard, Roman, are connected by the computers in their heads. They can silently co-ordinate and comment on the world around them. The downside? They’re on an impossible mission set by a vengeful emperor who would prefer to see them both dead. Not many sixteen-year-olds have to fight an entire empire for survival – and not many would be so good at it.
A young adult science fiction thriller with epic themes of family, duty, and conscience, a diverse cast, non-stop action and romantic subplots that echo the work of S. J. Kincaid’s “The Diabolic” or Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games.”
THE SPLITTING – Book Two
Vera is no longer a passive, brain-washed teen. Now she’s on a prison planet filled with shadowy aliens and ‘allies’ who want her dead. There’s only one thing she wants: escape. But to get it, she’ll have to become bolder than she ever dreamed was possible.
A young adult science fiction thriller with epic themes of family, duty, and conscience, a diverse cast, non-stop action and romantic sub-plots that echo the work of S. J. Kincaid’s “The Diabolic” or Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games.”
THE MATSUMOTO – Book Three
Vera and Roman are reunited, but as things get worse for the Blackwatch Empire there’s only one way Vera’s path can take her: to the throne or to her death. Will the allies she’s made be enough to help her seize the empire? Will her unique abilities, enhanced by her implant, give her the resources she needs to fight an interplanetary army? And will Roman still stick with her now that her path is leading where neither of them wanted to go?
A young adult science fiction thriller with epic themes of family, duty, and conscience, a diverse cast, non-stop action and romantic sub-plots that echo the work of S. J. Kincaid’s “The Diabolic” or Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games.”
ROMAN ADRIFT – Short Story Prequel (Always Free of Charge)
Roman Aldrin wasn’t always a deadly bodyguard and space marine. At one time, he was just a boy living in his parents’
decrepit spaceship. Until everything changed…
THE UNWEAVING CHRONICLES – Young Adult Fantasy
I’m destroying everything I love and I need to stop.
TEETH OF THE GODS – Book One
Tylira’s world is unraveling, and it’s all because of her unique gift.
Tylira Nyota’s mother is dead, and as the ninth daughter of the High Tazmin it is her fate to be chained to a fallen enemy general and trained for the life she will be assigned. Worse, Tylira’s magic won’t materialize, even though all her sisters can use theirs without inhibition.
But Tylira is headstrong and determined to have a little fun in life. She won’t let her guards, her brand new general, or even her stepmother’s army stop her. When she sees a chance to compete in the legendary race for the Teeth of the Gods she grabs it with both fists and won’t let go until she’s found them or destroyed the whole world trying.
And that’s a problem, because as her magic blossoms it becomes clear that the one thing Tylira is really good at, is destroying everything around her. With an army pursuing her, the Teeth of the Gods nothing but a spectre, and everyone telling her she must turn back, can she find a way to escape her destiny?
Searching for the perfect princess-turned-warrior heroine? Looking for an epic fantasy tale like nothing you’ve ever read before? This one won’t disappoint you. Teeth of the Gods combines the epic fantasy story line of Robert Jordan’s “Eye of the World” with the immediate in-person awe of Stephanie Garber’s “Caraval.” Plus, the ending is an absolute game-changer! Expect a thrilling ride.
LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE – Book Two
They say lightning never strikes twice - but they haven’t met Tylira.
Tylira Nyota did the unexpected when she found the legendary Teeth of the Gods, but her unweaving magic is unraveling her world at the seams and their only hope for survival is a guess by her ancestor and a journey to another world. Worse, Tylira and her san’lelion, Rusk Hawkwing, enter that world only to find themselves in the middle of a war with no allies and no way back.
Tylira managed to do the impossible when she won the race for the Teeth of the Gods, but can she do it again in the world of Axum with a powerful ruler bent on her destruction and a band of strange monster-riding barbarians her only allies?
Will she find a solution to save their world from destruction? And what will she have to sacrifice just to get home again?
THUNDER RATTLES HIGH – Book Three
Can selfish Tylira make the ultimate sacrifice?
Tylira's back from the world of Axum, but her arch-enemy has followed her. With the world collapsing, a people to protect, a new ancestor to reckon with, and armies intent on war, there's nowhere to flee and live the life she'd always wanted. Worse, she's the only one with the right kind of magic to stop Catane from his quest to rule Canderabai. Will she have the courage to make the ultimate sacrifice when it goes against everything she's ever wanted?
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About the Author:
I BELIEVE FICTION CAN help us connect with something greater than ourselves. It’s my mission to provide you with those kinds of stories. My books have wide-sweeping storylines with absolutely epic endings. I try my best to weave transcendent themes throughout that will get your mind spinning and fuel your philosophy and creativity.
I write science fiction and fantasy crossovers – my fantasy bleeds into science fiction and my science fiction bleeds into fantasy. I love both genres so much that I can just never stick with only one. I haven’t found another YA author who does this yet, so if you know of one, please tell me about them!
My fiction holds a mirror up to society and the human condition. I hope these themes resonate with you and I’d love to talk about any thoughts you have as a result of reading them. Drop me a line! [email protected]
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Lightning Strikes Twice (Unweaving Chronicles Book 2) Page 21
