Redeemer

by C. E. Murphy

  "Are you gonna run home to Rosie's folks, too?" Barb sneered. "Won't that be pretty, the two of you old maids living together forever?"

  Jean, moving slow and ponderous as a tank, walked up the porch steps until she stood nose to nose with Barb. "They're not going to go home with their tails between their legs. They're better than that, and a whole lot better than you. You better start packing Rosie's stuff into my car."

  Barb sneered again. "Who's gonna make me?"

  Jean straightened and took a breath that filled her out until she looked big and dangerous. "Do you really want me to answer that question?"

  Dorothy squeaked, "No!" and grabbed one of the boxes. "Come on, Barb. Come on, let's just do it, come on." Jean stood over all four of them as they moved boxes into her car, while Rosie watched with cold astonishment. She could hardly think, except to think it was a good thing Jean and Irene were with her. They seemed able to move and make plans, while all she could do was stand there in shock. Demons shouldn't be easier to deal with than Barb, for goodness' sake.

  "Boy," she heard herself say. "Boy, I sure hope that you'll never need me someday."

  Barb gave her a filthy look as she carried a box past. "What could I ever need you for?"

  Rosie caught her breath, shaking off the cold that had seized her. "Honestly, Barb, I hope you never find out. Because if you do, you're going to regret this more than you can ever imagine. Not even because I'll refuse to help you." She started to smile. "Because I won't. I'll be there if you need me. And if you ever do need me, knowing that I'll be there is gonna stick in your craw for the rest of your life. Wow." She looked at Irene supervising Marge packing a box into the car, and at Jean, standing on the porch with her arms folded and an expression like a drill sergeant, and her smile broadened. "Wow. You know what? This is going to be terrific. This is exactly what I need. I don't have the factory job anymore, so this is a clean break from the whole life I used to live. I'm gonna be somebody else, doing new things, from here on out, and I can't wait to see what happens."

  "Atta girl," Jean murmured as she came down the porch steps to open the Oldsmobile's front door. "Go on, get in … roomies."

  Rosie, grinning, scrambled in to take the middle of the bench seat, with Jean climbing in the driver's side and Irene taking the passenger seat. They exchanged bright-eyed looks of excitement, and then Rosie leaned forward to thump her hands on the dashboard. "All right, girls. Let's go home."

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  Also by CE Murphy

  The Guildmaster Saga

  Seamaster * Stonemaster (forthcoming)

  The Austen Chronicles

  Magic & Manners * Sorcery & Society (forthcoming)

  The Heartstrike Chronicles

  Atlantis Fallen * Prometheus Bound (forthcoming) * Avalon Rising (forthcoming)

  The Walker Papers

  Urban Shaman * Winter Moon * Thunderbird Falls * Coyote Dreams * Walking Dead * Demon Hunts * Spirit Dances * Raven Calls * No Dominion * Mountain Echoes * Shaman Rises

  & with Faith Hunter

  Easy Pickings

  A Walker Papers/Skinwalker crossover novella

  The Old Races Universe

  Heart of Stone * House of Cards * Hands of Flame

  Baba Yaga's Daughter

  Year of Miracles

  Kiss of Angels (forthcoming)

  The Redeemer Wars

  Redeemer

  The Worldwalker Duology

  Truthseeker * Wayfinder

  The Inheritors' Cycle

  The Queen's Bastard * The Pretender's Crown

  Stone's Throe

  A Spirit of the Century Novel

  Take A Chance

  a graphic novel

  Roses in Amber

  A Beauty and the Beast story

  Raven Heart

  written as Murphy Lawless

  Acknowledgements

  ...I've been sitting here trying to write this acknowledgments page and basically it just comes out to "WAAAAAAUGH LIFE WAS AWFUL I'M SORRY WAAAAAUGH."

  There are a lot of people I should say thank you to, but because I haven’t been keeping a running list I'm going to forget a bunch of them. Mary-Theresa Hussey, my editor-in-chief, of course, and copy editor Richard Shealy, although we had an unusually high number of disagreements about commas this time. Cover artist Lindsey Look, cover designer Tara O’Shea, and book designer The Barbarienne have conspired to make this a beautiful book, which I would be totally unable to do without them.

  Michelle Sagara took the brunt of my war-room wailing over being behind schedule for Redeemer (and about a million other things), and the other Word Warriors—Ellen, Mika, Laura Anne, Sharpie, Robin, Pooks—helped get me through the interminable rough draft stages. Ladies, I hoped the war room would last six months when I started it back in 2009. Thank you all for keeping it going, and for being in there, getting the words done, year in and year out.

  I am deeply, deeply grateful for Camille Lofters' friendship over the past few years, for Brian Showers' for the past decade and more, and for the Lady Writers Social Club (or whatever it is we call ourselves), consisting of Susan E Connolly, Ruth Frances Long and Sarah Rees Brennan. I have not been even a little bit as available or together or anything as I would have liked over the past couple years, which leaves me to suspect you really genuinely don't know how glad I am for all of your presences in my life. I love you all.

  And, last as usual but never least, my thanks to my Dad, and to both my husband Ted and our son, who have all been there while I worked my way through a to-do list so long I thought I'd never see the end of it. This book isn't quite the end of it, but I can see it from here. I love you all, too.

  Patron Acknowledgements

  Over 400 readers have been exceptionally, unbelievably patient in waiting for this book to come to fruition. "Thank you" is ridiculously inadequate, but it's all I've got. Thank you all so much.

  A Warwick, Adrian Faulkner, Adrianne Middleton, Aetiyen, Aine, Alan Twigg, Albert Petterson, Aletia Meyers, Alice Ma, Alisha Kloc, Alison Gunnels, Allison Daugherty, Althea Clark, Amber Salem, Amelinda Webb, Amy Nesbitt, Amy Stromquist, Andrew Barton, Andrew Clark, Andrew Lin, Andy Rogers, Angela Beegle, Angela Korra'ti, Anne Burner, Ariane Tobin, Arvoitus, Ash K. Alexander, Axisor, Barb Eagle, Barb Moermond, Barbara Hasebe, Beanz, Becky Studley, Berni Phillips, Beth Cato, Beth Wodzinski, Beverly. Lee, Bill Harting, Blair, Brendan Hutt, Bretaigne Jones, Brian Nisbet, Brian Stanley, Bryant Durrell, CA Brandstatter, Caitriona Lawrence Magee, Cam Banks, Cam Mezé, Camille Lofters, Candace McIlroy, Carl Neely, Carl Rigney, Carol Connolly, Carol Guess, Carolina Pardo, Caroline Spott, Cat Wilson, Catherine Farnon, Catherine Fiorello, Catherine Sharp, CharlesDM, Charlotte Calvert, Charlotte Powell, Chris "Warcabbit" Hare, Chris Broggi, Chris Chen, Chris Hanrahan, Chris Heilman, Christer Boräng, Christie Lutsiak, Christina Le Galloudec, Christine Swendseid, Christopher Sarnowski, Christy Hopkins, Chrysoula Tzavelas, Chrystin McLelland, chx, Claire Foshee, Coby Haas, Colette Reap, Cori May, Cryolite, Crystal Reich, Curmudgeon of Phoenix Rising, Cynthia Teare, D Franklin, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Danielle Ingber, Danielle Walther, Deanna Zinn, Debbie Matsuura, Debbie Ochsner, Deborah Alverson, Deborah Blake, Deborah Donoghue, Deirdre, Deirdre Murphy, Denise Moline, Diane Dupey, Diane Nowell, Dina Willner, Donal Cunningham, Dorien Benaets, Dr K L Maund, drey, Edward Ellis, el edwards, Eleanor Blair, Elena Barrick, Eleri Hamilton, Eliel Mamousette, Elisabeth Bouynot, Elizabeth A. Mancz, Elizabeth B Handler, Elizabeth Cadorette, Elizabeth Poole, Elizabeth Turner, Ellen Million, Elli Ferguson, Emily Ervin, Emily Poole, Emma Bartholomew, Emma Harvey, Emma Pitt, Erica Who Likes To Stick Her Fingers In My Armpit, Erin James, Ernie Sawyer, Esha Bhatia, Evenstar Deane, Faith Hunter, Flash McDonnell, Gabe Krabbe, Garret Reece, Gavran, Gemma Tapscott, Genevieve Cogman, George Olive, Georgina Scott, Gerri Lynn, Gilles Massen, Gina Rinderle, Gretchen S., Gwen Frazer-Dennison, Hamish Laws, Harvey King, Haviva Avirom, Heather Fagan, Heather Joubert, Heather Knutsen, Heather Pe
rry Baxter, HL Henrikson, Hollis Jade, Holly Payne, Holly Tidd, Idria Barone Knecht, Jackie Powers, Jacob Proffitt, Jaime Robertson, Jaime Wurth, James Brophy, James J Watkins, Jami Nord, Janet Barnard, Janne Tørklep, Jean Marie Diaz, Jean Tatro, Jean Valk, Jeff Adams, Jeff Linder, jeff lowrey, Jen Stein, Jen1701D, Jeni Young, Jenica Rogers, Jennifer Cabbage, Jennifer Dumont, Jennifer Flora Black, Jennifer van der Kolk, Jenny Barber, Jenny Schwartzberg, Jerel Heritage, Jessica Bay, Jessica Meade, Jill Smith, Jill Valuet, Joann Casper, Joann Zimmerman, Jodie Cooper, Joe Fernandez, Joerg Ritter, Johan Höglund, John Bogart, John Corrigan, Joliene McAnly, Jonathan Hixson, Joseph Alexander Hand, Joyce Ann McLaughlin, Judith Tarr, Judy Reiffers Weber, Julene Warwick, Julia Haynie, Juliana Veale, Julie Fore, Julie Kuhn, June Lundstrom, K. Gavenman, Kaitlin Thorsen, Karen Dubois, Karen Mahoney, Karl Kloeden, Kat Bonson, katastrophe, Kate Kirby, Kate Larking, Kate Malloy, Kate Sheehy, Katherine Beals, Katherine Ullman, Kathleen Hanrahan, Kathleen Tipton, Kathryn Duffy, Kathy Rogers, Katrina Lehto, Kayla Lowes, Kelli Nichols, Kerry aka "Trouble", Kiely Ohman, Kirt Dankmyer, Kristi Chadwick, Kristin Bledsoe, Kristina VanHeeswijk, Kristine Kearney, Krumpff, Kyna Foster, Larisa LaBrant, Laura Burchard, Laura Clay, Laura Wallace, LD Steele, Leah MacLean, LeAnn Haggard, Lee Bougourd, Leigh Ann Malloy, Lesley Mitchell, Lilly Ibelo, Limugurl, Liralen Li, Lisa Coker, Lisa Hornyak, Lisa Pegg, Lisa Soto, Lisa Stewart, Liz Oppelt, Lola McCrary, Lola Stockmaster, Lori Lum, Lorie York, Lorri Lynne Brown, Louise Inward, Louise Southwick, Luca Beltrami, Lyn Mercer, Lynette Miles, Madison W Fairbanks, Maggi Heffler, Marcia Carney, Maresa Welke, Margaret A. Menzies, Maria Lima, Marie Brennan, Marilyn Fisher, Marion McDowell, Marithlizard, Marjorie Taylor, Mark Sutter, Marsha Simmons, Mary Agner, mary anne walker, Mary Flores, Mary Hargrove, Maura McHugh, Max Kaehn, Megan Pokorny, Megan Rogers, Melanie C. Duncan, Melissa Glasser, Melissa Siah, Melissa Tabon, Michael Bentley, Michael Bernardi, Michael Bowman, Michael Carroll, Michael Feldhusen, Michael Nichols, Michele Schenck, Michelle Carlson, Michelle Curtis, Michelle Ossiander, Michelle Titanich, Mikaela Lind, Moira Bhu, Moritz Am-Ende, Morwenna Gaskain, My Darling Blue Haired Angie, Nancy Shuert, Nancy Weston, Neal Levin, Niamh O'Brien, nick eden, Nicolai Buch-Andersen, ompiled, Orjan Westin, Pam Blome, Pam East, Pam Hatler, Pamela Dyer-Bennet, Pamela M Roberts, Pat Knuth, Pat Reitz, Patricia O'Neill, Patricia Pooks Burroughs, Patrick Malone, Patty Lindsell, Paul Bulmer, Paul Knappenberger, Paul-Gabriel Wiener, Paula Foscarini-Craggs, Peter Griffith, Phil Sevetson, Philip Obermarck, Rachel Blackman, Rachel Chiapparine, Rachel Coleman, Rachel Gollub, Rachel Maloney, Rachel Narow, Rachel Reither, Rachel V., Rachel Vance, Rachel Voorhies, Rachel Zuffa, Rebecca and Stephen Jones, ReBecca Richardson, Rebecca Sims, Regis M. Donovan, Robert Lai, Robin D. Owens, Robynne Smith, Rosanne Girton, Ruth Stuart, S.L. Gray, Sam Dailey, Sandra Jakl, Sara Harville, Sarah Brooks, Sarah Brown, Sarah Foscarini Wilkes, Sarah Goslee, Sarah Troedson, Sarah Wishnevsky, Scott Drummond, Scott Philo, Sean Collins, Sean Mulhern, Shannon Scollard, Sharis Ingram, Sharon Sayegh, Sharrow, Shawn Capistrano, Shawn Tumey, Shel Kennon, Shell Coleman, Sherry Menton, Shevaun Frazier, Simone, Simran Khalsa, Siobhain McShane-Loy, Skye Christakos, Sonia Murphy, Stephanie Claypoole, Stephanie Dawson, Stephen Bradley, Stephen Hood, Stephen T, Stuart Chaplin, Sumi Funayama, Susan Crites, Susan E. Shelly, Susannah Cowtan, Suzanne McLeod, T.E. Stacy, Taiyo, Tal S, Tammy DeGray, Tania Clucas, Tantris Hernandez, Tanya Koenig, Tara 'Whatever Floats Your Boat' Lynch, Tara Fremont, Tara Teich, Tarja Rainio, Tasha Turner, Teresa Nichols, terrio, Thirzah Brown, Tiana Hanson, Tiff Arnold, Tiff Reynolds, Tina Bounds, Tobias Buckell, Tom and Rosie Murphy, Trip Space-Parasite, Valentine Lewis, Van der Jonckheyd, Vickie Turrell, Victoria Hench, Victoria Michaels, Walt Boyes, Wanda, Weird Andy in Atlanta, Yi-Mei Chng

  About the Author

  According to her friends, CE Murphy makes such amazing fudge that it should be mentioned first in any biography. It's true that she makes extraordinarily good fudge, but she's somewhat surprised that it features so highly in biographical relevance.

  Other people said she began her writing career when she ran away from home at age five to write copy for the circus that had come to town. Some claimed she's a crowdsourcing pioneer, which she rather likes the sound of, but nobody actually got around to pointing out she's written a best-selling urban fantasy series (The Walker Papers), or that she dabbles in writing graphic novels (Take A Chance) and periodically dips her toes into writing short stories (the Old Races collections).

  Still, it's clear to her that she should let her friends write all of her biographies, because they’re much more interesting that way.

  More prosaically, she was born and raised in Alaska, and now lives with her family in her ancestral homeland of Ireland, which is a magical place where it rains a lot but nothing one could seriously regard as winter ever actually arrives.

  She can be found online at mizkit.com, @ce_murphy, fb.com/cemurphywriter, and at her newsletter.