by Mark Iles
The shadows of the trees lengthened as the moon rose in its lonely orbit across the sky. Finally, Selena stirred, saying aloud: “It’s almost time now, Bryn. Watch over there, sweetheart.”
Even as she spoke, the quiet of the jungle was broken by the rising growl of a starship’s engines, as the Magellan rose slowly above the forest; and then with a piercing scream and a blinding flash of light speared into the night sky.
Selena turned her face away and shielded her eyes for a moment, before looking up to watch the comet-like head of light streak across the heavens to dwindle to a pinprick and then finally fade away to nothing.
A loud snarl sounded close by and then a twig snapped loudly behind her. Selena dived to one side, her hand flying to her machinegun. Snatching it up, she cocked the weapon and aimed it towards the noise, staring into the darkness. Nothing, she couldn’t make a damn thing out. After a moment or two, she demanded loudly, “Okay, who’s there?”
Kes stepped into the moonlight. “Only little old me; you didn’t think I could let you do this alone, did you, Selena? We’ve been a team far too long for that.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” she snarled. “You should have been on the Magellan!”
“Yes, well, shit happens. Looks like a nice spot you have here. Thought I’d share it with you.” He stood with hands on hips, looking over at the moonlight reflected on the water. “Yeah, real nice...”
“Kes, for God’s sake...”
He turned to look at her and smiled wanly. “Do you honestly think this is what Bryn would have wanted, that he’d have been happy for you to die this way? We both know the answer to that one, don’t we? I for one know exactly what he’d have wanted, even if you don’t, or rather you refuse to acknowledge it. He’d want you out of here, somewhere safe.”
“Safe? That’s a damn joke, isn’t it? There isn’t anywhere safe anymore, is there? After all we did, the Manta are still out there, and more people will die no matter what we do. We were just that little bit too late, all of our friends died needlessly – including Bryn. And as for me being somewhere safe, well that’s just not going to happen, is it? On top of everything else, you’ve managed to doom yourself too, you ginger clown. I never thought I’d say this, but you’ve turned into a sentimental fool.”
“Really? Well, there’s something else you should know before you make that decision. The Manta have already begun to attack again. God knows where they’re getting the ships.”
“Tell me you’re lying.”
“I can’t do that, I’m afraid; and it’s much worse than you think.”
Selena stood up. “Where? Tell me!” she demanded.
Kes looked at her silently for a moment, and then said it the only way he could, “Capulet.”
Selena felt as if her legs had been kicked out from underneath her. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure; the news came in just before the Magellan lifted. There’s been fighting all over the planet and the Federation are sending reinforcements, but it looks like that puppet government has already fallen. It had been set up in one of the new towns, but everything’s been overrun except the old city, where they managed to activate that old defensive ring. It’s managed to keep the Manta out, and naturally the queen’s now taken charge. Those that survived have gathered there, for a last stand. The enemy’s weapons appear to have been improved too, so we’ve been put on a back-footing once again. From the information we have, Capulet is one of the worlds with the mineral the Manta need for their crops, as does another world of great interest to us. And they’ll have that information too.”
“Don’t tell me, it can’t be...”
“Yup, I’m afraid it is. You guessed it, Loreen has the mineral too. If Capulet falls, and they find Eden, we’re going to be in extremely serious trouble. The people of Loreen need you, Selena; and we need you too. Remember back when you told Linda all those years ago, that all your friends end up dead? Well, if you quit now, you’re letting it happen all over again. For you to let them down now would make a mockery of what you’ve achieved so far, and what you’ve stood for all your life. Face it, you couldn’t believe that your mother left you all those years ago, and yet you’re prepared to leave your friends in the lurch. You’ll be running out on them when they really need you, and you can make a difference. There’s something else you need to know, too.”
“Isn’t there always, what is it?”
“Franks sent a message to say that they’re already in trouble. His daughter, Hope, now over a year old, has wandered off from their base camp in Eden and disappeared. They think she’s gone down one of the rabbit holes. Trouble is, they don’t know exactly which one, and Franks is getting desperate. They’ve had search parties out day and night, but as knowledge of Eden is Top Secret, very few people know about it, and they’re limited in how many resources they can call on to help in the search.”
“Did he say whether he had any leads, anything at all?”
“No. There was only one other message. It was sent shortly after the last one, and it was quite brief. It said that they were going down the rabbit holes too.”
“What? That’s not exactly bloody helpful. Ask him for more information.”
“We would, but it appears that Franks and his wife went out with one of the search parties yesterday morning and never came back. None of the team did. The camp’s waiting for vetted reinforcements from the base, before they do anything else – but like I said just now, numbers are limited. Even most of our own people don’t know about the discovery.”
“So, what happens now?” Selena asked.
“Now we get out of here, that’s what. We’ve friends relying on us — people who need our help.” Kes spoke briefly into his radio and almost instantly a shuttle appeared over the trees and sank to the ground close by. She could see Singh waving at her through the cockpit canopy, as a gangway lowered towards them.
Selena shook her head, hiding a smile as she stood up, slung her machinegun over her shoulder and then walked up the gangway, with Kes following close behind.
The hatch closed and locked as they strapped themselves in.
With a growl rising to a scream the tiny craft lifted, tilted upwards, and with a roar arrowed towards the heavens.
Selena looked out through the port hole next to her, to the horizon, where the first faint glimmers of the world’s last dawn could already be seen.
About the author
As a child Mark was bought up in Slough and used to read up to three paperbacks a day. At the age of 17 he joined the Royal Navy as a radio operator and says he’s so lucky to have seen so much of the world. While always interested in writing he began to do so more seriously following his experiences during the Falklands War, in which he served aboard HMS Invincible. His short stories have been published in a wide variety of media and he has also written prolifically about the martial arts for magazines such as Combat and Martial Arts Illustrated.
Passing his MA in Professional Writing with Falmouth University he went on to complete a Diploma in Copywriting, and now works part time for an American copywriting company as well as writing features and fiction. While he writes in all genres Mark’s fiction is primarily SF, fantasy and horror.
Appearing in several anthologies, including Auguries, Escape Velocity, Write to Fight and Monk Punk, his novel ‘A Pride of Lions’ is the first instalment in the Darkening Stars series.
Acknowledgements
A big thank you to Falmouth University: Their MA in Professional Writing is one of the best things I’ve ever done. Also to the BSFA Orbiter writing groups, without their feedback this book wouldn’t have made it. In particular to Geoff Nelder, a fellow writer and friend who’s willing advice and guidance never fails to inspire, and to Nik Morton my brilliant editor.
Other Solstice Fantasy Books that might be of interest
DEATH IS ANOTHER LIFE
Robert Morton
Present-day Malta, with echoes from pre-histo
ry and the eighteenth century Knights of Malta. Malta may be an island of sun and sand, but there’s a dark side to it too. It all started when some fishermen pulled a corpse out of the sea... Or maybe it was five years ago, in the cave of Ghar Dalam?
Spellman, an American black magician, has designs on a handpicked bunch of Maltese politicians, bending their will to his master’s. A few sacrifices, that’s all it takes. And he’s helped by Zondadari, a rather nasty vampire. Maltese-American investigative journalist Maria Caruana’s in denial. She can’t believe Count Zondadari is a vampire. She won’t admit it. Such creatures don’t exist, surely? She won’t admit she’s in love with him, either...
Detective Sergeant Attard doesn’t like caves or anything remotely supernatural. Now he teams up with Maria to unravel the mysterious disappearance of young pregnant women. And there are caves, supernatural deaths and a haunting exorcism. Just what every holiday island needs, really.
Dan Brown meets Dracula. Robert Morton's Death is Another Life is a fast paced, intelligent read that kept my pulse pounding until the last page. Vampires are certainly enjoying a revival, but Morton's take is entirely fresh, certainly not like those so overdone today. Once I started this, I couldn’t put it down. - Heather Savage, author of The Empath Trilogy
Set in picturesque Malta Death Is Another Life offers the reader a refreshing twist on the popular vampire genre. Mr. Robert Morton weaves a story with multiple surprises. From the beginning, his plausible and complex characters lure the reader deeper in his yarn. In particular, Maria and Michael are hypnotic, compelling, and seductive. The desire to learn more about these romantic and dashing figures makes this book a true page-turner. – Elizabeth Sullivan, author of Different Hearts
The story carefully unfolds into a complex, and chilling tale not exactly for the light-hearted. Maria Caruana, an investigative journalist and police Sergeant Francis, investigate the disappearance of young pregnant women. They put their lives on the line to learn whether or not black magic is alive on the Maltese islands.
A startling find as Maria watches her father Dr Nicholas Caruana, a police pathologist, do an autopsy pulls her into the forces of good versus evil. Some people make good out of bad, but Bryson Spellman takes his bitterness to the dark side. Michael Zondadari, a vampire, and Bonello a politician, and his right-hand man, Grech are just a few he sucks into his evil plan. Maria's search for answers takes her to Michael Zondadari. He has a hold over her from the moment she sets eyes on him, and even as she wonders if she loves him, she fears that he is a vampire.
The dark forces gather, and then the story breaks wide open and reveals the depth of evil that has befallen the beautiful tourist island of Malta. This is a rather deep story with some x-rated parts... – Kathleen Janz-Anderson, author of September Wind
Death is Another Life has a strong structure and is full of rich writing and action. The plot has page turning twists and the main characters are likeable, especially the female lead. I hadn't read a vampire book in a while and was reminded of how intensely gruesome they can be. While this one has its squeamish moments it's not atypical for the genre, and I can't help liking a well written book! The Malta setting was perfect, making this a great escape read. - Rosean Mile, author of The Scales of Six
THE SEVENTH MAGPIE
Lesley Ann Sharrock
Can one woman, genetically linked to a time of witch burnings and religious persecution, prevent a devastating global war between conflicting ideologies in the near future? Three women hold the key.
In the year 1624, Mair Griffiths is executed for witchcraft in Wales.
While, in 2060, Jeena H Roberts commands a top-secret mission using experimental technology. This is an attempt to capture the perpetrators of the outrage that acted as a catalyst for a war that thrust the world into flames.
And in 1986, Helen Ross travels to Wales in search of her birth family. But what she discovers in the ancient stones of that land of magic and melancholy is far more ominous than she could ever imagine.
“The Seventh Son. Seventh Seal. Seventh Magpie, that legendary mischievous creature. From the moment you read the title, you know you're in for something mystical and spiritual, and Ms. Sharrock doesn't disappoint. At the same time, the book is firmly placed at the center of the human heart. No frothy, bubbly faerie stuff here…
“And the magpie? Well, he's been there all along. Watching, delivering messages, waiting for the moment. And of course, we're waiting, too, wondering what that moment is and what will happen when it comes. How can we have a 400-year-old magpie? I wouldn't want to rob you of the experience of discovering that by reading this delicious adventure for yourself. Follow this magpie to his hidden treasure.”
- Carl Brush, author of The Second Vendetta.
THE EXECUTIONER’S DAUGHTER
Miguel Conner
For millennia, the stark Kingdom of Keloveria has thrived in a bleak, hostile world of ageless horrors and ripe threats. Its survival is largely dependent on two ancient, sentient relics—the crown Forethought and the axe Afterglow—worn respectively by the king and his executioner, Deadspeaker. The king judges the living and Deadspeaker judges the condemned. In their parity, order flows throughout the Misty Continent and even in unearthly realms.
Then the youthful Tendrik Partaghast is newly crowned, while the aging executioner Mateoz knows his time grows short. The balance of power is suddenly tilted when the Deadspeaker breaks the covenant with mankind by choosing his own newborn daughter as the successor of Afterglow. This unprecedented heresy sows the seeds of revolution from long-resentful royal Houses and an opportunistic clergy. Worse, the broken pact invites foes in the form of arcane necromancers, barbarian hordes, and forgotten gods. Heroic forces also arise to counter the emerging bloodshed and chaos, most notably a long-banned knight class led by Aron Durmyr, the Knight of Swords.
The ambitious yet untested King Tendrik realizes that a shift of ages has arrived and begins his own machination, not least to eliminate the executioner’s child...King and Deadspeaker are drawn into the same esoteric rivalry between Forethought and Afterglow that has raged since the beginning of time.
But in this cycle, the reign of mankind might come to one, final end…
THE SCALES OF SIX
Rosean Mile
On assignment collecting relics in Indonesia, independent curator Gail Weaver learns that an ephemeral plant sprouting prolifically on Sumatra can transform all hair types into gorgeous locks. Seizing an opportunity to make a fortune in the cosmetic market, Gail smuggles plant clippings into the US and sways her apprehensive sister Fran to help seek financing for a shampoo she’s made with the Indonesian plant. But dreams of impending wealth are quelled by the shocking revelation of the shampoo’s horrifying side effects.
Against a backdrop of career and money problems, shady competitors, legal challenges and romance, Fran, Gail and an exotic Indonesian scientist must race against biological, corporate and media forces to save Fran’s boss, and a legion of young women whose quest for beauty is transforming them in ways they never imagined.
Testing human greed against forces of nature, The Scales of Six blends suspense, intrigue, and surreal circumstance to weave a new story about an old myth coming to life in the contemporary world.
It's a legal thriller. No, it's a mystery! A book of suspense! A paranormal thriller. A romance. Sci-fi? Horror? This wonderful book has a bit of everything, slipping from one genre to the next as easily as the story moves between Gail and Fran Wheeler, the two sisters telling the story. It's also a delightful travel adventure, taking you from New York City to the wintry Maine woods to the steamy Indonesian jungle. With corporate posturing, biological agents, mermaids, metamorphosis, and courtroom drama thrown into the mix, you need to hold on for the ride.
Rosean Mile's genre-busting The Scales of Six is unique and delightful, full of substance and surprises. The characters are well-drawn. The story flows well and each scene unrolled in my mind's eye like a movie. I
wanted to keep reading to find how all the threads would converge. And things did not turn out as I expected, which I loved.
If you're looking for a read that is different, fascinating, and entertaining, try this book. You won't be disappointed. – Nancy Wood, author of Due Date
IN THE NAME OF JOANNA
Jean Valli
A mystery about love, friendship and loyalty…
Samantha was happy enough with her life in Dublin. Now working in the manor house of Glendora - where a woman named Joanna died a year before - she finds herself torn between her romantic feelings for a man who people around her seem to believe is a murderer and her loyalties to those who have befriended her.
As she struggles to break the enigma that is Damon Bartholomew, temptingly close but hidden beneath the surface, something she can't quite perceive, shifts and changes as a shocking discovery begins to emerge.
Her dilemmas and choices are forever changing as secrets are discovered, and Samantha must play a waiting game...as each, in their turn reveal their true natures.
The underlying questions are: Was Joanna murdered? And can a woman, who has been conditioned to love men who are bad for her, go so far as to knowingly fall in love with a cold-blooded murderer? It seems she can.
As a determined wraith begins to slip back through the cracks between this world and the next...one must wonder, can the spirit avenge murder?
Is death really the final straw?
Samantha has always thought so...until now...but...she has second thoughts.
