Fall of Angels
Page 21
If the angel ever recovered, Rachel might awaken him. He could deal with the loss of the ship then.
On the other hand, maybe even Raziel deserved to remain suspended in ice for as long as the holy universe lasted.
“Good luck, lass,” David said.
Rachel hugged her. “You’ll always have a place with us.”
Phoebe scoffed. “Please. I have a place anywhere I go. I’m totally adorable.” With that, she boarded the ship.
The ship started up and lifted off the hangar.
Rachel and David watched it glide out through the airlock tube, disappearing into the Conduit.
“Do you think she’ll find him?” David asked.
Rachel had serious doubt Knight lived, but … but the Gehennan had surprised her before. Repeatedly. “I hope so.”
David kissed her cheek.
Rachel led him by the hand to the other shuttle. Her next goodbye might be a bit less heartfelt, but she owed it to him. The man had certainly suffered enough for his part in all this.
Caleb and Leah were preparing to meet the Wake of Stars. Hannah Hertz had agreed to drop them off on Rehobath, where Leah claimed she might be able to grow new eyes for Caleb. The NER had lifted the angel ban on genetic engineering, making the task easier. Of course, Rachel feared it would lead to a whole new slew of problems. After all, the angels had engineered themselves into what they became.
God only knew what mankind would do to itself from here on.
For obvious reasons, the ban on cybernetics remained a guiding precept of the NER. Rachel had explained to Degana—in excruciating detail—why no one should be allowed to implant new cybernetics in the Republic. In case the woman had needed any more convincing, David had painted a few colorful mental pictures of the things the Adversary had done to him. Though, with the seals in place, he no longer had to struggle so hard against the Beast. Rachel felt the peace that radiated off him every moment from the quiet.
The Synod had passed a law mandating removal of cybernetics where possible.
“Who’s there?” Caleb asked, turning toward them as they approached.
“It’s Rachel and David,” Leah said.
“Rachel,” Caleb said. “I—I’m sorry. For everything.”
Rachel pressed her palm to his cheek. “I hope you get your sight back.”
Caleb shrugged. “It was worth losing it. But I have great confidence in Dr. Suzuki.” Dr. Suzuki? Damn, the man really had become a suck-up. “I … I want to ask something of you. When I’m gone, will you let Rebekah go?”
“She’s an enemy of the state,” David said.
“I know, but you pardoned everyone else for their sins … maybe she deserves a fresh start too. She did help us.”
Rachel grunted. “Then why after you’re gone?”
“Because I … I can’t face her. After all she’s done, I need to be rid of her. But I understand what it’s like to make a mistake. I don’t want her to spend forever in a prison or be executed. She has a chance to be free of the Beast now.”
“Uh …” Rachel ran a hand through her hair and looked to David. It was really up to him. He was the acting commander of the Sentinels until the Synod appointed a new one.
David scratched his head. “Aye, well. I’ll keep her under observation a few months. If she seems penitent, then maybe we can talk about parole.”
A snicker escaped her at the thought of a fallen angel out on parole. The holy universe was a strange place. “Good luck to you both.”
“And to you,” Leah said. “I heard your brother is helping you start that university. Maybe I’ll stop by to see it.”
“Yeah, but give us a year or so to get it going.”
David slipped his hand back into hers and led her away. “The Lotan contacted us this morning. They’ve demanded a consulate be established on the edge of the Expanse so that they might advise us.”
Maybe it would start that way.
Maybe the Lotan would offer advice—but what would happen if the NER decided to ignore it? Would suggestions become orders? Would the Lotan grow into the tyrants the angels had once been? And what of the angels themselves? If the NER ever agreed to revive them, would they accept the accord with the Lotan?
Maybe they were making the same mistakes all over again. Turning to outside authority to govern mankind. Or maybe they were making all new ones.
“Is the Synod going to cooperate?”
David nodded. “We owe the Lotan that much, at least. We’re building a station in orbit of Gehenna.”
Gehenna. A planet that had once been its own little hell would one day become a symbol of peace between species.
“And us? What will we do, David?”
“Well … that’s up to you. We’ve both got schools to run. But as for personal time, I have a suggestion. It might be time to get to work on that family we talked about.”
Rachel smiled. It might at that.
Epilogue
“All I can say is this. History may blame the Pariah for Armageddon. But without him, no one would have been left to remember it at all. Armageddon came—and we won. The Adversary lurks on the edge of known space. Perhaps we will struggle against them for centuries. But mankind’s eyes are open. The door to the future stands wide open. And we have been given one last chance to make our own destiny.”
Dr. Rachel Jordan, Lectures at New Eden
PEGASUS DWARF GALAXY
Viscous fluid filled much of a Lotan ship, but they had dried out a chamber for human guests. In reality, the ships were symbiotic extensions of the Lotan themselves, though they had not bothered to explain that to humanity at large.
One of the seven-headed creatures manifested through the walls of Knight’s chamber. He preferred to think of it as a chamber, rather than a cell. He had seen enough of cells in his lifetime. And though the Lotan seemed disinclined to let him go, neither did they call him a prisoner, per se.
He had taken days to recover from his injuries and prolonged exposure to space, drifting at the edge of the event horizon. He’d drifted in so deep, he’d thought nothing could reach him. But the Lotan were not like other beings. And time must have dilated around him—what seemed hours to him would have been days, maybe weeks to the rest of the world.
Knight rose from the floor to face the creature. “Did you send the signal I asked?”
“Yes,” one of the heads said. “It is. Sent.”
At least Phoebe would know he lived. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to see her again. Or maybe he would. He’d begun to think nothing was impossible, as long as there was life.
And he was alive.
Vibrantly, beautifully alive thanks to what Raziel had done to him. He was human, and he was something more. Injuries that should have killed a human had faded. Limitations that would have once bound him had been broken.
“Why do you keep me here?”
“Education. You shall. Be. Our Emissary. One day. A bridge between. Three worlds. First. You must. Learn.”
“Learn what?”
“Everything.”
Knight smirked. “Then we’d better get started.”
Authors’ Notes
Matt: Ending a series is kind of bittersweet. After I finished Fall of Angels, people asked (for years) if there would be another book. I had moved on to other projects (such as my Norse-inspired The Ragnarok Era) and always said something like, “not at this time.”
Nevertheless, I always had some plans for a continuation of the world, the characters. I think the thing is, there’s always more. I knew, in general, what happened after the series. I just wasn’t sure I’d make time to write that.
Any good story is a slice of time. There’s a whole lot of stuff that happened before, during, and after the events of a series. So, will I ever come back to this universe and write more? I’m not a hundred percent certain. Maybe.
Even if I don’t, I feel close to these characters. Rachel, Knight, David, even Caleb and Jeremiah. I’ll miss them, for sure.<
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And I’m enormously proud of what Jeff and I achieved with this project.
Jeff: We debated back and forth how the series should end. Not that the ending itself was ever in question, merely the best way to tell it. At one point we considered a thorough, character by character series of epilogues, similar in style to The Lord of the Rings. But that thoroughness comes at a price. It lacks impact. The time spent tying little ribbons on everyone’s story separates a reader from the climax. Instead, we ended up using Matt’s original ending, sort of a Return of the Jedi finale where there’s a celebratory atmosphere tinged with sadness and loss
And of course, we had to leave open that wonderful can of worms in the final scene. THAT was never up for debate.
Can’t wait for the next project Matt and I work on together.
More Books by Matt Larkin
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Read about the Ragnarok Era series and discover where to buy at: mattlarkinbooks.com/ragnarok
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Worldsea Era
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Runeblade Saga
The Runeblade Saga is a series of dark fantasy sword and sorcery adventures set in the world of The Ragnarok Era. Filled with plenty of grim action, tragic heroes, and more than a bit of horror, these books are for fans of mythology and sword & sorcery alike.
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Twinborn Chronicles: Awakening
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Twinborn Chronicles: War of 3 Worlds
Then continue on into the world of Korr, where the Mad Tinker and his daughter try to save the humans from the oppressive race of Kuduks. When their war spills over into both Tellurak and Veydrus, what alliances will they need to forge to make sure the right side wins?
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Robot Geneticists
Robot Geneticists brings genetic engineering into a post-apocalyptic Earth, 1000 years aliens obliterated all life.
Explore the ruins of the Human Age. Witness the glory of a world reclaimed from the apocalypse.
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Shadowblood Heir
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About the Authors
About Matt Larkin
Matt Larkin is an American fantasy and science fiction author. He lives in Florida with his wife Juhi and daughter Kiran. With a background in philosophy and publishing, Matt started a small press dedicated to top notch speculative fiction. He adores mythology and history, passions he conveys through his mythic fantasy novels.
Connect with Matt Larkin online
On my website at mattlarkinbooks.com
On Facebook at facebook.com/matt.a.larkin
About J.S. Morin
I am a creator of worlds and a destroyer of words. As a writer, my works range from traditional epics to futuristic space operas. I am a gamer, a joker, and a thinker of sideways thoughts. But I don’t dance, can’t sing, and my best artistic efforts fall short of your average notebook doodle. When you read my books, you are seeing me at my best. My ultimate goal is to be both clever and right at the same time. I have it on good authority that I have yet to achieve it.
Connect with J.S. Morin online
On my website at jsmorin.com
On Facebook at facebook.com/authorjsmorin
OnTwitter at twitter.com/authorjsmorin