The Day's Wake
Page 20
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the last surprise of the day. There was still one more.
“The colonel arrives,” the leader said as he looked down the path. Hoofs could be heard pummeling the ground.
Three men rode into the clearing. One of them nimbly dismounted and walked over to them. It became immediately apparent who this man was. He was tall and wore the fine armaments of a leader, with a shiny silverstone helmet that he removed and cradled under his arm. The removal revealed a closely cropped cut of hair that was loose and disheveled.
These features were but a shadow to the gleam that immediately caught everyone’s attention. The man’s eyes glowed. They were the bluest eyes, with green contours of the irises, akin to no one else except for the general Zahir had watched the imbecile slay not more than a day ago. There was no question that this man and the general were kin.
“Timothur Granth?” Hella asked. Her face was drawn and colorless, as if in a nightmarish reverie.
The pretty man seemed to pause when he laid eyes on Hella, as if an invisible maul had knocked him in the side of the head. “And…and you fit the description quite well, save all the grime and sweat. You must be the princess. But I thought Vanaden had you?”
Hella immediately shot Zahir a look. It could have been a frown, but her face was plain, save for the subtle look of desperation. Zahir would wonder what that look was for. Was it a warning not to speak of the dead general? Was it recognition of who stood before them? She would do this at times, assuming he understood her unspoken diplomatic language, but he rarely did.
Timothur continued, “Well, I’m always cleaning up after Vanaden. You’ll be in my custody until we reconnect with Vanaden’s army.”
Hella spoke up. “I’m a princess of Pomeria, and I come to you with a matter of grave concern for our respective nations. You must listen.”
The colonel shook his head. “You are Marked, princess. You ask that I should listen to you, but I’m told by the faithful monks that I should do exactly the opposite.”
Then Timothur turned to Nala and offered her a confused expression.
Hella wasn’t finished. She spoke out in defiance. “I’ve been Marked in error, by conspirators—”
“Shhh,” Timothur cut her off, still looking at Nala. One of the soldiers who had ridden in with the colonel walked up to the princess and cudgeled her in the stomach. She took the blow well but didn’t continue speaking.
Zahir couldn’t do anything to save Hella here. He was tied tight to the log, and the bonds were unyielding. Although if it looked like they would kill her, he vowed he would try.
Timothur broke his gaze away from Nala just in time to see the cudgel. He cringed briefly then looked back to Nala. “Nala, is that really you? What are you doing here?” He had adopted a less authoritative tone.
Nala looked remarkably defiant, a stark change in her demeanor. “I’m not telling the likes of you. You’re the reason Sebastian is Marked and off on some crazy mission.”
The colonel looked even more confused. Soon enough, he shrugged off his question. Perhaps he had better things to do than toil with his new prisoners. He turned to his deputies. “Tie them up, and bring them to my tent at dinner. I’ll figure this out then.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you do know what will happen if they escape?” Timothur added.
“Yes…yes, sir.”
“Vanaden wouldn’t be happy, and neither would I,” Timothur said slowly. Then he turned about to mount his horse.
Hella wasn’t finished, though, having finally recovered from her assault. “Sir, as I told your deputy, these two men are Fringe. They were helping us navigate on our journey. They have no allegiance to us.”
Timothur sighed and looked at back at his subordinates. The one who had caught them said, “he does have the mark of Purveyor, sir.”
Timothur shrugged and said, “Fine. I want no trouble with the Fringe. Let those two go.” He kicked the flanks of his horse again and was gone.
And so it was that Hella was caught by the Belidorans again, her fate surely sealed once this colonel learned of his brother’s death. Zahir’s mission hung on this new peril.
Meanwhile, the Belidorans had improbably cast out Zahir to fraternize with only one possible ally, a suspicious Fringe Purveyor, of all people, whose heathen motivations were unclear.
In all likelihood he would have to deliver him to Matteo’s discerning embrace.
Book 3 (The Third Internecion) will be available mid-2019
“As compelling and interesting as the first two books…”
“…[Provides] answers to questions posed.”
“…leaving some introspective thoughts up to the reader, which is always a delight in a good book.”
— San Francisco Book Review
Also by Erik A. Otto
Detonation
An epic dystopian tale that is a cautionary reflection on our own innovation-obsessed culture. It follows two societies that are connected, but centuries apart, and their struggle against a superintelligent machine.
Named to Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2018
“A highly entertaining and absorbing combination of philosophy and action featuring robustly individualized characters.”
“…a future world that vibrates with conflict and ideas.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Transition
A 16,000 word science fiction short story set in an enclosed city that is besieged by an endless war. It follows Alder and Lena, who both want a family. Their only option is to have lacrotic children; precious gifts that come with an expiry date. They struggle to maintain hope and dream of escaping to the stars as the transition looms ever closer.
About the Author
Erik A. Otto is a former healthcare industry executive and technologist, now turned science fiction author. He focuses on delivering intricate plotting, diverse characters and action-driven story telling to immerse the reader in thought-provoking events and circumstances. His works of fiction include A Toxic Ambition, Detonation, and the Tale of Infidels series. Detonation has been named to Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2018.
In addition to writing, Erik is currently serving as the Managing Director of Ethagi Inc., an organization dedicated to promoting the safe and ethical use of artificial general intelligence technologies. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with his wife and two children.
Please visit Erik’s website at erik-a-otto.com for more information or to sign up for updates on new releases.