Soleil
Page 32
“He must be reimagined by the person who most loved him in the former world, before any of the rest of us can see him.” She turns her gaze to a still baffled-looking Livinea who is scowling at the woods. “She must remember him first, or he—” Eyelet claps a hand over her mouth and turns to her mother. “What do we do?”
“I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do.” Her mother lowers her head.
“What if she can’t?” Eyelet says. “What if she’s physically unable?”
“I’m afraid those are the rules, my dear.”
Eyelet’s expression crumbles. “So if she can’t remember him, he simply never returns, is that it?”
“I’m afraid so, darling.”
Eyelet and I share a strained look.
Her bottom lip quivers. She steers away a tear. “Then remember him she must.” Eyelet pulls away from me and starts across the grass.
Livinea stares through her, bewildered.
“Livinea?” she calls, approaching her. “Livinea?” She snaps her fingers in front of her face. “Look at me.” She takes her by the cheeks and pulls her close.
Livinea scowls, searching the air for something to see, but clearly coming up with nothing.
“Livinea?”
“What?” Her eyes dart aimlessly.
“Can you see me?”
“I ’ear yuh,” Livinea says, her gaze still searching. Her face sours, and then at last her eyes focus, straight ahead. “Eyelet!” She beams and throws her arms around Eyelet’s neck. “Oh, Eyelet, yuh’ve come back!” She hugs her, swaying foot-to-foot.
“Yes. Yes, I have!” Eyelet giggles, peeling herself away. “Listen.” She takes Livinea firmly by the hands. “I need you to think about something. I need you to think very, very hard.”
Livinea’s head bobs. She chews on her tongue.
“Livinea.” Eyelet stares intently into her vacant, squinting eyes. “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”
Livinea arches a brow. She checks the sky, pondering the thought, her tongue poked in her cheek. “I don’ think so,” she finally says.
Eyelet scowls. “Come, on, Livinea, think. I need you to remember someone very special. Someone near and dear to your heart. To all our hearts.” She looks behind her. “Look around, Livinea. Who’s not here?”
Livinea’s scans the woods. Her eyes dart nervously over each and every one of us, her cheeks reddening. She looks back, completely lost. “I’m sorry.” She bites her lip, and sniffs. “But I dunno what you’s talkin’ about.”
“Livinea, please.” Eyelet squeezes her shoulders, her eyes starting to fill with tears again. “Please, you have to try harder.”
“I’m sorry, mum.” She shrugs. “I dun’t know.”
Eyelet clutches Livinea’s hands in her own and presses them to her heart. “Please, Livinea. You must remember.” Her voice is stern, almost cross.
“She can’t, Eyelet.” I pull her away.
“No.” Eyelet springs back. “I refuse to believe it. Livinea, look at me.” She glares into Livinea’s eyes, her hands on her shoulders. “The kiss. Do you remember the kiss?” She shakes her, and Livinea’s head bobbles.
She scowls hard, pouting. Slowly, her creamy, doll-like skin releases its distress lines. The corners of her lips begin to curl. She stares past Eyelet, toward the woods, and bursts into the biggest grin. “C.L.!” she shouts and starts running.
Through a glimmer in the trees, a man walks out, missing his upper limbs. “Thought you could pull off this caper without me, did yuh’s?” C.L. shimmers.
“C.L.!” Livinea shouts, racing toward him. She staggers and trips on her skirts, tearing a hole in her flounces. She bends down, tears off her flounce, then flings herself at him, wrapping her legs tight about his waist, and coats him in noisy kisses. “Mmmwahhhah, mmmwahhhah, mmmwahhhah, mmmwahhhah.” She pinches his boney face between her hands.
Thank you, C.L. mouths to Eyelet over the back of Livinea’s shoulder when at last they come up for air.
Eyelet floats back to me and folds herself back up in my arms, pulling them snug around her.
Livinea drops her head back, and throws her arms up. “Happy New Year!” she shouts. “To everyone!”
“Happy New Year!” The rest of us laugh.
Eyelet turns to me. “Happy New Year, Urlick Babbit Winslow,” she whispers, stroking my face and looking deep into my eyes, her fingers lingering over my marks. “May we enjoy countless more.” She draws me to her, kissing me like I am her life supply—though truth is, she is mine.
“Happy New Year, Mrs. Winslow.”
The End
Wait! There’s more!
Epilogue
Parthena
“All right, everybody, let’s get a move on.” I swing the lantern in my hand, directing the townspeople from the bunkers down the long, winding stone path that hugs the side of the escarpment, on the way to the secret underground airship docked beneath the Academy.
Many are reluctant to leave the safety of the bunkers, which is understandable, considering the winds above ground are still raging.
I myself wonder how we’re going to make this trip. I swallow down the thought and move to the front of the line. No time for worry now.
Besides, if the ravens can do it, so can we.
I straighten my dress and set my chin.
“Now remember, the majority of you must fit in the lead-lined hull below the deck,” I shout, yanking the lever that lowers the gangway. “Those of you who choose to remain on top must be in full diver gear and gas masks.” As the townspeople file past, I check off their names on the passenger’s log. A worried-looking little boy passes, and I pause to run my fingers adoringly through his hair. “It’s all right,” I tell him. “Everything’s going to be wonderful. We’re on our way somewhere wonderful.”
When the last citizen has passed, I cross my heart, say a prayer, and then take my place behind the wheel of the massive airship. I look back, seeing the interior of the airship in its entirety for the first time, and suck in a breath. What a monstrous beast this is. It looks even more massive than it did from the ground. I swallow. So much is resting on my shoulders. I stare out at the sea of faces all depending on me, bite my lip, and turn around.
“Check the balloons, please,” I tell the crewman on my left, then reach down and tuck my skirts into the tops of my boots. “Make sure the pressure’s optimum. There’ll be no second starts.”
I pull a gas mask down from the keep and adjust it over my face. Once it’s secure, I pull the rip-cord to make sure it’s snug, then check the gauges again, not once but twice.
“We’re a go!” the crewman shouts, his voice causing me to jump.
“Very well then.” I step up into my position on the high box, and clutch the wheel with nervous hands, deploying the button on the panel below to raise the gangway. My heart startles at the clunk as the gangway folds back and airlocks into place.
No turning back now.
Glancing down at the Insectatron in my hand, I check Urlick’s message, one last time, then prepare a return message of my own.
Message received. Will follow raven escort as instructed. Be home soon. Parthena.
I spread the Lady Bird’s wings and insert the message, careful not to damage the whorl of stamped tin, then raise my hand and let it go. It flutters from the ship through a seam in the docking bay, and beyond. I heave a confident breath, then extract the necessary glass tube from its hiding place inside the ship’s cupboard, along with its corresponding map, and hold the tube out at arm’s length. Balancing it overtop of the map’s missing quadrant, I strike the tube hard with a small hammer. The glass cracks and out of it seeps a coil of steaming, grey-coloured cloud.
Limpidious, here we come.
Now, it’s… The End
Dear Reader:
I can’t thank you enough forselecting Soleil asyour most recent read. I’m so thrilled you’ve stayed with my series! You have no idea how much knowing that has made m
e happy. I hope you enjoyed reading the trilogy as much as I did writing it, immersing myself daily in the world of the Commonwealth, journeying along with Eyelet and Urlick and the rest of the crew. The series is now finished, I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! I’m sad to say goodbye to the characters, BUT watch for some upcoming novellas—The Epitome of Eyelet and others, coming soon— featuring the same cast from these books.
To learn about upcoming releases and other cool things, join my Elite Reader’s Group. Sign up for it HERE and receive a FREE READ.
Jacqueline…
Did You Enjoy Soleil?
I do hope you will consider posting a review!
Reviews help keep Indies Authors like me in the game and writing. With all the competition out there, every review helps, no matter how small. Just a few lines will help me secure the ad space necessary to remain visibility in today’s very crowed market. I very much appreciate it.
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Thanks again for showing interest in my books! I (heart) readers,
Jacqueline!
A bout The Author
I’m Jacqueline Garlick. Author of YA, and Women’s Fiction Classic Romance. I love strong heroines, despise whiny sidekicks, and adore a good story about a triumphant underdog. Don’t you? I love to read, write, and paint (on walls and on paper), and have a love/hate relationship with chocolate, grammar, and technology. You will always find a purple wall (or two) in my house and a hidden passageway that leads to a mystery room. (Okay, so you won’t find a hidden passageway but a girl can dream, can’t she?)
Oh, and tea. There will always be tea. Learn more about me on my website www.jacqelinegarlick.com and join my special readers group to get a FREE READ.
Join me on my radio show, Page By Page, on Authors On The Air, starting August, 2016!
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Acknowledgements
It’s always wonderful when you can share your accomplishments with your readers. And I have some wonderful readers.
As part of a very special opportunity, readers of this series, and members of my very own Elite Reader’s Group, were asked to participate in the naming of a minor character in this book. One winner was chosen, along with two honourable mentions.
Their names are listed here:
Winner! Gwendolyn Ambrose (disguised as Glenn Ambrose)
Submitted by: Julie Genovy
Congratuations!
Honourable Mention # 1 - Alethea Spencer
Submitted by: Joeline Webber
Honourable Mention # 2 – Vanessa Davenport
Submitted by: Patricia Blonde
All those who participated are listed here:
Carole Milner
Edy Marlatt
Donna Walker
Sara Clark
Lindsay Galloway
Vanessa Deneen
Belinda Clemons
Nancy Bandt
I’d like to thank all those who participated from the bottom of my heart…
from Gwendolyn’s heart, too.
All the names were grand. It was an excruciatingly hard choice.
I would also like to thank readers for following this extra special series. I appreciate your adoration for my characters and your support for me.
My gratitude is immeasurable. Heartfelt thanks. Jacqueline…
Dedication
For my Dad, who is solely responsible for my rip-roarious imagination, my wry sense of humour, my love of all that is story, and my endless passion to tell the biggest, grandest story possible, each and every time.
Love you. Miss you. Always.
Kiss Mom for me, will you?
Contents
Prologue
Part 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Part 2
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Epilogue
Afterword
About the Author