“So, what’s going on with your dad and Janine?” Yas teased. “You seem to have changed your mind about her?”
“How’d you know?”
“Earlier when you said about judging books by covers. I figured something had changed?”
“Reading between the lines?” he said, teasing back.
“Something like that,” she laughed in reply.
“I get that she had her reasons to keep us in the dark,” he explained. “She didn’t know who she could trust and who she might have to betray. She’d been helping my dad with his investigations. The two of them had become quite close just before he disappeared. I think with all that’s happened, they decided that... you know... let things take their natural course.”
“So, they’re together?” questioned Yas.
“Yes.”
“Wow. That’s a big change for you, isn't it? How do you feel about it all?”
“I’m really okay with it, you know?” he said. “I’m glad my dad is happy. And to be honest I’ve realised that no-one can take away the memories I have of my mom.”
Yas smiled as she walked along. “I’m glad,” she said. She felt that he was more at peace with things.
They reached the end of the street and made their way along the edge of the downtown core. They were close to one of the coffee shops.
“You know,” he added. “My dad seems to think there are more Controllers acting in the background. He said there was too much going on for just the people we encountered.”
“Oh,” replied Yas, surprised. “This is not over, is it?” She paused. “Does he have any ideas who?”
“Not yet,” continued Sam. “He already had his suspicions about Penn, and with the news reports today of him not being at the campaign dinner last night, it will only be a matter of time before his disappearance is confirmed. Then the police will be able to gain more access to his organisation. Penn sounds quite ruthless. Always hungry for more power, I guess.”
“I guess people like that generally are,” agreed Yas.
“They seem to have linked the other disappearances to Penn and his other cronies. My dad said that there was evidence that Orfeo had been involved with his organization for quite some time.”
“I wonder if Penn was the ringmaster, or if someone else is?” wondered Yas aloud.
“Exactly,” added Sam. “Dad said that the name of Index had been mentioned, but we don’t know who that is.”
There was a movement behind them. It felt like a doorway open. Before they had time to react, a voice spoke.
“I can tell you,” a man’s voice said.
Yas watched as the man shimmered into existence in ghostly form in front of them. She instantly recognised the face, and her free hand went to her mouth in shock.
“Akoni!”
Afterword
I've always marveled at the images our minds create when we read, how we read between the lines in order to create settings and characters in our mind's eye.
I first had the idea of magical words powering the ability to create physical places several years ago. This essentially was the birth of the realms. I also loved the idea of writing about a character who figured she knew a lot about herself, her family, and the world, who then finds out that there is much more to learn. Bringing the two of these together was the start of this story.
Thank you for purchasing this book. I hope that you've enjoyed reading it as much as I did when creating it. If you'd like to keep up to date with news about my other publications, please visit lawrenceyarham.com.
Yas and Sam's journey will continue!
The Word Guardians: and the Battle for the Peacekeepers Page 29