by Adam Holt
“Names like the Sacred? That’s what the Ascendant call you. Trackman said that.” The being nodded, and mist cascaded onto the bench. “So who are the Ascendant?”
“I cannot say. They must speak for themselves, but do not hate them. Fight them, but do not hate.”
“Why did you cause problems on Earth?”
“I didn’t. It’s just the way some things respond to me. I upset them. Sometimes things are so wrong that they must be remade to be made right. It is my nature to realign things, to make them right. ”
“Did you ‘realign’ me?”
“No. I met you, and we left an impression on each other. Everyone leaves some sort of impression, for good or bad. To meet me means to leave space and time, and that leaves a deep impression, doesn’t it? You have seen this—glimpses of ever-presence—your Red Visions.”
I held up my hand and observed the lightning flowers. “So this is part of the impression you left on me?”
“Yes, it is. My power, but you had to endure pain to receive it. You will have to endure more. I wish it were not that way, but my wishes hardly matter.”
“What did the last Vision mean?”
“Of the purple desert? Of your mother, Tabitha, the wedding? You know me better than this by now, Tully. What if I answered all your questions and left you with nothing to discover? Far be it from me! I will not steal your future like that. I am no thief. I am a gift and a giver. But come now. You haven’t traveled all this way to quiz me on things you can uncover on your own. What do you really seek?”
A million questions ran through my mind. I wanted the being to explain everything to me, but none of the answers seemed to help me learn anything new. At that time, I reminded myself. All those Visions had helped me uncover Trackman’s conspiracy, but I had to put the pieces together myself. What’s most important? I asked myself, and that was the key to understanding the Harper Device.
“I seek wisdom,” I said.
“Ah, now we are getting somewhere.” The being leaned forward and rested its arms on its legs.
“My father told me to put you to sleep,” I explained.
The mist cascaded off its head and covered the ground. We both remained silent for a while.
“And for once, you chose to listen to him,” it said.
“But now I’m worried. If you sleep, what will happen? I don’t want to lose the Red Visions or give up my power.”
“Some people will do anything for power when they would be happier if they gave it away. Look at Gallant Trackman, so power-hungry that he would sell his entire world into slavery. He lost himself in his quest for power, you see. Don’t lose yourself like that, Tully. Don’t be afraid to lose what you can’t keep. Power is temporary. Don’t let it define you. It’s only good if you can give it away and remain a whole person.”
“But I can help the world.”
“You already have. Tully, I can’t tell you what to do. I can only say this: it is right for you to seek wisdom. It is right for you to choose. Your choices will define you in the age to come, and I won’t steal your choices from you.”
The figure walked into the middle of the garden. It knelt and wrote in the dirt while I thought about my choice. Finally, I spoke.
“If we are in need and I call on you—“
“I will try to awaken before you descend upon the Chaos. In the meantime, love your friends, your family, fight for your world. And do not hate the Ascendant—they are more like you than you know.”
Tabitha’s scarf unraveled from my arm and floated through the air. The figure held it as a scroll, then reached down into the mist, rubbing some red dirt on the scarf.
“Chaos awaits you,” said the figure, tying the scarf onto my arm, “but do not fear. You will pass through ice and shadow before you see her again, but see her you will. Now I must prepare to rest.” The figure stood to leave. I could almost make out a face beneath the mist, staring down at me. “May the universe rise to meet you, my young friend. It is always good to see you. It always will be.”
The figure returned to the red mist and left me to reflect on those words. Then the mist surrounded me, and before I knew it I was in the space lab again, my scarred hands stretched out toward the Device.
I turned and looked behind me. The entire space lab had somehow been cleaned—the plants were replanted in their soil, Owlbert and the mice were back in their cages. Everything was restored to its right place.
I knew what I had to do. I turned back toward the Device and felt my hands getting colder, glowing with a blue fire. I ran my finger along the singed edge of Tabitha’s scarf and tightened it on my arm. The scarf turned a deep blue. The Device began to dim from red to green to blue to gray, spinning more slowly with each rotation. The mist stopped flowing. Before the spinning stopped, I heard a faint whisper, “When you descend upon the Chaos, bring order. You were made to make things new.”
That’s exactly what I wanted to do, but I had to prepare for the Ascendant first. And figure out what the Chaos was. Apparently both of them were coming for me. Soon, I thought. Very soon.
Thus ends The Conspiracy Game…and begins the Tully Harper Series, which will continue with….
…The Rathmore Chaos.
“Chaos awaits you, but do not fear. You will pass through ice and shadow before you see her again, but see her you will.”
The Conspiracy Game is a thriller that, in the end, scrapes the surface of a solar system on the brink of unexpected war. The Harper Device reveals some of its power and wisdom to Tully, which he will need on his descent into the Chaos.
Book Two, The Rathmore Chaos, sends Tully on a sweeping adventure: to discover the Ascendant civilization; to defend a world; to save a friend. Some of the heroes and villains you met in Book One will reappear. Gallant Trackman will return—well, most of him. The Rathmore Chaos will appear in 2014.
In the meantime, clever readers can predict Tully’s destination if they search for Chaos in a faraway place. If they’d like to know more about the Ascendant, they need only think about that peculiar name. Until next time, may the Universe rise up to meet them.
-A
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Holt grew up in Friendswood, Texas, near the Johnson Space Center, where his father worked. He attended Baylor University for his undergrad and SMU for his grad degree; taught Middle School English at Greenhill School for a decade; coaches and plays volleyball when he has the time; travels abroad when he has the money; loves Victor Hugo and C.S. Lewis; and respects Rick Riordan. He left a great job to write his debut novel, and he hopes you enjoyed the journey as much as he did.
Got questions about The Conspiracy Game? Contact the author on Twitter: @adamholtwrites.
Adam is available for readings, workshops, and speaking engagements about his novels, the writing process, and science fiction. Please direct all questions to [email protected].