Not that Milo was making it any easier for her.
“One year,” Pris told him. “You get one year away from this place, but that’s all. Anything more than that is too dangerous, not just to you, but to the rest of us. I wasn’t planning for you to go this soon, but clearly there’s no other option. Oscar is right about your attitude.”
“Where is this Quaddis guy taking me, anyway?” Milo asked.
“He knows of a monastery in the mountainous northern region of D’Aliara, home to a group of blind Savants who use their luminether sensitivity to replace their sight. They are not the Cyrens you seek, but they can teach you similar skills. The oldest one, their leader, may have more insight into what happened to the ancient brothers. Whether she decides to share that with you…” Pris shrugged. “That’s up to her. She certainly won’t give that information to a whining child.”
Milo gave a subtle nod. It was one part gratitude, ten parts self-satisfaction. Emma wanted to slap him for being so arrogant.
“I won’t let them down,” Milo said. After a pause, he added: “And… thank you, I guess.”
“Don’t thank me,” Pris said. “Leaving us will be the easy part.”
If Milo feared the challenge ahead, he didn’t show it. Instead, he approached the group of orphans, stopping in front of Lily.
“I need some of you to come with me. I shouldn’t do this alone.”
“Absolutely not,” Pris said.
“Lily,” Milo pleaded. “Come with me. Sorcerer and magician. We can back each other up.”
Lily looked at Emma, who firmly shook her head.
“It’s too dangerous,” Emma said.
Lily let her shoulder slump in defeat. Had a part of her been excited by the idea? “I wouldn’t leave Emma behind, Milo. You know that.”
“She’s going to finish school,” Pris said. “Like the rest of you.”
Oscar spoke up. “Not the rest of us. I turned down the Academy’s offer, remember? So did Cali. We did it so we could help with the war effort, but this is more important. The two of us should go with him, make sure he gets there safely.”
Calista grabbed Oscar’s shirt and spun him around to face her. “No one decides where I’m going without asking me first. And besides,” she pointed at Milo, “I’m not going anywhere with him.”
Oscar gently lowered her arms. Then he took her hand and held it.
“What else are we doing here, Cali? We’re warriors. Soldiers. You proved that at the coliseum. And now, we are emptying bedpans for sick people, cleaning blood, hiding. The others have the Academy, but what about you and me?”
Calista drew back, letting her hand slip out of his.
“I have the Forge,” she said.
“And they will be here when we get back,” Oscar pressed. “It won’t be for a year. We can escort Milo and come back when he finds it. My animals can help us.”
“It might be the only way,” Barrel said. “I’m sure this monastery won’t exactly have a huge sign on the front that says ‘Heroes and Champions Train Here.’”
“Fine,” Calista said. “Only until we get to this church, or whatever it is. Then we come straight back. It’ll be nice getting away from wounded sick people for a change.”
Oscar grinned at her. He looked at Pris, who stood stroking her chin, her thoughtful expression otherwise mysterious in nature. Emma couldn’t tell if she approved or hated the idea. It could have been both.
“It is decided, then,” Pris said. “Oscar and Calista, you’ll accompany Milo to D’Aliara under the guidance of Quaddis Lodge and a unit of elite Forge soldiers. They’ll have explicit instructions to bring you back here in one year’s time. Anyone else have any requests?”
“Yes!”
The voice was Emma’s. Even she was caught off-guard by the suddenness of it. Everyone turned to look at her.
“I want to see Kovax first thing tomorrow morning,” she said. “And I wish to go alone.”
Pris closed her eyes and sighed in frustration.
“I hate the sea,” was all she said, and Emma simply frowned.
CHAPTER 58
T he inside of the submarine smelled like vomit.
“Sorry,” Pris said, as she dry-heaved once more into the barf bag.
“It’s fine,” Emma said. “Really.”
She stared through the thick glass port window, down at a sprawling mass of buildings that blazed with artificial light. They were near the bottom, several hours past the point where sunlight could penetrate the water.
“I couldn’t let you go alone,” Pris said.
Emma glanced over her shoulder at the woman. She was crouched in the back of the submarine, holding the barf bag up by her chin. Her eyes were closed as she tried to fight back what must have been the worst nausea of her life. Sargonauts weren’t meant to travel inside small metal containers like this, especially not underwater. It was like putting a bird in a Coke bottle, then sinking it in quicksand.
“Almost there now,” the pilot said. He tapped a few instructions into a display panel, then flipped a switch. “Ten minutes.”
Emma turned her attention back to the window.
“It’s fine,” she said again, though this time she whispered it, aware she was speaking mostly to herself. “It’s going to be okay.”
Their destination was Inductus, a mass of buildings very few people ever got the chance to visit. A prison where most of those who entered could safely kiss their lives goodbye. That, and sunlight.
Emma had never been so amazed or terrified. The ocean floor stretched away from the facility in every direction, its inhospitable terrain reminding her of the Nether. Down here, the only animals were twisted, ghastly creatures that had somehow managed to make a home out of this deep, dark place. Against the blurry lights of the prison, Emma saw the silhouettes of gelatinous monstrosities. They flexed their entire bodies to swim away from enormous predators with mouths that opened, scissor-like, to reveal nightmarish teeth.
“About to cross the barrier,” the pilot said. “If you don’t mind me asking, are you ladies down here to visit a relative?”
“We mind you asking,” Pris said miserably into the bag.
“It’s okay,” Emma said. “I don’t mind. And he’s not a relative. He’s sort of a…”
She couldn’t believe what she’d been about to say next.
“Can’t be a friend,” the pilot said. “No one is friends with the kind of men that end up in this hellhole.”
Emma stared at the lights of the prison, imagining all the violent, crazy wackos that lived inside its walls. She pictured Kovax sitting against a wall, alone among those animals, with only his memories and his regrets to fill his mind.
“I don’t know what he is,” Emma said, “but if anyone belongs down there, it’s him.”
The pilot let out a long whistle. “Whoever he is, I hope he’s worth it. No one should have to enter that place willingly.”
“He’d better be worth it,” Emma said.
She sighed, and her breath fogged the window. Wiping away the moisture, she stared at the blinking lights, which were almost level with the submarine now, adding, “Guess there’s only one way to find out.”
With a slight rumble, the submarine passed through a magical barrier. Within moments, they entered Inductus.
To be continued…
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Writing one of these things is never easy, and every review I get, whether positive, lukewarm, or critical (as long as it’s honest), provides me with information I can use to keep improving my stories. Without them, I have no idea what I’m good at and what still needs work. So go ahead and post a few words, let me know what you think, and stay tuned for the next book in the series!
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Rich Denoncourt
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Denoncourt is the author of dystopian, futuristic and epic fantasy fiction. He studied literature and political philosophy at Colgate University and received an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School in New York City. He lives near Boston.
Contact the Author at:
www.rdenoncourt.com
Table of Contents
Copyright
Table of Contents
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Also By Richard Denoncourt
Savant
Part I
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Part II
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Part III
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
Part IV
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Feral: Part I
Prologue
I. Beasts Of Burden
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
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
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Feral: Part II
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
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
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
To be continued…
About the Author
Savant & Feral (Digital Boxed Set): Books 1 and 2 of the Epic Luminether Fantasy Series Page 112