The Safehold saved our lives that winter.
I learned, years later, that it had once served as a sanctuary for the persecuted. It was built as a place for hiding. A hot spring kept it warm; we didn't even need a fire. It had rooms for everyone, austere and quiet. And Lar'atul's wardbook was only the first of its treasures: Lyseira lost herself in its library that winter, sparing Harth and I untold hours of lectures as Syntal taught us to chant.
There was no food, but Iggy was true to his word. I don't know how hunting pained him, his new relationship to the world being what it was, but he did it. He kept us fed.
After running for so long, we were happy just to rest. We burrowed in, and rode out the winter. They were hard months, and cold, but I still think on them. They were good. Maybe the last good months we had.
What did the Storm mean?
None of us knew for certain, not even Syntal, but she had a better idea than most of us. She said when the clerics saw the Rending, they were scared. They saw something they didn't understand—something that threatened them—and they called it the end of the world.
But they were wrong. The Storm wasn't the end of the world.
It was the beginning.
A Note From the Author
This world, and this story in particular, have been with me for a very long time. Thank you so much for the opportunity to share them with you.
The next book in the series, A Season of Rendings, will be available in September of 2016. If you'd like to be notified directly when it becomes available, send an email to [email protected] (not .com!), or visit my Amazon home page and then press "Follow."
Finally, if you enjoyed Children of a Broken Sky, please consider leaving a review for it on Amazon. It doesn't need to be fancy or long, just honest. Reviews are not just about self-expression; for authors whose work you enjoy, a robust review count can open many opportunities that are otherwise simply not available. Some authors pay for their reviews; I don't, and never will. I'm reliant on readers like yourself to make their opinions heard.
Thank you again for reading. I hope you'll join me in Darnoth once more, and soon.
Acknowledgements
This one was a doozy.
Thank you, first and foremost, to the original children of Southlight: Joy Nicolai, Ethan Mills, Jason Parviz, Jerry Murphy, Matt Giesler, Jason Formo, Mike Lonetti, and Jason Tabor. Thank you for coming with me to this incredible place, and helping me realize just how great it could be.
Extra thanks to Jason Parviz, for having the temerity to review all kinds of late-stage revisions.
Thank you to Adam Paquette for creating, so brilliantly, a window into a world I had imagined since I was eight.
Thank you to Ryan Holthaus and Ethan Mills for countless hours on (and off) the playground, talking about Axist, Eminallies, and Kesprey.
Thank you to my beta readers: Karen Welter, Tony Tavegia, Joy Nicolai, Jason Parviz, Ethan Mills, Ryan Holthaus, and Senja Nicolai. Your feedback was invaluable, even when it was expressed in carefully neutral terms. I got the hint. Two more full revisions were warranted.
Thank you to all the agents who turned the early version of this manuscript down. You were right; it had a long way to go.
And thank you to my wife, Joy. I dedicated this book to you, but that isn't enough. You saw me through countless hours of agonizing and despondence. You weathered my most dizzying highs and blackest lows. You were the first and truest believer.
The look of wonder you had after your first reading is one of the greatest achievements of my lifetime. I love you.
About the Author
Adam J Nicolai lives near St. Paul, Minnesota, with his wife, Joy, and their two children, Isaac and Rydia. He is a Dungeon Master and a min-maxer, a Star Wars fan and a lifelong dreamer. He has written pen-and-paper roleplaying systems, World of Warcraft addons, and three other novels, two of which (Alex and Rebecca) have been Amazon genre bestsellers.
He has been working on the world of Children of a Broken Sky since he was eight years old, and is delighted to share it with you. The sequel, A Season of Rendings, will be available in September, 2016.
Also by Adam J Nicolai
Todd
Without warning on a sunny June afternoon, all life on Earth vanishes. Reeling and alone in the aftermath, Alan and his son Todd scrounge through the ruins of civilization to survive.
Finding food and water is easy. Electric power is harder. But Alan has his own search, one he tries to hide from his son: after a lifelong struggle with depression, his scarcest resource now is a reason to keep living.
Through wildfires and tornadoes, as the deadly cold of a Minnesota winter draws closer, the two ask questions that may never be answered. Why did this happen? Why were they spared? They don't realize that behind the empty sky, the entity that did this still watches.
Or that its plans have only begun.
"Fans of Nicolai's excellent emotional thriller, Alex, will be enthralled with the world he's created here. Scary, heartfelt, and brimming with pathos, Todd is a story that grabs hold of you and doesn't let go." - Joe Hart, author of The River Is Dark and The Last Girl.
Todd is available now in paperback and for Kindle.
Also by Adam J Nicolai
Rebecca
The screams are the worst part. Day and night, whether Sarah is resting or awake, her baby's screams chase her.
Sarah used to be smart—she was even headed for Yale. But she has the baby, now, and those hopes are gone. All that's left is desolation.
Then, suddenly, there is hope. In her sleep, a visitor comes. He says she can have her life back, that everything will be okay. In return she only needs to do one small thing.
Kill the child.
From bestselling Kindle Suspense author Adam J Nicolai comes a glimpse into the maelstrom of one young woman's emotions: a place where faith, reason, and human love collide.
Rebecca is available now in paperback and for Kindle.
Also by Adam J Nicolai
Alex
Alex was Ian's five-year-old son: brilliant, earnest, and compassionate. He is dead now, but Ian can't let him go.
When his wife urges him to move on, he drives her away. His performance at work collapses; his friends leave him. Six months later, alone in an empty house, Ian starts to see his son again.
Every vision is a repeat of something the boy said or did in life: aching memories replaying themselves for Ian's eyes alone. Are these images of Alex real? Has Ian's son found a way back, to forgive or condemn his father?
Or has Ian's sorrow quickened into psychosis?
With a masterful hand, bestselling Kindle Suspense author Adam J Nicolai paints a picture of grief, madness, and the furious strength of a father's love for his son.
Alex is available now in paperback, digital audio, and for Kindle.
Table of Contents
Also By Adam J Nicolai
Prologue The Storm
Chapter 1 Nine Years Later
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4 Before the Storm
Chapter 5
Chapter 6 Before the Storm
Chapter 7
Chapter 8 Before the Storm
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16 Before the Storm
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19 Before the Storm
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Also by Adam J Nicolai
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Children of a Broken Sky (Redemption Chronicle Book 1) Page 35