“What will happen to me?” Chen asked. She felt overwhelmed with uncertainty; the dissolution of the Church of Damarus, coupled with the current political and social changes that were going on across the world following his ‘disappearance’, and the loss of both Cris and Lenton, had created a spiritual vacuum inside her that would take some time to heal. She was yet to come to terms with the ideas and emotions involved with the whole experience, whilst worried about the uncertain and newly complicated future that seemed to lie ahead of her.
Paramo took a deep breath. He wished he knew what to tell her. He didn’t want to let her know what would happen to her in the future, it just seemed wrong. Foreknowledge of your own death could only be a bad thing, he was sure. “The Admininstrator tells me that you will be given residency here, in the Silver City. Everything you need will be provided for you… and…” He leaned his face closer to hers. “I’ll feel more comfortable having you nearby. I have a job in mind for you once the provisional government has approved of my plan.”
She nodded. “Thankyou, Paramo.” There was a hint of a smile on her lips, and her youthful innocence shined through her facial features. “I owe you everything.”
“Nonsense, child,” he said. “You are the granddaughter of Doci Chen. You will always remain a close friend of mine.”
A biomolecular doorway whispered open behind them, and Sai’bot appeared, looking frail and ancient. He was a shadow of the creature Chen had first known on Sirkhari, surely close to death now that he was without the rejuvenating presence of his supernatural master. “Lorelei Chen,” he croaked, frowning as he gazed upon her features. There was a hint of recognition in his eyes, but his aging, decrepit mind did not recall who she was. “The Administrator requests your presence immediately. If you would follow me, I will lead you to him.”
She nodded, giving the creature a pitiful smile. “Very well.” She turned to Paramo and her arms wrapped around him in a pained embrace. He held her closely, feeling a deep remorse at what he knew would be her ultimate fate. Then he waved her off. “We’ll talk later, Lorelei Chen.”
When she was gone, Paramo turned back to the window. Despite his honest respect for the young woman, he was a loner with his own agenda, and someone with her experience would prove very useful to him on the road ahead. He couldn’t tell her about her fate, because it could potentially compromise his plans. He regretted having to keep the knowledge a secret from her; indeed, it would haunt him until the very day he died, but it was a necessity.
He had no choice.
He stared at the horizon, at the rugged-looking mountain range he saw there, then frowned as several red dots appeared in the upper atmosphere and streaked across the sky like shooting stars. They were identical to the red dots he’d spotted aboard the Ballog some months earlier, in the presence of Queen Anacksu’namon. Beautiful, yet silent. He squinted his eyes, trying to determine what they were exactly, but they were gone in a matter of seconds. He blinked, then frowned again, as a whistling, haunting sound seemed to penetrate the air around him. It was a muffled piping sound, quite unlike any other sound he was familiar with.
A moment later, it was gone.
He chuckled to himself, shaking his head once. Perhaps he was finally going mad in his old age. He sighed, and turned from the window, stepping toward the doorway.
Ammold Paramo held on to his fragile hopes, and tried to put Lorelei Chen out of his mind.
About the Author
MATTHEW J. DRURY first began writing fiction in high school, but it was during his employment with the Royal Mail that he began to work seriously at the craft. For several years now, he has built up a personal bibliography that includes a great deal of shorter fiction work, and EDEN2 is his first published novel. He currently resides in Sittingbourne, Kent, in the south-east of England. His family includes his wife Marci, their two children Lois Ann and Jackson Shane, and three pet goldfish.
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