Ancient Appetites (The Wildenstern Saga Book 1)
Page 32
“Bloody hell! He’s back from the dead!” he exclaimed, rushing across to his brother.
“God! Don’t say that!” Berto protested, grinning as he clutched his brother’s hand. “There’s been quite enough of that, I think. What … what’s happened to them, anyway?” His face went suddenly somber. “Are they … ?”
“It’s over,” Nate told him, his hand going self-consciously to the fast-healing wound in his side.
And it was over, for the most part. They saw no reason to trouble Berto yet with the news that Elizabeth had escaped somehow, despite her injuries, and that Gideon was trying to have Nate exiled for his very public duel with Hugo. A blatant breach of the Rules of Ascension, he argued, even if Hugo had instigated it—not that the family were in a mood to listen to him. They still weren’t sure whether or not he had actually sent the telegram to the Viceroy. The British were outraged over the train crash and were demanding answers, and the entire family were at each other’s throats over the whole affair.
Abraham and his two brothers were gone too. The last time Daisy had seen them was boarding a ship for Southampton, from where they hoped to find passage to Kenya. They had said something about wanting to kill a lion.
Daisy had been pressing Nate to help her persuade Berto to do away with the family’s barbaric Rules once and for all. And he seemed inclined to agree with her, although they both doubted if it could be achieved so simply. It was more likely to take generations to filter all the conspirators, traitors and murderers out of the family. Gerald continued to insist that, as a woman, it was none of Daisy’s business anyway.
Not that he was very interested himself. He had personally disposed of Brutus’s body in the house’s boilers and was now immersed in his studies to investigate the so-called “intelligent particles.” Whatever Nate and Daisy decided to do about the family’s traditions was apparently of no concern to him.
But it seemed that Berto, even in his fragile state, was one step ahead of them.
“If I’m going to be in charge, I want to change a few things around here,” he said abruptly. “I’m tired of all this one-upmanship and back-stabbing. It’s absurd, the way we live in fear of one another. There’s no need for it and it … it just gets in the way of everything. I’m absolutely sick of it. It’s time this family just got along with one another. I’m going to put a stop to this fighting once and for all.”
“Absolutely!” Nate said, clenching his fists. “You’re absolutely right, Berto! And if they don’t want to stop, then by God, we’ll make them.”
And that, thought Daisy, is why some things will never change.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I was never sure how this book was going to read, so I’d like to show my appreciation to all the people who helped me to see it from the outside. That goes particularly for my family: Mum, Kunak, Marek, Erika and Darius as well as Joe and Suzanne. I owe a special thanks to Maedhbh Rogan, for her sound advice, input and support throughout. I’m grateful to Conor Kostick, who checked over my peculiar portrayal of history—any mistakes or complete fabrications are entirely mine. Any really good ideas are mine also.
My agent, Sophie Hicks, continues to steer me through the world of international publishing with expert ease, ably assisted by Edina Imrik and the rest of the folks at Ed Victor Ltd. I’m indebted to all the book-loving people I’ve met on my travels, who’ve spoiled me rotten with their enthusiasm and educated me in so many different facets of this passionate industry.
And finally, a special thanks to Emma Pulitzer and Tim Travaglini at Open Road Media, for their work on the US edition of this book, and for their diligence in making sure I was involved in, and kept informed of, every stage of the process.
Thanks to all of you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Oisín McGann was born and raised in Dublin and Drogheda, County Louth, in Ireland. He studied art at Senior College Ballyfermot and Dún Laoghaire School of Art, Design & Technology. Before becoming an author, he worked as a freelance illustrator, serving time along the way as a pizza chef, security guard, background artist for an animation company, and art director and copywriter in an advertising agency.
In 2003 McGann published his first two books in the Mad Grandad series for young readers, followed by his first young adult novel, The Gods and Their Machines. Since then, he has written several more novels for young adults, including the Wildenstern Saga, a steampunk series set in nineteenth-century Ireland, and the thrillers Strangled Silence and Rat Runners.
A full-time writer and illustrator, McGann is married, has three children, and lives somewhere in the Irish countryside.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2007 by Oisín McGann
Cover design by Jason Gabbert
978-1-4976-6566-8
Published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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