There Before the Chaos
Page 44
To my husband, Don, for being the calm in the storm, for sometimes being the storm, for showing my stuck and stubborn self the value of balance and improv. You are the love of my life to the heat death of the universe and beyond.
To my family for your support and love, for your endless patience when so often my phone went unanswered or my reply was “I’m sorry—I have to write.” You are amazing, and I am so lucky to have you in my life.
To my agent, Andy Zack, thank you for your tireless and relentless advocacy for my career. I couldn’t ask for anyone better to do this with.
To my editor, Sarah Guan, who is simply the best. Thank you for making me work harder, for challenging me to connect the dots I don’t see (or sometimes ignore), and for bringing Hail’s story to life. Also to Jenni Hill, Ellen Wright, Nazia Khatun, and all the others who work at Orbit—you are as much responsible for this book as I. Without your hard work and love we’d be stuck out in the black.
To my friends—all of you—but especially to Lisa, Beena, and Blair for taking the time to read and provide me with valuable feedback. To Cass, Rook, and Jenny for always making Sirens so much fun. To Athena and Nikki and Dex for being sisters of my heart. I’ve missed some, I know. There’s not enough room for all of you but know my heart is full.
To Dilip Gohil and his friend for their awesome translation work on the Bristol family motto and pronunciation of Indranan words. Thank you for giving your time to something so important to me.
To LJ Cohen, for always answering my injury questions with “well, it depends,” and then going on to give me eighteen different options to choose from. You are a rock star and I adore you.
To my Patreon Crew, thank you for your unfailing support, for your enthusiastic participation in my side project, and for being so damn awesome. You all rock and I love you.
extras
meet the author
Photo Credit: Donald Branum
K. B. WAGERS has a bachelor’s degree in Russian studies, and her nonfiction writing has earned her two Air Force Space Command Media Contest awards. A native of Colorado, she lives at the base of the Rocky Mountains with her husband. In between books, she can be found lifting heavy things, running on trails, dancing to music, and scribbling on spare bits of paper.
if you enjoyed
THERE BEFORE THE CHAOS
look out for
DOWN AMONG THE DEAD
The Farian War: Book 2
by
K. B. Wagers
It was purely by accident I crashed into the patrol. My instincts were in control and I disarmed the startled woman with ease, knocking her to the ground and powering up her weapon.
“Your Majesty?”
I blinked stupidly at the woman who looked like Kisah, reminded myself she was dead, and then stiffened at the echoes of other Hessian 45s powering up. “Don’t move,” I snarled when she started to get up.
More Shen, Hail. Don’t trust them. Don’t let your guard down. Portis rested a comforting hand on my shoulder.
“Shiva, it is her. Everyone, guns down.”
“Majesty?”
I held the gun steady as I backed away from the Shen who looked like my dead BodyGuards. “No.”
“Hail.” Not-Emmory had his hands up. “It’s us.”
“No. I saw the embassy blow. My Ekam is dead. Aiz blew your damn secret about looking like anyone you want to. I’m not falling for this again. Take one more step and I will shoot you.”
“Little sister—”
I shot not-Hao before he finished his first step. He stumbled back, a hand pressed to his shoulder, with curses that the real Hao would have been proud of flying from his mouth.
“Next step in my direction and I shoot you in the head,” I said. “I promised Mia I wouldn’t hurt her people, but I’ve already broken at least one promise lately, and you are trying my patience.”
“Sha zhu, I am going to kick your ass.”
The pistol whined to life again in my hand. “You keep that name out of your fucking mouth. That is not your name to use.”
“What is wrong with you?”
We stared at each other. My heart slowed in my chest and my muscles tensed as I prepared for a fight. For a moment I thought not-Hao was going to come at me, gun or no gun, but then the Shen wearing my Ekam’s face took charge.
“Hao, enough.” Not-Emmory’s voice was sharp. “Zin, take Hao back to the ship.”
“Ah-ha.” I waved my gun. “Nobody’s going anywhere except for me.”
“Hail.” Not-Emmory blinked at me, his hands still up. “He’s going to need medical care.”
“You can move after I’m gone,” I said.
“Please?” he asked. “I’d like to talk.”
“Fine,” I said finally, and the pair disappeared into the jungle. “You have one minute.”
“Are you hurt?” Not-Emmory asked, his voice soft.
“I’ll be fine.” I smiled mirthlessly. “These are scratches compared to what I’ve been through the last few months.”
The violence that ripped through not-Emmory’s face startled me enough that I took several steps away from him.
“We could help you,” he said.
I laughed. Aiz’s energy had coursed through my veins for the first hour after I’d left him, and my injuries from the fight were long healed, but the wound on my side was still hot with pain. “I’m fine. Time’s up.”
“I know.” Now his smile was gentle.
I had a split-second to regret letting not-Emmory have his victory, and then not-Zin crashed into me like a freight train. He hit me from the side, knocking us both over a downed tree, and I landed hard on my injured side.
Not-Zin had a hand locked on my gun arm, fingers digging into my forearm until my hand went numb. I gasped, the gun dropping into the jungle undergrowth, and tried to kick at him. But he knocked my foot away with his own and then planted it into the back of my knee. My other leg was pinned against a log, not-Zin putting pressure on it with his thigh.
I slapped at him with the only thing I still had free, my left arm, even though the movement shot fire through me.
“Majesty, stop.”
A hard hand grabbed my wrist and twisted my arm behind my back, but I only fought harder, and the Shen surprisingly released it instead of letting my bones snap.
My captors were cursing in Indranan, which was also a surprise, but I was too far gone in the fighting rage Aiz had beaten into me to examine it for long. Not even the powering up of a Hessian 45 stun setting was enough to still my thrashing, and I almost got free of not-Zin’s grip.
“Shiva’s sake, Emmory, just do it before she gets free. I’ve survived worse.”
The pain coursed through me, stiffening every muscle in my body for a screaming eternity. I felt not-Zin collapse on top of me as the same shock ripped through him, but before I could recover, someone rolled him to the side and quickly cuffed my hands and my ankles.
The stunned silence settled heavily around us until I turned my head to the side to spit the loam out of my mouth, my laughter following after. “You bunch are going to get an earful from Aiz. No broken bones? You didn’t even try to kill me! What is wrong with you?” I started to roll over, but someone’s boot landed in my back.
“Majesty, I think it’s best if you stay right there.”
“That sounds like Indula.” I craned my neck to get a peek at the Shen wearing my dead Guard’s face. “He hated fireworks, loved harassing Iza, and was a horrible singer.”
“I’m hurt, Majesty. I thought you liked my singing.” He grinned at me.
I spat blood in his direction. “You are not Indula, because Indula’s dead. Iza’s dead. Emmory and Zin are dead. Hao is dead. They all died and left me behind. You are not Indula. He is nothing but ashes and rubble back on Earth.”
The Shen with Indula’s pretty pale eyes looked away from me, his smile sliding into a horrified look that twisted something buried inside my chest.
“Si
r?”
“We’ll handle it. Let’s get her up. We’re going to have to carry her back to the ship. I don’t trust her not to run if we take those cuffs off her legs.”
“Smart man,” I said, smiling into the dirt.
“Emmory, what the fu—What did they do to her?” Not-Zin was breathing hard when he hissed the question.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to be asking our prisoner that question.”
They lifted me up, hands sliding under my armpits. I turned my head and closed my teeth on exposed fingers. Not-Indula swore and dropped me. I crashed into the Shen on my other side and tried to roll away, but she grabbed me, wrapping her arms and legs around my torso.
“Dark Mother, Emmory, she bit me!”
Not-Emmory crouched at my side with a sigh. He grabbed me by the chin with one gloved hand, holding me still as he released a cloud of sapne with the other. I tried to hold my breath, but the flare of pain as his fingers tightened on my bruised face made me gasp, and I inhaled the foul lavender smoke.
As the world dropped away, the last things I saw were the sad brown eyes of my dead Ekam.
By K. B. Wagers
THE INDRANAN WAR
Behind the Throne
After the Crown
Beyond the Empire
THE FARIAN WAR
There Before the Chaos
Praise for K. B. Wagers
BEHIND THE THRONE
“This debut ranks among the best political SF novels in years, largely because of the indomitable, prickly Hail … [a] fast-paced, twisty space opera.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“Taut suspense, strong characterization, and dark, rapid-fire humor are the highlights of this excellent SF adventure debut.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Full of fast-paced action and brutal palace intrigue, starring the fiercest princess this side of Westeros.”
—B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog
AFTER THE CROWN
“Crown is fast paced, and its focus on a female action heroine defined by her decisions rather than romance is refreshing and fun.”
—Washington Post
“Craving a galactic adventure? K.B. Wagers’s second Indranan War novel is just the ticket.”
—Bookish
“Two books in, this series has exemplified political plotting as compelling as the badass heroine at its center.”
—B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog
BEYOND THE EMPIRE
“Nerve-wracking action on the ground and in space, dark humor, and the characters’ til-the-end loyalty to one another … A satisfyingly thunderous end to Hail’s quest for vengeance that makes an excellent addition to any SF collection.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Satisfying … Wagers’s high-octane space opera trilogy is particularly appealing for its relationships.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“A rich tapestry of nuanced characters and a story that makes you care about them … I can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.”
—Pop Culture Beast
“Kick ass space opera with a heart. I loved it.”
—The Eloquent Page
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