by Tom Early
“She needs rest, time to acclimate to her recovery,” Spring said gently. “But she will wake up soon.” She looked at Sam with a warm smile. “Better she do so in the company of someone she cares for than me.”
“I’ll stay here with her, then,” Sam said, staring at Aria’s drawn face like she was desperately trying to commit every feature to memory. “I’ll stay here as long as it takes.”
“It will not be so soon as that, my dear,” Spring said fondly. “You should all get some rest first.”
She spread her arms. I could see what looked like morning glory vines creeping across the walls, opening up petals of beautiful blue and purple. “Feayr is coming with us to learn a little bit more about control before we set him loose. That may take a few days, or even a few weeks. The rest of you should at least consider some recuperation as well.”
Sam looked up and down at her sweat and bloodstained clothing, and raised one arm for a surreptitious sniff. Her nose wrinkled. “Yep. Shower first, then wait for Aria. Ooh, and find out how to contact her parents. That’ll be a fun one.” She looked at Spring. “Can you help me find this place again?”
“Simply step through the arch,” Spring said serenely, gesturing to the construct of flowering vines that hadn’t been behind her a minute ago. “It will take you to your place of rest and back here again, as many times as you need.”
Tyler looked at me seriously. “You’ll be all right, going with them?” he asked, his hands lightly on my waist.
I let him pull me in a little closer. “I’ll be fine,” I said softly. “And I’ll be back before you know it.”
Tyler leaned forward and pressed his lips softly against mine, for only a moment. “I’ll be waiting.”
Sam cleared her throat after allowing us a few seconds of indulgence. “You still down for helping me with my missing persons problem?” Sam asked lightly. “And by that I mean you are, and you have to come back for at least that.” She leveled her finger at my face. “I will track you down if you do not.”
I grinned. “I don’t doubt it. I’ll be back, Sam. I promise.”
“Fine,” Sam said and hugged me one last time for good measure. Her voice was only slightly wobbly when she stepped back. “I’ll tell Aria what you did. She should know that you’re the one who saved her.”
“Thanks,” I said and grinned. “One last group hug, for good measure?”
“Oh, hell yes,” Sam said, and Tyler just sort of glued himself to me immediately. I did my best to wrap my arms around both of them as tightly as I could. It was funny, really. Winter could see the warmth that people had, but they could only ever extinguish it. I could feel the love I felt for Sam and Tyler, and the love they had for me. And as much as power as they may have had, Winter was really missing out.
I turned back to Spring, who had watched the proceedings with a wistful smile. I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and turned my back on Janus University. I was done with this place for now. It was time to learn what it meant to be the Final Season.
More from Tom Early
It’s hard enough being gay in high school, but Fay must also deal with hiding his magical ability—powers he barely understands and cannot possibly reveal. His best friend Sam is his only confidante, and even with her help, Fay’s life is barely tolerable.
Everything changes when Janus University, a college for individuals with magical capabilities, discovers the pair. When the university sends a student to test them, Fay and Sam, along with their classmate Tyler, are catapulted headfirst into a world of unimaginable danger and magic. Fay and Tyler begin to see each other as more than friends while they prepare for the Trials, the university’s deadly acceptance process. For the first time, the three friends experience firsthand how wonderful and terrible a world with magic can be, especially when the source of Fay’s power turns out to be far deadlier than anyone imagined.
Readers love Aspect of Winter by Tom Early
“Inventive and enjoyable YA fantasy coming of age story with strong characters.”
—Words of RA Black
“This YA story packs one hell of a punch! WOW!”
—Diverse Reader
“This book is well-written, intense, and obviously well researched and intricately planned.”
—Rainbow Book Reviews
TOM EARLY is currently a student at Tufts University who probably spends more time than is wise reading and writing instead of studying. More often than not, he can be found wrapped in a blanket on the couch forgetting most of the things he was supposed to do that day.
When not writing, Tom can be found either reading, gaming, drawing, scratching his dog, or bothering his friends. He also frequently forgets that it’s healthy to get more than six hours of sleep a night, and firmly believes that treating coffee as the most important food group makes up for this. If you show him a picture of your dog, he will probably make embarrassingly happy noises and then brag about his own dog. He’s always happy to talk about any of his previous or current writing projects, because people asking him about them reminds him that he should really be writing right now.
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By Tom Early
Aspect of Winter
The Doorway God
Published by HARMONY INK PRESS
www.harmonyinkpress.com
Published by
HARMONY INK PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
[email protected] • harmonyinkpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Doorway God
© 2017 Tom Early.
Cover Art
© 2017 Sadie Thompson.
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Cover Design
© 2017 Paul Richmond.
http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Harmony Ink Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or [email protected].
ISBN: 978-1-63533-777-8
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-778-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017950111
Published November 2017
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America