She thought it was all so wonderful, but Bakari wasn’t completely without a clue, even if he did live solely on the Line now. In the beginning there had been plenty of people who wanted to hurt the Work, or exploit it somehow. Human beings hadn’t changed that much since he’d become disembodied. But because Bakari had expected it, he’d been able to deal with it. The power of a being that lived purely on the Line could not be overcome by those who still had the limitations of a body. Not yet, anyway.
He ran the palm of his hand over the tops of the grass, enjoying the tickle of it. “We’ve got a long way to go, Sarah. Our task will not be easy.”
“Ah, but think of the reward,” she grinned, all full of the possibilities. He’d shown them to her, a taste of the magic he’d caught that day when the last great Fey had left the human world. It had been a heartbreaking moment, but one that had been heavy with hope. He could still feel Aine’s eyes on him, violet eyes like the night just before dawn. Every time he remembered, the Work did not seem so onerous.
He’d kept his dream and the dream of his long dead mother. It had bound him to sanity when he’d lost his body. It would hold all of humanity together, even as they plunged into chaos in the real world. That was why the young came to him first, like Sarah—they needed his dream, too.
He took Sarah’s hand, feeling its warmth and strength with senses he no longer possessed, but that were still real. “You’re right, dear heart,” he kissed her palm. “Thank you for reminding me.”
He ached for that moment, but he was not despairing. With the help of people like Sarah, anything could be achieved, and one day he knew he would see his friends again.
About the Author
New Zealand-born fantasy writer and podcaster Philippa (Pip) Ballantine is the author of the critically-acclaimed Books of the Order series, and has appeared in collections such as Steampunk World and Clockwork Fairy Tales. Other works of hers include the award-winning Chasing the Bard, and her New Zealand set epic fantasy Weather Child.
She is also the co-author with her husband, “Tee Morris, of Social Media for Writers and a co-creator of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. Both the series and its companion podcast, Tales from the Archives, have won numerous awards including the 2011 Airship Award for Best in Steampunk Literature, the 2013 Parsec Award for Best Podcast Anthology, and RT Reviewers’ Choice for Best Steampunk of 2014.
Their latest title in the series, The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh, debuted at #1 under three different Steampunk categories on Amazon.com.
Philippa resides in Manassas, Virginia with their daughter and a mighty clowder of cats.
www.pjballantine.com
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