by A. W. Cross
“Ailith, can you see anything about where we’re going? I feel like we’re almost there.”
“No. Ever since the sonic pulse, my connections have been…erratic.” The connection between my mind and the other cyborgs’ often happened spontaneously, but since our escape from Oliver’s disciples, I’d stayed firmly inside my own brain. “I mean, the threads are still there, they’re just…quiet. I don’t mind, to be honest. After everything, it’s nice to have only my own thoughts for a change. I’m sure it won’t last.”
“Maybe you’re just gaining better control of them,” Pax said as we emerged into a clearing from the patch of bare forest. “I mean, that would make sen—”
Everything went dark, like blood, flowing thick and fast.
Grab your copy of The Gardener of Man here.
I would like to express my gratitude to my family for their love and support. Jamie, we’re one step closer to your house-husband dreams; Harlan, for helping me consider a future beyond myself; and Emily, my parabatai, for the endless of discussions on everything important in this world, including Jeff Goldblum's sex-chest. And thank you, Jeff, for said sex-chest.
I also owe a debt thanks to Prof. Hugo de Garis, for his paper The Artilect War: Cosmists vs. Terrans: A Bitter Controversy Concerning Whether Humanity Should Build Godlike Massively Intelligent Machines which directly inspired The Seeds of Winter and influenced the way I think about the creation of artificial intelligence.
Thank you also to my betas: Anna Adler, Kalbir Cross, T.M. Rain. Keith Oxenrider, and Alyssa Deitz, and to John Kim, for his awesome concept art. I’m so glad you were all a part of this.
And finally, my editor Danielle Fine, who understood where I wanted to go and got me there.
Machines of Loving Grace refers to the poem by Richard Brautigan, 1967.
A.W. Cross is a former scientist and agriculturalist-turned-author and blogger. She’s had a passion for all things science fiction ever since she fell in love with Leonard Nimoy at the ripe old age of 12. She currently resides in Canada, where it’s too damn cold.
The Seeds of Winter
Copyright © 2017 by A.W. Cross
Published by Glory Box Press
British Columbia, Canada.
www.gloryboxpress.com
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. For information regarding permission, write to Glory Box Press at [email protected]
First edition
Epub edition
ISBN 978-0-9950991-6-6
Cover Illustration by John Kim, johnkimblogspot.ca
Cover design by Glory Box Press
Interior design by Glory Box Press
Editing by Danielle Fine, www.daniellefine.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.