"Mr. Fort."
"Yeah."
"Will ya teach me to be an assassin?"
His throat constricted. "A Legate is not an assassin. Go back to bed."
"Will ya?"
She'd come up with a solution--put her in the academy.
"Go back to bed."
"But--"
"Legates follow orders. They never question their teachers," Fortinbras said.
"Yes, sir." She scurried back to her makeshift bed.
Twenty minutes later he stood over the couch, watching her sleep. She looked peaceful and innocent. He could turn her into a Legate, a monster who could read in an illiterate society. Make her into a killer and a keeper of artifacts, someone those in power would use and exploit.
A fog of confusion clouded his thinking. He had to clear his head.
He wasn't sure how long he stood there, but it was long enough for him to know he would never put her in the academy.
The girl's thin cheeks and tear-streaked face reminded him of Olivia, a small girl with courage and spunk. Whoever left her at the Legate Academy, no doubt, expected her to die there. He, Archangel, and Corday protected her.
Echoes of Olivia giggling and a vivid image of her dancing in a field of California poppies played in the movie theater of his mind. He smiled.
She had said, "Make a life for yourself."
The blanket covering Jo slipped to the floor. He picked it up and covered her, tucking the blanket around her.
NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you for reading my novella. I hope you enjoyed this first story in my new series. If you enjoyed Fortinbras, you might also enjoy reading Justice, a Fortinbras short story that takes place nine years before Fortinbras.
Also, I hope you'll consider going to Amazon and Goodreads and writing a review of Fortinbras. You can review Fortinbras on Amazon by clicking here.
If you want to keep up dated on future publications and events, sign-up for my Updates. I send these out occasionally, and promise not to fill your inbox with too many e-mails.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When Cora Foerstner isn't writing, she can be found playing World of Warcraft, drinking green smoothies, doing research on dragons, climate change, the end of the world, and other unsavory subjects. She loves Science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, and young adults novels. Her not so secret vices are coffee, binge watching TV and movies, and daydreaming.
For someone with pacifist leanings, many of her stories are about fighting, killing, and death. Some people think she's a little eccentric, which doesn't bother her in the least. She likes eccentric, difficult people and figures she might as well be one.
Cora voraciously reads everything put in front of her. If she doesn't know something, she sees that as a perfect opportunity to do research. Of course, the smart-ass in her will try to pretend she knows what she's talking about. Not knowing something is a perfect opportunity to make something up and write a story about it.
She's a native California girl through and through. She's lived in other states and two South American countries, but she always returns to her California roots.
You can find her blog at:
https://corafoerstner.com
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Copyright
Wood Sorrel Press
An Imprint of Wood Sorrel Studios
Copyright © Cora Foerstner 2017
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
1. Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Dystopia
2. Literature & Fiction > Action Adventure
3. Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Post-apocalyptic
Summary: In this dystopian, action novella, 22nd century earth isn't advanced or civilized. The ravages of natural and human disasters have destroyed governments and societies. There is little left for the few people who struggle to stay alive. When an invasion threatens to destroy Orange Hope, Fortinbras moves to protect his town. He's committed to the fight, but can he save the town? He's willing to give his life, but the cost might be higher than he realizes . . .
Wood Sorrel Press
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Winnetka, CA 91396
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Fortinbras Page 7