“Are you okay in there, Mam?” she asked.
“I’ve been in worse places.” Alice spoke without speaking, her words manifesting in Holly’s mind without troubling her ears. “Thank you for taking me with you. I thought I’d never get away from those blasted stones.”
“You’re welcome.”
They rode in companionable silence for a few minutes, until they reached the junction with the main road. Holly looked both ways, as if trying to decide which direction to turn the wheel. The pub called to her with the promise of temporary oblivion, but she chose to ignore it. With a sigh, she turned right, towards Carmarthen and home.
“So,” Alice said. “What happens now?”
Holly gripped the steering wheel and stared at the main road unwinding away ahead of them.
“Honestly, Mam,” she said, “I have no idea.”
About the Author
Tom Shot Photography
GARETH L. POWELL is the author of five science fiction novels and two short story collections. His third novel, Ack-Ack Macaque, book one in the Macaque Trilogy, was the winner of the 2013 BSFA novel award. He lives in Bristol, UK.
You can sign up for email updates here.
Also by Gareth L. Powell
THE EMBERS OF WAR SERIES
Embers of War
Fleet of Knives
THE ACK-ACK MACAQUE TRILOGY
Ack-Ack Macaque
Hive Monkey
Macaque Attack
Silversands
The Last Reef and Other Stories (short fiction)
The Recollection
Entropic Angel and Other Stories (short fiction)
Thank you for buying this Tor.com ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content, and info on new releases and other great reads, sign up for our newsletters.
For email updates on the author, click here.
TOR•COM
Science fiction. Fantasy. The universe. And related subjects.
*
More than just a publisher's website, Tor.com is a venue for original fiction, comics, and discussion of the entire field of SF and fantasy, in all media and from all sources. Visit our site today—and join the conversation yourself.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Epigraph
PROLOGUE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
About the Author
Also by Gareth L. Powell
Copyright Page
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novella are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
RAGGED ALICE
Copyright © 2019 by Gareth L. Powell
All rights reserved.
Cover photo by Andrew Davis/Trevillion Images
Cover design by Fort
Edited by Lee Harris
A Tor.com Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
ISBN 978-1-250-22017-2 (ebook)
ISBN 978-1-250-22018-9 (trade paperback)
First Edition: April 2019
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, ext. 5442, or by e-mail at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.