“Pax Aeterna,” she said. “It’s a good name for a Gladius. Might send the wrong message, though, considering the last man who carried one with that name.”
Adrenaline surged through 301’s body, fueled by sudden fear. In that moment, something clicked in his mind. On the night he had freed Grace, and that woman asked her to prove her identity, she had shown her Gladius. Or was it the inscription she had shown her? McCall had told them weeks ago that colors and names were ways that warriors personalized their weapons. Had Silent Thunder taken it a step further and applied the names of their weapons as identities? If so that meant Grace didn’t just wield Novus Vita. She was Novus Vita.
Pax Aeterna, then…
“Who was it?” he asked, blood pumping in his ears. “Who carried a Gladius by that name?”
“You mean you don’t know?” she asked with a tired but playful grin. “You really should pay more attention to your history books.”
“Please, Liz. Tell me.”
“Jonathan Charity,” she yawned. “Pax Aeterna was carried by Jonathan Charity.”
301 closed his eyes as the world seemed to spin into chaos.
Jonathan Charity.
Founder of the Silent Thunder rebellion.
To be continued in Part II,
Shadow Fall
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J.L. LYON graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Political Science and History. He fell in love with storytelling at a young age, and has been making stuff up ever since. He currently lives in Middle Tennessee with his wife, where he is busy at work on the rest of the Shadow Saga series.
To stay up to date on news and also to read blogs and other material by the author, visit the website at http://jllyon.com
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It’s been a long road here, and there are so many people who have encouraged me along the way. Writing is full of frustrations and failures, so you will never know how much your support and your interest has meant to me. My first acknowledgement goes to readers who have taken the time to read this book. This wouldn’t be possible without you. I hope you will join me for the entire ride.
Special thanks to my grandfather, Kyle, for his outstanding service in World War II. His stories were what got me interested in the time period, and the time period inspired the basis for this series.
I also want to thank my parents, who have encouraged me to pursue my dream of writing since before the 3rd grade. A child’s dream can be so fragile, and being told it was possible made all the difference in my decision to go for it.
Thanks to my wife, Amy, who is God’s greatest gift to my life, and without whom this book would still just be a manuscript sitting in a Word Doc. We writers tell our stories, but the design and layout breathe life into it and make it real. I am lucky to be married to her for many reasons, and am so proud of her talent. It means the world that we got to combine our skills into this book.
Thanks to my beta readers, of whom there have been many over the years. Your feedback and support have been invaluable. But I want to give a special shout-out to two in particular who outside my family are probably my original fans: Matthew Kane and Tiffany Sawyer. You were the first to make me realize that writers could be cool.
Above all I want to thank God for the gift of writing. Even if this is the most awful book in the world, it was truly a blessing to write it, to be able to explore the depths of personalities different than mine and attempt to understand not only the black and white of good vs evil, but also the gray in between. We each have it in us to be either the hero or the villain, and I am reminded of that every time I come back to these characters.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2013 by J.L. Lyon. All rights reserved
The content of this work is the sole property of the author and may not be copied, reproduced, or distributed in whole or in part on any medium currently known or as yet undevised without the express permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual events or people is purely coincidental.
Cover Design by Amy Lyon
ISBN: 9780989744102
This ebook has been provided without Digital Rights Management software. It is for personal use only. You cannot print this work or make it available through any public medium. You cannot copy or reproduce this ebook, nor can you upload or facilitate an upload to a device you do not own. This ebook is for use only on your personal devices.
Help protect against piracy. If you believe you have a copy of this e-book that infringes the author’s copyright, please contact the author at http://jllyon.com
Contents
Dedication
---
Rebels & Tyrants
---
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
---
Novus Vita
---
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
---
The Interrupted War
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Epilogue
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Copyright
Table of Contents
Dedication
Rebels & Tyrants
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Novus Vita
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
The Interrupted War
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Epilogue
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Copyright
Table of Contents
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