Raid extends his hand. “A crystal or something?”
“Maybe. Help me up.”
Raid pulls me to my feet with one hand. I keep my fingers clenched around the object in my other palm. We walk closer to the lake, where the light is brighter. Standing close to Raid’s side, I uncurl my fingers.
In my palm lies a small, perfectly formed image of one of the Selk. A tiny sculpture, created from some gleaming white metal I can’t identify.
Raid and I look at each other. “Where did that … ?” he says, then falls silent and just strokes the little statue with the tip of one finger. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yes.” I look out over the lake. A small cluster of Selk glide near the shore. They bob in the water, watching us.
I hold out my palm. The rays falling from the skylight touch the sculpture, making it glitter like a star. I close my eyes for a moment to concentrate my thoughts. Us? Also us?
There’s a flurry in the water. I open my eyes as the Selk draw closer, right to the edge of the lake. Their dark eyes fasten on the object shining in my palm.
The word that rings through my brain is so unexpected I almost drop the tiny sculpture. Instead, I pocket it and take Raid’s hand. Without another word we pull on our socks and shoes, gather up our jackets, and leave the cavern. Clinging to one another, we retrace our steps and quickly make our way to the solar bikes.
Raid grabs his helmet from his bike’s handlebars. “We should head back. It’s getting late. Don’t want to be caught out in the dark.” He gazes out over the barren landscape, his helmet dangling by its strap from his fingers.
“Right. Got a lot to do tomorrow. I need to sign up for my virtual u courses and Emie wants me to help her draft some petitions for the ’sphere, and there’s our regular work, of course, and … ”
“Ann,” Raid turns to me, his eyes searching my face. “Did you hear it? Did you hear what they said?”
I swallow hard. “I heard something. But it’s loco.”
Raid puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close. “I heard one word.”
We stare out over the landscape. The quiet, empty, dust-over-stone world of Eco. Our birth planet. Our home.
Them, the Selk had said, when I asked who’d created the beautiful object in my pocket. Not Us.
Them.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My dedicated and innovative publisher – Georgia McBride and the entire team at Month9Books.
My agency – Literary Counsel. Special thanks to Fran Black.
My wonderful critique partners – Lindsey Duga, Steve Katzen, and Richard Pearson.
My fantastic family, especially my husband, Kevin Weavil.
All the authors of speculative fiction who have enchanted, enthralled, educated, and entertained me over the years. They opened my mind to worlds of wonder when I was a child, and have continued to do so throughout my life. Thanks, fellow authors, for teaching me to always consider “What if?”
VICKI L. WEAVIL
Vicki Lemp Weavil was raised in a farming community in Virginia, where her life was shaped by a wonderful family, the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an obsession with reading. Since obtaining her undergraduate degree in Theatre from the University of Virginia, she’s gone on to acquire two masters degrees, living in places as diverse as New York City and rural North Carolina. She’s currently the library director for a performing an visual arts university. Vicki loves good writing in any genre, and has been known to read seven books in as many days. She enjoys travel, gardening, and the arts. Vicki lives in North Carolina with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats.
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Acknowledgements
About the Author
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