He carefully pulled the cat into his arms, cradling it.
Cookie purred.
He remained like that, on his knees, holding the cat, until he heard soft footsteps behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Cassie approaching from the scorched black earth where the Culling Machine had stood, holding something in her hands.
"Alex, Kargin says we need to go. He thinks it might still be unsafe. That maybe there's some … magical residue. He thinks that's what's driving this storm. He … he doesn't really know what to think, but he's sure it's not safe here."
"Yeah, okay," he said, finding his throat thick. "I just … I had to…"
"She's gone, Alex."
"I know. But it … it breaks my heart that she died all alone. I let her down."
Cassie stared at him for several moments, her expression unreadable.
Alex, still cradling the cat, rose on shaky legs. The others are counting on me. I need to be strong. "We'll fly south, back to the MDA. If there are survivors, they'll need help." His eyes narrowed when he saw the black material and the flash of silver in Cassie's hands. "What…"
"I … I felt mana, so I went to look. I found this—half buried but completely undamaged." She held the Brace and brushed ash from it.
His vision tunneled in on it. "How is that possible?"
She shook her head, her blond hair falling in front of her blue eyes, now rimmed with red. "I don't know. I don't know anything anymore." Her voice, raw with emotion, broke. "Everything I ever thought I knew, everything I thought I believed, it's all wrong—I was wrong."
"What are you talking about?"
She pocketed the Brace then took Cookie from his hands. She kissed the top of the animal's head and stroked her fur. When she spoke, her voice trembled. "I was in and out of consciousness, so maybe ... maybe I was delusional … I don't know, but I think … I think it was real. It felt real."
"What felt real, Cassie?"
"When I passed out, after the battle with the dragon, I was still wearing the dwarven crown. I was linked with Elizabeth. I came to again—at the end. I was with her when she … when she died."
His sorrow hammered at him, threatening to drive him to his knees again. "At least … at least we know for sure now," he said weakly.
"There's more," she said so softly he barely heard her.
"More?"
"She…" Cassie's voice broke, and she hesitated. "She… You were wrong, earlier, what you said. Elizabeth wasn't alone at the end."
"Cassie," he said haltingly, reaching out and gripping her shoulder. "She sent me back through a gateway."
Cassie shook her head vehemently, her eyes filled with tears. "No."
"I don’t—"
"Clara was with her."
THE END.
WILLIAM STACEY STARTER LIBRARY
Free William Stacey Starter Library
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A copy of the full-length Viking dark fantasy novel BLACK MONASTERY, a 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Award Quarterfinalist.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A former intelligence officer and soldier who served in the Canadian army for more than thirty years, William Stacey is a combat nerd who lives to tell stories. He is a black belt in karate and possesses a somewhat disturbing and unhealthy fascination for all things medieval and violent—especially Vikings. With operational tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan, he combines his military experience with his love for martial arts and sharp objects. He is a husband, father, and fitness nut, whose best friend is a German Shepherd named (naturally) Thor.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
William Stacey Starter Library
I. Attack
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
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
III. Pursuit
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
IV. Mobile Defense
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
V. Counter-Attack
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
William Stacey Starter Library
About the Author