Текст книги "The Star Dwellers"

Автор книги: David Estes

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Текущая страница: 20 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Tristan

While Adele is away with her mother I worry about her. Not because she’s not capable of taking care of herself—I’d have to be an idiot if I didn’t know that she was by now—but because there’s some truth to what she said to me earlier. Awfulness does seem to follow her around. But I guess these days terrible things are happening to everyone.

I also feel somewhat lonely because she’s not here. Trying to kill time, I rummage through my pack, organizing my stuff. As I toss out a few bags of dried meat and a dirty tunic, my hand brushes against something hard. The diary. Ben’s diary. Well, not his diary, but the one he let me borrow. I never gave it back. And now he’s gone. As I flip through the brittle time-yellowed pages, I remember him. His calm, solid demeanor; the ever-present twinkle in his trustworthy eyes; his rare combination of optimism and realism: he was a good guy. The best kind of guy. A friend, in the end.

He deserves some words from me. Something to honor him.

“Ben,” I say, glancing uncertainly at the cave roof, as if he’s above it somewhere, “I wish you were still here. You were…you were everything my father never was.” Were. Such a simple word but with such an awful meaning. I choke on my words, my eyes brimming with tears. I fight them off, take a deep breath, determined to finish my personal eulogy. “In just a short time, you were my role model, mentor, trusted adviser...” The words are sticking in my throat; the pale tears overflowing and tracing lines to my chin. “You were my friend. I’ll miss you so much.”

I cry lonely and silent tears for him.

Ben should be alive and my father shouldn’t. The world is broken, turned all upside down. Evil seems to conquer good again and again.

* * *

I spend a few hours with Elsey, who manages to cheer me up with her stories about her and Adele as kids. She’s an amazing little girl. I should be the one cheering her up considering all she’s lost, but it’s the other way around.

When Elsey’s shattered body gets tired after sitting up for only an hour, I go to find Roc. I’m walking down a random street in subchapter 1, hoping to run into him, when a shadow falls over me. Spinning around, I only have a split-second to react before a large, dark hand grabs me by the tunic and lifts me in the air, slings me against a rock wall.

It’s Ram. Come to finish me off. After everything, I’m still not worthy of his trust.

“Thanks for that,” I choke out smartly.

“My pleasure,” he says, his lips curling into a broad grin. It’s not his usual I’m-going-to-get-great-enjoyment-from-hurting-you grin. I look at him oddly.

“Am I missing something?” I gasp, trying to suck air through my crushed windpipe.

“I’m just messing with you, man,” Ram laughs, lowering me to my feet and straightening out the collar of my tunic. With that, he walks away.

As I gulp in the air I chuckle to myself; I guess being friends with Ram isn’t that different than being enemies with him. But I’ll take it anyway.

Still smiling, I go to find Roc.

Roc’s been spending so much time with Tawni that I don’t see him much, but that’s cool, because it’s nice to see that they’re getting on so well. Just before Adele’s expected to arrive, however, I manage to corner him as he’s returning from somewhere with Tawni. She gives his hand a slight squeeze and leaves him with me. She’s a perceptive girl—always seems to know what’s going on in the world around her. Right now, she knows I want to talk to my best friend.

“Hey, man,” I say.

“Hey,” he says. Roc’s grinning from ear to ear.

“Things going that well, eh?”

“We have a lot more in common that you’d think,” he says. “I really like her, Tristan.”

“I’m happy for you. How are you really doing though? I mean, after everything…”

At first his face shows surprise, but then it falls and I see sadness in his eyes. “It’s tough. I mean, we just met Ben and he was such an amazing guy, and now….now it’s like he never existed. And Elsey—Tristan, I feel so bad for her. She didn’t deserve any of this.”

“I know. I feel the same way. Adele was a mess when she left with her mom. I just feel like there’s nothing I can say or do that will help.”

I’m surprised when Roc laughs. “I know how that feels,” he says. I feel sheepish, because I remember how many times Roc tried to talk to me, to cheer me up, after my mom disappeared. But I just kept pushing him away, sort of like Adele’s been doing. At least she finally let me hug her, finally talked to me, even though her words were filled with grief.

“I’m sorry,” I say. It’s too late for it, but I still feel like I should say it.

“It’s okay. I understand. And maybe your mom’s out there somewhere,” he says. “I hope we find her someday. She was my mom too.” Gravity takes his words and pulls them through my ear canals and all the way down to my toes. They are heavy words. The heaviest.

“Roc, I just want to say again that I’m so sorry about what my fath—”

“Our father,” he corrects. “And it’s okay. I’m not sad anymore, just angry. So angry that if I ever see him again, I think I’ll kill him, Tristan. I really mean it.”

I know exactly how he feels. If I ever see my father again, I think I’ll kill him too.

* * *

As I wait for Adele’s train to get in, there are so many things I know I want to say to her, to try to make things right, but I know none of them will help. A thought flashes through my mind, something I’ve almost forgotten about. Something I need to tell her, to tell someone, but it’s so important I can’t just go out and say it. While it won’t necessarily help her with her grief, it might take her mind off of it, which could help—in a way.

The thought continues to tumble through my mind as the train pulls into the station.

When Adele steps onto the platform, she seems better, herself even. The fire in her that had seemingly been snuffed out when Ben died is back. I can see it in her eyes, in the way she carries herself, in the intensity of her hug when she greets me.

To be honest, I’m relieved. While they’ve been gone, I’ve been batting around one question in my head: How do you console someone when your words have lost all power?

That’s how I’ve been feeling. Like anything I say to her just hangs in the air for a second, maybe two, and then drops in the abyss of lost and meaningless words. I guess she just needed time with her mom. The secret I’ve been keeping from her rolls around in my mouth, trying to take shape, but the time just doesn’t feel right, so I swallow it back down.

We hold hands all the way back to the building in subchapter 1 where the Resistance leaders have been staying. No one wants to meet in the Dome anymore, not after what happened. There’s been a lot of good news while Adele was gone and for the first time she seems genuinely interested as I tell her about it. The star dwellers realized their secure prison, the Max, was secretly being used, so they launched an attack on it. They found that sun dweller spies had been using it to hold the families of the star dweller generals. Now that they’re free, the generals are able to lead the people the way they want to, without fear.

In fact, the remaining six star dweller generals just arrived today, along with three or four of their largest platoons. We expect more to arrive each day. They’ll dispatch soldiers to all the borders with the Sun Realm, to protect us until we can prepare for battle.

“What are you going to do?” Adele asks suddenly, interrupting my monologue of news.

I gaze into her eyes, wondering what she expects me to say. “Fight,” I say. “I can’t sit on the sidelines while my father destroys the Lower Realms. I have to help stop him, kill him if I have to.”

“Good,” Adele says. “Me too.”

Chapter Thirty

Adele

We’re sitting around a very large courtyard. Me, Tristan, Roc, Tawni, my mom, all of the moon dweller VPs—both the incumbents and the newly elected—the star dweller generals. Discussing the strategy for the war. I don’t feel like I or any of my friends should even be here. I mean, we’re not leaders, except Tristan. He would fit right in. But for some reason they invited us.

Since my dad was killed, Mom has become the voice of the Resistance. “We’ve come up with a two-pronged approach to fighting this war,” she says, her voice stronger than I’ve ever heard before. “The main body of our soldiers will be used in the subchapters we think are the most susceptible to attack. Although many of you were of the opinion we should attack first, the majority has decided that we will let the sun dwellers come to us. By doing this, we will stretch their resources and allow us to fight on our home turf. But don’t become complacent, these advantages are minor considering the firepower President Nailin will rain down upon us. Any questions?”

Silence. I wait for her to tell us about the second part of the strategy.

“Adele, Tristan, Tawni, Roc,” my mom says, and my heart skips a beat. Why is she addressing us in front of everyone? “We have something to ask of you, something that is hard for me as a general and as a mother.” She pauses, takes a breath, continues, speaks directly to me.

“This is not a time to be complacent. This is not a time for fearful mothers to hide away their capable daughters. It’s a time to be bold, to take risks. Your father trusted in your strength, in your abilities, and now it’s time for me to do the same. God knows I don’t want to. I’ve lost a husband already and my other daughter is in bad condition, but I cannot hold you back because I’m scared of losing you. You are a fantastically capable woman and I’m so proud of you, Adele.”

Tears glimmer in her eyes and I know I’m reflecting them back at her. I don’t know what she wants us to do, but I know I’ll say yes, not because she’s asking me, but because it’s the right thing to do.

“Mom, just tell us. It’s okay,” I say.

She cringes as if in pain, like asking me this is physically hurting her. “We have a special mission for you. We want you to kill the President.”

Her words are like a dark fog in the air, pressing down on our shoulders. It was the last thing I expected her to say. She rushes on, “Without him at the helm, we believe the sun dweller army will fall apart, will lose their resolve. He’s the mastermind behind it all, and if he falls, we think we have a chance. Realistically, our armies don’t stand a chance against the Sun Realm, but this might just give us the edge we need.”

“Why us?” I ask.

My mom sighs. “You all have proven what you can do, and Tristan and Roc know the lay of the land in the Sun Realm, and, well, we knew none of you would go unless all of you go.” She’s right. I’ll never leave my friends again—will never leave Tristan again.

Tristan grips my hand, squeezes twice. A signal. He’s in. “I’ll do it,” I say, my eyes dry again, my face firm. I’ll do it for my dad, for my sister, for my mom. For me.

“I’m in, too,” Tristan says.

At the same time, Tawni and Roc say, “Me too.”

My mom nods. “I thought you would say that. And Trevor and Ram will be going with you, too, as representatives of the Star and Moon Realms.”

Trevor nods at me, a slight smile on his face. A week ago I would have cringed at the thought of spending more time with Trevor, but now grin back. He’s a friend. Not because he saved me—twice—but because he stood by me when I needed him most. Just like Tristan, Roc, and Tawni.

A big, dark-skinned guy, who I assume is Ram, stands, looks directly at Tristan, and says, “I’ll do whatever I can to help fulfill this mission. I’ll even follow Tristan into the belly of the beast. But I’m warning you, if I ever so much as suspect you’re working for your father, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

I glance sharply at Tristan, expecting his face to be red as he prepares to fight this Ram guy, but I’m shocked to see he’s laughing. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Ram,” he says.

I guess there’s something I don’t know about their relationship.

* * *

I go to see Elsey one last time before we leave.

“Do you really have to go?” she says right when I walk in.

I sigh. “Oh, El. If there was any way I could stay with you, you know that I would,” I say, sitting next to her.

She’s beneath the covers, like when I saw her the last time, just her tiny head sticking out. Her thick raven hair covers most of the white pillow she’s resting on. Unexpectedly, she twists her left arm out from the sheets and pushes off, sitting up straight. I stifle a gasp when I see the stump of flesh sticking out from the short right sleeve of her hospital tunic.

“Does it scare you?” She giggles, waving the stump slightly in the air.

And just like that she’s just Elsey again. My sister. Not my crippled sister. Despite myself, I laugh, although not as long or as loud as I’d like to for her sake. “You could never scare me,” I say, putting my arm around her so she can lean on me. When I feel her minimal weight against my chest I feel complete.

We lay there together for over an hour, sharing memories of Dad, of Mom, of life, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying—always loving. When she falls asleep I slip my arm from behind her head, covering her to her neck with the white spread.

“Goodbye, Elsey,” I say, kissing my hand and touching it to her forehead.

* * *

The Resistance is full of surprises. We stand on a large overhang high atop the cavern walls in subchapter 1. The Dome looks like a giant bulge from up here, sticking out amongst the toy buildings around it. We’re all sweating from the exertion of the climb. At least this time we got to use ropes.

We’re shoulder to shoulder on the ledge, Tawni, then Roc, then Tristan, then me. My mom insisted on accompanying us this far. I take one last look at the Moon Realm, perhaps the last time I’ll see it ever, and then turn around to where Mom is pulling away a big gray tarp from the mountainside, revealing a hidden ink-black tunnel into the rock. Like I said, the Resistance is full of surprises.

“We built this during the Uprising, but never had a chance to use it,” she says.

“We’re using it now,” I say.

When she turns, her eyes are full of conviction. “You will succeed,” she says.

“Of course we will,” I say, trying to make it sound like the truth.

She hugs Tawni first, holding her for a long time without saying anything. Then she hugs Roc and says, “Elsey’s sure going to miss you.”

“And I her,” Roc replies. He winks. “Don’t worry, we’ll see you again soon.” It seems Elsey’s optimism is rubbing off on him.

Next up is Tristan and she whispers something in his ear as she pulls him close. He just smiles and nods.

I’m last and we hug the longest. After all, she’s my mom, and I’m going to miss her. Just as I’m pulling away, she tugs my ear close to her lips and whispers sharply, “It’s no accident that you and Tristan met.”

My eyes widen and I open my mouth to speak, to ask her what she means, but it’s too late, because she’s pushed me into the thin tunnel and corralled the others behind me, blocking the path.

I grit my teeth, frustrated at my mom’s cryptic message, but trying to focus on the task at hand: find the President; kill the President. I lead the way into the tunnel, flicking my flashlight on with one hand and gripping my mother’s emerald necklace in the other.

###

Keep reading for a peek into the heart-stopping third installment in The Dwellers Saga, The Sun Dwellers, which will be published in December 2012.

Acknowledgments

This time around I’m most thankful to all the readers who bought The Moon Dwellers and wrote the most wonderful reviews that helped inspire me to write the sequel. Your words of encouragement and your feedback mean so much to me, I can’t even put it into words. I was literally tearing up as I read some of your reviews. I can’t thank you enough for your support and for your willingness to take a chance on my books.

To my editor, Christine LePorte, thank you for helping me take my ideas and writing to the next level—the pearls of wisdom you provide do not go unnoticed.

A HUGE thanks to my marketing team at shareAread, particularly Nicole Passante and Karla Calzada, without whom there would be no buzz. You’ve taught me so much.

As always, thanks to my incredible team of beta readers who embraced The Star Dwellers from the very beginning and who have been so encouraging the whole way through. You are truly an inspiration. Without your feedback, The Star Dwellers wouldn’t have been nearly as good! So thank you, Laurie Love, Alexandria Nicole, Karla Calzada, Christie Rich, Kayleigh-Marie Gore, Nicole Passante, Kerri Hughes, Terri Thomas, Lolita Verroen, Zuleeza Ahmad, and Kaitlin Metz. And of course, the biggest thanks to my ultimate beta reader, my always-honest wife, Adele.

To my friends in my Goodreads fan group, you are all amazing, I hope you know how highly I think of you, and I appreciate all your jokes, kindness, and comments. You brighten my life every day that you’re in it.

I like to wait till near the end of the acknowledgments to recognize my awesome cover artists/designers at Winkipop Designs, because they are the first impression everyone gets, and so they should be the last two. Thank you for all your hard work within challenging deadlines and for finding a way to sum up an entire story in a single image. As one of my readers said, “After reading the book I realized what a work of art the cover is.” I couldn’t have said it better.

The saga continues in other books by David Estes available through the author’s official website:

http://davidestes100.blogspot.com

or through select online retailers including Smashwords.com.

Young-Adult Books by David Estes

The Dwellers Saga:

Book One—The Moon Dwellers

Book Two—The Star Dwellers

Book Three—The Sun Dwellers (coming in December 2012!)

The Evolution Trilogy:

Book One—Angel Evolution

Book Two—Demon Evolution

Book Three—Archangel Evolution

Children’s Books by David Estes

The Nikki Powergloves Adventures:

Nikki Powergloves– A Hero is Born

Nikki Powergloves and the Power Council

Nikki Powergloves and the Power Trappers

Nikki Powergloves and the Great Adventure

Nikki Powergloves vs. the Power Outlaws (Coming in 2013!)

Connect with David Estes Online

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Estes/130852990343920

Author’s blog: http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/davidestes100

Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/davidestesbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/davidestesbooks

About the Author

After growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, David Estes moved to Sydney, Australia, where he met his wife, Adele. Now they travel the world writing and reading and taking photographs.

A SNEAK PEEK

THE SUN DWELLERS

BOOK 3 OF THE DWELLERS SAGA

Available anywhere e-books are sold in December 2012!

Prologue

Subchapter 14 of the Moon Realm

Two years ago

Despite her nondescript gray tunic, the woman sticks out like a sparkling diamond in a coal mine, her shiny blond hair peeking out from beneath her dark hood. But it’s not her hair, or her face—which is remarkably beautiful beneath the dark shadows—that identifies her as a foreigner in the Moon Realm. Instead, it’s her gait, the way she carries herself: straight-backed and graceful and regal. Next to her the passing moon dwellers look hunched, their backs question marks and their faces turned to the dust.

She’s knows it’s the middle of the day—thus ensuring the girl will be at school—but the amount of light afforded by the overhead cavern lights is appallingly minimal, the near-equivalent of a Sun Realm dawn, or perhaps twilight.

Although she clearly doesn’t belong amongst the rundown and crumbling gray stone shacks, she doesn’t hesitate as she strides down the street, ignoring the stares she attracts. Unable to hold back her nerves any longer, she pauses—just a barely noticeable stutter step—as she nears her target: a tiny stone box, no bigger than a medium-sized shed. She wonders how the two most powerful Resistance leaders could possibly be tucked in such an unremarkable corner of the Moon Realm. The front yard is barren rock, full of crisscrossing cracks and stone chips that roll and slide underfoot as she approaches the thin doorframe.

Before knocking, her eyes are drawn to her feet, where she stands on the only unmarred stone square. Within the block is a single word—friend—elegantly cut with the skill of a professional stone worker. A hint of a smile crosses the woman’s face before she looks up. Despite all her doubts and fears and indecisiveness while making the decision that’s led her to this place, that one word chiseled at the entrance gives her hope that there’s a better life out there for her eldest son—that maybe things can improve for him and for the Tri-Realms as a whole.

Her life is forfeit—stomped out by a loveless sham of a marriage, to the President no less—but her son’s…well, her son’s could change everything.

After a single deep breath, she gathers her courage in a raised fist. When her knuckles collide with the door, the sound is final and hollow in her ears, but in reality is only a thud. Tilting an ear, she listens for footsteps, but is rewarded with only cluttered silence. The clutter: her mind, tripping and stumbling over a thousand questions. Is anyone home? Will the door be slammed in my face? Have I made a grievous mistake? Have I failed him? Have I failed my son? Have I failed myself?

Unexpectedly and without fanfare, the door swings open; a dark-haired woman wearing a plain brown, knee-length tunic fills the gap, her eyebrows raised in surprise. If not for her information, which she received from a very reliable source, she wouldn’t believe this woman to be a revolutionary. Except for her eyes, that is. There’s a fire in her pupils that she’s only seen once or twice in her life. It’s the same fire she sees in her eldest son.

When the woman with the jet black hair doesn’t speak, the intruder realizes her eyebrows are an unspoken question: Yes? Why have you wandered onto my doorstep?

Before answering the silent question, she pulls back her hood, releasing her golden locks and forcing away the identity-protecting shadows on her face. A spark of recognition flashes on the woman’s face, but fades just as quickly. Finally she speaks. “First Lady Nailin—why are you here?”

“Mrs. Rose—I have a proposition for you. May I come in?”