Journey Into the Flame by T. R. Williams

Author:T. R. Williams [Williams, T. R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: 2014-01-07T00:00:00+00:00

32

You are new warriors who have joined an ancient battle.

—THE CHRONICLES OF SATRAYA

SOMEWHERE OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN,

4:00 A.M. GMT, 3 DAYS UNTIL FREEDOM DAY

Mr. Perrot would have welcomed a few hours of sleep on the twelve-hour nonstop flight to India, but he was beset by too many concerns to rest. His eyes were closed, but his mind was racing. First we need to go to Deya’s house and search the garden. But what if the books aren’t there? What if Deya moved or the garden has been dug up? He ordered himself to stop. He knew he needed to remain calm and focused on his goal: finding Deya’s books before Simon did. It was foolish to dwell on the dire consequences of Simon’s getting his hands on them first.

He opened his eyes and looked over at Jogi, who was seated next to him, engrossed in a documentary about the days preceding the Great Disruption. Mr. Perrot realized how he could put this time to better use. He undocked the entertainment display from the seat in front of him. Each seat was equipped with a mini HoloPad device that allowed passengers access to just about any kind of data they wanted. Mr. Perrot used his device to navigate to the literature section. Many works, both popular and scholarly, had been written about The Chronicles of Satraya, but he was interested in only those that dealt with the discovery of the original sets. After a little searching, he found an old article from a newspaper in Deya’s hometown of Banaras that told her story.

June 21, 2034. Deya Sarin stood waist-deep in the slow-moving river. The many ancient ghats provided a colorful and mystical backdrop to her daily routine. There was a sad, empty look on her face this morning, because she knew that very soon she would be leaving her son and her husband for good.

As they had done for thousands of years, people went to the great Ganges River to pray and to greet the rising sun. This day started out no differently for Deya. Each morning, the young mother would swiftly make her way through the busy streets, walking for a half-hour from her home in Banaras to the Ganges. It is said that the meek shall inherit the earth; that statement could not have been truer than in our city of Banaras. For after the Great Disruption, when most people around the world suffered from its devastation, those who had nothing to lose lost nothing, and their lives quickly adjusted to the new reality. While electricity and other conveniences were lost, most of the rural people of our great land simply continued to do what they had always done: they lived off what the gods provided.

The water of the Ganges was warm that morning. Deya unwrapped an old scarf from around her neck and ran her fingers over the long surgical scar on her neck. It reminded her each day of her imminent death. The doctors had been unsuccessful in removing all of the cancer from her throat.

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