The Valteran Ascension (A Paradox of Time Book 1) by Mara Amberly

Author:Mara Amberly [Amberly, Mara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-09-25T22:00:00+00:00

Eric was surprised by the small village where Juliane was staying. It reminded him of a ski village, although the residences were self-sustaining and built to easily handle the subzero temperatures.

The cold was shocking, but then Eric and Cora weren’t properly dressed nor prepared for it. Juliane provided coats from a small docking port as soon as they reached land.

Juliane’s residence was small, certainly nothing special for the era, but Cora seemed to find it full of wonders. The walls were painted a soft cream colour, and the floors were formed of a hard, smooth, non-slip material that Eric didn’t recognise. He would’ve preferred carpet in the Antarctic, but the house was warm.

Juliane had a large number of keepsakes and sculptures, which leant weight to her assertions that she was a sculptor. Photos of her, a young boy and a man who was probably her husband moved subtly in the frames, as though he were watching videos. He didn’t ask who the boy was and where he was now. He may have been another reason Juliane wanted to change the past.

“There is a room off this one with bunk beds; you may stay there,” Juliane said.

Cora exchanged a glance with Eric, and he knew he’d have to figure out the sleeping arrangements later. More than likely he’d leave the room to her and sleep elsewhere in the house.

“Thank you,” he said, as he set down a bag of belongings in the living area.

“How long have you been here?” Eric asked.

He didn’t want to intrude too heavily, but he also wasn’t ready just yet to dive into the mission.

“Around ten years,” she said. “The accommodation on the base was limited, so I settled here. It was a rare privilege granted to high-ranking officers – to have family housed here because the existence of the base was secret. This whole village was built for us and we weren’t permitted to venture outside it. It’s something I’ve only done in the last year but I’ve always come back. This is my home now, you understand? I’m still surprised they didn’t attack the village, but they were probably targeting the technology or the troops more than us.”

“You were lucky you weren’t on the base,” Cora said, wanting to comfort Juliane. “It’s not fair you should have had to go through that.”

“I suppose,” Juliane replied.

She didn’t seem to want sympathy or compassion so much as help.

“If it can be changed, then things should be put right,” she said, as she sat in a chair and rested her feet. “Please, sit.”

Following her example, Eric and Cora sat down on a dark blue sofa that ran along the curved wall of her home.

Eric found it a good change of scenery, but it was hard to fully relax in a stranger’s home. Juliane still counted as a stranger, as much as he intended to help her. Trust would take time.

He watched as Juliane disappeared into the next room; the slight glimpse he’d got suggested a kitchen. Cora mightn’t

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