Marked by Shadows: A Games of the Underworld Novel by Lawrence Hall

Author:Lawrence Hall [Hall, Lawrence]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-10-27T16:00:00+00:00

Posing as a familiar was going to be grueling work. The thing that made me special in comparison to the other Variants in the Shadows was the length of time I could hold my variance. Other Variants could only maintain their change for minutes, perhaps hours.

I was different.

I could hold my variance for as long as I needed to. My personal record was eight hours. I’d never needed to hold it longer than that on any mission I was ever sent on. The tradeoff was the restoration cycle. It was damn near debilitating pain I experienced, whereas other Variants didn’t have the same level of pain I did. The longer I held my variance, the more intense the pain, so I knew even I had a threshold. If I held it too long, the restoration cycle would be paralyzing. It also required an incredible amount of concentration. The longer I held it, the more I had to focus. Drop concentration for even a second, and the restoration cycle would begin. It was mentally exhausting staying in variance for long periods of time, and physically painful when I came out of it. And if I was caught at the wrong time, it would be game over.

The only other Variant I knew who could hold their variance for as long as they wanted to was Yuri. Unfortunately, she let her concentration lapse when she bumped into her target to deliver the poison, and her restoration cycle began in front of a number of hostile forces. It proved to be her final cycle.

Thankfully, I didn’t need to hold it long at the start of this mission. The housing area Dreia escorted me to was created for women familiars. They didn’t have separate housing for men. So, I was provided with a makeshift one. It was a tent, tied to the ground, but it was sufficient. I would be able to go in and out of my variance in private, and the cloth would shield me from the sun. Aurelia agreed to run interference for me during the day, in case some of the women familiars decided to become too familiar and approach me. For some, I would be the first man they’ve seen in months. I’d have my pick of them if I chose to go that route. But what they wouldn’t understand is why I wouldn’t be able to leave my tent, and there’s only but so many excuses I could provide before suspicions would be raised on why the only human male never came out into the sunlight.

Aurelia was good, but she had her own unknown motives. There was an undeniable chemistry with her, but I couldn’t afford distractions. I had no handler to back me up, and I was deep in enemy territory with no way out.

Damon, you bastard! You mindfucked me. This is a damn suicide mission.

Why didn’t I see it sooner?

I’m screwed.

What would Jaras tell me if he was here?

Get back to work and do it better than anyone else, quicker than anyone else.

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