The Initiate by M. Pax

Author:M. Pax [Pax, M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Speculative Fiction, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Steampunk, Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781507090510
Amazon: B00N72UZ9O
Barnesnoble: B00N72UZ9O
Goodreads: 23208924
Publisher: M. Pax
Published: 2014-09-17T23:00:00+00:00

hapter

“A possessed ghost killing townsfolk and stealing their heads, Swit Days, and flying rocks that bite. Your first days in our community have been very eventful.” Sabina spoke companionably, surprising Daelin more than a stone with wings.

“Settler isn’t what I expected.” She had expected boredom and an itch to leave as soon as possible.

With a laugh like a young girl’s, Sabina sounded like a friend Daelin’s age rather than a woman wizened by decades of life and encounters with creatures from other worlds. “How would you compare it to the big city?”

“There is no comparison. It’s exciting in a very different way. I’ve never felt more alive, as if I’ve awoken from a malaise. Honestly, I expected to mourn New York.”

“And you don’t?”

The answer struck Daelin stranger than Trinidad’s garden of foil-clad flamingoes. “No. I feel as if I matter here, as if I can make a difference. I had the significance of an ant larva in the city. Here, I’m—”

“Essential. Don’t forget it.” Sabina squeezed Daelin’s arm, the hint of a smile curling her lips.

A boss who made her feel good. Settler certainly was different. “When…” The dust cracked Daelin’s voice. She cleared her throat. “When did you start with the Rifters?”

“We’re not so different. I passed through town as a young twenty-something on my way to Portland. I had big plans. I met a centaur in the woods and everything changed. I never left.”

“A centaur?”

“Fantastic creatures of all sorts have passed through the portal. Some we have names for, most we do not. Back then I bellyached he had bewitched me. Truth is, the entire concept of the rift cast a spell on me. I want to understand it.” Her steps slowed, and she leaned heavier on Daelin.

Daelin shifted to give Sabina more support. “Do you understand it?”

“No. I suspect Earl knows more than he says. I suspect the same of your sister.”

Oh dear. Daelin couldn’t risk this discussion. She couldn’t betray her baby sister, and she couldn’t lie to the Rifters anymore, a razor-sharp line poising to slice her to bits at every moment. “Why do you think they know?”

“You’ve probably run across a few souls in town who already told you of an affair Charming had last summer.”

Knots tightened in Daelin’s stomach. “An intern or someone at the Paleo Institute? She never mentioned anyone to me, which isn’t normal.”

“He was more than a paleontologist. He came from the rift, a being more like us than others I’ve met. Love is forbidden to cross worlds. You should be aware of the rule. The Governors take it very seriously. My worry is, she ran off with him. I suspect you worry for the same reason.”

Daelin didn’t have to lie. “No, I worry because I haven’t heard from her. I worry because I found the keychain for her Jeep with blood on it.”

“She left no note? Eloping with someone forbidden is a reason to disappear.”

“A very good reason, except for one. I don’t believe it.”

“If we have information the Governors can use to stop the affair, we must hand it over.

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