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THE STARLIT ROAD
Chapter 2 Excerpt Three days ago, the world was destroyed and rebuilt. It would happen again. Any time now, the Land of a Thousand Faces would be undone and remade—and that wasn’t the worst of my problems. I closed my eyes and imagined a different life. A life standing still. Every time I pictured it, I saw it the same way: a storybook village surrounded by farmlands, brightened by the candles from my family’s workshop. My sister, Mae’sira, and I would have our own thatched cottages separated by a narrow garden path. We’d learn to grow our food, Mae would teach me to hunt, and I’d drag her out to dances in the town circle. Someday, we’d grow old—but we’d never stop making the same stupid jokes. “Bri, you need to breathe,” Mae’s voice cut through my dream. I tried to inhale, but my chest was tight. Fog swooped across the village in my imagination, devouring it in seconds. The boundless gray was all I could see. Thoughts of comfort and safety withered against its oppressive embrace. At once, I was twelve again, and my heart stabbed against my ribcage with every beat. THE STARLIT ROAD
Chapter 20 Excerpt A man was walking toward Rig Forty-four. A slippery silhouette against the sun-blazoned road. He’d come from far, far up the line. It was easy to see him from my vantage atop the short hillock of dry grass and packed sand, just off the roadside. I leaned against a twisted tree with only one branch for shade, sweat running down my neck. My time’s almost up—I should be doing something. My left shoulder was out of the sling again and finally feeling mostly functional. I was taking a break. I needed one. That’s the lie I keep telling myself. It was going to take time for this injury to heal. Time wasted. There’s got to be a more productive option. The whole day had been at a stand-still. No reply from the Foragers or the Butchers yet. No meetings. Excuses. I rotated my shoulder steadily in the socket, watching the man shuffle down-road toward me, killing my thoughts to save my sanity. My frantically spinning mind couldn’t solve my problems, so it kept resorting to self-attack. Weakling. Any distraction was welcome. The man’s gait was stiff, his gaze downcast, as he took his shaking cane to ground with each step. I’d been watching him a long while now, wondering who he was. Why he was coming. Somehow, I knew he was headed for us. I could feel it. But could he be coming for me? |
