Twisting her mouth to one side, Hallie nods. “I get that. That’s ... important.” Her eyes widen as she thinks of something, and a pleased smile spreads across her face. “Here!” Fumbling briefly, she drags the necklace she showed Aurelia earlier out of her shirt again. “Take this. You can break the coin in half if you’re ever really screwed, and an emergency team will be on the ground as soon as they can.” Satisfied with her idea, and totally forgetting that the beacon chips don’t work between parallel Earths, she hands it over reverently, her eyes focusing on her wrist tattoos again as she does so. “Don’t lose it, okay? I have to get back. I need to find my team—they’ll be stuck there without me.” “Umm ... Thanks.” Aurelia accepts the necklace like she’s not quite sure what to do with it.
Suddenly, a rustling noise catches their ears and Aurelia springs up, drawing her swords. “Crap. I think those are the bloodwolves I was hunting.”
“Yikes, they don’t sound like fun!” Hallie gets to her feet and shakes off the forest debris clinging to her tight black jeans, then starts pulling the magic of the Warp to her, trickles of power dribbling out of her fingers and getting stronger, catching in midair until a shimmering window forms. “I gotta go. I hope … I hope everything works out for you. That those stupid Enchanters get what’s coming to ‘em.” The window is clearing and it’s time to leave, but she takes a second to hold her hand up in a farewell. “Good luck!”
*
“Thanks!” Aurelia shouts over her shoulder, before whipping back toward the sound of approaching paws.
The red-furred bloodwolves zoom toward her with supernatural speed, but she’s not afraid. This isn’t her first time battling a pack. And she doesn’t need luck to take them down. Drawing a breath, she sprints toward the advancing creatures, double swords ready in her grip.
*
With a last glance over her shoulder, Hallie jumps through the breach she’s opened, back to the green fields outside the Protectorate headquarters. She knows she’d just get in Aurelia’s way if she stayed, and she’s not dumb enough to try and fight unless she has to. Besides, the Firedragon seems to have it under control. She wonders if she is a warrior, and if that alternate Earth is a twisted reflection of her own, then remembers to hold her breath against the power of the Warp, which punches her in the stomach, doubling her over in a fit of coughs. After a moment, she emerges in her own land.
Shutting the breach behind her takes the last of her energy, and as Aurelia disappears from view, Hallie rubs the tattoo, the ‘stitch’ on her arm that would lead her back to that world. If she was allowed. But she knows she won’t be. Alternate Earths are cut off for a reason...
THE END
There have always been warps—tears between realities—and they’ve always been a threat to humanity. Most people are blind to them. But Hallie’s eyes are opening. Now that she’s going to school at the Protectorate, she’s learning there’s more to life than fun and games.The truth is, she’s just become part of Earth’s only shield against the monsters of the warps. Before, she didn’t think she was anything special. Now, yanked from her relatively normal life, she realizes that she doesn’t have a choice.When the emergency alarm sounds, calling everyone in the school to arms, even the young and inexperienced are needed. As one of the warp weavers—capable of closing the warps and stopping the monsters—Hallie must now work to save lives. And she must do it in the most complicated situation she’s ever experienced. Because there are sea serpents in the Thames, and Hallie has to close the doors that are letting them in.The problem is, they’re underwater, and they’re hungry.Now everyone is relying on her, and Hallie must find a way to do her job—with a brand new partner—before it’s too late. Because if she fails she’ll die, along with everyone who’s depending on her.Don't miss this prequel to Tash McAdam's new series, Warp Weavers, coming in 2016.
Sinister plots. An underground rebellion. And a treacherous road filled with monsters and enemies unknown. It's been three months since Aurelia survived the International Challenge—an elite monster-fighting competition. And the Triumvirate has been keeping a close eye on her ever since … as if they expect her to cause them more trouble.They’re right.Now that she knows about the underground revolution—and the dark secrets of her own past—Aurelia is hell-bent on escaping the government’s watchful gaze and joining the rebels. Finally, she’s found a cause worth fighting for. A way for her kind, the Norms, to take back their freedom.Then, when she overhears a Triumvirate official’s conversation, she learns that it’s even worse than she realized. The government knows about the rebels, and the rebellion. They’re searching for people who sympathize with the cause. And they’re coming after her next.Suddenly the time for dreaming about the rebellion is over. Aurelia must make contact with the rebels and plot a quick escape … before the Triumvirate has a chance to capture her. But government forces and miles of monster-filled wilderness stand between her and the rebel headquarters, and dangers she never imagined lurk in the shadows.Before she can fight for the freedom of her people, she must achieve her own—or die trying.
No comments:
Post a Comment