Landfall (The Reach, Book 2) (48 page)

“Sounds like I just had a lot more work dumped on my plate,”
she said with mock outrage. 
“I better get started with the clean-up.”

“Good luck with that,” Knile said.  “Roman and I are ab
out to sleep for a day, possibly two if we can manage it.”

She stuck her tongue out at them. 
“Half your luck.  Talk to you soon.”
  She reached to terminate the call.

“Talia?”

“Yeah, Roman?”

“Give us another call tonight, huh?  Let us know how you’re doing.”

Her smile widened. 
“I’d love to.  See you then.”

Knile placed the holophone back on the table and took a deep breath.  Roman slumped into his chair once again and cupped the broth in both hands.

“She’s alive,” he said vacantly.  “Can you believe that?”

“I’m not sure I can, Roman.”

There was silence for a while as they both pondered the implications of what had just happened, Roman sipping at his broth while Knile played idly with the bevelled edge of the holophone.

“Where are all of those people going to stay?” Roman said finally, glancing around the room.  “We can’t fit the whole of Skybreach in here.”

“That’s something we’re going to have to figure out.  I’m sure there’s
–”

There was the sound of movement in the next room, and a large shadow loomed in the bathroom doorway.  They both turned and looked, and a few moments later Aron Lazarus appeared there.  His face was now clean-shaven and his long locks had been messily shorn off, making him appear much leaner, much more the soldier.  Much more intimidating, if that were possible.

“Good look for you,” Knile remarked.

Lazarus rubbed his thumb and forefinger along his chin, then nodded.

“It has been a long time since I have taken pride in my appearance.  This day I feel renewed.”  He grimaced.  “I am ready to start again.”

He walked across the floor to where his ruined armour lay in a heap, then shoved it out of
the way and slid a chair up to the window.  He sat heavily, causing the chair to whine as if it were about to break apart under his weight, and stared out into the gloom of Gaslight.

“What now for you?” Knile said.

Lazarus ignored the question.  “You are an honourable man, Knile.  You have not only my respect, but my gratitude.”

“Uh, thank you.”  He glanced uncertainly at Roman.  “You have mine as well.”

“You have given me direction once more.”

“How did I do that?”

“You have brought me to the realisation that my service to the Crimson Shield is not yet at an end.”  He looked back at Knile.  “This quest of yours to leave this world… you will need to pass through the Crimson Shield in order to achieve it.  I will help you to obtain the goal you seek if you allow me to lay my retribution upon them.”

“You’re going to stay in the Reach?  What about your honour?  What about Landfall?”

“These men who tried to destroy me, who tried to destroy Edyta, they are not worthy of wearing the crimson.  They are heathens who must be cast down.  I would take this task upon myself for the glory of the Crimson Shield.”  He nodded.  “For myself, that is the only true path to honour.  I see that now.”

Roman’s eyes widened.  “Hell yeah,” he said, clearly relishing the thought of seeing Lazarus in action.  The Redman shot him a curious glance, then leaned back in his chair, his lips momentarily forming into a shape that vaguely resembled a smile.  Then his brow furrowed again and he looked back out the window.

“Indeed,” he said.  “This endeavour shall be…”

“Fun?” Knile prompted.

Lazarus narrowed his eyes.  “Bloody.  Torrid.”  He glanced at Knile, his eyes burning bright with intent. 
“Righteous.”

EPILOGUE

Ursie knocked feebly on the door.  She waited
, but there was no response.

She glanced each way along the corridor, then gathered herself up and clenched her fist as tightly as she could.  She knocked again, sending a savage jolt of pain up her arm with each thump.

Her blows sounded dismayingly tinny and lifeless even to her own ears.

She couldn’t knock any harder.  These tentative motions were all she had to give.  Her whole body ached, every nerve ending jangling as if she had been overloaded by the mental energy that had coursed through her not long before.  She absently wondered if this condition would be permanent, if she would perhaps be consigned to spend the rest of her days in a body that had been fried beyond repair and which could never find peace again.

She lifted her fist again, but instead of knocking, she simply rested her palm on the door to stop herself from sagging to the ground.  She was spent.  Her eyes still felt hot, like stones that had been left out in the sun resting in her sockets.  Her ears still rang and every hair on her body stood on end.

Looking at the door,
she could see blood on her hand, and she supposed there was still blood on her face as well.  She hadn’t bothered to clean herself up very well.  There hadn’t been time.  Even at her best she looked
out of place in Habitat Thirty-One, and in this condition even more so.

She was about to turn away when the door suddenly opened.  Unprepared, her hand slipped and she fell to her knees.  As she tried to get up
, a pair of weathered hands found her shoulders and helped to pull her upright.

“Well, what do we have here?” Tobias said curiously.

“Tobias,” Ursie said breathlessly.  “You’re home.  I was beginning to wonder.”

The old man narrowed his eyes at her.  “Do I know you?”

“I’m Ursie.  We met just a little while ago.”  He continued to stare at her blankly.  “Over by the Skywalk.  You asked me about a pocket watch.”

Tobias’ expression changed suddenly and he smiled.

“Why, Ursie, of course I remember you.  Have you come to visit?”

She nodded wearily.  “I have.”

“Then come on in!” he chuckled, stepping aside and making a majestic sweep with his hand.  “This is a rare treat, I must say.”

“Thank you.”

Ursie struggled past him and collapsed on the side of the cot, her relief immense as he closed the door again and shut out the rest of the habitat.  She looked around.  ‘Modest’ would have been a generous description of Tobias’ living quarters.  The place was literally a closet, around the size of an elevator car.  There was the cot on one side and a shelf on the other, and a tiny kitchenette in the corner.  Along the shelf were a number of picture frames which, quite curiously, held no photographs.

“Can I get you a cup o’ tea, Ursie?”

“I’ll take anything I can get.”

Tobias fussed around the kitchenette, clasping a mug and placing it under a metallic gizmo of some sort that whirred and hissed and then spurted hot liquid from a tube.

“I’m not sure if this is the real thing,” he admitted, handing her the mug.  “Probably that synthetic crap, but it’s hot and wet and that’ll do for an old codger like me.  Watch
your fingers.”

Ursie took it from him and raised it to her lips.  It tasted quite bad, she decided, but the moment it went down her throat she began to feel better.

“That’s good,” she murmured, closing her eyes.  “That’s perfect.  Thank you.”

Tobias scratched at his beard.  “You don’t look well, Ursie.  What happened to you?”

She opened her eyes again.  “I ran into someone who wasn’t very nice.  He’s gone now.”

“Well,
that’s somethin’, at least.  Good riddance to bad rubbish, no?”

She took another sip, then turned to face him.  “Is it all right if I stay here with you?  Just for a little while?”

Tobias glanced around at his little closet, clearly embarrassed.

“Well, this isn’t much of a place for a fine young lady such as–”

“It would really help me out if I could.”

Tobias seemed to weigh this up.  “Well, sure,” he said finally.  “Why not?”

“Thank you, Tobias.  You’re a life saver.”  She settled back onto the cot, making herself comfortable, then seemed to think of something.

“I have one more thing to ask, if that’s okay?” she said.

“Shoot.”

“Do you know how to contact people down on Earth?” she said.  “I have to call someone.”

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Author’s Note

Thanks for reading
LANDFALL
.  I hope you enjoyed this installment of
THE REACH.

The final version of this book is quite different to what I had originally intended.
THE REACH
was, in the early days, only going to be a trilogy.  At least, that was what I had mapped out in my head.  However, not everything goes to plan when you write sprawling sci-fi stories, and I found when I started writing
LANDFALL
that this book simply had too much going on – too many character arcs and too much action – and so I split it into two volumes.  Heck, Ursie wasn’t even going to be in this book until my wife Nic told me she had to make an appearance.  
Had to.
 In the end I have to thank Nic for being so convincing, as Ursie’s arc became one of my favourites in this book.

So the next book,
SKYBREACH
, reveals the remainder of what I had originally intended for book two, and it’s filled with just as much action as the first two books, and a few interesting new characters as well as the stakes get higher.

If you enjoyed
LANDFALL
, please write a review on Amazon and/or tell your friends about what a fine tale this Mark Healy guy spins.  I know I say that at the end of every book, but it is important.  I want to keep bringing new books to you, and building my reputation through positive reviews is a very good way to ensure that happens.

See you in
SKYBREACH.

Thanks again,

Mark

About the Author

Mark R. Healy is an author and musician from Brisbane, Australia.  He lives with his wife Nic and children Elise and Hayden.

Mark’s Website:
markrhealy.com

Facebook:
http://facebook.com/hibernalband

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/author/markhealy

Mailing List:
http://eepurl.com/O2dhT

You can find more of Mark’s stories through his project ‘Hibernal’.  This project features professional voice actors, original music and Mark’s own sci-fi stories to create a cross between audiobooks and movies.  The result is an atmospheric, immersive and unique theatrical experience for the listener.  This project is available to hear online at
http://hibernal.bandcamp.com
and can also be purchased through iTunes and Amazon.  Just search for ‘Hibernal’.

Contact Mark by email: [email protected]

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to my support network for helping me get a little higher up
THE REACH
during the creation of
LANDFALL
.

As always, thanks first to my partner Nic for not only insisting that Ursie make an appearance in the story, but for giving valuable feedback in the early stages and for helping to craft the blurb, doing the alpha read, and everything else.

Pete Turner as my prime beta reader and for throwing in his two cents.  Your early feedback is invaluable, Pete.

Hayden Wright for being so much more than a proofreader.  Hayden, you’re more like a second editor putting the finishing touches on many aspects of the book, so thank you for that.  And thanks for being very accommodating with your schedule!

My editor Eliza Dee at Clio for turning the rough-hewn draft into something much better.

Also thanks to Saul Caldwell, Mike Kershaw, Robert Heyl, Rene Young, Wes Fox and Greg Hanson.