Of Bone and Thunder (68 page)
Read Of Bone and Thunder Online
Authors: Chris Evans
“For now. Squeak said we're pulling out, as soon as Weel counts the bodies.”
“Pulling out? Who's taking our place? I saw more troops arriving.”
“No one,” Carny said. “We're all needed back by the coast.”
“No one's staying?” Knockers asked.
“Only the dead,” Carny said.
“So . . . we won?” Knockers asked.
There was a long silence and Rickets thought he would hear no more; then their voices came to him from far away.
“We didn't lose.”
“Is that enough?”
There was another long pause.
“It's something.”
Rickets choked, spitting blood. His mind raced. There was still an out. There was always an out. There had to be.
Motion in front of him focused his eyes. A blur of black feathers filled his vision as a condor landed a few feet away. The bird splayed its wings wide as it settled on the ground, momentarily blotting out the sun. It fixed a beady eye on Rickets and opened its beak, issuing a series of abrupt hisses.
“Go, eat,” Rickets whispered, doing his best to motion with his head at the charked remains of the slyts strewn about the clearing. “You'd only choke on me.”
The condor cocked its featherless head to the side and stared at him with an unblinking eye. It ignored the dead slyts and continued to stare at him.
“I'm not dying,” Rickets said, gritting his teeth as he pushed himself up a few inches. His entire body shuddered with the effort, but it was worth it.
He wasn't dying, not here, not like this. He coughed, spraying blood into the air. The condor opened its beak, still staring at him.
More motion drew Ricket's gaze skyward. The birds circling above him were slowly descending toward the ground.
Unable to keep looking up, Rickets lowered his eyes. The condor remained where it had landed, still watching him.
“Fuck the Lux,” Rickets said, holding the bird's gaze.
The condor stared back, and waited.
THANKING THOSE WHO OFFERED
their skills, friendship, and encouragement while I wrote this book is a privilege I treasure. I am especially indebted to my first readers: my brother, Michael Evans; my parents, Robert and Barbara Evans; my indomitable fellow warrior in all things writing, Deb Christerson; and the exceptional kindness and professional counsel of my friends Chris Schluep, Bill Takes, and, especially, Shelly Shapiro.
My agent, Don Maass, who suggested I write a fantasy based on the Vietnam War, and my editor, Ed Schlesinger, who unwaveringly ushered the idea into reality, providing expert guidance and sound advice that kept me on track (and sane) through the writing processâI thank you both!
I'd also like to note my respect and admiration for Louise Burke, President of Gallery Books, and Vice President Jen Bergstrom, for their trust and support, as well as the fantastic job done by the many people at Gallery Books who turn my writing into novels I am proud to share with you. These passionate champions of books are noble stewards of the written word and I count myself fortunate to collaborate with them.
Not forgotten are my intrepid mates in Morior Invictus/Rebellorum Draco alliance in the Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-Earth online game. Our battles are as legendary as our comradeship. An equally deserved tip of the hat goes to the many publishing and writing folks in the Drinklings of New York City.
Finally, I wish to acknowledge and commend all the veterans I have known over the years. These men and women, whether they fought in Normandy, Khe Sanh, Fallujah, Helmand province, or any number of battlefields around the world, did so knowing that they risked their lives so that
we might live and enjoy a world free from the violence and death they faced. To thank them is hardly sufficient. And so I honor their service, and I remember them.
Chris Evans
New York, NY
June 2014
C
HRIS
E
VANS
is also the author of The Iron Elves saga:
A Darkness Forged in Fire, The Light of Burning Shadows,
and
Ashes of a Black Frost,
as well as the nonfiction book
Bloody Jungle: The War in Vietnam.
He is a military historian and former editor for Random House and Stackpole Books. Born in Canada, he lives in New York City.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
authors.simonandschuster.com/Chris-Evans
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Chris Evans
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Gallery Books hardcover edition October 2014
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Designed by Davina Mock-Maniscalco
Interior map by Michael Bechthold
Jacket design by Lisa Litwack
Jacket photograph by Frans Lanting/Gallery Stock
Author photograph by Michael Evans
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-1-4516-7931-1
ISBN 978-1-4516-7932-8 (ebook)