Children of the Void: Book One of the Aionian Saga (39 page)

The insect-things came closer until they were right next to Sophia’s cage.
 
They reared up until they were at the same level as Sophia.
 
She screamed, desperately trying to get as far away as she could in the confined space.
 
The creatures grabbed for her, latching onto her ankles and pulling her towards them as she kicked and flailed.
 

One of them produced a long instrument and stuck it between the bars.
 
It glowed and hummed as the creature waved it over Sophia.
 
The creatures made clicking noises, then released Sophia, who again retreated to the back of the cage.
 
They made their way towards Takomi and reached into her cage.
 
She too tried to fight them off, but their long fingers wrapped around her ankles and pulled her in.
 
They repeated the process with the wand, then released her.

Takomi cowered at the back of her crate and watched as the creatures moved toward Joseph.
 
They reached in and waved the wand over him, clicking and squawking to one another.
 
When the finished, one of them pounced up on top of Joseph’s crate with minimal effort.
 
Takomi couldn’t see what it was doing up there, but a moment later the front of Joseph’s crate swung down and banged loudly against the crate below it.
 
The creature then jumped back down to join his comrade.
 

Takomi lunged forward as the two insectile things reached for Joseph.
 
“No!” she yelled.
 
“Don’t touch him.”
 
The creature closest to her moved with lightning speed, shoving the wand in between the bars of her cage.
 
When the tip of the wand contacted her skin it sent a jolt of electricity through her.
 
She cried out as the pain knocked her to the ground and temporarily blinded her.

She blinked and shook her head as she pushed herself back up.
 
When she could finally see again, she saw the two creatures hauling Joseph away as if the huge boy were her size.
 
She slammed her fist into the bars as the creatures took Joseph through the large metal door they’d entered through.
 
“Stop!” she yelled, but a second later the door slid closed again.

Takomi felt tears streaming down her face as fear and anger shook her whole body.
 
She looked at Sophia, who was gripping the bars of her cage so tightly that her normally tan hands were white.
 
The two of them locked eyes, each communicating a feeling of helplessness and frustration.
 
A second later, the lights went out.

Acknowledgments

Trying to list all the names of those who’ve helped me write this book is no simple task. Friends, family, teachers, perfect strangers — so many people helped me accomplish my life-long dream of publishing a novel. I can guarantee you I’ll miss someone, but it’s easy for me to figure out where to start.

Without my wife’s support, I never could have done it. Meredith encouraged me to pursue my dream when I had no confidence in my abilities as a writer. When I was worn out and wanted to quit, she was my cheerleader. When the story was stuck and I didn’t know where to go, she was my muse. When self-doubt and depression spread through my mind like cancer, she was my therapist. And tonight, like hundreds of other nights, she’s upstairs putting babies to bed so that I can write.

Right up there with my wife are my parents. As far back as I can remember, my mom, Rebecca, has nurtured my imagination. She’s the one who introduced me to Narnia, Middle Earth, Ender Wiggins, and Atticus Finch, and was the first to tell me I could create my own worlds too. My dad, Keith, taught me to work hard, to do the job right, and to never quit.

I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for my siblings. With my six sisters KayDe, Kim, Kara, Kristen, Kenna, and Kelsey (no good explanation for the alliteration exists), I can quote Han Solo in one breath and Anne Shirley with the next. We shared books, movies, and games into the wee hours of the night all through my childhood. Much of my inspiration comes from our adventures together.

To this day my older brother, Nate, is one of my greatest role models. Like my dad, he’s taught me the value of hard work. Whether it was coaching me in the gym to get ready for football season, or spending some time at the range getting ready for hunting season, he’s been a patient teacher and friend to his goofy little brother.

My brother’s wife, Andrea Halls, has also been an indispensable mentor. Not many budding novelists have a professional editor for a sister-in-law. With her help I made some major changes to the plot and characters that made all the difference. She’s also been a fount of knowledge regarding the publishing industry.
 

The rest of my very large extended family deserves to be acknowledged for their enthusiastic support. Naming them all in print would kill a very many trees, and so I’ll spare the forests and give the rest of my aunts, uncles, grandparents, in-laws, cousins, and nieces and nephews a big collective thank you.

During this process I’ve been very fortunate to connect with a few of my favorite science fiction writers via the internet. Specifically I’d like to thank Jennifer Foehner Wells, author of the Confluence series, for dispensing nuggets of wisdom about editing, publishing, and cover design. A.G. Riddle, author of the Origin Mystery books, was the first author I’ve ever written to that actually wrote back. His words inspired me to keep on going and to write the best book I could. Lastly, I’d like to thank Michael Bunker, author of the Pennsylvania Omnibus, for giving me editing advise like only an amish science fiction writer could. All three of these authors top the bestseller charts for a reason. I encourage you to look them up.

Beta readers have been invaluable. Jordan Noble caught things that I never would have thought of and helped me tighten up the story. Jonathan Match was a good enough friend to be brutally honest about what sucked. Landon Dixon scoured an early draft with an engineer’s eyes, and is living proof that every science fiction writer needs a very smart beta reader. My sister-in-law Nicole didn’t critique the book so much as tell me how awesome I am. Every writer needs this person too.
 

I need to give a special thanks to Amy DuBoff, an up-and-coming author who has gone above and beyond to be helpful to a fellow author she barely knows. She’s been extremely generous with her knowledge of publishing, marketing, and editing. Amy’s an example of the camaraderie between writers that makes this community so wonderful. Besides being a talented author she’s also a kind and generous person, so please look her up and support her work.

My brother-in-law Dale Pedersen and my good friend Tricia Peterson both helped me get my website going. Ryan Hatch continues to teach me all about social media marketing while helping me perfect my golf swing. I was lucky to find a great editor on short notice named Therin Knite who convinced me to rewrite a third of the book. Many others have read the book and given me great feedback and support. So many, in fact, that I can’t remember them all.

Last of all, I want to thank you, dear reader. In today’s world of YouTube and Pokemon GO, there are millions of things to entertain and distract you, but you chose to read this book. You may have even paid money to read this book, which gets me a few cents closer to writing full time. If I entertained you for a while, then it was all worth it.
 

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

About the Author

Jack Halls was born and raised in a small town in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains; the kind of town that had only one stop light, everybody knew the mayor, and nobody bothered to lock their doors.
 

He spent his childhood catching frogs in the nearby stream, racing his ten speed past dairy farms and alfalfa fields, and of course, reading books.

Although his dream has always been to write fiction, to pay the bills he's worked as a finish carpenter, a backcountry guide, and a stock broker. Somewhere in the middle of that he earned a B.A. in Latin American Studies and even lived in South America for a while.

Currently he resides in the mountain west with his wife and two daughters.