The Tragedy of Knowledge (23 page)
“So what’re we looking for?” he asked Greta and Denise.
“Come with us,” Denise said, waving.
We followed them out the main doors and toward the moat, out onto the main castle lawn. We were greeted by a crowd of people in front of an amazing sight: a tall, elegant sculpture of Gavin and me. The figures were locked in an embrace. My long hair blew dramatically to the side, and Gavin’s forehead was pressed tenderly to mine. Denise moved forward, pulling a sheet from the foot of the sculpture to reveal a wooden plaque, the title “The Devereauxs” carved whimsically across the front.
Greta, Denise, and the others moved in closer, holding out their hands to present us with an array of gifts for the baby and for our new home. We were overwhelmed with baskets of cheese and luscious grapes, knitted pink-colored booties and bonnets, and all kinds of sweet-smelling candles. The emotion overtook me, and whether it was my hormones or the essence of their gestures, it didn’t matter. The dam broke and the tears flowed, and I reached out to accept what I could. Gavin did the same, laughing and thanking people quicker than the words could catch up with his acknowledgements.
“This is your kingdom, now,” Greta announced, the dimples around her smile twinkling. “We owe our freedom and our loyalty to you.”
Humility washed over Gavin’s face. “No. You don’t.”
I spoke up, my words strained. “None of you made it out of here.”
A chorus of disagreement erupted from the crowd.
“We made it out of here,” Greta tapped her forehead, “and now we reside here,” she added, clutching her chest.
“Yes,” Denise chimed in, her gaze bouncing between Gavin and me. “You of all people can relate to the peace of the heart: what it means to be set free from the burdens of the mind. You’ve lost your friends and families as well, but you’ve found peace, yes?”
I squeezed Gavin’s hand. “Yes.”
“So then accept our tribute and our loyalty.” She beamed, gesturing to the gifts surrounding us. “It’s your kingdom now!”
A burly man stepped forth, his beard bristling against his lips as he spoke. “We declare a new era and a new king and queen.”
“Here, here!” another shouted.
At the men’s words, everyone bent to drop down on one knee and bow. The sky above the sculpture erupted in a loud crack as the clouds started to scatter, revealing a seraphic under layer of baby blue. Everyone’s heads snapped up in awe as the grayish haze, which had been a constant throughout the realm, atomized and unleashed waves of warm sunlight over the castle’s grounds. Our gazes followed the clouds as they continued to disintegrate in a rolling motion, past the castle’s horizon, over the hills, and out over the valley, lighting up the emerald lands until the entire city was drowned in voluptuous light. We’d bid our days on earth goodbye and lost much in the tragedies of the journey, but the beauty that lay before us now was far from those bittersweet farewells.
It was the future. Ever forward.
Always ever forward.
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PRESERVATION
Available in print and e-book from Amazon.com and in print from BarnesAndNoble.com.
An Adult Contemporary Romance
Fear is sabotage’s sweetest weapon.
Kate has no time for meaningless romantic charades, and definitely no time for hot college professors who are full of themselves and smitten with her. Constantly battling eviction notices, tuition she can’t afford, and a sick, dependent mother, the last thing she needs is to be distracted with someone else’s complicated baggage.
When she stumbles into Ryan Campbell’s creative writing class, he is only “Mr. Campbell” to her, until Ryan finds himself captivated by her writing and she is forced to face their mutual attraction. His cocky know-it-all syndrome is enough to send her running in the other direction, and his posse of female admirers and playboy reputation are enough to squander any odds in her favor.
But underneath Ryan’s abrasive facade is something to behold, and she can’t stay away for long. Ryan and Kate must decide who they’re willing to become and fight against their former selves if they want to make things work. That’s if academia, vicious vixens, old skeletons, and their own mastery at self-destruction don’t pummel their efforts first.
978-0-9840208-4-3 ~ www.RachaelWade.com
REPOSSESSION
Book One of
The Keepers Trilogy
A New Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Romance Series
Skylla only knows that she has been kidnapped and held hostage by the foreign invaders and their human allies. And that the world is ending. Or so the humans think. The invaders have made it clear that their arrival is one of hostile intent, and as their takeover spreads, so does the panic across the globe. No one knows how to defeat them, or if it’s even sane to try.
Jet, Skylla’s human captor, is up for the challenge, though. A traitor in Skylla’s eyes, he is working with them. But Jet has his own agenda; one that doesn’t include babysitting Skylla or helping the enemies. And as the human race struggles to keep the invaders from achieving their goal, Jet and Skylla’s paths collide to reveal the truth behind Skylla’s abduction.
The invaders are headed for the water. Jet is headed for the water. But that’s the last place Skylla wants to be. That’s where the future of humanity lies, and where the bridge to their yesterdays was burned. On a mission to take back what is rightfully theirs, Earth’s population is determined to make sure this isn’t the end. But some endings were never theirs to begin with.
C
OMING 2013
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