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An Excerpt From: Tomorrow
Copyright © Samantha Kane, 2009
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing,
Inc.
Tie
was furious. He never let himself get into these situations. How the hell
had he let it happen this time? For Christ’s sake, she thought he was
holding the boy hostage. He was sick that she believed he would harm an
innocent child. They all believed it. He had become the very thing he’d run
from, the stuff of nightmares. He’d left the IMF, left Earth, left Egan so
he wouldn’t become the monster they all believed him to be. And now here he
was, playing on their fears so he could turn this beautiful, courageous
girl over to the Amalgamation. He hated himself at that moment. This was
it. This was the low point, please, God, let this be the low point because
he couldn’t take much more, not even for Egan.
He’d
played her with his little speech. From what little he knew about her—he
hadn’t done much research, she’d been so easy to find—she considered
herself a shining example. She seemed like the type who always fulfilled
her obligations, who took her responsibilities seriously like a good
idealistic rebel princess should. He could tell by the look on her face
he’d hit his mark.
“Let
the boy go and I’ll go with you.” He should have felt elated at her
capitulation, but instead felt curiously deflated.
“You
first, then I release the boy.” He was so goddamned convincing he scared
himself. By the look on their faces no one knew he’d let them kill him
before he’d harm one hair on the little man’s head. Good. It meant he
wouldn’t have to take on da there, either. He had
no desire to harm the boy’s father, or any of these men.
The
princess began slowly walking towards him and in spite of his better
judgment, even as he felt the thrill of victory,
he was filled with admiration for her courage. She was frightened, but she
was holding her head high and trying not to show it.
“No,
Princess!” One of the men grabbed her, not the boy’s father. “You can’t! If
they capture you…what will we do? We need you. Without you the resistance
will die. With you we finally have something to rally around.”
She
shook him off. “No, I’m not worth the boy’s life. I’m just one person.
Someone will rise to take my place. The resistance isn’t about one person, it’s about an idea, about freedom.” She looked
at Tie, captured his eyes. “It’s about a dream. And perhaps the hunter is
right. Perhaps it does start with me. Perhaps my death will be the spark
needed to start the conflagration that will destroy the Amalgamation.”
She
meant every word. She was ready to die for her resistance. She was so
young, so full of idealism it made Tie’s heart ache. He almost let her go
then. Almost dropped the boy and walked away. But something stopped him.
Something told him he had to take this girl. That he was part of something
bigger and that this path was where both he and she needed to go.
Tie
considered himself a follower of philosopher Conor
Stanislaus. In Stanislaus’ most famous book, Finding My Way, the philosopher
had written about these moments. He’d called them signposts. Moments that
told you where to go even if you didn’t know why. To ignore them was to
court disaster. Tie didn’t court disaster lightly.
Tie
raised his free hand and held it out to the rebel leader. Without
hesitation she stepped forward and took it. The electricity that raced
through Tie at her touch confirmed his decision. He slowly wrapped his arm
around her in the same way he’d immobilized the boy and then gently he let
the boy down. When the child’s feet hit the floor he ran forward into a
woman’s arms. She must be his mother. Tie watched the tearful reunion with
curiosity. A mother’s love was foreign to him.
Once
the boy was free the men turned aggressively back to Tie and the girl.
“No,”
she told them calmly. “You know what to do.”
The
boy’s father nodded. “Consider it done.”
Tie
wondered idly, as he backed out the kitchen door holding the princess, just
what surprises she had planned for him. He felt himself grinning. He
couldn’t wait to find out. For the first time in a very long time he felt
his feet were firmly on his path.
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