Hunting in Hell (43 page)

Authors: Maria Violante

Alsvior walked back to the fire, his face stony.

"So to clarify, we are in an Alien world, maybe looking for God, without
kevras
or
akras
, unarmed, and with every angel in Hell looking for us?"

Laufeyson spread his hands wide, as if to ask,
what would you have me say?

"I don't know if they would come here.

Their powers wouldn't work, and once the waypoint is closed, how would they go back?"

Which means that we cannot, either.

The fire from the Mademoiselle's body was dying.

De la Roca waited until the last flames had expired before sifting through it.

Finally, her hands black with ash, she pulled out a purple jewel the size of a plum.

"Is that-" began Laufeyson.

"Yes, it's the Mademoiselle's stone," finished De la Roca.

She swallowed it, surprised at how lifeless it felt.

"But … if our
kevra's
don't work here-"

Before she had a chance to answer, a sudden shadow at her feet brought her gaze up, and she instantly reached for her guns.

How had they come so quietly?

Standing in front of her were two beings, human in appearance.

The male was tall and heavyset, while the female was like a reed - slim, delicate, and strong.

Both were holding fearsome, metal-tipped spears, and heavy furs covered them from head to foot.

For a moment, none of them moved.

The female cocked her head slightly, her eyes trained on De la Roca's guns.

Then she cleared her throat.

"Welcome, Sons.

Welcome, Daughter."

She laid the spear down upon the ground, the man soon following suit.

# # #

Thank you for reading books One and Two of the De la Roca Chronicles.

Book Three is scheduled for release in late fall of 2012.

To be notified when book three releases, click
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

While novel-writing is a (sometimes excruciatingly) solitary practice, there is no way that either
Hunting the Five
or
Honor in Hell
could have been accomplished alone.

In fact, there are
so
many people to thank that I know I will forget quite a few of them, but I will try my best.

Thank you, Bunny.

I don't know if I would have ever walked this road without you.

Thank you, Piers Jameson.

Your input as an editor and advance reader is invaluable, and these books would not be the same without both your superb command of the English language and your friendship.

Thank you, Sunny.

Few would put up with being ignored for so long; fewer would have encouraged me when the results looked so dismal.

Watching you take on the world is inspiring.

Thank you, Char and Shawn (
Charn
).

You were always there when I lost faith, and the generosity in your hearts is beautiful beyond measure.

Thank you, Blake Eason, and thank you, Caytlin Vilbrandt.

Your excellent art really embodies the spirit of the De la Roca Chronicles.

Thank you, day job, for giving me the motivation I needed.

Every day that I thought I was going to blow off a day of editing, someone puked or pooped and I found myself in front of the computer.

Thank you, fellow authors, for the praise and valuable criticism that you have given me, especially those that took their time to read the first novella and let me know where my weaknesses were.

I'm a better writer for it, and I really appreciate it.

And thank you, readers.

Without you, none of this would be possible.

Maria Violante

April 26th, 2012

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maria Violante writes science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

She is the author of the De la Roca Chronicles and the
Shiver Shorts
line of horror stories.

She currently writes from the passenger seat of an International Prostar, usually with a Chihuahua on her lap.

Want to get into touch with her?

You can
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her on facebook, sign up for the mailing list @
mariaviolante.com
, email her at
[email protected]
, or follow her on twitter:
@violanteauthor
.