Authors: S.K. Valenzuela

The Outworlder (36 page)

“She grabbed us by the arms. I’ve never seen
her face look like that,” Kirin continued. “The guards were coming.
We had no time. And she told us to get down here, to the storeroom.
She told us the code. And she told us to seal ourselves
inside.”

“We could hear things exploding outside,”
Emma said. “And the guards were dragging people out of their
chambers, driving them back down the stairs. Smoke was coming from
somewhere. It was hard to breathe. I didn’t think we’d make it, but
Kirin got us down to the pantry. And then everything stopped.”

“It was so quiet,” said Kirin. “It was…” He
shuddered. “There were no more screams, no more gunfire. Just this
heavy tread on the floor above us, like hundreds of people
marching. We didn’t wait to find out what was happening. We got
down to the storeroom and sealed ourselves inside. And that’s where
you found us.” He sighed. “I’ve never heard of anything like it.
Ever.”

Brytnoth stared at his trencher, his face
like stone except for the working of his jaw as he clenched and
unclenched his teeth.

“So there’s no one else left?” Rafe asked.
“You’ve seen no one?”

“No one.”

“They even took the bodies,” Sahara said.
When everyone turned to stare at her, she explained, “I mean,
there’s no sign that any executions happened in here at all. No
blood, no bodies, nothing.”

“How can you talk like that?” Emma blurted
out, her face a sickly white.

Sahara shrugged. “It’s true,” she said. “They
left no sign that they were here.”

“Do you know where they were taken?” Jared
asked. “Do you know what they did with our people?”

“I haven’t got a clue,” said Kirin. “But what
happened to you?”

Jared told them, and for a long time after he
finished, no one spoke.

“You’re sure it was dead, then?” Kirin asked,
finally. “You killed it?”

“I saw it explode,” said Jared. “The Council
is destroyed. For good.”

“Then why—” began Emma.

“I think I understand,” said Rafe. “They
never meant to let Albadir stand, no matter what happened to
Sahara. We were destined for the same fate as Askalon. And now our
people are out there somewhere, drifting in space. Yes, we’re
finally free. But we’re utterly alone.”

Jared stood abruptly, knocking over his
chair. “Well, it won’t be like that for long.”

“What do you mean?” Sahara asked.

“We’re going after them. And we’re going to
bring them home.”

There was absolute silence in the room. Kirin
opened and shut his mouth twice, trying to speak but finding no
voice.

“That sounds suicidal,” Rafe said. “But why
should I expect anything else at this point?”

“We didn’t go up there and destroy the
Dragon-Lord Council once and for all just to let them have the
final victory! Without the Dragon-Lords, Albadir can be all that
she was in the past! We can reclaim the desert, reclaim the
southern sea! We can reopen trade with other worlds…become once
again a prosperous, free, and happy people. We can be a world
again, not just a rebel outpost struggling for survival against
overwhelming odds.”

“I agree with Jared,” said Brytnoth. “Askalon
suffered the same fate as Silesia...and there was no one to save
her. Albadir is my home now, and if I can do anything to save her
people, I will do it.”

“Remember our plan, Jared,” said Rafe. “We
need to be out of here by dusk to avoid the sandstorms. Let’s get
weapons and provisions and load up the ship. The Council may have
been destroyed, but its minions weren’t.”

They rose and divided themselves into teams.
“And Sahara?” Jared said. “I want you and Emma to head back to the
storeroom and pack a med kit. God knows we might need it.”

They spent the remainder of the morning
gathering and stowing weapons and supplies on the ship. They ate
their noon meal back in the dining hall, but it was a short
one.

“Let’s get the rest of our supplies and get
out of here before they track us down,” Jared said. “And do a final
sweep while you’re at it. Make sure no one else is left here.”

Their search turned up nothing, and they
packed up the rest of their supplies and headed back to the ship.
Rafe fired up the engines and hesitated, staring out the window at
the smoldering remains of their home. Jared strapped himself into
the co-pilot’s chair, and Sahara and the others settled into the
crew seats.

“I never really thought it would come to
this,” Rafe said quietly as he did his final check of the controls.
“I guess I never thought they’d actually destroy us in the
end.”

Jared clapped him on the shoulder. “Where
there’s life, there’s hope,” he said. “We’re in a tough spot, but
we’re not out of this fight yet. And now that the Dragon-Lords have
been destroyed, we have a chance. A chance to build a new
world.”

“We can’t build a world with six people,
Jared.”

Jared grinned at him. “That’s why we’re going
to get our people back.”

“So where does that take us from here?” Rafe
asked.

“I’m not sure.”

“Some awesome search-and-rescue team we are,”
said Kirin. “Heading into space on some piece of crap alien ship
with no clue where we’re going.”

“You think this ship is a piece of crap?”
Sahara asked. “How would you know?”

“Well, he’s not wrong,” Rafe said. “This ship
wasn’t designed for deep space flight. She’s a little planet
hopper. Not enough fuel in her cells to get us much beyond
K’ilenfir. If we think we need to head out beyond that, we’re going
to need another ship.”

Jared’s face creased in a broad smile.
“Great! Now that we have a plan, let’s go.”

“Sorry,” Rafe said. “Did anyone else hear a
plan? I didn’t hear a plan.”

“If we need a deep-space vessel, I know just
where to find one,” Jared said. “We’re going to K’ilenfir.”

Rafe stared at him for a moment and then
burst out laughing. “Well, I guess we all have to die sometime,” he
said, shaking his head. “You got it.” He glanced over his shoulder
at the others strapped into the crew seats behind them. “Buckle up,
kids. This’ll be one hell of a ride.”

“He can’t be serious,” muttered Kirin to
Sahara. “He’s not actually serious, is he?”

Sahara watched the blasted skyline of Albadir
sink slowly out of view as Rafe lifted them off the ground.

“This is your last chance to stay here,
Kirin,” she said. “You want to get off?”

Kirin shook his head. “Are you kidding? I
wouldn’t miss this.”

The next moment, they were slammed back into
their seats as Rafe gunned the engines. And then, with a dizzying
rush, they were out in the black, headed for the pinpoint prison
moon on the shadow side of Silesia.

~~~
~~~
~~~

To the Reader

I hope you’ve enjoyed this first volume in
the Silesia Trilogy! This totally revised and expanded edition has
been a true delight to work on. If you’ve read the story before, I
hope you’ve enjoyed the new material, and if this is your first
journey into the world of Silesia, I hope you’re here to stay for a
while! You can find The Lords of Askalon and The Artifex in
paperback at Amazon.com (and signed copies will be available soon
on the SisterMuses website).

Re-releasing the Trilogy under the
SisterMuses label has been one of the most exciting moments in my
writing career. This has been a dream for a long time, and it’s
incredible to see it happening! Please check out our entire
backlist of titles, now available for the first time under our own
imprint.

If you want behind-the-scenes glimpses at our
work at SisterMuses, as well as news about upcoming releases and
the unique chance to be part of our advance reviewer team, please
head over to
www.sistermuses.com
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If you enjoyed the read, please let me know
your thoughts by leaving a review right here! I’d love to connect
with you on Goodreads or any of my social sites below!

Until our paths cross again, happy
reading!

About the Author

S.K. has been a lover of the written word
since childhood. This passion led her to pursue a Ph.D. in English
Literature, specializing in the medieval period. Her interest in
the intertwining of history, mythology, memory, and language
inspires much of her work, including the Silesia Trilogy. When
she’s not writing novels, you can find her freelancing, reading,
enjoying a cup of coffee, or playing with her kids.

She currently lives with her husband and six
beautiful children in Dallas, Texas.

Find out more at

www.skvalenzuela.com

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@skvalenzuela

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Look for these other great titles from
SisterMuses…

The Outworlder (Book I of the Silesia
Trilogy)

The Lords of Askalon
(Book II of the Silesia Trilogy)