Shadow Fall (The Shadow Saga) (56 page)

“Perhaps he did,” Crenshaw replied. “I’ve heard stranger things.”

“No,” she dropped the rock back to the ground, where it shattered and joined the rest of the memorial’s ruin. “It was just the dream of a foolish child, the fantasy of a lovesick girl. If I allow myself to think otherwise I might be tempted to believe he’s still alive today.”

“You saw him fall,” Crenshaw insisted. “You
watched
him die.”

“I know,” she said, running her hand softly along the gashes her Gladius had made in the wall. “I know very well what I saw.”

“Then how could you possibly think he is alive?”

“Because,” Grace said, filled with both hope and terror, “I can still feel him.”

EPILOGUE

T
HE AMPHITHEATER WRITHED WITH
humanity, a constantly shifting mass that reminded Holt strongly of ants scurrying to feast upon some fallen scrap of food. Voices echoed throughout the chamber, an incomprehensible hum that rang in the former Chief Advisor’s ears. Had this been what it was like, all those years ago? Perhaps he had been too far removed from his duties in the United States Capitol to remember, but the process had seemed so orderly, then. His colleagues had been pompous, inane, and self-righteous fools, but at least they had shared his disdain for chaos. Not so with this rabble they had named the Citadel.

The legislative body was only made up of two hundred members, apportioned among the eight cities that the Imperial Conglomerate had wrested from the World System, but none of the new representatives had come alone. Each had arrived with their own entourage, striding into Rome like royalty ready to receive the keys to their kingdoms. How disappointed they would be to learn that they had very little real power...perhaps hope would blind them to that truth.

Members of the Citadel filled a single subsection of the amphitheater, while their combined entourages nearly filled the rest. The Imperial High Council sat on a raised dais opposite the Citadel, a distance both practical and symbolic. The emperor’s seat rose above the rest of the Council—his was the place of honor, and so he would arrive last of all.

A shadow fell on him as Luke Orion came down from the upper sections, where white-uniformed Imperial Guardsmen formed a vanguard separating the High Council from the rest of those in attendance. They alone were allowed weapons within the Hall of the Citadel.

Orion sat down in the seat beside him, now his by right, and surveyed the teeming mass with disquiet, “Fine day for a riot, Councilor Holt.”

“Let us hope it does not come to that,” Holt replied. “Congratulations on your elevation, by the way.”

“I understand you had a strong hand in my selection,” Orion said quietly, though amidst the thrum no one else could have heard. “I admit it was profitable being Sullivan’s loyal right hand, but this new place will serve us quite well. Thank you.”

“Whatever I can do to help the cause.”

“Oh you are zealous, there is no doubt about that,” Orion smiled. “You may have convinced Sullivan that the idea for this
Citadel
came from the generals, but we are not so easily fooled. This was your idea, you just planted it in their heads.”

Holt grinned, “A wise man never reveals his secrets.”

“A wise man might not have done it at all. Noble, of course, to duplicate the Restoration government here in Rome, but you should have learned from Sullivan’s mistake with Specter. Never create something you cannot control.”

“The Citadel is a farce, Orion, you know that as well as I,” Holt shifted in his chair. “An imitation of what is to come. Sullivan has still yet to sign the constitution, and until he does the ICC is a nation built on foundations of glass.”

“Let’s hope you’re right. Still, the Benefactor is uneasy. Should they gain too much popular support, they could become an issue.”

“The people have the right to be governed however they see fit,” Holt replied. “This man—this Benefactor—has no more right to choose that for them than Scott Sullivan or Napoleon Alexander. Tyrants exist in democracies just as they do in dictatorships, Orion. You would do well to remember that.”

“And you would perhaps do well to remember that we are under cover here. Declaring your views where everyone can hear them is not the best course for concealment. I hear Sullivan considered having you removed from the High Council before Drake was killed.”

“A fortuitous event then.”

“I was under the impression that the man was your friend.”

“He was,” Holt nodded. “And a good one at that. But what is it that the Christians say? God does not cause evil, but he bends it to his purpose. Redeems it, if you will, for good.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve become one of those as well,” Orion said dryly. “Alexander’s censures on religion will go down as one of the System’s greatest contributions to the history of humanity, mark my words. It is a step society should have taken long ago.”

Holt pursed his lips tightly in consternation and saw from the corner of his eyes that the rest of the High Council had arrived and the Citadel members were watching the dais expectantly. The first session of the new Imperial government was about to begin.

“Have I said something to offend you, Councilor Holt?” Orion asked.

“The notion of denying God-given freedoms always offends me,” Holt replied. “I tend to hold to the designs of my American predecessors who shouted in the streets, ‘Give me liberty or give me death.’”

“A beautiful dream, freedom,” Orion said. “But dreams often become nightmares. Keep your passionate fervor, Councilor Holt.” He leaned in to whisper, his voice brimming with sarcasm, “Just make sure no one hears you say that too loudly.”

Holt saw a flash in Orion’s eyes, the kind he had seen on several occasions before when a man had secrets he thought gave him power.
He is the Benefactor’s man
, the former chief advisor thought.
But then, so was I. What does that make me now
?

But he had no opportunity to think on it further, for at that moment Sullivan entered the amphitheater to a standing ovation and thunderous applause. Holt shook his head with pity for them all. They thought to herald a savior, when in truth all they did was heap praise upon their next captor.

All hail the Imperial Conglomerate of Cities
, he thought dryly.
Let it not be long for this world.

THE AUTHOR

J.L.
LYON
graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Political Science and History. He fell in love with storytelling at a young age, and has been making stuff up ever since. He currently lives in Middle Tennessee with his wife, where he is busy at work on the rest of the Shadow Saga series.

To stay up to date on news and also to read blogs and other material by the author, visit the website at http://jllyon.com

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To all the readers and fans who have been eagerly waiting for this installment in the story of 301-14-A, words can’t express how much I appreciate your patience. Some of you have been waiting to get this far since The Shadow Saga went by another name, and others even longer than that. Sequels are hard, and as a young writer it took me a while to find the true depth of this world. Once I had, I wanted to make sure to deliver the story at its greatest potential. Thanks for sticking with it. You won’t have to wait as long for the next book, I promise.

Special thanks to my grandmother, Jamie, for her investment not only in my growth as a person, but in my development as a writer. After creativity, the most important quality a writer needs is perseverance. We fail many times before reaching success, and without her willingness to support my early publishing efforts, I can honestly say I would not be in the same place in my writing career today.

Thanks to my editor, Jessie Nichols, for her stellar work on both
Shadow Soldier
and
Shadow Fall
. An extra set of professional eyes has made a world of difference on the emotional and narrative impact of both novels. You really are great at what you do.

I also want to thank the cast and crew of the book trailer for
Shadow Soldier
. Page Lynch, you are an awesome director and visionary cinematographer. One day we are all going to be watching your movies. To the actors, Brooke Hutchins, Jared Daugherty, Rachel Daugherty, Isaiah Stratton, and Tom Beckwith: you did such a great job bringing the core personalities of your characters to life. It was definitely one of the coolest experiences I’ve had thus far in my career.

Thanks to my wife Amy who, despite a busy schedule and being in the later stages of pregnancy with our first little girl, still found time to design this book. I love you and appreciate your talents more than I could ever say.

Copyright © 2014 by J.L. Lyon. All rights reserved

The content of this work is the sole property of the author and may not be copied, reproduced, or distributed in whole or in part on any medium currently known or as yet undevised without the express permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual events or people is purely coincidental.

Edited by Jessie Nichols

Cover and Interior Design by Amy Lyon

ISBN: 9780989744126

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