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Back Stringers Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. FRONT COVER
  2. TITLE PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CHAPTER ONE
  5. CHAPTER TWO
  6. CHAPTER THREE
  7. CHAPTER FOUR
  8. CHAPTER FIVE
  9. CHAPTER SIX
  10. CHAPTER SEVEN
  11. CHAPTER EIGHT
  12. CHAPTER NINE
  13. CHAPTER TEN
  14. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  15. CHAPTER TWELVE
  16. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  17. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  18. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  19. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  20. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  21. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  22. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  33. CHAPTER THIRTY
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  43. CHAPTER FORTY
  44. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  45. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  53. CHAPTER FIFTY
  54. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  55. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  63. CHAPTER SIXTY
  64. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A crescendo is coming, planned to coincide with the Procession of the Moons and their arrival at center zenith high above. That the audience ignores the progress of the satellites is a testament to the music, for in following the moons, they would be able to predict the arrival of the climax. By avoiding the sky’s natural clock, the triumph of the Instrument Maker’s song may wash over them fresh. The music lashes at the notes that will tell them the climax has begun, feinting inward, then pulling back just when they think it must surely be time. The arrangement is all they had hoped and better. Here they touch perfection. Three hundred and one children bringing the music to life, six hundred and two hearts announcing themselves.

Another ascending chorus comes, coaxing a ripple of euphoric paresthesia over the skin of all who hear. It is at this moment the sky changes, as if the music itself had summoned the heavens, imploring it as witness to the sound. Only it is not the moons that have changed but their backdrop. Far away and coming fast.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Rather than switch from the outer belts of Effelox Binary to Aszerat and draw attention to ourselves, we cruised in on conventional power, which was fast enough, considering our head start on the Timelance. It gave Naecia and Aptat time to show Patton the workings of both the Silent Child and the Switch Drive so that he would be able to execute the final leg of the plan.

A month ago, I’d watched Patton eat Doritos from between couch cushions. Now he was learning to fly a spaceship.

Using the ship’s scopes, I studied the real Aszerat against the blueprint in my mind. It was terribly surreal to gaze upon something I knew intimately but had never directly perceived. It was as if each of my feet stood in a different timeline: one in the present, the other three lifetimes ago.

There had been some changes to the city since my third prior had imprinted it. Some of these were readily apparent: external changes like docks and communications towers that hadn’t been in the reflections. Aptat pulled up current maps that were publicly available. Much of Aszerat was private space, which left a goodly amount of the city’s volume blacked out from view.