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Back Truth of the Divine Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Also By Lindsay Ellis and Available From Titan Books
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Author’s Note
  7. Part 1: It’s A Fool Who Plays It Cool
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. Part 2: Love Has A Nasty Habit Of Disappearing Overnight
  15. 7
  16. 8
  17. 9
  18. 10
  19. 11
  20. 12
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. 16
  25. 17
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. Part 3: A Crowd Of People Stood And Stared
  35. 26
  36. 27
  37. 28
  38. 29
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. Part 4: Happiness Is A Warm Gun
  57. 47
  58. 48
  59. 49
  60. 50
  61. 51
  62. 52
  63. 53
  64. 54
  65. 55
  66. 56
  67. 57
  68. A Fiction Agreed Upon
  69. Acknowledgments
  70. About the Author

As if on cue, she heard a boom in the distance on the other side of the mountains, one she had heard before. It sounded identical to the noise she’d heard the morning of the Obelus Event.

“What is that?”

“A SONIC BLAST FROM A BODY BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIER. A SINGLE AMYGDALINE BODY, CARRIED VIA SEMIAUTONOMOUS PLATING.”

She whirled to face Enola. “You told me Ampersand was the one who killed the humans the Superorganism abducted for the language study 650 years ago.”

“HE WAS THE SENIOR OF XENOBIOLOGY AT THE TIME. HE DID END THE STUDY. HE DID ORDER THE SPECIMENS DESTROYED.”

“Specimens.” She nearly choked on the word. “Why, then? I know there has to be more to it than that. What made him end it? What led him to kill those people?”

Enola’s eyes brightened, now luminous from the light of the sun that was about to peek over the top of the mountains, and he leaned down until his eyes were level with hers. He ran the edge of a shiny black digit over her cheek, so softly it could have been mistaken for a feather, and said, “I DID.”

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Enola’s focus shifted from Cora to the space behind her, and she turned around to face Ampersand. For at least a minute, they both stood still as statues, staring each other down, the light from the rising sun peeking over the horizon. Ampersand had all but turned to stone except for his eyes as his focus sharpened, not on her but on Enola. They were probably communicating through the network language to which she was not privy. Then two long, spiderlike fingers wrapped around her neck and slid over her collarbone.

“What’s he saying?” she whispered, unsure which of them she was addressing.

“HE IS VERY FRIGHTENED FOR YOU, LITTLE COUSIN.” She felt Enola leaning his head down over her shoulder until it was nearly touching her. “NOBLE OBELUS HAS LEFT QUITE THE IMPRESSION ON BOTH OF YOU.”

“What is he saying?” she repeated. “What does he want?”

“HE WANTS YOU RETURNED TO HIM. HE BELIEVES THAT I HAVE TAKEN YOU HOSTAGE. HE IS TELLING ME THAT I MAY TAKE HIM, BUT TO SPARE YOU, AND NOT TO LEAVE YOU HERE INSIDE MY METAPHOR, BECAUSE IF I DO, YOU WILL DIE.”

A frost inside her thawed slightly; she wasn’t sure if she believed Enola was telling the whole truth, but wanted to believe it, wanted to believe that Ampersand did, in the end, care if she lived or died.

“DO YOU WISH TO RETURN TO HIM, LITTLE COUSIN?”

She could feel more than fear from the other side of the wall, knew that it was making Ampersand irrational. Still, fresh in her mind was what Enola had told her. What caused Ampersand to end the language study? What made him kill those human abductees?

I did.