And Blue Skies From Pain (57 page)

Authors: Stina Leicht

BOOK: And Blue Skies From Pain

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She sniffed. “I hear you.”

“I know what you are. I do, and I love you.” He suddenly realized that he really did. It also occurred to him in the same moment that Eileen probably wasn’t home. The last he’d heard she’d gotten a job. “Does Eileen know you’re using her record player?”

Moira gasped.

“Ach. Don’t worry. I won’t tell,” Liam said. “Be careful, though. And don’t scratch her records. She was always at me for that, you know.”

“Oh. I won’t.”

He wished there was something he could do for her, but he was running out of time. “May I speak with Ma?”

“She’s not here.”

“Where is she?”

“Outside. Talking to Mrs. McKenna.”

“Go get her for me, will you?” Liam asked. “I don’t have much more change left for the phone.”

“All right,” she said. “Liam, I love you too.” The phone clunked and rattled as she put it down.

While he was waiting the telephone chimed and the operator asked for more money. He inserted the last of his change. Just when he was sure he’d have to ring off, his ma picked up. She sounded out of breath.

“Liam? Is it really you? Liam? Are you there?”

He felt guilty at once. “Aye, Ma. It’s me.”

“Oh, thank—” She took a deep breath, and sniffed. Liam was concerned she’d start crying. “Where the hell have you been? Do you realize I thought you might be dead? Why have you not rang?”

“Ma, please,” Liam said. “I don’t have long.”

“Well? What is it, then?” Her questions were tight bursts of worry, anger and frustration.

“I’m so sorry, Ma,” he said. “I am.”

“What is it you’ve done now?” The question swelled with whispered dread.

“Nothing—I—” He stopped himself, remembering that someone might be listening. “I’m going away. I—I wanted you to know.”

“Going away. Where?”

“With Da’s people. For a time.” It was only half a lie. He was planning on staying with the Fey for a few days, maybe a week or so and then he’d go back to working with Father Murray.

“Oh.”

The silence stretched across the miles for a bit. He was about to ask if she was still there when she whispered, “So, you’ve been with him, have you?”

“Aye.” It was close enough to the truth.

“Good.” She paused again. “You’ll stay out of trouble?”

“I will, Ma.”

“Not… like before?”

“I’ve—I’m… not… no. Not like before.”
Not any more
, he thought. “That’s done. I’m not going back.”

He could hear her relief gush out in a short exhale. “Thank God.”

“Ma?”

“I’m here.”

“No matter what you hear… I’m all right.”

She paused. “And what is it I might hear?”

The telephone tweeped its pre-recorded warning.

“Ma, I have to go.”

“What’s the number? I’ll ring you back.”

“I can’t give you that. You know I can’t.”

“Liam!”

“Yes, Ma?”

“I love you.” She was crying. He could hear it.

“I love you too. Try not to worry. I’ll be all right. Goodbye, Ma.” He wished it didn’t sound so final. He planned to see her in a week or two. The problem was, he couldn’t tell her—not now, not over the telephone. “Take care of yourself.”

“I will,” she said. “You—You be careful.”

“I will.”

He rang off and blinked until his vision cleared. Another gust of wind blew past as he told himself he’d see home soon. He wiped cooling tears from his face and then ran his fingers through his hair.
She’ll be fine,
he thought.
Everything will be all right. I’ll be seeing them soon.
A cold wind gusted down the street.

Holding Conor’s jacket tight around him, he went to meet Father Murray.

Acknowledgements

Novels such as this one may mainly be the product of one person’s imagination, but they only come into being due to the contributing efforts of an army of people whose names don’t appear on the cover. Contrary to popular belief, no one stays in publishing because they swim in fame and piles of cash Scrooge McDuck-style. They’re in publishing because they love it with every fiber of their being. Books are the result of passionate love, hard work and little reward. That’s why the acknowledgment list is often long and tedious. So, please bear with me.

First, there’s my husband, Dane Caruthers, who sees to it that I’ve a roof over my head, food, electricity, medical insurance, and enough coffee to keep me writing. He’s my best friend, first reader, cheerleader, and idea sounding-board. He believed in me when no one else did. Also, if Liam has said anything humorous, chances are Dane is the inspiration if not the originator. (Thanks, love!) I’d also like to thank Joe Monti who is still the best literary agent ever—this, in spite of my having cried all over the front of his t-shirt last summer. I’d like to add Barry Goldblatt and Tricia Ready to this list because they rock. There’s also my kick-ass editor, Jeremy Lassen and the entire team at Night Shade Books (Jason Williams—founder, rescuer, and all around great guy; Ross Lockhart—who keeps everything on schedule; Tomra Palmer—who herds cats and—I imagine—does it Emma Peel style while not spilling a single drop of her martini; Liz Upson—who is not only a great publicist but is damned fun to drink with; Amy Popovich—production manager; Dave Palumbo—art director; and the rest of Night Shade’s amazing staff.) Thanks to Min Yum for doing such a brilliant job on the cover art for both of my books. Many, many thanks to Brian Magaoidh (again) and Nicholas Whyte for fact-checking my Irish history, culture, Belfast geography, and political information. (All errors are my fault, not theirs.) I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do this again without them. And thanks to Gareth Kavanagh and Melissa Tyler, super-fast beta readers. Big, big thanks to my writing mentors Charles de Lint, Sharon Shinn, Holly Black, and Carrie Richerson. I truly wouldn’t be here without their wisdom, inspiration, encouragement and support. Also, thanks to Charles Stross for introducing me to Nicholas Whyte, and Scott “Gentleman Bastard” Lynch for telling me I’m too mean to my characters. (That’s a gold star I’ll wear with pride forever.) Thank goodness for Joe McKinney who let me pick his brain regarding police procedures and car chases as they’d realistically occur in the mid-to late-1970s. Once more, thanks to Troy Hunt for the mechanical details of upgrading Liam’s RS2000/RS1600 and other car geekery. Thanks to Jennifer “Penny” Danvers, good friend and sister art-geek, without whom I’d never have made it to WFC this year. Also, thanks again to Joe Strummer, Rory Gallagher, Pink Floyd, Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones, The Pogues, and my entire ’70s play list for the musical inspiration. Another round of thanks goes out to the Austin Gaelic League, the Philo-Celtic Society and Kathleen Douglas for sharing their knowledge of Ireland, Irish culture and the Irish language; BookPeople, the best bookstore on the planet; last but not least to Mom and Dad and my sisters and brother—Cathy, Celina and Fred.

Also, if you’d like to learn more about the history of Northern Ireland and the Troubles, it’s a good idea to look into Tim Pat Coogan’s books (
Ireland in the 20th Century
,
The IRA
,
1916: The Easter Rising
),
Those are Real Bullets
by Peter Pringle and Philip Jacobson,
Derry Memories
by Philip Cunningham,
War as a Way of Life
by John Conroy,
This Troubled Land
by Patrick Michael Rucker,
Ten Men Dead
by David Beresford,
Cage Eleven
by Gerry Adams,
The Price of My Soul
by Bernadette Devlin,
Mister Are You a Priest?
by Edward Daly,
Ballymurphy and the Irish War
by Ciarán de Baróid,
Down North: Reflections of Ballymurphy and the Early Troubles
by Ciarán de Baróid,
Derry: The Troubled Years
by Eamon Melaugh and
No Go: A Photographic Record of Free Derry
by Barney McMonagle. In addition, the University of Ulster maintains a wonderful archival website at
http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/index.html
. If Northern Ireland’s punk scene is of interest, see
Hooleygan: Music, Mayhem, Good Vibrations
by Terri Hooley and Richard Sullivan as well as
It Makes You Want to Spit!: The Definitive Guide to Punk in Northern Ireland
by Sean O’Neill and Guy Trelford. If your interest is in Irish folk lore as it’s known in Ireland, be sure to read
Meeting the Other Crowd
by Eddie Lenihan and Carolyn Eve Green. As for the Catholic side of things, read
The Rite
by Matt Baglio, and
Interview with an Exorcist
by Father José Antonio Fortea.

Night Shade Books is an Independent Publisher of Quality Science-Fiction, Fantasy and Horror

Fallen angels and the fey clash against the backdrop of Irish/English conflicts of the 1970s in this stunning debut novel by Stina Leicht.

Liam never knew who his father was. The town of Derry had always assumed that he was the bastard of a protestant—His mother never spoke of him, and Liam assumed he was dead.

But when the war between the fallen, and the fey began to heat up, Liam and his family are pulled into a conflict that they didn’t know existed. A centuries old conflict between supernatural forces seems to mirror the political divisions in 1970s era Ireland, and Liam is thrown headlong into both conflicts.

Only the direct intervention of Liam’s real father, and a secret catholic order dedicated to fighting “The Fallen” can save Liam... from the mundane and supernatural forces around him, and from the darkness that lurks within him.
The only thing worse than war is revolution. Especially when you’re already losing the war...
Nyx used to be a bel dame, a government-funded assassin with a talent for cutting off heads for cash. Her country’s war rages on, but her assassin days are long over. Now she’s babysitting diplomats to make ends meet and longing for the days when killing people was a lot more honorable.
When Nyx’s former bel dame “sisters” lead a coup against the government that threatens to plunge the country into civil war, Nyx volunteers to stop them. The hunt takes Nyx and her inglorious team of mercenaries to one of the richest, most peaceful, and most contaminated countries on the planet—a country wholly unprepared to host a battle waged by the world’s deadliest assassins.
In a rotten country of sweet-tongued politicians, giant bugs, and renegade shape shifters, Nyx will forge unlikely allies and rekindle old acquaintances. And the bodies she leaves scattered across the continent this time... may include her own.
Because no matter where you go or how far you run in this world, one thing is certain: the bloody bel dames will find you.
Paul Donner is a NYPD detective struggling with a drinking problem and a marriage on the rocks. Then he and his wife get dead—shot to death in a “random” crime. Fifty years later, Donner is back—revived courtesy of the Shift, a process whereby inanimate DNA is re-activated.
This new “reborn” underclass is not only alive again, they’re growing younger, destined for a second childhood. The freakish side-effect of a retroviral attack on New York, the Shift has turned the world upside down. Beneath the protective geodesic Blister, clocks run backwards, technology is hidden behind a noir facade, and you can see Bogart and DiCaprio in
The Maltese Falcon III
. In this unfamiliar retro-futurist world of flying Studebakers and plasma tommy guns, Donner must search for those responsible for the destruction of his life. His quest for retribution, aided by Maggie, his holographic
Girl Friday
, leads him to the heart of the mystery surrounding the Shift’s origin and up against those who would use it to control a terrified nation.
It’s the dawn of the 22nd century, and the world has fallen apart. Decades of war and resource depletion have toppled governments. The ecosystem has collapsed. A new dust bowl sweeps the American West. The United States has become a nation of migrants—starving masses of nomads roaming across wastelands and encamped outside government seed distribution warehouses.
In this new world, there is a new power: Satori. More than just a corporation, Satori is an intelligent, living city risen from the ruins of the heartland. She manufactures climate-resistant seed to feed humanity, and bio-engineers her own perfected castes of post-humans Designers, Advocates and Laborers. What remains of the United States government now exists solely to distribute Satori product; a defeated American military doles out bar-coded, single-use seed to the nation’s hungry citizens.
Secret Service Agent Sienna Doss has watched her world collapse. Once an Army Ranger fighting wars across the globe, she now spends her days protecting glorified warlords and gangsters. As her country slides further into chaos, Doss feels her own life slipping into ruin.
When a Satori Designer goes rogue, Doss is tasked with hunting down the scientist-savant—a chance to break Satori’s stranglehold on seed production and undo its dominance. In a race against Satori’s genetically honed assassins, Doss’s best chance at success lies in an unlikely alliance with Brood—orphan, scavenger and small-time thief—scraping by on the fringes of the wasteland, whose young brother may possess the key to unlocking Satori’s power.
As events spin out of control, Sienna Doss and Brood find themselves at the heart of Satori, where an explosive finale promises to reshape the future of the world.
1767. In the three years since defeating the Tharyngians at Anvil Lake, The Crown Colonies of Mystria have prospered. Colonists, whether hunting for new land or the Promised Land of prophecy, have pushed beyond the bounds of charters granted by the Queen of Norisle. Some of these new communities have even had the temerity to tell the Crown they are no longer subject to its authorities. To survey the full extent of the western expansion, the Crown has sent Colonel Ian Rathfield to join Nathaniel Woods, Owen Strake and Kamiskwa on an expedition into the Mystrian interior.
They discover a land full of isolated and unique communities, each shaped in accord with the ideals of the founders. Conflicts abound among them, and old enemies show up at the least useful moments. Worse yet, lurking out there is a menace which the Twilight People only know from folklore as the Antedeluvians; and westward penetration stumbles into their lands and awakens them.
Alerted to this threat by his men, Prince Vlad petitions the Crown to send troops and supplies to destroy this new and terrifying enemy. The Crown refuses, citing massive debts from the last war. They dismiss Vlad’s claims as fantasy, and impose a series of taxes on Mystrian trade to finance their own recovery.
Faced with fighting an inhuman foe in a land seething with resentment against the Crown, Vlad must unite the Colonies in a common cause, or preside over their complete destruction.
Moon, once a solitary wanderer, has become consort to Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud court. Together, they travel with their people on a pair of flying ships in hopes of finding a new home for their colony. Moon finally feels like he’s found a tribe where he belongs.
But when the travelers reach the ancestral home of Indigo Cloud, shrouded within the trunk of a mountain-sized tree, they discover a blight infecting its core. Nearby they find the remains of the invaders who may be responsible, as well as evidence of a devastating theft. This discovery sends Moon and the hunters of Indigo Cloud on a quest for the heartstone of the tree—a quest that will lead them far away, across the Serpent Sea. . . .
In this followup to
The Cloud Roads
, Martha Wells returns with a world-spanning odyssey, a mystery that only provokes more questions--and the adventure of a lifetime.
Praise for
The Cloud Roads
:

“Wells...spins an exciting adventure around an alien hero who anyone can identify with.”
—
Publishers Weekly

“A starring light of the fantasy genre recaptures her mojo by going in a new direction.”
—
SF Signal