Read The Island on the Edge of Forever (The Epic of Aravinda Book 2) Online
Authors: Andrew M. Crusoe
Tags: #Science Fiction, #Adventure, #Philosophy
The Island on the Edge of Forever (The Epic of Aravinda Book 2) (25 page)
AFTERWORD
Congratulations for completing
The Island on the Edge of Forever
, the second book in the Epic of Aravinda series.
Did you enjoy this story? Let your voice be heard! These days, readers, not publishers, are the gatekeepers. By leaving a review,
you harness your power
to decide which authors thrive, and I would be forever grateful if you would take a minute to write an honest review on:
• Your blog (I link back to most reviews)
• Or wherever you bought this book!
As an independent author, I depend on the support of readers like you. The story you’ve just enjoyed is truly the tip of the iceberg in the growing Epic of Aravinda series. (And if you haven’t yet read the
first book
in this series, that’s a good place to go next.)
The third installment in this series is coming soon! Until then, I recommend that you check out
“The Loveliest Abyss in the Universe”
, a stand-alone novelette that takes place on Avani. In fact, I’ve gone ahead and included the first chapter of that book after this note.
Remember, only with your help will these kinds of stories continue to reach the people they are meant to reach, and perhaps change the world in some small way in the process. So share & enjoy!
Read the Free Chapter on the next page →
with a galaxy of gratitude,
Andrew M. Crusoe
p.s. Check out the
Aravinda Loop
website to find more stories like this one and learn about upcoming books and giveaways. (More about that after the free sample.)
FREE PREVIEW
THE LOVELIEST ABYSS IN THE UNIVERSE
PRELUDE
A low hum
oozed through the unlit passages, flowing throughout a dizzying labyrinth of underground tunnels that the world above could never have imagined.
The source of the hum was located far below any level that the Nirangi Order had permitted for mere members. Only the most holy, the most clever, and the most cunning had attained the clearance to reach the lowest levels of the complex. Only these select few knew of the machine’s existence.
The product of decades of unrelenting work, the machine rested at the lowest level of the complex, in a hexagonal room with unlit corners that seemed to creep of their own accord and a ceiling so high that not even the lead scientists had bothered to bring in enough illumination to light it. It was deemed unnecessary.
Instead, the resources had been focused on defense, with holy guards placed liberally along the path to the machine room, which could only be accessed by a hidden door.
The Order of Nirangi had gone to great lengths to keep the machine secret. And as it sat in the center of its hexagonal home, the machine rumbled, stewing with a dark energy and an even darker purpose.
Anyone standing beside it might have remarked at how bizarrely sharp the edge of the machine looked, haloed in a series of thin, metallic rings that grew thicker toward the center, forming a horrendous bowl that stood just over a meter high. Upon closer examination, it was easy to see how nearly every element in its design had been focused toward the center, toward a large hollow space that was filled with a bubbling, oozing darkness that had not been there just a moment before. The darkness grew until it touched a tiny probe on the edge of the bowl.
At long last, the machine had found Maraka.
Everyone on the council had concluded that Maraka’s bones would be perfect to pinpoint the coordinates of the Abyss. Building upon previous experiments that showed how one’s energetic body imprinted on the physical body before death, the machine had taken the concept a step further. Once it had compiled the complete energetic signature of Maraka’s bones, they set it to work on finding Maraka’s soul. After all, who better to locate the Abyss than the most notorious murderer to have ever lived? His soul would surely have had no other fate than the Abyss itself.
The only difficulty was time. While the machine’s mechanism was well understood, its speed was not, and no one could say with certainty how long the machine would take to work. Dozens of theories had been put forth, but they were all thrown out as unsubstantiated. And many of the scientists had resigned themselves to visiting the machine whenever they had the chance, vainly hoping that perhaps, just perhaps, they might be there when the machine at last opened the viewing portal.
Holy guards had been placed outside the room to keep watch, until one scientist, the youngest, got the bright idea to design a probe to set off a silent alarm when the viewing portal finally opened. Many of the other scientists smacked their forehead when they heard this, wondering why
they
hadn’t thought of that. Many of them grew increasingly wary of the project, and once the machine had been completed, most of them had enjoyed a well-deserved holiday to the nearby archipelago.
All the while, the youngest scientist stayed within Zaamani’s borders. In fact, he scarcely left the basilica complex. Although the machine would surely show them something quite horrendous, he was nonetheless electrified with excitement at the thought of it finally working. Indeed, unbeknownst to everyone else, he’d programmed the probe to message his comm first.
And so the probe, a tiny silver orb connected by a thin wire to a charge-sensitive alarm, waited to trigger. With each passing morning, Sujan’s anticipation grew, because he knew, deep down, that when the probe fired, it wouldn’t merely make him and his team famous, it would make their names immortal.
This concludes the free chapter.
You can get the story on its
Amazon page
.
with a galaxy of gratitude,
AMC
HOW TO GET FREE BOOKS
One of my
favorite parts about being an author is that I get to connect with you, my faithful readers.
To do that, I created the
Aravinda Loop Newsletter
, the most reliable way I’ve found to keep the lines of communication open. Every week or two, I send out a brief update on what’s new, including new releases, cover reveals, and book giveaways!
Once you sign up to the
Aravinda Loop newsletter
, you’ll have exclusive access to beta-reader opportunities, giveaways, and occasional offers for free books. And if you ever change your mind, it’s really easy to unsubscribe.
So what are you waiting for?
see you starside,
Andrew M. Crusoe
p.s. Also, feel free to hail me on Twitter or FB. Friendly incoming transmissions are welcome:
@hellocrusoe
and the
Andrew M. Crusoe page
.