undying legion 01 - unbound man (68 page)

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There was a distant splash, followed by the sound of voices raised in farewell. His father’s boat nudged away from the shore, the strangers’ weight making it sit lower in the water than usual. Noash watched his father slowly work it out of the shallows, oars dipping and rising in strong, practised strokes, sunlight sparkling off the scattered water. When it reached the deeper waters, the lake’s surface rippled as though stirred by a sudden breath of wind, and Noash nodded to himself.

The giants were following.

The boat slid away over the water, leaving a smooth, ever-widening wake to mark its passage. Noash followed its progress until he could see it no more, and thought of ghosts, and giants, and wondered what it would be like to live forever.

About the Author

Like every child, Matt Karlov was raised on stories of the impossible, from the good parts of
Sesame Street,
to
The Hobbit,
to
Watership Down
and beyond. As Matt grew older, he had the good fortune to retain his taste for the fantastic, which soon developed into a deep love of speculative fiction in its many guises. He has been struggling to make room on his shelves for new books ever since.

Matt Karlov has been a software designer, a web developer, and a business analyst. He lives in Sydney, Australia.
The Unbound Man
is his first novel.

If you would like to get an automatic email when Matt’s next book is released, sign up to his
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Visit
www.mattkarlov.com
to discover more about Matt’s writing and the world of Kal Arna.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my father, Karl Karlov, who first introduced me to story

Hazel and Fiver

Frodo and Sam

Siren and Splasher and Grunt

Acknowledgements

My thanks to Saladin Ahmed, Adam Brymora, David Karlov, and Abigail Nathan for their feedback and editorial input at various stages in the development of this novel. Thank you also to Adam Brymora (again), Maxime Plasse, and Alisha at Damonza.com for their artistic contributions to the final book. And my grateful appreciation to my crack proofreading team: Karl, Merike, and Lisa.

Finally, a special thank you to my wife Anthea for her ongoing support throughout the writing, revision, and publication of this book.

THE UNBOUND MAN

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Maps by Maxime Plasse
Interior Art by Adam Brymora
Cover by Damonza.com

Published by Imago Mundi Press
Sydney, Australia
www.imagomundipress.com

ISBN 978-0-9925701-2-5

This is a work of fiction. All characters, organisations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

Typeset by Imago Mundi Press

Version 1.1 (2014-10-12)

Table of Contents

Title Page
Maps
Dramatis Personae
Prologue
Part 1: The Falling Pebble
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Part 2: The Comfort of your Tears
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Part 3: To Wake in Darkness
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Epilogue
About the Author
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Copyright