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    The End of Innocence (A Game of War, Part Two)
    The End of Innocence (A Game of War, Part Two)
    The End of Innocence (A Game of War, Part Two)
    Ebook84 pages1 hour

    The End of Innocence (A Game of War, Part Two)

    By Michael Cairns

    ()

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    About this ebook

    The game keeps changing.
    Either you change with it, or you die.
    But for Ally and Stem, the changes are greater than they ever thought possible and now, there are no rules.

    In part two of ‘A Game of War’, Ally and Stem discover something incredible about themselves. The discovery gives them the power to fight back at the fickle creatures that keep them enslaved. But nothing is ever simple, and what begins with hope may end in tragedy.
    The End of Innocence sees Ally and Stem take the fight to the Lords. After countless centuries of enslavement, pioneers for the human race are finally fighting back for its freedom.

    Praise for A Game of War – Part One:
    “Now hang on just a cotton-pickin’ minute here mister author! You cannot, can NOT just end the book with a cliffhanger the size of the Grand Canyon!
    Do you know what this will do for my sanity, having to wait until April 1st?...
    Oh my goodness, what an awesome read that was – I am salivating for the next book in the series.
    You are indeed Mr Cairns on my top ten author list now “

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMichael Cairns
    Release dateMar 30, 2013
    ISBN9781909699038
    The End of Innocence (A Game of War, Part Two)
    Author

    Michael Cairns

    Michael Cairns was born at a young age and could write even before he could play the drums, but that was long ago, in the glory days - when he actually had hair. He loves chocolate, pineapple, playing gigs and outwitting his young daughter (the scores are about level but she's getting smarter every day). Michael is currently working hard on writing, getting enough sleep and keeping his hair. The first is going well, the other two...not so much. His current novels include: > Young adult, science fiction adventure series, 'A Game of War' 1. Childhood dreams 2. The end of innocence 3. Playing God 4. Breathing in space 5. Escape 6. Gateway to earth > Urban fantasy super-hero series, 'The Planets' 1. The spirit room 2. The story of Erie 3. The long way home >Paranormal horror post apocalyptic zombie series, 'Thirteen Roses' 1. Before (Books 2-6 due for release in spring)

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      Book preview

      The End of Innocence (A Game of War, Part Two) - Michael Cairns

      The End of Innocence

      A Game of War

      Part two

      by

      Michael Cairns

      Publishing

      Published by Cairns Publishing at Smashwords

      Copyright 2013 Michael Cairns

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.

      1st Edition

      Find out about future releases by Michael Cairns at http://cairnswrites.com

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

      Table of Contents

      Intro

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Outro

      Thanks

      Intro

      The stars flashed by, white streaks of light blurred by the tears that coursed down her cheeks. She could feel it welling up, a deep river of hurt that threatened to burst and swamp her, carrying her away from herself and into a welcome oblivion. She forced it down, knowing that she was only buying time, that every moment she refused to face it would make the flood, when it did come, ever more powerful. She checked her instruments, watching her hands from some disconnected place as they moved expertly around the controls. A hand landed gently on her shoulder and squeezed, bringing her a little more back to the present. She shook her head, clearing out the thoughts for good and checked her screens again. They showed nothing but stars and she breathed a sigh of relief that they were still, apparently, safe.

      Chapter 1

      She couldn't quite believe they were here, so close to safety, to freedom. The last month had been a blur, a strange dream from which she was still expecting to wake. Yet ahead of them hung the veil, the edge of explored space so close she could almost reach out and touch the strange mess of rock and dust and gas that filled the forward screens. She’d heard so much about it, but seeing it now, stretching across the horizon, she could barely comprehend the sheer size of it. Little was known about it, just that when humans began their early explorations, finally freed from Earth by the Lords’ technology, they got this far and stopped.

      Beyond it lay the war, the Lord's personal battle with everything, whatever it was that lay beyond. Millions of humans had died in it, fuel thrown on the fire of the creatures' endless need to conquer and expand.

      They had found out, over the past few weeks, just how easy it was for the Lords to fill their armies. That revelation, over all the others, was what still had her waking in a sweat every night, shivering and terrified.

      She tried, through the ever-present sense of loss, to backtrack and gain perspective on what they had achieved, but once again she found herself back in the hanger, on the day when everything changed.

      She ran, eyes fixed on the Vale. She was vaguely aware of Stem’s breathing, harsh and ragged as he kept pace, and dad’s hand clinging to hers. Behind them the screams started, but her only thought was getting to their ship, getting out before she too was forced to use the knife that swung heavy on her hip. At least 100 metres lay between her and where the first rope ladders hung from the mooring platforms. She could make it, of that she was sure, but dad was getting heavier every second and with every step taken she felt like her arm was being pulled from its socket.

      Stem grabbed her hand, trying to pull her faster and she felt, for a second, torn. She could let go of dad and just run. She paused, dragging in a breath, and glanced around. Dad came to a halt beside her, gasping and struggling to draw breath. Back at the hanger door, fights had broken out and she could see blood smeared across the concrete. The rich smell of iron was mingling with the usual tang of grease and welding. There were bodies, people who only minutes earlier were survivors of the game but now lay bleeding out on the hanger floor. Others were running, gaining fast. There were maybe 100 of them in here, a few already down, but many more doing just as she was. She turned, and ran again.

      Stem hadn't stopped and was now ahead. She focused on his back and nothing else, counting her breaths. Dad was stumbling along in her wake, barely moving his feet. It felt as if she was dragging his full weight on her own. The Vale was much closer and she felt a flicker of hope flare. A young pilot, one she didn't recognise, had overtaken Stem and thrown himself onto the nearest rope ladder. He began to scramble up it, swinging around wildly as his weight shifted. Watching him, she felt her heart grow as heavy as her feet. Dad would never make it up the ladder. She would have to leave him at the bottom until she got the engine running and could pick him up. She could manage the flying part, but the blood behind her made her doubt he would be there to collect.

      She was heaving now, gasping for air and her shoulder was burning. Abruptly she was taken off her feet and thrown to the floor. She rolled over, realising that dad had collapsed and dragged her down. She slung an arm under him and tried to lift, achieving nothing but more pain. A furtive glance over his shoulder confirmed that others were closing, so close now she could see the fear and pain in their eyes.

      Looking back towards the ships, she could see Stem had reached the ladder and was looking back in their direction. She watched as he hesitated, face scrunched in a mask of frustration before he came sprinting back. She buried her face in dad's shoulder, a sob of despair escaping her

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