Darken the Stars - Amy A. Bartol Page 0,113
to stay. I will miss dancing in caves. I will miss sleeping in graves. I will miss days filled with honey. I will miss Wayra because he’s funny. I will miss seas bright with stars. I will miss hovercars. I will miss my Crystal Clear Moment. I will miss a love that I had chosen. I will miss betting on asses. I will miss puke and rally clashes. I will miss ships in the sky. I will miss my lover who lies.
For all those things, as well as for the affection I feel in my heart for the people whose lives had become hopelessly intertwined with mine, I tried to ensure that each of you received what you wanted most. You, Astrid, will be empress. Pan will rebuild Ethar. Giffen will get to live out his days at home instead of on Earth. Jax will have Rafe back, and Wayra will too. Trey will have his family, and Kyon has had his revenge.
No, I don’t regret coming to Ethar.
I fell in love . . . maybe even twice.
Along with this letter, I have left a gift for you—a token of my affection. The street vendors in Urbenoster began selling these little, plastic toy tiaras upon my return to Alameeda. I have a hazy memory of owning something similar to this one when I was about five. I don’t recall if you had one as well, but I’m betting that you did. You’re the empress now, and I accept your sovereignty over Ethar. You will probably make a better ruler than I ever would. However, should you send your people to Earth to harm me, I’ll find a way to make your crown as worthless as this one you find here.
Farewell to you and your royal throne.
Hugs and kisses, I’m going home.
Your sister,
Kricket
Acknowledgments
God, all things are possible through You. Thank you for Your infinite blessings and for allowing me to do what I love: write.
To my readers and bloggers: Thank you! The outpouring of love that I receive from all of you is mind-blowing. Your generosity toward me is humbling. You make me want to write a thousand books.
Tom Bartol, you’re my best friend. I cannot imagine my world without you in it. I love you.
Max and Jack Bartol, I count myself as the most fortunate person in the world to have you both in my life. Thank you for knowing when to let me write and when to rescue me from my computer.
Mom, thank you for your constant love and support.
Jason Kirk, thank you for challenging me and inspiring me to grow as a writer. I’m grateful.
Ben Smith, you’re a superstar! Thank you for your time and for your hard work marketing this project. It means the world to me.
Britt Rogers, you’re such a lovely person. Thank you for your support at 47North.
Tamar Rydzinski, one of the best days of my life was when you agreed to be my agent. Thank you for always having my back.
To my lovely friends: Georgia Cates, Shelly Crane, Samantha Young, Rachel Higginson, Angeline Kace, Lila Felix, thank you all for your unwavering support.
Michelle Leighton, I love you! Your heart could warm moonlight.
Glossary
Abersuctonal: an antidote for znou axicote poisoning.
Alameeda: one of the five clan-houses of Ethar. An ally of Wurthem. Ruling body is the Alameeda Brotherhood. A member of the Alameeda House.
Alameeda Striker: a member of an elite body of troops trained to serve the Alameeda Brotherhood.
Amster Rushes: an ancient city where skeletal remains of skyscrapers are located near the border of Comantre in the no-man’s-land restricted/protected area of Ethar.
baw-da-baw: a war cry used by Cavars in the Rafian military—means “hoorah.”
Biequine: a competition wherein a rider takes a spix through a course of obstacles and shoots targets for both points and the best time.
Black Math: a virus that decimated the population of Ethar approximately a thousand years ago.
Brigadet: a member of the Rafian military police on the Ship of Skye.
Cavar: a member of an elite body of troops trained to serve on land and sea; a member of the Rafian military of Ethar, similar to Earth’s Marine.
click: approximately one kilometer.
Comantre: one of the five clan-houses of Ethar. An ally of Rafe. A member of the Comantre House.
commodus: a bathroom.
copperclaw: the exotic flower symbolically used in the weddinglike commitment ceremony in which a Brother of the Brotherhood weds his consort priestess.
Crystal Clear Moments: small, crystal-like figurines that animate when put into a star chamber gravity field.
Em: an honorific denoting an ambassador.
Ethar: a planet in a dimension similar to Earth’s.
EVS819: Etharian Virtual Strain 891. The gene or genetic mutation that allows for extrasensory gifts.
Etharian: a native of Ethar.
Fitzforest: Thursday.
Fitzlutzer: Monday.
Fitzmartin: Wednesday.
Fitzover: Sunday.
Fitzsetter: Tuesday.
Fitzsumptner: Saturday.
Fitzwinter: Friday.
fleat: one minute.
flester: one week.
flipcart: a hovercraft skateboard.
floan: a unit of time similar to one year.
Forest of Omnicron: also known as the Forest of O; a wilderness in the restricted/annexed area of Ethar.
freston: the tricked-out, riflelike black gun.
fritzer: a type of card game.
Gurtrone: an Etharian shoe designer.
Hallafast: a fast airship that resembles a hawk.
hovercar: also known as a skiff; a car capable of flying. It is propelled by forced air and does not have wheels.
Inium: the smallest of Ethar’s moons. It is blue in color.
Isle of Skye: the city where the Regent’s palace and the corrective court are located. It’s the legal center of the House of Rafe.
kafcan: a beverage that is similar in every way to dark-roast coffee.
Kalafin: capital city of the House of Wurthem.
knob knocker: an Etharian curse word.
Loch of Cerulean: the tropical island where Kyon’s estate is located in Alameeda territory. A body of water on Ethar. The political seat of the Alameeda Brother, reminiscent of a fiefdom.
Oxfortshire: a town in Wurthem where Em Sam lives.
overup: an elevator that moves up, down, sideways, and slantways.
part: an Etharian hour.
Peney: one of the five clan-houses of Ethar. This House has always remained neutral in wartime. A member of the Peney House.
Rafe: one of the five clan-houses of Ethar. An ally of Comantre. A member of the Rafe House.
Rafian: a citizen of Rafe.
recurve: a crossbow.
Riker Pak: an Alameeda jet pack.
sanctumizer: a small flash grenade. A nonlethal explosive device used to temporarily disorient an enemy’s senses.
Ship of Skye: a floating military fortress owned and operated by the House of Rafe and their Skye Council.
skiff: also known as a hovercar; a hovering car capable of flying. It is propelled by forced air and does not have wheels.
slipshield: a clear sticker resembling the symbol on a USB port that can be used as a locator.
soothsayer: a priestess who has the ability to know through intuition if someone is lying.
speck: an Etharian month.
spix: a horse with wicked-sharp horns behind its ears (plural is spixes).
squelch tracker: a heat-seeking, automated bomb that can be programmed to assassinate a target.
Striker: a member of an elite body of troops trained to serve the Alameeda Brotherhood.
Sylvan Square: a part of the city of Urbenoster, where Kyon and Kricket attend a street fair.
Syndic: a member of the Comantre military.
tankoid: a small breathing apparatus containing oxygen used for underwater respiration.
Terraglide: an oval-shaped aircraft.
Triclone: Pan Hollowell’s Cavar unit.
trift: a smaller jet that looks like a Stealth Fighter.
Urbenoster: Capital city of House Alameeda.
venish: venisonlike meat pie.
visor: a medical device, also known as grandma goggles or an ostioscope, that fits over the eyes like glasses and used to perform a full-body scan. It checks vitals: synapse firing, dendrite chemical composition, reuptake rates.
White Sestin: Dobrey’s trift.
Wurthem: one of the five clan-houses of Ethar. An ally of Alameeda. A member of the Wurthem House.
zenith: noon.
znou: a dangerous flower known to be teeming with turbine worms. It grows in the restricted area of Ethar. The petals are poisonous if ingested, causing the erosion of organs. The plural is znous.
znou axicote: poison from the znou flower.