Hunting in Hell Read online

  "I think it was a bubble, like before. An in-between place." Laufeyson's voice cut through a quiet previously only marred by the crackling of fire and the blowing of the wind.

  He continued without prompting, working through the problem out loud.

  "The being in-between worlds … it's an unnatural state. The world had to right it. The other bubble was dark and without features because it was exactly halfway, a point where the pull of each world is even. It was a natural stopping point, in a way."

  "The second time, we were closer to this world, close enough that we could even see some of the features." Alsvior had not spoken since their arrival, and his voice sounded fuzzy and hollow.

  De la Roca sighed. "Like the grass." Both alien and familiar, it was a deep purple, with blades almost as long as a finger. She stared off at the plain and wondered how it survived the cold. Small herds of grazing animals, similar to antelope, were clumped together in the distance, and the horizon was distorted by a craggy mountain range, the peaks capped with snow.

  "When the Mademoiselle died, it broke the bubble and dumped us in the direction that the pull was the strongest." Laufeyson was pointedly not making eye-contact with her or the method she used to warm her hands.

  Hypocrite, she thought, I don't trust you either.

  "Where is here?" asked Alsvior. "I mean, how can you be sure we're on an off-world?"

  She wanted to snort. Could he really not feel the difference? It was as if the very rhythm of time and the seasons had changed. At a glance, this world was not so strange, but if you took your time, you noticed the differences. Even now, she could not ignore the spicy scent of the grass or the odd, trumpeting calls of an animal she had never seen before.

  Laufeyson was gentler in his answer. "I tried to manifest a cigarette, but nothing happened."

  Alsvior stood up and began to run. He was fast, but not any faster than the rest of them. He stopped and looked back, an expression of pain on his face.

  No magic? De la Roca shifted uneasily. Her bruises felt as real and as deep as ever, no signs of accelerated healing. The Thyrsus stone felt gone, her gut empty. With a sudden fear, she reached down and picked up Bluot, trying to feel the thrum of its pulse, but there was nothing. "I think Bluot is dead, too."

  Alsvior walked back to the fire, his face stony. "So to clarify, we are in an Alien world, maybe looking for God, without kevras or akras, unarmed, and with every angel in Hell looking for us?"

  Laufeyson spread his hands wide, as if to ask, what would you have me say? "I don't know if they would come here. Their powers wouldn't work, and once the waypoint is closed, how would they go back?"

  Which means that we cannot, either.

  #

  The fire from the Mademoiselle's body was dying. De la Roca waited until the last flames had expired before sifting through it. Finally, her hands black with ash, she pulled out a purple jewel the size of a plum.

  "Is that-" began Laufeyson.

  "Yes, it's the Mademoiselle's stone," finished De la Roca. She swallowed it, surprised at how lifeless it felt.

  "But … if our kevra's don't work here-"

  Before she had a chance to answer, a sudden shadow at her feet brought her gaze up, and she instantly reached for her guns.

  How had they come so quietly?

  Standing in front of her were two beings, human in appearance. The male was tall and heavyset, while the female was like a reed - slim, delicate, and strong. Both were holding fearsome, metal-tipped spears, and heavy furs covered them from head to foot.

  For a moment, none of them moved. The female cocked her head slightly, her eyes trained on De la Roca's guns. Then she cleared her throat.

  "Welcome, Sons. Welcome, Daughter."

  She laid the spear down upon the ground, the man soon following suit.

  # # #

  Thank you for reading books One and Two of the De la Roca Chronicles.

  Book Three is scheduled for release in late fall of 2012.

  To be notified when book three releases, click here to be added to Maria Violante's New Releases Email Mailing List.

  Did you enjoy this book?

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  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  While novel-writing is a (sometimes excruciatingly) solitary practice, there is no way that either Hunting the Five or Honor in Hell could have been accomplished alone. In fact, there are so many people to thank that I know I will forget quite a few of them, but I will try my best.

  Thank you, Bunny. I don't know if I would have ever walked this road without you.

  Thank you, Piers Jameson. Your input as an editor and advance reader is invaluable, and these books would not be the same without both your superb command of the English language and your friendship.

  Thank you, Sunny. Few would put up with being ignored for so long; fewer would have encouraged me when the results looked so dismal. Watching you take on the world is inspiring.

  Thank you, Char and Shawn (Charn). You were always there when I lost faith, and the generosity in your hearts is beautiful beyond measure.

  Thank you, Blake Eason, and thank you, Caytlin Vilbrandt. Your excellent art really embodies the spirit of the De la Roca Chronicles.

  Thank you, day job, for giving me the motivation I needed. Every day that I thought I was going to blow off a day of editing, someone puked or pooped and I found myself in front of the computer.

  Thank you, fellow authors, for the praise and valuable criticism that you have given me, especially those that took their time to read the first novella and let me know where my weaknesses were. I'm a better writer for it, and I really appreciate it.

  And thank you, readers. Without you, none of this would be possible.

  Maria Violante

  April 26th, 2012

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Maria Violante writes science fiction, fantasy, and horror. She is the author of the De la Roca Chronicles and the Shiver Shorts line of horror stories. She currently writes from the passenger seat of an International Prostar, usually with a Chihuahua on her lap.

  Want to get into touch with her? You can follow her on facebook, sign up for the mailing list @ mariaviolante.com, email her at [email protected], or follow her on twitter: @violanteauthor.

  WWW.AIRAMPUBLICATIONS.COM

  ALSO BY MARIA VIOLANTE

  Shiver Shorts

  SHIVER SHORTS: FIRST FIVE

  #1: St. Dominic and the Devil

  #2: Lift

  #3: Closer to Nature

  #4: Love, Everlasting

  #5: Giftwrapped

  #6: The Manipulator

  Ice Floes are Not Covered

  (Science Fiction: Novelette)

  Scarcity

  (Science Fiction: Short Story)

  Table of Contents

  I. License Notes

  II. Dedication

  III. Book One: Hunting the Five

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  IV. Book Two: Honor in Hell

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  Twenty-Eight

  Twenty-Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-One

  Thirty-Two

  Thirty-Three

  Thirty-Four

  Thirty-Five

  Thirty-Six

  Thirty-Seven

  Thirty-Eight

  Thirty-Nine

  Forty

  V. Acknowledg
ements

  VI. About the Author

  VII. Also by Maria Violante

  Unnamed