Yesterday, June 12, I sent off Copper Road, the sequel to “Aluminum Leaves” to my publisher. Here’s a snippet to send it out on:
Aideen had visited smoke rifts and emberbeds since she’d been a child. She knew about their risks. She had hiked and climbed with her brother, and she knew the risks of the mountains, too. She had always feared heights. Standing at the edge of the mountain staring down into this passage, what filled her was greater than fear. She stood at the edge of a world, a world that did not know her, did not care for her any more than it might care for a single fleck of mica. Her whole body trembled. The beam of light danced wildly.
“Aideen,” Ilsanja said. Her voice turned flat and vanished. They were surrounded by smooth walls, but it did not echo. “Aideen, come back. Come back to me.”
“I can’t move.”