Excerpt from Illumination: The Clandestine Saga Book 5

I'm so excited about Illumination--I can't wait to finish writing it so I can get it out to waiting readers. I'm in the process of writing it right now, but I had to share an excerpt with you. I think you'll be just as excited as I am. Here's one of the exciting plot twists I don't think anyone saw coming (including me!) And please remember this has not been edited yet. (I literally just wrote it.)

***Caution--this contains SPOILERS! If you have not read the first four books in The Clandestine Saga precede with caution! This will ruin it for you!***

Tentative release date for Illumination is Oct. 1, 2017

           Cadence had a hard time tearing her eyes away from her grandmother’s tranquil face, but she did as she was instructed, and at the back of the book, she found a letter-sized envelope with the inscription, “Kid” written on it in familiar writing.

            She was so shocked, she almost dropped the album.

            “What is this?” Cadence asked, almost afraid to touch it.

            “I found it a few day ago when I was looking through the album. It was New Year’s Eve, and I was filling a bit melancholy, missing your grandfather something awful, so I thought I’d have a look at some of the old photos. And that fell out.”

             “When do you suppose he left it?”

            “I’m not sure,” Janette admitted. “He came to visit about a week before the… what do you call it?”

            “Sierraville Incident?” Cadence asked, referring to the operation on which Elliott had lost his life.

            “Yes. He came to visit pretty frequently, especially if he was already in Shenandoah checking on Cassidy. He missed you. A lot. We both did. So… he’d come and visit, and we’d sit and reminisce a bit. I guess he slipped that in while I wasn’t looking.”

            With a deep sigh, Cadence carefully unsealed the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of notebook paper. She unfolded it and began to read.

Dear Kid,

If you are reading this, then something has probably happened to me. You’ve been gone on your “find myself’ tour for about four months now, and I’ve been missing you a lot. I know I can get you on the IAC but that’s not the same as seeing your goofy grin or feeling your tiny punches in my arm whenever I say something out of line. The truth is, I’ve been feeling a little off lately, like something bad is about to happen, and while I’m not sure what it is, there are a few things I wanted you to know in case the “impossible” happens.

First of all, I’m really sorry that I tried to get you kicked off of the team. There were a few reasons for that. Yes, you were a distraction—a bigger distraction than we’ve ever encountered before. It was pretty clear to me from even before the Eidolon Festival that Aaron was completely hung up on you. I think I saw it a long time before he knew it himself. I was there when he handed you off to Hannah, and I remember why he did it, too, though I guess he had pushed those thoughts out of his mind. He was too close to the situation for other reasons then. Now, here you are, a beautiful young lady who clearly has feelings for him. While I couldn’t blame him for being distracted, I was trying to prevent it from happening.

I also didn’t want you to get hurt. I thought maybe he’d assign you to another team. It makes sense—if he was worried about being able to concentrate on doing his job all of those years before when you weren’t even around every day, why not just send you off to another region? I was hoping that the thing with Henry would get you re-assigned, not released. At the time, I was willing to take either one. You were bound and determined to get yourself killed. I still don’t know how you managed to survive those first few hunts.

Once Aaron almost died protecting you, I felt like I had to do something. You needed to go. But by then, I was starting to admire you quite a bit. I’d never seen anything like you. Of course, you know the rest. Taking out Barbarosa was enough to solidify Big E and Little C for life. (Okay—I just made that up right now, but I like it!)

The only problem was, it wasn’t much longer before I started to realize it was going to take something major for Aaron to realize what an idiot he was being. I felt like the universe was shifting in that direction, trying to get his attention. In a way, I think I kind of volunteered myself. I caught myself saying things like, “The two of you will get together if it’s the last thing I do,” more than once, and while it was kind of funny before we knew about titanium bullets and rogue hunters, I’m starting to realize I may have set myself up to take one for the team.

And I’m okay with that, so long as the two of you figure this thing out.

You are meant to be together; that’s clear to me and to everyone else in the world. Now if you would just accept that, you’d make everyone’s lives a bit easier.

I’m sure if something has happened to me that Cass is probably really upset, and I’m very sorry for that. She’s such a good kid. I was so honored to have the opportunity to look out for her for all of those years. Please remind her that I love her very much, and you can let her read this as well if you want to.

Also, I did try to contact Amanda, like you recommended, but I don’t think she’s interested in hearing from me. I do feel better about trying, though. So thanks for that.

I didn’t mean to write a damn book, but I guess I feel better knowing that, if something does happen to me, you’ll at least have a few answers.

All right. Hopefully, this has just been a waste of an hour-and-a-half (What? I’m a slow writer!) and none of this was necessary. But, if something does happen to me, remember that I love you very much. Hope to see you around some time, once in a blue moon.

Love,

Elliott

            Cadence read the letter twice, tears streaming down her face as the sound of his voice filled her head. When she was done, she folded it back up, handed it to her grandmother, and began to sob uncontrollably.

            Janette patted her gently on the back, “There, there, darling. It’s all right,” she whispered quietly. “I’m sure the last thing he would want is to cause you grief all over again.”

            While Cadence knew that was true, it was still very difficult to get a grip on herself. It had been over six months since Elliott had died, and it still seemed like yesterday. 

            Eventually, she was able to get a handle on her emotions, and she excused herself to go into the restroom to wash her face and blow her nose. Sighing, she dried her face off on a towel and tried to get control of herself. What was done was done. Now, she just needed to move forward. There was so much to do and never enough time to do it. Forcing herself not to think about Elliott anymore, she went back to the living room, happy to have received word from him but resolved not to let this distract her.

            When she walked back in, she could see her grandmother reading the letter. She sat down next to her, and saw a tear winding its way down her cheek. “Grandma? Are you okay?” she asked, quietly, placing her hand on her knee.

            “He knew….” she whispered, shaking her head.  Finishing the letter, she inhaled deeply, folded it up, and slid it back into the envelope

            Cautiously, Cadence asked, “What’s that?”

            Grandma Janette took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “If I tell you, I’m certain Aaron will be very cross with me.”

            “Grandma,” Cadence began, “if you and Aaron—and Elliott—have a secret, I think you should let me know about it.”

            Janette opened her weary eyes and looked into Cadence’s. “Do you know what a blue moon is?”

            Caught off guard by the question, instead of a revelation, Cadence wasn’t sure how to respond. “I… don’t know. It’s just an expression, isn’t it? Like ‘see you around’?”

            “Sure. Usually. But a blue moon is a real thing, too. And sometimes people get confused and think it’s something it isn’t.”

            “Grandma, I’m not following,” Cadence replied, scooting back against the couch.

            “Some people think a blue moon is when you have an extra full moon in a season—but that’s not quite right. It’s actually when you have an extra full moon in a month—at least for our purposes. They are both very rare.”

            “Okay…” Cadence said, confused, but doing her best to follow.

            “For thousands of years, people have believed there was something magical about the blue moon.”

            “And what does the blue moon mean to you, Grandma?”

            Once again, Janette took a deep breath. Exhaling, she re-situated herself so that she was turned toward Cadence. “When I was younger, I heard a story about a Guardian who had come back from beyond. He was accidentally killed by a Hunter, and the Hunter felt so terrible, he searched to the ends of the earth to find a way to bring him back. On the night of a blue moon, he took his friend’s ashes out, on a cloudless night, and set them on the ground, urn open. Just as he had been told by an ancient Guardian, a portal opened, and he was able to speak to his friend.”

            “Oh, my goodness,” Cadence sighed.

            “I never believed that was possible. Don’t ask me why. I mean, with all of the things you and I have both seen in our lifetimes, why not? Right? But… after your grandfather died, well I had to give it a try. I wanted to see him again.”

            “And… did it work?”

            “Yes,” Janette replied.

            Cadence’s eyes widened. “You mean, you’ve been able to speak to Grandpa—after he died?”

            “Yes, but only on these rare occasions when the moon is blue, the sky is clear, and the portal is willing to open. It doesn’t always work, darling.”

            Cadence could hardly believe her ears. She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, her head in her hands. “Why didn’t… why didn’t anyone ever tell me?”

            “Well, I didn’t say anything because… I suppose there’s a reason Aaron didn’t want you to know, dear.”

            “But… if there’s a way that I can see Elliott, talk to him again, why would he want to keep that from me?” Janette pursed her lips, her hands folded in her lap, and Cadence knew immediately there was something else, something she wasn’t saying. “Grandma?”

            “It’s a portal, darling. You know what that means, right?”

            “Are you saying—it’s a doorway?”

            Janette nodded her head once.

            Cadence jumped up off of he sofa and spun to face her grandmother. “It’s a doorway! He can come back?”
            “Calm down, dear!”

            Cadence ran her hands through her long brown hair, tangling her hands at the roots, and began to pull. “Oh, my God! Grandma! Why? Why would Aaron keep this from me? You’re telling me that Elliott could actually come back—walk through a portal from the afterlife—like nothing ever happened—and no one bothered to tell me?”

            “Darling, it’s not that simple,” Janette replied, her voice still calm and even.

            Twirling around to face away from her, Cadence shot back, “Seems pretty damn simple to me.”

            “Cadence Josephine, watch your language,” Grandma Janette scolded.

            Taking a deep breath and crossing her arms, Cadence tried to calm herself. “I’m sorry, Grandma,” she said, slowly turning around to face her. “I guess, I just don’t understand why Aaron wouldn’t tell me this. What in the world could possibly keep him from telling me that we can bring Elliott back? Is there any reason in the world that he wouldn’t want him to come back?”

            “I think that Aaron will have to answer that question for you, sweetheart.”

            Cadence couldn’t think of anything—not one thing—in the whole world that could possibly prevent her from bringing Elliott back if it were possible. And yet, she had to believe there must be something. She collapsed onto the sofa next to her grandma, careful not to jar her, and leaned her head back, staring up at the wide wooden beams of her grandmother’s living room.

            It took her a few moments before she finally collected herself enough to turn her attention back to her grandma. “So… why didn’t Grandpa ever come through?” she asked quietly.

            “Oh, he is quite happy over there,” Janette said with a smile. “One thing I didn’t tell you, that’s very important, is that, once a Guardian comes through, they can never go back. This old fellow I was telling you about, he decided he wanted to go back after a while, and nothing would kill him. Not even a Hunter’s bullet. Nothing. So… while it was possible for your grandfather to come back, I would die eventually, even if I didn’t re-Transform, and then we’d never be together. No, it’s better this way. I can still see him every so often, and he gets to stay on the other side.”

The tentative release date for Illumination is October 1, 2017!