Renegade's War, page 1
Renegade’s War
Synopsis
Aurelia DeCallum runs the Tallawens, a motley crew of selfless freedom fighters who help dissidents escape the oppressive Klowdyn government. Abducted at the age of four and held captive until she turned eighteen, she dreams of finding her home in the neighboring nation, Sandslot.
Aurelia and her fighters find an unconscious woman, beaten badly, who remembers her name is Blue, but little beyond fragmented memories that reveal nothing of her identity or what happened to her.
Despite Aurelia’s initial apprehension, she is drawn to Blue, but just as their fragile trust grows into more, Blue’s true identity comes to light. Their love, their future, and their lives hang in the balance as Blue is forced to prove where her allegiance really lies, pitting love against loyalty in the final battle.
What Reviewers Say About Gun Brooke’s Work
Treason
“The adventure was edge-of-your-seat levels of gripping and exciting…I really enjoyed this final addition to the Exodus series and particularly liked the ending. As always it was a very well written book.”—Melina Bickard, Librarian, Waterloo Library (UK)
Insult to Injury
“This novel tugged at my heart all the way, much the same way as Coffee Sonata. It’s a story of new beginnings, of rediscovering oneself, of trusting again (both others and oneself).”—Jude in the Stars
“If you love a good, slow-burn romantic novel, then grab this book.”—Rainbow Reflections
“I was glad to see a disabled lead for a change, and I enjoyed the author’s style—the book was written in the first person alternating between the main characters and I felt that gave me more insight into each character and their motivations.”—Melina Bickard, Librarian, Waterloo Library (UK)
Wayworn Lovers
“Wayworn Lovers is a super dramatic, angsty read, very much in line with Brooke’s other contemporary romances. …I’m definitely in the ‘love them’ camp.”—Lesbian Review
Thorns of the Past
“I loved the romance between Darcy and Sabrina and the story really carried it well, with each of them learning that they have a safe haven with the other.”—Lesbian Review
Escape: Exodus Book Three
“I’ve been a keen follower of the Exodus series for a while now and I was looking forward to the latest installment. It didn’t disappoint. The action was edge-of-your-seat thrilling, especially towards the end, with several threats facing the Exodus mission. Some very intriguing subplots were introduced, and I look forward to reading more about these in the next book.”—Melina Bickard, Librarian, Waterloo Library, London (UK)
Pathfinder
“I love Gun Brooke. She has successfully merged two of my reading loves: lesfic and sci-fi.”—Inked Rainbow Reads
Soul Unique
“Yet another success from Gun Brooke. The premise is interesting, the leads are likeable and the supporting characters are well-developed. The first person narrative works well, and I really enjoyed reading about a character with Asperger’s.”—Melina Bickard, Librarian, Waterloo Library (London)
Advance: Exodus Book One
“Advance is an exciting space adventure, hopeful even through times of darkness. The romance and action are balanced perfectly, interesting the audience as much in the fleet’s mission as in Dael and Spinner’s romance. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!”—All Our Worlds: Diverse Fantastic Fiction
The Blush Factor
“Gun Brooke captures very well the two different ‘worlds’ the two main characters live in and folds this setting neatly into the story. So, if you are looking for a well-edited, multi-layered romance with engaging characters this is a great read and maybe a re-read for those days when comfort food is a must.”—Lesbians on the Loose
“That was fantastic. It’s so sweet and romantic. Both women had their own ‘demons’ and they didn’t let anyone be close to them. But from the moment they met each other everything felt so natural between them. Their love became so strong in a short time. Addie’s thoughts threatened her relationship with Ellie but with her sister’s help she managed to avoid a real catastrophe…”—Nana’s Book Reviews
The Supreme Constellations Series
“Brooke is an amazing author. Never have I read a book where I started at the top of the page and don’t know what will happen two paragraphs later. She keeps the excitement going, and the pages turning.”—Family and Friends Magazine
Fierce Overture
“Gun Brooke creates memorable characters, and Noelle and Helena are no exception. Each woman is ‘more than meets the eye’ as each exhibits depth, fears, and longings. And the sexual tension between them is real, hot, and raw.”—Just About Write
September Canvas
“In this character-driven story, trust is earned and secrets are uncovered. Deanna and Faythe are fully fleshed out and prove to the reader each has much depth, talent, wit and problem-solving abilities. September Canvas is a good read with a thoroughly satisfying conclusion.”—Just About Write
Sheridan’s Fate—Lambda Literary Award Finalist
“Sheridan’s fire and Lark’s warm embers are enough to make this book sizzle. Brooke, however, has gone beyond the wonderful emotional explorations of these characters to tell the story of those who, for various reasons, become differently-abled. Whether it is a bullet, an illness, or a problem at birth, many women and men find themselves in Sheridan’s situation. Her courage and Lark’s gentleness and determination send this romance into a ‘must read.’”—Just About Write
Coffee Sonata
“In Coffee Sonata, the lives of these four women become intertwined. In forming friendships and love, closets and disabilities are discussed, along with differences in age and backgrounds. Love and friendship are areas filled with complexity and nuances. Brooke takes her time to savor the complexities while her main characters savor their excellent cups of coffee. If you enjoy a good love story, a great setting, and wonderful characters, look for Coffee Sonata at your favorite gay and lesbian bookstore.”—Family & Friends Magazine
“If you enjoy a good love story, a great setting, and wonderful characters, look for Coffee Sonata at your favorite gay and lesbian bookstore.”—MegaScene
“Each of these characters is intriguing, attractive and likeable, but they are heartbreaking, too, as the reader soon learns when their pasts and their deeply buried secrets are slowly and methodically revealed. Brooke does not give the reader predictable plot points, but builds a fascinating set of subplots and surprises around the romances.”—L-word.com Literature
Course of Action
“Brooke’s words capture the intensity of their growing relationship. Her prose throughout the book is breathtaking and heart-stopping. Where have you been hiding, Gun Brooke? I, for one, would like to see more romances from this author.”—Independent Gay Writer
“Brooke gets to the core of her characters’ emotions and vulnerabilities and points out their strengths and weaknesses in very human terms.”—Just About Write
“The setting created by Brooke is a glimpse into that fantasy world of celebrity and high rollers, escapist to be sure, but witnessing the relationship develop between Carolyn and Annelie is well worth the trip. As the reader progresses, the trappings become secondary to the characters’ desire to reach goals both professional and personal.”—Midwest Book Review
“The characters are the strength of Course Of Action and are the reason why I keep coming back to it again and again. Carolyn and Annelie are smart, strong, successful women who have come up from difficult pasts. Their chemistry builds slowly as they get to know each other, and the book satisfyingly leaves them in an established relationship, each having grown and been enriched by the other. I love every second that the two spend together.”—Lesbian Review
Renegade’s War
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Renegade’s War
© 2020 By Gun Brooke. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-485-4
This Electronic Original Is Published By
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Valley Falls, NY 12185
First Edition: October 2020
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Credits
Editor: Shelley Thrasher
Production Design: Susan Ramundo
Cover Design By Sheri (hindsightgraphics@gmail.com)
Cover Art By Gun Brooke
eBook Design By Toni Whitaker
By the Author
Romances:
Course of Action
Coffee Sonata
Sheridan’s Fate
September Canvas
Fierce Overture
Speed Demons
The Blush Factor
Soul Unique
A Reluctant Enterprise
Piece of Cake
Thorns of the Past
Wayworn Lovers
Insult to Injury
Science Fiction
Supreme Constellations series:
Protector of the Realm
Rebel’s Quest
Warrior’s Valor
Pirate’s Fortune
Exodus series:
Advance
Pathfinder
Escape
Arrival
Treason
Lunar Eclipse
Renegade’s War
Novella Anthology:
Change Horizons
Acknowledgments
I want to thank everyone who has been there for me during the writing and editing of Renegade’s War. Firstly, my children, Malin and Henrik; and my son-in-law, Pentti. You three, together with the grandkids, mean everything to me and I love you all so much. My brother Ove and his wife, Monica, falls into the same category of people I can’t do without.
Birgitta, Kamilla, Soli, I love you, my friends. Laura, the way you care about me and understand everything is a miracle. Georgi, Joanne, Sam, Lisa, Rachel F, my online friends, my abroad friends, you are pearls. And those of you who always have something sweet and encouraging to say on Facebook or DM, know that it means so much to me.
The Bold Strokes Books family are an amazing home away from home, and I love being part of it. Shelley, my editor, Sandy, Rad, Cindy, Ruth, Carsen, Toni, and the rest of the staff that are invaluable for us authors. BSB UK’s Victoria Villasenor, you have been more supportive than you realize, I just want you to know that.
My first readers, you know who you are, contributed, some reading every syllable, some reading when time allowed. I appreciate all of your efforts so much.
And thank you, Elon. You were a big help as always, with this book, as I had questions about mopeds, off-roaders, and other 70s sort of technology. We will never work on a book together again, but I take some comfort in that you loved the concept and premise of this one, and the upcoming trilogy. After the trilogy, I’m truly on my own when it comes to that first “But what do you think about this…?”
To my readers. Thank you for your patience as my writing schedule got a bit delayed this time. You mean the world to me, and your comments, thoughts, and critique are always welcome. I try to learn from all of it.
Be safe everyone. I mean it.
Gun
Dedication
For Elon
1950–2019
I miss you with every breath I take
Prologue
Sandslot, 1953
The creatures came in the night, all dressed in black. Aurelia knew they were dangerous since her mother and father would not have let these masked monsters in. She looked up at them, silent, tearless, but with so much fear in her heart, she thought it might stop beating. The dark figures seemed to float through the room as they came closer, their feet silent as they met the floor. The leader sat on the edge of her bed and raised a gloved finger to the hole where its mouth should have been. Aurelia knew that gesture. Be quiet.
But how could she? She had to call out for her mother and father. Defiantly, she opened her mouth to scream, but the monster before her again raised his hand, and this time he pointed in the direction of her parents and then dragged his thumb across his neck in a slow, awful way. Aurelia gasped. She was four years old, almost five, but she knew the meaning of that gesture. If she made a sound, they’d hurt her parents. Maybe even kill them dead.
Dizzy from fear now, Aurelia could think only that she was almost a big girl, her mother said, and when she turned five, she could wish for a new bicycle. A blue one with only two wheels, like the one her friend Danny had. Perhaps she would never grow up to be five years old. The creatures looming over her with something white in their hands were probably here to kill her, shoot her dead like in the movies on TV that her parents didn’t know Danny’s older sister let them watch when she was babysitting.
Now the monster bent closer and pressed the white, damp piece of cloth, perhaps a handkerchief, over her nose and mouth. A strong smell of something strange filled her nostrils and flowed down her lungs, even though she tried to hold her breath. Aurelia’s room began to spin and fade around her. She tried to pry her eyes open, but her eyelids were so heavy and seemed glued together.
As the world turned, swirled, and dipped, Aurelia fell into something dark.
Was this death? What else could it be?
Chapter One
Klowdyn, 1974
“Damn it, Aurelia! That was way too close.”
Aurelia turned her head and looked at her friend and next in command, Dacia, who drove up next to her on the narrow path. Dacia’s modified off-road bike was nearly as fast as her own, and just as silent. “If it had been too close, we’d be in a Klowdynian cage by now.” Aurelia realized she sounded flippant, because Dacia had a point. They had pushed their luck hard this time, but it had paid off. Sixteen family members were now safely past the neutral sector, also known as the dead man’s zone.
“Yes, but those damn helicopters weren’t far away.” Dacia frowned. Her long blond hair poured out from under her knitted cap and fluttered in the wind. “If they’d spotted us, it would have been game over.”
“But they didn’t. Our camouflage still works.” Aurelia didn’t want to think about how much longer it would. Whenever they smuggled people across the border toward freedom in Sandslot, their neighboring nation, she feared the Klowdynian authorities would figure out how they deployed their protective, very low-tech shielding, consisting of four rods attached to their off-roaders, with camouflage nets stretched between them like a canopy. She gazed up at her own net. It was beginning to show signs of wear and tear. Time to get a new one fitted.
“So far,” Dacia said, shaking her head.
“Come on.” Aurelia donned her most confident smile, hoping her friend of almost twenty years would snap out of thinking what could have happened. “Focus on the fact that it was a success, despite the pesky helicopters.” Aurelia pulled a face, which indeed made Dacia snort.
“You’re looking like that day in first grade when you let loose your frog collection in the classroom.” Dacia maneuvered her bike closer. “I’ll never forget that sight.”
Aurelia grinned, even if the memory still held pain. Yes, the prank was a funny anecdote, but it had been a child’s only way to protest the treatment of a friend.
“What are you two going on about?” Milton showed up as if conjured from Aurelia’s thoughts. A tall, gangly man, two years older than Aurelia and Dacia’s twenty-five, sat like a spider on a fly on his off-roader.
“One word,” Dacia called from Aurelia’s other side. “Frogs.”
Milton chuckled, but Aurelia knew he put up as good a front as she and Dacia did when the subject of The Jeterson Boarding School came up. Having spent fourteen years of her life in the boarding school, from the age of four, Aurelia hated it with every cell in her body, an attitude she shared with her two friends.
Ten more of their team were close behind them on their bikes, some of them pulling small carts, also camouflaged. Aurelia checked her watch. They’d be back in their latest satellite camp in an hour. She was very proud of Milton for scouting the location of the camp, as it was nestled among hills and trees in the Klowdynian wilderness in a way that made it difficult to find, even for those who knew of it. Their base camp was even better hidden. If that was ever compromised, their mission would be over. Tensing at the mere thought, Aurelia begged whatever gods were looking down at them to keep the base camp safe, not to mention the different cells of freedom fighters spread out in various locations and running halfway houses in the cities. So many people needed their help.
“Now you have that look again, Boss,” Milton yelled from where he rode his bike close to hers.
