Torn (Arcadia Book 1), page 45
A crunch of sand behind her. She looked up, to see Caleb walking down the bank towards her. But this was a Caleb with grey in his hair and a face grizzled with age, looking more like his father than ever. Only his father had never looked so handsome, and Sol Winter had never worn a smile like the one on Caleb’s face.
The one that told her every morning how special she was to him.
A younger man walked beside him, hair tawny in the sun, and with that spare walk of the plains, yet touched with the lilting flexibility of the mountains. A man with dark eyes who laughed at her like her brothers had when they were children together.
“Watch me, Daddy, GranDa. Watch me,” shrieked the child, jumping up and splashing down again in a froth of bubbling waters. The young man marched down to the water, lifting the child high and throwing her up in the air, set her on his shoulders and waded deeper before tossing her into the waters, arms holding her safe till she was ready to swim. She giggled, paddling energetically till she reached the shallows, then back into the waves and her father’s arms.
Caleb, this older Caleb, sat down beside Fee and she settled back into arms that held long memories of happiness.
“Think we should join them?”
She shook her head and lifted her mouth for his kiss, emerging long moments later as content as ever. He wrapped his arms around her, and together, they watched the dark-haired girl romping at the water’s edge with her father.
“She dances everywhere, just like you,” said Caleb.
Fee glanced down, and saw that age had touched her too, her body no long as slim or supple.
“She’s the second most beautiful female in the world,” said Caleb softly. “She has your spirit.”
She couldn’t resist. “And who…?”
“The most beautiful?” He looked down at her, those light filled eyes of his twinkling and warm with love. “Her grandmother, of course.”
A splash of water, and Fee opened her eyes. The lake water was muddy brown, Caleb a man in his full prime with no touch of grey yet touching that strong head, but the smile was the one of her dreams. “Come on in,” he said.
She grinned back, rushing down the sand to jump into the lapping waters. Cool, refreshing, and who cared if it was still brown? One day, one day, that would change.
“Lake Ben, that’s what we’ll call it,” she said to him, then flicked a hand, sending a surge of water over her husband’s face. “He would have loved this.”
“Yes, he would,” Then that grin she had learned to thoroughly distrust. She turned to run, just as he grabbed her up, swung her round, and dumped her full tilt into the water.
“Lake Ben it is.”
~~~~~
Thank you for reading TORN. I hope you enjoyed this start to the story of the struggle to restore the planet Arcadia as much as I enjoyed creating it. Please consider posting a review on your favourite ebook site. I appreciate all honest reviews.
Want to find out what happens next in the ARCADIA series? Read on for details of TAKEN, Arcadia Book 2, release date 10 April 2021.
Ethan Winter wants nothing more from life than to run the business he loves so much. But that business has been shattered, he has been imprisoned and brutalised, and to restore Solaris Winter he must make a deal with a woman who challenges everything he thought unchangeable.
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TAKEN
Arcadia Book Two
Fix your planet or we’ll do it for you, warns the Alliance—and then we’ll take it from you.
Ethan Winter wants nothing more from life than to run his family’s solar energy business. But that business has been attacked, he’s been imprisoned and brutalised, his planet threatened, and to protect his company he must work with a woman set on fighting him every step of the way. The planet Arcadia’s environment is dangerously unbalanced and the Alliance is demanding they fix it or lose their home world. The Alliance of Human Worlds doesn’t make empty threats.
Union organiser, daughter of a workshop supervisor and a fiery politician, Sarwenna Beren is prepared for a fight from the moment Ethan Winter arrives at her remote desert town surrounded by rumours of change. He’s rich, powerful and heir to the family that owns the town’s main business, a massive solar field stretching deep into the desert. His arrival threatens the jobs of all those who have put their trust in her. Sar isn’t about to let him shut down the one place keeping her town alive.
Then a boy goes missing in the desert and they are thrown together in the search for him—only to come under attack from a strange beam and an unknown flyer that nearly kills them both. Ethan and Sarwenna must find out who is behind the mysterious attacks and why. It doesn’t help that both have their own suspicions about who is helping their attackers. Suspicions that must be kept secret, especially from each other.
You don’t betray family.
BUY NOW
If you enjoyed Torn, you will love the Hathe series.
TOIL AND STRIFE
Hathe Book One and Two
When two, opposed worlds fight for survival, what chance have a pair of duty-plagued lovers caught in the middle?
Five long years ago, the Terrans invaded Hathe and life on a once peaceful and wealthy world changed forever. Major Hamon Radcliff is one of those Terrans. He does what he can to mitigate the brutality against the Hathians yet knows their occupation must succeed. Earth cannot survive without the urgonium found only on Hathe.
But all that changes when Hamon falls for a woman of the long-lost Hathian ruling class. He suspects Marthe asn Castre of being an undercover agent, but she’s so much more. She’s a key player in a secret resistance force.
Now Hamon must choose.
Protect the woman he loves and watch millions of his people die.
Or break her, find out what she knows, and save Earth from a long and torturous end.
BUY NOW
Character List and Guide to Pronunciation
Mountain region names describe a person’s closest family connections. The emphasis is usually on the first syllable, but this can vary.
Sounds:
- ‘ch at the end of a word - like the Scottish ch.
- ‘h in the pronunciation guide indicates a degree of aspiration in the sound.
- a further, slight aspiration is shown by an apostrophe just before the letter in the pronunciation version (italicized - stress syllable shown in bold)
Main characters
Fioruisghe ingh Bram an Scathach den Coille (also known as Fee den Coille by non-mountain Survey): - eco-engineer and leader of a mountain Survey team.
Fee-or-‘hrish-gay ine Bram arn ‘Ska-tha’ch den Coyle
Fioruisghe, daughter of Bram (father) and Scathach (mother), of the family Coille.
Fioruisghe ingh Coille beann Caleb den Winter (Fee’s married name)
Fee-or-‘hrish-gay ine Coyle bee-arn Kay-leb den Winter
Fioruisghe, daughter of the family Coille, wife of Caleb, of the family Winter.
Caleb Winter: - eco-engineer and leader of a Plains Survey team.
Caleb mar Sol duine Fiorughte den Winter (Caleb’s mountain married name)
Kay-leb mar Sole d’win Fee-or-‘hrish-gay den Winter
Caleb son of Sol, husband of Fioruisghe, of the family Winter
Fee’s family.
Scathach ingh Coibhneas bean Bram den Coille, (Mam). Doctor and mother to Fee.
‘Ska-thar’k ine Coy’-nee-ars bee-arn Bram den Coyle.
Scathach, daughter of Coibhneas, wife of Bram, of the family Coille
Bram mar Gliocas duine Scathach den Coille (Da). Father to Fee and head of den Coille
Bram mar Glee-o-cas d’win ‘Skar-thar’kh den Coyle
Bram, son of Gliocas, husband to Scathach, of the family Coyle.
Cumchdach mar Bram an Scathach den Coille. Fee’s eldest brother.
Coo-‘var’kh mar Bram an ‘Ska-thar’kh den Coyle
Seolta mar Bram an Scathach den Coille. Fee’s second brother.
See-ole-tar mar Bram an ‘Ska-thar’ch den Coyle
Samhchair ingh Bram an Scathach den Coille. Fee’s sister
Sarm-‘hair ine Bram an ‘Ska-thar’ch den Coyle
Ceart mar Bram an Scathach den Coille. Fee’s third brother.
Kee-‘airt mar Bram arn ‘Ska-thar’ch den Coyle
Aigherach mar Bram an Scathach den Coille. Fee’s youngest brother.
Aye-ger-ar’kh mar Bram an ‘Ska-thar’kh den Coyle
Den Coille: – name of the festia pollen company owned by the den Coille family.
Caleb’s family;
Sol Winter: - Caleb’s father and head of Winter Solaris
Helena Bascombe Winter : - Caleb’s mother.
Ethan Winter: - middle brother
Silas Winter (Si): - youngest brother
Winter Solaris: - the solar energy company owned by the Winter family, usually shortened to Solaris.
Plains Survey staff
Kal Mendip: - an eco-engineer, specialising in the interaction of plant & soil.
Gerard: – an eco-engineer, specialising in economic calibration
Marabeth: – cook
Jim: – head wrangler
Adam: – hydrogeologist
Bob: – communications officer
Chaba (Char-bar): – engineer
Jareth (Jare-eth): – engineer and Marabeth’s son
Ben Crane: – zoologist
Viv: – veterinarian.
Suze: – medic
Frank: - Botanist
Mountain Survey Staff
Seamach (Shay-mark): – security and communications.
Ronan (Row-nan): – flyer pilot.
Joseph: – botanist and arborist.
Caerthida (Kare-thee-dar): – geologist, cousin to Fridha
Fridha (Fri-thar): – zoologist and cousin of Caerthida
Kebhyn (Ke-‘vin): - Horticulturist.
Sorcha - (Sor-shar): — engineer.
Rannach (Ran-nak): — meteorologist.
Carnach (Car-na’k): – geotechnical engineer
Aillis (Aye-liss): – microbiologist
.
Others
Fox – Survey regional commander. Fee and Caleb’s boss.
Representative Joe Gibbs: – Planetary Upper House representative for the plains region.
Councillor Seilach ingh Craobh bean Stobach den Bunachan: – Lower House government representative for the Mountain region.
Sye-lach ine Crou’sch bee-arn Stow-bar’k den Boo-nar-‘harn.
Douall mar Ceart duine Caerthida den Coibhneas:
Doo-ell mar Kee-art ‘dwin Kair-thee-dar den Coy-nee-ars
Head of security for Councillor den Bunachan, second cousin of Fioruisghe, husband of Caerthida, of the Survey mountain team.
Marco an Fallon: - Supreme Field Commander of the Federal Police of Arcadia.
Sharach (Shar-a’k): - Survey eco-engineer, old friend of Fee
Dard: – Survey eco-engineer, old friend of Fee.
Finola Aknutk: – Survey communications field coordinator.
Anya van Lissen: - lead presenter and interviewer on Today, a leading vid-cast news programme.
Representative Coinneas mar Coille duine Falamh den Cleireach: -
Coy-nee-as mar Coyle dwin Fell-ass den Clare-ee-ark
Upper House Representative, Mountain region.
Other terms.
Festia: – tree cultivated for its pollen.
Baullnia (Bow-ll-nee-a): - very large tree forming the base for cities built in the forest canopy
Beith (Beeth): - trees with a light, dappled foliage. More heat tolerant than mountain trees
Chaullnea (chorl-nee-a): – perfumed flowering shrub
Cetaeven (Ke-tai-ven): – a stimulant and painkiller.
Feldwesten – third continent of Arcadia.
Manascraoch (Man-ass-crou’sch): – den Coille home city.
Beod project (Bee-odd): – a basin occupying much of the central desert of Feldwesten.
Rakki: – a small pet animal that makes a ‘chittering’ sound.
Nieten (Nye-ten): - domesticated native herd animal. Used for food/hides/ fibre.
Alliance: – Alliance of Human Worlds. Interplanetary organisation, with ultimate power to ensure that the settled planets abide by agreed treaty rules.
Measurements.
Arcadia uses decimal based, Standard Galactic units for distance, time, mass etc. They have been expressed here in current day terms i.e. second, hour, day etc. However, that is only a current day translation. The Standard Galactic units used throughout the Alliance, irrespective of planetary or deep space location, are based on Natural Units of measurement i.e. on universal physical constants independent of planet or spatial location. On Arcadia, they are roughly equivalent to the following current Earth measurements.
Distance
1 Standard galactic metre is roughly equivalent to 1.5 metres or 5 feet.
Standard galactic kilometre (generally referred to as Kays) = 1000 SG metres.
Time
Standard second is equivalent to 5 metric seconds.
Standard minute = 10 standard seconds.
Standard hour = 100standard minutes, and is equivalent in usage to an hour, but in time is almost 1.5 hours.
About the Author
Mary Brock Jones lives in New Zealand but loves nothing more than to escape into the other worlds in her head, to write science fiction and historical romances. Sedate office worker by day; frantic scribbler by night.
Her parents introduced her to libraries and gave her a farm to play on, where trees became rocket ships and rocky outcrops were ancient fortresses. She grew up writing, filling pages of notebooks and filling her head with stories but took a number of detours on the pathway to her dream job. Four grown sons, a career as a government veterinarian (now retired) more than one house renovated and various jobs later, her wish came true.
You can find Mary here:
www.marybrockjones.com
https://www.facebook.com/MaryBrockJonesAuthor
https://twitter.com/MaryJones7
***
Also by Mary Brock Jones:
Arcadia Series
Torn
Taken
Hathe Series
Toil and Strife: Hathe Book One and Two
Aftermath: Hathe Book Three
Resistance: Hathe Book One
Pay the Piper: Hathe Book Two
NZ Historical Romance
A Heart Divided
Swift Runs the Heart
Acknowledgements
With thanks to all those who have helped me bring “Torn” to reality. Firstly to my amazing and hugely knowledgeable editor, Grace Bridges. To Amygdala Designs for my lovely cover. To Victoria who set me on the right path to formatting. And to my fellow writers at SpecFicNZ, RWNZ and RWA, particularly the Auckland specficers and RWNZers: thank you for your generosity, your never ending support, the laughter and the mutual moans, but most of all for helping me to believe I can do this!
Biggest thanks of all go to my family. To my parents, for raising me in a house full of books, taking us to libraries and taking it for granted that we would all get an education and be able to think for ourselves; to my sons who are always proud of what I do even when it seems weird to them; and most of all to my husband who is always there for me, even though I’m far away in my own world more often than not. Thank you all for your acceptance, for everything you’ve taught me over the years, and for the smiles on your faces when I really need them.
Mary Brock Jones, Torn (Arcadia Book 1)
