FIVE DAY FREE KINDLE - America's Galactic Foreign Legion

All of the AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION series is now on the Kindle Select program, available for free borrowing by Kindle Prime members. In addition, we are offering for those of you who have not sampled this series yet, a continuous-run Five-Day FREE Kindle promotion schedule for the remaining books in the AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION series that have not already been offered free under this program. The schedule is as follows...

Monday, Feb. 20 - Friday, Feb. 24...

AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION
BOOK 3: SILENT INVASION
Walter Knight
Humorous Military Science Fiction

The saga of compulsive gambler turned legionnaire continues as Joey Czerinski deals with the clever machinations of the Arthropodan Empire trying to take control of planet New Colorado. It's not just a case of a spider that sits down beside her - Little Miss Muffet and the Galactic Foregin Legion have to deal with spiders, spiders everywhere, and the wolves are literally at the door. But with the usual politically-incorrect aplomb, Czerinski and his Legion pals struggle through more serendipitous surprises in this third installment of the miles-of-smiles military space opera.

Saturday, Feb. 25 - Wednesday, Feb. 29...

AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION
BOOK 4: DEMILITARIZED ZONE
Walter Knight
Humorous Military Science Fiction

The New Gobi Desert on planet New Colorado is hot-hot-hot, and when Major Joey Czerinski and his platoon are ordered there to check on Arthropodan spider military activity, Czerinski finds it hard to believe the spiders are just building a swimming pool. The spider commander is a royal pain in the rear, and Czerinski's cowboy diplomacy doesn't help the situation. Tit-for-tat one-upmanship escalates the conflict, making the DMZ explosive. A juvie militia leader rises from the dust to complicate things, and with Walmart, McDonald's, and chupacabra thrown into the mix, the absurdity never stops. Czerinski handles it all with his usual politically-incorrect aplomb in this fourth installment of the giggles-and-belly-laughs military space opera.

Thursday, March 1 - Monday, March 5...

AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION
BOOK 5: INSURGENCY
Walter Knight
Humorous Military Science Fiction

If dreams really do come true, then habitual-gambling legionnaire Joey R. Czerinski is stuck in a friggin' nightmare as his tour of duty in planet New Colorado's New Gobi Desert drags on. The alien Arthropodan Empire continues secretly supporting spider terrorists on New Colorado, and to fight back, the Legion also supplies the human rebel faction with armaments. But things get out of hand as independence from all rulers - Galactic Federation or Arthropodan Empire - starts looking better and better to a combined insurgency made up of both spider and human rebels. Czerinski finds himself teaming with unusal allies to try and keep things under control as the politically-incorrect humor explodes in this fifth installment of the military space opera.

Tuesday, March 6 - Saturday, March 10...

AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION
BOOK 6: CULTURE WAR
Walter Knight
Humorous Military Science Fiction

The conflict escalates as the Arthropodan Emperor declares war on American culture and orders all American merchandise and cultural influences banned north of the DMZ. Things get out of hand, as usual, when Colonel Joey R. Czerinski and his miscreant band of legionnaires fumble the ball. Czerinski overracts and alienates those closest to him, and through it all, the laughs keep coming.

Sunday, March 11 - Thursday, March 15...

AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION
BOOK 7: ENEMIES
Walter Knight
Humorous Military Science Fiction

Even the paranoid have enemies - as Colonel Joey R. Czerinski well knows, being paranoid and having many enemies. Some of those enemies he actually calls friends. Snipers on rooftops and scorpions from space - the source doesn't matter, they're still enemies that have to be dealt with. And Czerinski deals with it all in his usual way - by cheating and lying and alienating everyone around him - as the laughs continue.

Friday, March 16 - Tuesday, March 20...

AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION
BOOK 8: ALLIES
Walter Knight
Humorous Military Science Fiction

A treaty makes the humans and spiders allies, but before anyone can enjoy peace, the scorpions reappear with a vengeance. Col. Czerinski and his miscreant band of legionnaires help the spiders battle the scorpions. The Legion’s serendipitous screw-up convinces the scorpions to surrender. A new alien species makes an appearance, and a feared nemesis returns, putting everyone on alert as the laughs continue.

Wednesday, March 21 - Sunday, March 25...

AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION
BOOK 9: SCORPIONS
Walter Knight
Humorous Military Science Fiction

The Scorpion Queen takes a special diplomatic tour of planet New Colorado, with a secret recipe - er, plan - in mind for the surviving Mantidae. All she has to do is find them. Amid a buffalo drive, Czerinski falls victim to a mysterious illness with a nasty green rash that threatens his life. The Mantid matriarch makes a final bid for vengeance against the scorpions for decimating her race. And, in a strange turn of events, Czerinski gets a new CO as the laughs and absurdity continue in this ninth installment of the seriously screwy science fiction space saga.

Monday, March 26 - Friday, March 30...

AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION
BOOK 10: PEACEKEEPERS
Walter Knight
Humorous Military Science Fiction

With Colonel Manny Lopez now in charge, Captain Joey R. Czerinski and his ragtag band of legionnaires are sporting blue peacekeeper armbands and helmets to head off hostilities between the scorpions and the spiders on planet New Colorado. But with nukes and an old foe making a return appearance, America's Galactic Foreign Legion has a full plate - as long as Taco Bell and Pizza Hut keep their doors open, and Czerinski handles it all with his usual paranoid aplomb. The absurdity continues in the tenth installment of the seriously screwy science fiction space saga.

Saturday, March 31 - Wednesday, April 4...

AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION
BOOK 11: CEMETERY CITY
Walter Knight
Humorous Military Science Fiction

Colonel Lopez returns to planet New Colorado with an agenda - mining rare metals used in communications and weapons technology on which the USGF is so dependent. The only problem is, the ore vein is located across the border in Arthropodan territory. But Lopez has a plan to get around that little technicality, and it involves Major Joey R. Czerinski's chain of cemeteries. The spider commander takes offense at the Legion's claim-jumping, and Lopez gets caught in the middle of the fracas as the absurdity continues in the eleventh installment of the seriously screwy science fiction space saga. 

Thursday, April 5 - Monday, April 9...

AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION
BOOK 12: THE ARK
Walter Knight
Humorous Military Science Fiction

General Lopez returns once again to planet New Colorado with another top-secret mission for Colonel Joey R. Czerinki and his trusty (or not so trusty) legionnaires. A huge spaceship has been detected deep underground, right under the desert oasis of croc-infested Caldera Lake. Czerinski's task is to reach the ship and strip its technology before the Arthropodan Empire finds out what's going on. But as soon as the Legion arrives and starts digging around, the spiders come right behind to start their own tunneling. It's a race against absurdity and a battle of witlessness as the two teams squabble - while progress (Walmart, a couple casinos, Starbucks, and Taco Bell) pop up around them. Tourists, hearing of an ancient ark discovered deep beneath the sand, flock to Caldera Lake by the busloads, hoping to see this new wonder in the twelfth installment of the seriously silly science fiction space saga. Bonus story VAMPIRE IN THE OUTFIELD included at the end - first time in print!

Tuesday, April 10 - Saturday, April 14...

AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION
BOOK 13: SALESMAN FROM MARS
Walter Knight
Humorous Military Science Fiction

The zany humor continues with a new star in this thirteenth installment of the screwy military space saga. Born salesman Donald Crisp is down on his luck and short of money. When Crisp accepts a loan from the USGF recruitment ATM, he ends up - of course - enlisted in the United States Galactic Federation Foreign Legion. Oranges for scorpions, semi-sentient penguins, biting Blue Lizards, ghosts from the past, and cheating at cards make life interesting as Crisp chills at the South Pole, then makes a splash in Caldera Lake - all the while, watching out for the Grim Reaper!

Sunday, April 15 - Thursday, April 19...

AMERICA'S GALACTIC FOREIGN LEGION
BOOK 14: EMBASSY WAR
Walter Knight
Humorous Military Science Fiction

The Butcher of New Colorado returns to the spotlight, assigned to protect the lavish new USGF Embassy while acting as a spy for General Lopez and the CIA on the spiders' home world of Arthropoda. Amid riots and sports betting on exhibition basketball games, Czerinski finds trouble has followed him across the galaxy. An old foe makes a surprise visit and wrecks his office. A war ensues over turkey dinner, leaving the scorpion embassy in shambles. Following that debacle, Czerinski and crew get a plum assignment back on New Colorado, guarding a volcano in desert-isle Quenaudenville as he tries to figure out what no-good mischief the spiders are up to now. And just when things couldn't be worse, his terrorist ex-girlfriend shows up with their delinquent son, Joey Jr. This time the loony legionnaires go off the reservation with a game-changing detour!

February FREE KINDLE WILD WEDNESDAYS - Dominatrix-Online.com

Every Wednesday in February, things are gonna get wild around here. The hilarious erotic romance, DOMINATRIX-ONLINE.COM will be FREE on Amazon Kindle. Starts Wednesday, February 1, and ends Wednesday, February 29.

DOMINATRIX-ONLINE.COM
MISTRESS BLACKHEART: POLICEMAN'S PREROGATIVE
Dallas White
Erotic Romance

When snarky über-slacker Dominique Milhaus gets arrested and hauled to jail on her twenty-fifth birthday and is charged with Internet prostitution, her nights as a video-streaming dominatrix come to an abrupt halt. But Gwinnet County motorcycle patrolman Richard Carlyle, subbing as booking officer at the station that night, has something else in mind for recently out-of-work Mistress Blackheart.

A little afternoon delight complicates things in a hurry, and the ex-dominatrix who can’t commit quickly finds herself at odds with the irritating cop used to getting everything his own way. Add a pair of handcuffs to the mix, and there’s no telling who will end up on top!

FREE KINDLE TRIANGLE TUESDAY - Parallel Triangle science fiction romance

This Tuesday January 17, and every Tuesday in the month of February, get a free Amazon Kindle copy of PARALLEL TRIANGLE, a riveting science-fiction romance by Sandy Hyatt-James.

PARALLEL TRIANGLE
Sandy Hyatt-James
Science Fiction Romance

An impossible love triangle develops between parallel worlds when scientists from another dimension on a planet mirroring Earth develop experimental technology that allows one person to travel between the two parallel planets.

Orion, the man chosen for this dangerous assignment, meets Elizabeth, an English Earthwoman given the Sight by his people - a gift of premonition that allows her to see visions of impending danger so that she can help avert it. But all this gift does is make her think she's crazy.

Gradually Orion comes to respect and admire Elizabeth, while knowing his heart really belongs to Jacosta, the beautiful leader of his region back on his home world. Amid threats of war on Orion's home world, Orion returns to Earth to try and rescue Elizabeth when she is kidnapped while trying to save a child.

Jacosta tries her best to step aside as she realizes her coldness toward Orion has pushed him into the arms of Elizabeth, but her heart won't allow her to let him go. As war escalates on his home world and Elizabeth slips deeper in danger, Orion is unable to choose between the two women he loves.

An act of desperation changes everything.

FREE KINDLE MONDAYS - Dark Crescendo emotional romance

Beginning Monday, January 30, through February 27, DARK CRESCENDO by Lucille Naroian will be offered free on Amazon Kindle. This title is also available from the Kindle Prime Lending Library.

DARK CRESCENDO
Lucille Naroian
Romantic Suspense

At the funeral of her famous pianist husband, Joanna Reed Dalton is stunned to see her former lover, Nick Jordan. For the last three years of her loveless marriage to Steven, she has dreamed of being with Nick again - and finally, he's back. As a pianist in her own right, Joanna now has a chance to enjoy life. The question is, will Nick be a part of it - and will her father allow it? Joanna's bid for freedom and love could end in heartbreak or happiness. Tension and uncertainty build in a dark crescendo, with the outcome unknown until the final notes.

FREE KINDLE SUNDAY - Blood and Sunlight

BLOOD AND SUNLIGHT FREEDAYS...

On Saturday, January 14, Jamie Wasserman's wildly popular vampire novel BLOOD AND SUNLIGHT will be FREE on Amazon Kindle for three days. (Ends Monday, so don't miss out!)

BLOOD AND SUNLIGHT
A MARYLAND VAMPIRE STORY
Jamie Wasserman
Vampire Horror Paranormal

Melanie would love to believe in fairytales. She’d love, in fact, to believe in anything. The twenty-three-year-old college dropout is stuck — stuck in a dead-end waitress job, stuck in her hometown of Ellicott City, Maryland, and stuck with a boyfriend who likes to play dress-up as a vampire.

Vampires. Her world and her reality are turned upside down when she encounters the real thing. Along the way, she meets Lucas, the would-be vampire slayer, his father the sheriff, and ultimately the vampire himself. Melanie learns that fairytales can come true, and evil isn’t always where you expect to find it.

And, be sure to check out Jamie's newest vampire novel, HOLDING BACK THE DAY...

Claire's best friend and inspiration is her courageous and forthright grandmother Millie. Claire wants to be like her, but that's not such an easy task. When a charismatic boy named Jack comes to town, Claire realizes there's more to her grandmother than she'd ever guessed. Millie's harboring a big secret, and Claire suspects that secret is perennially mysterious Jack.

FREE KINDLE THIS FRIDAY - Colors, paranormal suspense

Fridays, January 13, Dave Berardelli's paranormal suspense, COLORS, will be free on Amazon Kindle. This title is also available from the Kindle Lending Library for Prime members.

COLORS
David Berardelli
Paranormal Suspense

A young woman receives a very special gift of paranormal vision from a dying old lady, and soon her life is turned topsy-turvy when she starts digging into the hit-and-run incident that killed the old woman. Someone out there doesn't want her to find out who the killer is, and time is running out for her and everyone she comes in contact with. A man comes to her rescue, but she's not sure if he's there to help her or...

Parallel Triangle Excerpt and Ebook Giveaway

Today we thought it would be a nice change of pace to host an ebook giveaway and post an excerpt from the book PARALLEL TRIANGLE by SANDY HYATT-JAMES, published by PENUMBRA PUBLISHING.

Sandy's a British author currently residing in beautiful Bulgaria. PARALLEL TRIANGLE is Sandy's second novel to be published, a unique and emotional science fiction romance featuring a love triangle spanning parallel worlds.

Leave a comment on this blog and earn a chance to win a free ebook coupon for any book from PENUMBRA PUBLISHING! (Your email address will be required to send the coupon, but will not be retained by us!)

INTRO: Earth and Earthzad (name meaning 'behind Earth') are parallel worlds, alike in many ways, but also different. Earthzad is aware of Earth but doesn't want Earth to become aware of Earthzad for security reasons. Things that happen on Earth occasionally affect Earthzad - sometimes disastrously. To help 'guide' events on Earth, a group of sensitive female scientists on Earthzad have developed a very limited method to monitor goings-on on Earth and to send telepathic visions to specially selected women on Earth via the Sight. Until recently, this was the only contact with Earth available to Earthzadians. However, a top science group has developed an experimental device to allow one person to transport to Earth for approximately three hours. Orion is the first Earthzadian man to try out this device, and his assignment is to monitor an Englishwoman, Elizabeth, who has recently been given the Sight.

A somewhat vain glory hound and lady's man in the beginning, Orion has eyes for Jacosta, the beautiful ruler of his region on Earthzad. But as he spends more time on Earth, he comes to appreciate and admire plucky Elizabeth. His association with her allows him to grow as a person and become a better man - a man that Jacosta finally sees as a worthy love interest. As the situation progresses, Orion finds himself unexpectedly in the middle of a long-distance love triangle involving these two very different women. Amid kidnapping and confinement on Earth, and treason and war on Earthzad, the three of them are forced to make some very difficult choices...

EXCERPT:

Jacosta’s private secretary greeted Orion upon entering the Krestan’s office. Rasane, an attractive woman but one who, as far as he was concerned, had the deadest eyes he’d ever encountered, stood in front of the adjoining door leading to Jacosta’s office. “It’s late,” she said. “The Krestan is about to go home. You need to make an appointment and come back another time.”

Her imperious glare amused him. “I want to see her this evening,” he said, and strode to the lounge area. “Will you please tell her that Orion has come to see her? If she doesn’t know who I am, just say I’m the one who risked his life this morning to go through the Barrier.”

Rasane, who’d obviously heard of Orion’s conquests with women, looked as if she wanted to slap the sarcasm right off his face. But she remained cool. “Of course she knows who you are.”

“Oh really? I thought she had better things to do than take up her precious time with the making of history. Tell her that, after my efforts today, and in consideration of the fact that she couldn’t be bothered to greet me personally upon my return home, seeing me now is the least she could do.” He sat and folded his arms.

Rasane threw another dead-eyed stare. Her expression turned to blatant dislike when she saw his lips twitch into a smile at her disapproval. She disappeared into Jacosta’s office and, moments later, returned with an even stronger scowl. “You can go in, but don’t keep her any longer than ten minutes.”

He swept past the woman and entered the Krestan’s office.

Jacosta sat at her desk at the end of a long room. Upon seeing him, she stood up and smiled.

He shook her outstretched hand and saw, for the first time, her violet-coloured eyes.

She gestured for him to sit opposite her. “So, you are Orion. I believe I’ve seen you at the FitnessCom before?”

“I ... fence there.”

“That’s right. I go there to do the cardio-vascular training.”

He didn’t answer.

“I’m told that you’re very good at fencing; a champion even.”

Then followed an awkward pause during which she again waited for him to speak. When he didn’t, she said, “Kelmin said one of the reasons you’d been chosen to be the first Earthzadian to go to the Earth world was because fencing has made you both physically fit and mentally sharp.”

He gazed at her, stunned at how such a fragile-looking thing could hold down a tough office and do a good job of it. But she did. Everybody said that she was the best Krestan that Mardak had seen for half a century.

Seemingly unperturbed by his apparent rudeness, she leaned back in her chair and said, “According to Mostilon’s plan, you should be at the MedCom now, undergoing checks with Trisk. I’d arranged to meet you at the celebration dance in a few days time, so what brings you here now?”

At that moment, the awful thought dawned on him that he didn’t really have a good enough reason to barge in on her as he had. His initial intention, to speak of his disappointment at not being met by her, seemed so feeble. And the last thing he wanted was for her to ever think that he could be petulant and childish. An inspiration came to him, a clever lie he could use to impress her. “I’ve come about the Earth woman, Elizabeth the Seer, whom I was assigned to check on today.” He got up, walked to the window, and turned to face her. “I think Dorta and the Disseminators are handling their transmissions to her clumsily, so much so that it appears they’re ruining her life in the process. I witnessed her reaction today, when she saw that photograph altered only in her mind. She looked so scared. In my opinion, it would be far better to withdraw the seeing power from her and find somebody less sensitive.”

Jacosta gazed directly at him without a flicker of reaction. However, pink patches appeared on her neck. “What do you know about this Seer?” she asked quietly.

“Ah, well she’s twenty-seven.” Realising that he hadn’t taken the trouble to find out about her, he paused while trying to think of further details. “She’s a ... I think she’s a writer. And she’s been given the Sight by your people. Um...”

“She’s a freelance illustrator. A good one, according to the Detectors.”

“What? Oh, yes, of course.”

“She’s also tenacious and intelligent. Despite living in Warwickshire for five years, she still speaks with an Earth northern accent. We know this, because the Detectors picked up that she teases herself about it. When she was ten, we facilitated her seeing an apparition, just to check if the Sight we’d just given her was going to work. It did. By the way, do you know what the Sight is?”

Embarrassed and all but defeated, he shot her a look conveying that he knew he should – but didn’t. “No, not really.”

“It’s a matrix which we impart to receptive Earth women. The rudiments of the matrix are secret, but I can tell you that with it, our Seers are able to pick up our messages and premonitions.”

Wanting to appear more knowledgeable, he jumped in with, “And only a Seer could see and hear me.”

“Right about the seeing, but wrong about the hearing. “Any Earth person would be able to hear you, unfortunately. It’s a discrepancy in the technology that we’re still trying to iron out.” She looked curiously at him. “As the first person to test out the Varat, I would have thought you’d have known much more about the technology than you appear to.”

Knowing that saying anything else would confirm his ignorance even further, he stood and listened to her, feeling both miserable and furious at the same time.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it, that we – er – incompetent women, working on Detecting and Disseminating from and to the Earth world, know so much about our Seers and their backgrounds? I could tell you more, if you like. Let me do so. Elizabeth worked her way through university and has such a good job now because she’s an exceptionally talented artist. Her mother, who’s still alive, had the Sight. We gave her a premonition about a man whom we knew intended to beat his wife to death for adultery. She failed to act upon our warning, so we tried to take the Sight back from her. For some reason, she proved resistant to the withdrawal process and still holds ten percent of it. This is enough to cross wires with Dorta’s women and be a source of irritation to them sometimes. Elizabeth, of course, knows nothing of this.”

The sun came in from the window behind her and shot its light onto her hair. He couldn’t think of anything else right then but wanting to release her hair from the severe grip in which she’d entwined it. He wanted to feel its texture and watch it tumble over her shoulders.

“My answer to your request,” she continued, “Is that the Seer is a resourceful young woman who may not like having the Sight, but nevertheless has all the necessary qualities to carry it well.”

He tried leaning against the wall to display indifference. He hoped that this would mask his actually feeling expertly wrung out and hung up to dry.

She sat forward a little. “These factors being as they are, why should we withdraw the Seeing power from her?”

He glanced across again, feeling that he ought to keep up the pretence, lest his credibility in her eyes be dashed forever. “I ... understand that you only have the best intentions at heart. It’s just that I wonder whether the effort that you all put in will be worth the result.”

Jacosta sat back again, folded her arms, and noted his chestnut brown hair, longish nose and dark brow eyes. So, she thought, this is the legendary Orion: the one who has all the women dancing to his tune. Hmm, I wonder why?

“Now it’s my turn to speak plainly to you,” she said. “I think the problem of which you speak isn’t actually in Dorta’s corner or mine – it’s yours. Or to put it another way, you are overstepping your brief. You were assigned to prove that getting to the Earth world was possible, not to come back here afterwards and criticize those who devote their lives to helping Earth people.” She thought for a moment, then mumbled to herself, “It’s a thousand pities that we woman are deemed physically unable to go through the Barrier ourselves. Such a glittering distinction had to be given to a male, simply because his body mass is denser and stronger.” She noted his tall athletic build, clicked her tongue and turned her head away.

His mercurial temper rose quickly, and he fought to control it. Feeling the urge to match up to her figurative height, he sat opposite her again and, this time, mirrored her body language. “I can cope with most things. I’m merely asking whether your methods with this Seer could be toned down.”

“And what would you have us do? You know that Mardak women use telepathy to give warning messages to the Earth Seers. She’s a Seer; we need to use her; that’s it! She turned towards her desk tramol, spoke the closing-down command, and turned off her desk lamp.

Aware of the dismissal, he got up to leave. What was the point, he told himself, in pretending that he cared about this Earth Seer anyway? He didn’t. He just wanted Jacosta’s attention. The thought of walking out of her office at that moment was tantamount to failure on his part. And he never failed at anything he’d set out to achieve.

By the time he’d reached the door, another plan had formed in his mind; one which he hoped would keep him in proximity with Jacosta. Not that he was attracted to her, he told himself. He simply needed to facilitate her believing that she should give more of her attention to him, exclusively.

Upon realising that he hadn’t yet left, she shot another disapproving glance at him.

He cleared his throat. “The Earth Seer’s obviously been given these premonitions to warn of an impending catastrophe in the Earth world?”

“Of course. The catastrophe that’s about to happen involves a small Earth child. Dorta’s Detectors got into the thought waves of a deranged woman who intends to kidnap this child. Unfortunately, this type of casual mind eavesdropping is a rarity. If it could be done more often, and under controlled conditions, Dorta’s Detectors could be much more effective in their efforts to curb unsavoury activities.” Sighing, she looked downwards and whispered to herself, “And we’d be able to intervene in far more child abductions than we do.” She gazed back at him. “On the back of that, the Disseminators facilitated the photo phenomenon and a dream to the Seer today.”

For the first time, a flicker of true concern touched him. “So ... you want this Seer to warn the child’s family.”

“That’s about it, yes. And we’re trying all the time to get more information to give her, because we’re all so worried.”

He stepped forward. “But wouldn’t it be so much easier if I could just materialise in front of her. Now that the Varat’s capabilities been proved, why don’t we make use of it? Why don’t you make use of me? I could go and tell the Seer what she needs to know without all this sending these hit-and-miss telepathic messages.”

Jacosta wanted to rail at him about the hit-and-miss bit, but she felt tired and impatient to get home. “You know as well as I do, that’s not possible. As soon as we knew that travelling to the Earth world was only a matter of months away, we Mardakans took an oath never to materialise in front of an Earth Seer!”

He remembered the oath.

She joined him by the door.

“Don’t you think it’s about time that this archaic rule was changed in Earthzad,” he asked. “Here we are, living in a tiny annex to the real Earth world, tip-toeing around, afraid to be discovered by its people. What harm would it do to let them know that we Mardakans spend a lot of our time trying to help them!”

Surely, she thought, you don’t include yourself as one of those. “It would be too dangerous; you know that as well as I. Svelta has a pathological fear of the Earth people. If we let Earth know of our existence, the Sveltans might wage war on us.”

“So be it, then! We have a sophisticated arsenal and a well trained and equipped army and air force ourselves. We could match them at every turn.”

She sighed and turned off the office light and said, “I’d much prefer to know that everybody in Mardak is sleeping peacefully in their beds rather than getting anxious about an enemy virtually on our doorstep! Anyway, I can’t discuss this with you now. I have a Lafia meeting in the morning. And...” She glanced up and met his eyes again. “After that, I have to discuss the final touches for the dinner-dance, to celebrate your – er – bravery and Mardak’s glittering achievement.”

He held the door open, and she swept past him.

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Penumbra Publishing is a sponsor/participant in BITTEN BY BOOKS' second annual HALLOWEEN BASH!

Visit http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=11197 for lots of daily fun and contests to win free stuff, including FREE EBOOKS from Penumbra Publishing. This party lasts through the whole month of October, and we'll be giving away an ebook every Friday in October in our "FREAKY FRIDAYS" promo. Check out the site to see which of our current titles will be given away, and enter for your chance to win. Our first FREAKY FRIDAY ebook giveaway will start at 9:00 am EST on Oct. 2, 2009.