The Retreat
The After Trilogy, #1
by Kelly
St. Clare
Publication
date: August 30th 2016
Genres:
Science Fiction, Young Adult
Earth is ruined. Humankind destroyed. And it’s old news.
BLURB
Romy’s life is simple—for a
genetically enhanced space soldier; pick up space junk with her four friends,
and stave off the invaders fixated on stealing Planet Earth.
It isn’t much. But it’s
temporary—only another 850 years to go, give or take.
When her crew tangles with a
gulp-worthy alien mothership, Romy’s return to Earth is brought forwards at
hurtling pace.
Strength comes from the unlikeliest
of quarters.
As does leadership.
…As does betrayal.
Romy’s
side of the battler must have torn away during landing. Only a few shredding
battler walls remained. It was as though her side of the ship had been ripped
off like a chunk of bread from a loaf.
The floor underneath her was gone, leaving her legs dangling. Romy
herself was suspended by the harness, which dug into her torso. It was the only
thing keeping her from falling three metres to the dry grass.
The bottom part of her battler segment had embedded itself into
the ground on an angle. Romy’s end of the segment was immobilised in the air,
forty-five degrees to the surface. She looked to have landed at the edge of a
grassy clearing. Or maybe a forest, she amended, judging by the multitudes of
trees before her.
Behind her, the ripped walls were flayed wide open, smoking,
sparking, and hissing.
She took in the vast splash of colours before her with unseeing
eyes. She was on Earth. Hanging above real ground.
Quite alone. And if her knot hadn’t . . . survived . . . she was
quite possibly the only person, or being, on the planet. A numbness set in so
deep that Romy could no longer feel the harness. Her head drooped as she
struggled to regain her calm. She had to find her friends. That was an
absolute. They were alive. She had to believe it was true.
She waited, willing her shaking hands to still until eventually
they obeyed.
Inhaling sharply, Romy looked around once more.
The question was: How far did her section of the craft land from
the others?
If it were a matter of hours, that would be okay, but anything
more and she would require food and water. A post-global-warming Earth meant
the food and water here wasn’t safe. The yellowed plant life confirmed that.
The battler held supplies, but did she have any in her part? And how much
oxygen was in her suit? Romy’s heart began to quicken once more, and she forced
the unfamiliar fear away.
First priority was getting to the ground. Under normal conditions
she would take the chance and jump the three metres, but the injury to her
ankle and the extent of the damage to her head caused Romy to hesitate. If only
she could take her suit helmet off . . . but the air conditions had to be terrible.
She wouldn’t last five seconds.
No, she decided. She’d pull herself up onto the back of her seat
and see if there was an easier way out from the back of the smoking wreckage.
She sighed in weary exhaustion, not sure she had the strength to
move a single finger. But that wouldn’t help her friends.
Romy released one half of her harness. Holding tightly to the
strap, she released the second half of the harness—
Something gave. Not the harness, but whatever it was attached to,
or attached with. For a moment Romy thought she might be able to salvage the
tatters of her plan and still climb up. Until, with a loud ripping, the harness
tore free from the rest of the chair.
Author Info
When Kelly St Clare is not
reading or writing, she is lost in her latest reverie. She can, quite
literally, drift past a car accident while in the midst of her day dreams,
despite the various police sirens and chaos.
Books have always been magical
and mysterious to her. One day she decided to start unravelling this mystery
and began writing. Her aim: To write stories she would want to read. As it
turns out, this failed miserably. Do you know what it is like to read something
you've written? Impossible, that's what. Not to mention, the ending is ruined
before you've begun. Never-the-less, Kelly loves it and wishes she had more
time to squeeze it in between her day job as a physiotherapist.
Fantasy of Frost, the first title
in The Tainted Accords, is her debut novel. It's sequel, Fantasy of Flight, was
released on May 24th, 2015. Fantasy of Fire is due for release January 2016!
A New Zealander in origin and in
heart, Kelly currently resides in Australia with her soon-to-be husband, a
great group of friends, and some huntsman spiders who love to come inside when
it rains. Their love is not returned.
Fav quote: Don't tell me the moon
is shining; show me the glint on broken glass.
Fav Song: I believe in a thing
called love - The Darkness
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