Realization dawned on BrushBurn's face. He rested his arms on the table top, knotting his fingers together. He said nothing for a long time.
TripStone said, softly, "I'm sorry about the cart."
"Wood and metal." He shrugged. "We're still alive." He padded toward the empty teapot and retrieved the tin cups. He dropped one on her table, hobbled to his pack, and lifted the bottle of spirits.
"Medicinal," he offered. "It's quite strong."
TripStone shook her head. BrushBurn returned to his chair and set the cup down for a slow pour. For a while he stared at it.
Then he took a deep draught and let out a long sigh, leaning back.
TripStone watched his closed eyes and the even rise and fall of his chest, his forced calm. The air carried him to her. "You hurt, too."
He barked a laugh, took another drink.
"Tell me."
"You don't want to know."
She took cautious steps toward him and rested her hands lightly on his shoulders. "You've done things I don't understand," she whispered. "Things that sicken me. Help me to understand why." She gave his vest a gentle squeeze. "I promise I won't hit you."
"That's too bad." He opened his eyes and lifted the cup to his lips. He set it down, filled more from the bottle, and closed his eyes again. "I didn't lie to you, TripStone. I was born on Destiny Farm. Grew up there. Until I came of age, it was the only place I'd ever known. I hadn't even heard of Promontory."
He took another long sip. His other hand reached up and covered hers. "It's actually quite beautiful. It's still a desert, but the weather is more temperate than in Promontory. Milder. Many happy memories there." He looked up at her. "Not what you might expect."
She tried to still the trembling in her legs. "Whatever I expect, I want to know what is."
An edition of Deviations: Destiny
(2009)
Deviations
Destiny
by Elissa Malcohn
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Last edited by Elissa Malcohn
July 2, 2010 | History
Volume 3 of the Deviations Series
Contains mature themes and situations
About Destiny:
Unrest simmers in the region. Repeated acts of sabotage threaten Promontory's Destiny supply, while Crossroads teeters on the brink of bankruptcy.
Bent on destroying Destiny Farm, TripStone arrives in Promontory as an advance scout for Gria's forces. But the more she learns about that city and its history, the more she doubts her mission. And the more she learns about BrushBurn, the more her feelings for him tear her apart.
Unaware of the mission, Ghost fears TripStone dead as he struggles to protect his new family. The very people hiding them are under pressure to unlock Destiny's secrets, giving Masari control of the drug…
… while back in Crossroads, HigherBrook must find a way to save his people as they face certain invasion.
About the Deviations Series:
Long ago the Masari and the Yata hunted together in peace, until the species they drove to extinction included those possessing nutrients necessary to Masari survival. The Yata then became the only source of those nutrients. Deviations tells how these peoples cope with the reality of being sentient creatures forced to play the roles of predator and prey, and how several of them try to thwart long-established conventions in the hope of overcoming their biological imperative. In Deviations love triumphs in the midst of death. The series focuses on the social, ethical, and spiritual dilemmas surrounding both the literal cannibalism of the societies involved and the many ways in which their different communities feed off each other.
"Rather than stuff judgments of right and wrong down the reader's throat, Malcohn asks questions, and leads the reader to find his own answers. Further, she develops the ideas of right and wrong from her characters' points of view, and the points of view of her various cultures. ... Get the whole series, and allot a large chunk of time for reading them, because once you pick them up you won't want to put them down." -- Windborn, at HubPages
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added by Elissa Malcohn.
This excerpt in Chapter 6 begins an exchange between TripStone and BrushBurn that alters both of them. The truth behind Destiny Farm places TripStone's mission -- and, ultimately, her life -- at risk.
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| July 2, 2010 | Edited by Elissa Malcohn | Added author name |
| July 2, 2010 | Edited by Elissa Malcohn | Information added by author, including synopsis, keywords, and free download sites. |
| July 2, 2010 | Created by Elissa Malcohn | Created new work record. |