And away we go with the fourth installment of Dark Empire! I was a bit late with my cover request, so we'll have to sit tight for Erin Dameron-Hill's gorgeous artwork. Fortunately, we can read without pictures...we're smart like that, lol.
Release is scheduled for March 29. As soon as I have all my ducks in a row, I'll post pre-order info.
Let's get started! The All is shaky following its loss of Hobato as an agent...but still determined to make Kalquor pay.
Dark Empire Book Four: Revelations
How?
The question went unanswered. The portion of the All that had returned couldn’t respond, though it had until recently claimed the Hobato. Rear Admiral Hobato had been in charge of the Kalquorian Empire’s defense, a prime catch to render its people helpless.
The All sensed the rest it had emitted from its totality reaching for each other. They linked and combined their small voices to beseech it to take them back. It knew, for though they were distant, they were still the All.
The All cannot come to you yet. The All is close, but the near-capture of that which held the Hobato is an unforeseen danger.
They’ll try again. They’ll come for me, came the desperate answer. It is not good. How do I protect me?
Few see. Few know. None of the rest are suspected. The All spoke with shaken confidence and focused on what was most important. The Kalquorians invaded our dimension. They are the wrongdoers. We will stop them.
The small voices asked, how?
A damning question, had there not been an answer. Concentrate on the Galactic Council. Does the All not hold the most important posts there? From there, I take its members.
But Kalquor?
The units most dangerous are identified. They have shown their hand. It won’t take positions of power to kill them. Imdiko Lokmi and Matara Hope Nath of Clan Kila. Matara Cassidy Hamilton of Clan Tranis. They have the means to breach my home and bring their weapons where harm may be done. They die.
It is good. Spoken uncertainly. The almost successful attack on Hobato’s rider had been a shock, proof the enemy had reached into the dimension where the All lived and ruled.
When these threats have been destroyed, our infiltration of the Galactic Council and its members will allow us to turn Kalquor’s allies against them. We have proof of Kalquor’s malfeasance in opposition to the council’s laws. We’ll expose it. Unleashing diseases developed by the Bi’isils on our enemy will increase their weakness. They will fall.
They will fall. It is good.
It wasn’t good, but the All was certain it would win in the end. Not as quickly as it had hoped, but its detoured path to annihilation remained clear. Victory despite the interlopers’ surprising counterattack was still in its grasp.
* * * *
Blythe Nelson is certain Clan Deram is keeping something from her. The clan of spies finds it difficult to stay a step ahead of the wily reporter who’s winning their hearts. What they don’t know is Blythe has a secret of her own. New love can’t survive without trust, and neither side is ready when the truth comes out.
Dramok Ospar, determined to return to the political stage, strikes up a deal with Royal Councilman Oiteil. Unaware he’s dealing with a Dark entity controlling Oiteil, he finds himself fighting for his honor, his relationship with his clan…and his life.
The Kalquorian Empire, already struggling against the Darks infiltrating its highest offices, suffers a new blow when it’s revealed it’s keeping a prisoner from the war against the first Earth: Holy Leader Browning Copeland. The schism between Kalquor and its allies grows deeper, setting the empire against the rest of the galaxy.
As chaos descends on rioting Earther colonies, the Galactic Council of Planets, and Kalquor, a desperate group of humans and Kalquorians race to stop the force behind the turmoil: the Darks. Can they loosen the grip on their worlds the enemy seeks to tighten, or is all lost?
Releasing March 29. Pre-order coming soon.
