Planetbound - DM Arnold (the two towers ebook .txt) 📗

her knees. “This is the traditional way for a woman.” She untied the belt. “She binds her legs so she isn't found in an undignified posture.” Nyk held her again, caressing the back of her head as she wept. “Nick -- please sleep with me tonight.”

Nykkyo carried Nicky into the living room. Yasuko was working on something on a table. “Good morning, Grandma,” he said. She looked up. Nicky reached for her and she took him.

Nyk examined the objects on the table -- a pair of frames. He turned them over and saw photo portraits of Suki and George. “It's a beautiful one of Suki,” he said. “When was this taken?”

“It was her high school senior picture.”

“She hasn't changed much.” He looked at her. “I'll bet you were as pretty as she when you were this age.”

“I'm afraid not, Nick.” She handed Nicky to him. “I was prettier,” she said and smiled.

“I'm glad to see you smile again, Yasuko.”

She picked up the photographs. “I knew I had some frames in the basement.” She carried them to the wall where the crest had hung. “I think they'd look good here -- in place of that damned knife. Here, Nick -- give me a hand hanging them.”

Nyk took down the tanto and short sword and pulled their hooks out of the wall. He picked up nails and a hammer, measured the spots and pounded them in. “There -- oops, I think George's is a little low.”

“It's fine, Nick.” He picked up the dagger and sword. “Where are you going with those?”

“I'm going to put them away -- in a safe place. Yasuko?”

“Yes?”

“Will you be all right?”

“I think so.”

Author's Note

Planetbound, along with Earthbound and The Lexal Affair completes the Earthbound Trilogy (although two additional volumes, The Altian Plague and The Lost Colony have since joined the Trilogy to form the Earthbound Series).

This volume includes references to the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. It's my hope my readers will not regard this as exploiting a tragedy. My apologies in advance to any that do so -- such certainly was not my intent.

My employment is in the financial industry, and many of my colleagues were impacted directly by the attack as they lost friends and associates in firms such as Cantor Fitzgerald and others.

As a native New Yorker I felt the attack personally, and this volume is an attempt to address my feelings -- and, to speculate on how one individual could in a small way thwart the forces of evil. Who's to say something like this didn't happen?

Imprint

Text: DM Arnold
Publication Date: 07-08-2015

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