Spirits of the Earth: The Complete Series: (A Post-Apocalyptic Series Box Set: Books 1-3) by Milo Fowler (paper ebook reader .TXT) 📕

turn my attention to the iron rods planted into the sand. The body won’t be going anywhere until they’re dug up. I’m not about to desecrate the man’s remains in order to tear him free.

“What about the woman and the other men—their leader, Bishop?”

“The sergeant is the only one among them open to my presence.”

“You revealed yourself to him?” I feel a bitter surge of jealousy. I don’t like it, but I can’t help it. Gritting my teeth, I dig at the damp, hard-packed sand around the rebar with my hands. “How’d he take it?”

“He could not see. Something was wrong with his helmet. But he heard me, though he could not believe what he was hearing.” She sounds amused.

“What did you do? Show up as his girlfriend or something?”

“His daughter. And then his wife.”

I can feel her eyes on me as I busy myself with the sand.

“The man is motivated by love. He wishes only to see his family again.” She pauses. “The team was attacked by daemons. I had to intervene.”

“You must really think they’re important, these UW people.”

“The United World government does not own James Bishop. They are using him. If he were to become an ally—”

“Why are you so interested?” I stop digging and look up at her. My heart’s beating as fast as it does during flight. “Why the hell do you care about any of this—about us? What are we to you?”

She blinks at me as her brow creases. “Milton—”

I stand, abandoning the corpse. “Show me.” I advance on her. “Show me what you looked like to him.”

“Milton, it doesn’t work like that. You know—”

“I said show me.” I grip her by the forearms. She doesn’t struggle.

“Why are you—?”

“Do it now!”

“Or what?” Jackson’s voice behind me sends an oily chill up the back of my neck. “You’ll kill her all over again?”

I release Julia and whirl with fists clenched to face this specter from my past. But I have no words as I stare up at the large bearded man. So I return to the sand instead.

“What are you doing with that thing?” Jackson smirks at the corpse.

“Cleaning up after you,” Julia says.

“Hey, I didn’t do this. I gave Milton’s people my word. No more interfering.”

I remain silent, digging both hands with renewed vigor. Part of me almost believes if I ignore Jackson, he’ll go away. But most of me knows better.

“Where’s your dress?” I mutter without looking up.

Jackson chuckles drily. “You’ve been telling tales out of school, my dear.”

“Only the truth,” Julia replies.

“As you see it.”

“You have set yourself up as an object of their worship—”

“I’ve given them hope,” he counters.

“Like this?” I gesture at the dead body. “You know what it will bring.”

Jackson smiles coldly. “Your kind knows only destruction. If you remember, I gave you the choice to end their misery, once and for all. But you chose life.” He laughs, and there is no mirth in his tone—only malice. “Let’s see what your species does with it!”

“You want them to destroy themselves,” Julia says.

“I want them to do what comes naturally. They had their time on this earth, and they squandered it. They destroyed us all, everything we ever knew. They should have exterminated themselves in the process.” He folds his brawny arms and shrugs. “I’m just allowing them to fulfill their destiny.”

“Through deceit.” She’s never backed down from him, and she isn’t now. “You manipulate them and lie to them, pretending to have powers you’ve never possessed. If you manifested yourself in a form more in keeping with your goals—”

“You’d have me show up as what? A devil?”

“If the hoof fits.”

I’ve got the iron bars free of the hard-packed sand, and I give the skewered body a slight push, sending it over backward where it falls with a puff of dust. I tug out each of the bloodstained rods, pulling them free of the corpse and sending them skidding across the sand.

“So nothing’s really changed.” I don’t look at either one of them. “After all we went through before, everything you put me through. We’re right back where we started. You want us to live.” I nod toward Julia as I dig with my hands, enlarging the pit to make room for the soldier’s body. “And you want us to die—only you’re not acting against us directly this time around.” I glance up at Jackson with contempt. “You’re pitting us against each other instead. So that in the end, none of us will survive.” I shake my head at the insanity of it.

Julia kneels beside me. “You have changed immensely, Milton. Just think back to the person you were a year ago, and compare that to the man you are now. You have earned Luther’s complete trust. He sends you to scout for your people, and he makes decisions that affect all of their lives based on your word alone. Just last night, you saved every member of that United World team—”

“A reprieve.” Jackson scoffs. “Their days are numbered.”

“If you have your way,” Julia allows. “But Milton has stopped you before. He will do it again.”

The weight of her expectations sits squarely on my shoulders.

“Maybe he doesn’t want to be your messiah. Have you ever considered that? It’s just as likely he’ll crumble under the pressure, and everything will go exactly as I’ve planned.” Jackson nods with complete confidence. “The humans used to play a game of strategy called chess. What you’re doing is planning your tactics around a single piece, pinning all your hopes for humankind on Milton, a fractured soul. But I’ve already looked ahead, three or four moves down the line, and there’s no chance you’re going to beat me. Because I’ve learned my lesson, and I don’t have my entire strategy based on a single man or woman. This time, I’m coming from all angles: Cain’s people, Eden, the dissention in Luther’s own camp.” He shakes his head. “You won’t be able to stop me.”

For once, he doesn’t sound arrogant. He’s merely stating the facts.