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

hear about your religious beliefs, Luther. I know the truth, and it has set me free from fear. You’re welcome to place your trust in whatever god you choose, but I follow the one I can see. The one who speaks to me, the one who has blessed my people with superhuman gifts and protected us from danger. Not that archaic creator you and your people trust in.” He looks straight at me. “All but one of them, it would appear.”

“You just don’t get it.” I point at Mother Lairen. “She’s no god. She’s just a manifestation. The spirits that generate her want to see you kill your own people!”

Cain clenches his jaw. “How dare you speak such blasphemy in her presence?”

“Allow her to speak for herself,” Luther says, though he can neither see nor hear the spirit. “Tell us, Mother Lairen—or Gaia: What is our purpose in going to Eden?”

“Gaia does not speak to infidels!” Cain’s face flushes with rage.

“Apparently she does,” I counter.

He glares at me. “I don’t know why she speaks to you.”

Mother Lairen holds up an ivory hand. “I would have assumed your purpose is obvious. To take back what is rightfully yours, and to safeguard the lives of your two peoples against men such as this Arthur Willard, and his cohorts in the United World. They brought this fight on themselves by encroaching upon your lands without permission.”

She gestures for me to relay the message to Luther, while Cain merely nods with a fiery glint in his eyes. Is there something else he isn’t sharing, a secret between himself and the evil spirit?

“Why do you insist on using that word, my child?” Mother Lairen stares straight at me.

“What?”

“Evil. I can see it in your mind, whenever you look at me. Why must such a dichotomy exist? Good and evil. So very primitive.” She laughs. “Simply because I do not believe you will ever achieve greatness through peace, you refer to me as evil?”

Instead of replying, I echo her words for Luther’s benefit.

“In our dealings with you before,” he says, “it became clear that you did not wish for us to succeed at anything. You wanted us to die out as a species. To paraphrase what you told Milton, The time of humankind is past.”

Cain’s brow furrows. He glances silently from Luther to Mother Lairen.

“Ah yes,” she continues, “but you are not technically human anymore, are you?” She smiles with a warmth that threatens to overcome us all. “The United World in their self-sustaining domes across the waters are the last of their kind on this planet, as are the men hiding down in Eden. They have not been blessed with abilities that make them more than human. They are a subspecies. They are weak. And because of that, they must be exterminated.”

I relay her proclamation to Luther, who doesn’t appear convinced.

Mother Lairen shakes her head with what appears to be both patience and pity. “When I asked Milton to destroy the reactor in Eden, would that explosion have harmed your people?”

“Eventually,” I reply. “The fallout would have been catastrophic. None of the bunkers are functional anymore. There would have been no safe place for us.”

“Daiyna, I would have kept the damage contained, deep within Eden. I would not have allowed it to surface. So you see, I’ve never wanted to destroy your people—only the ones who have wished you harm!”

Cain nods vigorously. He likes what he’s hearing.

Outside, the weapons fire has ceased, and the dust begins to clear. Two warriors approach the Hummer as one shouts, “Lord Cain!”

He lowers the tinted window at his side. “Report.”

“The goblyns are vanquished. We have taken their weapons and vehicles.”

“Very good. We will proceed eastward and catch up with Markus and Vincent.” He moves to raise the window.

“One more thing, m’lord.” The warrior clears his throat. “The others, the…infidels—”

“What is it?” Cain demands.

“They’re…gone. They took most of the weapons we confiscated from them.”

With an explosive curse, Cain throws open the door manually and surveys the scene. Luther and I climb out behind him. I give Mother Lairen a direct look. The spirit’s face appears slightly perturbed by the turn of events.

“Where? They could not have gone far!” Cain bellows. His warrior points northwest where a wall of swirling dust covers our people’s retreat.

“Do we go after them?” the warrior asks. “We have enough vehicles now to round them up.”

Cain turns his gaze westward. He has to be thinking of the UW’s advance. “There is no time. We will leave them to their fate.” He locks eyes with Luther. “Will you join them?”

“Do I have a choice?” Luther says.

I place a hand on his arm. “We should be with our people.”

“I will not forsake our children.”

“We won’t.” I bow my head close to his. “But this is suicide, Luther. The spirits warned me not to go to Eden. Not now.”

“Go.” Cain curses, turning his back on us. “We will do your fighting for you.” Shouting orders to his warriors, he climbs back into the Hummer.

“So the spirits spoke to you again?” Luther faces me. “The benevolent ones?”

I nod, watching Cain’s people move out, kicking up dust in their wake. The warriors on foot hasten to keep up with the seven vehicles, leaving behind half a dozen of their fallen comrades. And all twenty-four of the daemon carcasses.

“Is your desire for revenge—?”

“As strong as ever.” I glance at him. “But other things are more important now.”

He nods slowly. “The children.”

My eyes sting. “Our children, Luther.” I kick at a rock. “How can we rescue them?”

He points at the cloud of dust swirling around our people in the distance, hiding them from view. “We’ll have their help, Daiyna.”

“Do you believe any of what she said—Cain’s god? That the evil spirits want only to destroy the natural humans…not the ones like us?”

“Not a word of it. The spirits who have come to our aid—they’ve told both you and Milton what the evil spirits want more than anything: the end of humankind. Gifted or