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8/13/2019 Autumn Rose - Extract
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HarperVoyagerAn imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
7785 Fulham Palace Road,Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
www.harpercollins.co.uk
A Paperback Original 2014
Copyright Abigail Gibbs 2014
Abigail Gibbs asserts the moral right tobe identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this bookis available from the British Library
ISBN: 978 0 00 750499 2
This novel is entirely a work of fiction.The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are
the work of the authors imagination. Any resemblance toactual persons, living or dead, events or localities is
entirely coincidental.
Set in Meridien by Palimpsest Book Production Limited,Falkirk, Stirlingshire
Printed and bound in Great Britain byClays Ltd, St Ives plc
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the priorpermission of the publishers.
FSC is a non-profit international organisation established to promotethe responsible management of the worlds forests. Products carrying theFSC label are independently certified to assure consumers that they come
from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic andecological needs of present and future generations,
and other controlled sources.
Find out more about HarperCollins and the environment atwww.harpercollins.co.uk/green
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O Angel, ravish me in my youth!
Render me incapable of thought
And reduce me to the primal eldest joy,
For I am yours,
Until the day Christ calls.
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Prologue
I suppose I always knew I was different; that my fate was set
in stone, and that one day, I would sit on a cold, hard throne.
A symbol of what I am. A deity of my kind.
A deity among many.
I was not conscious. I was running through the green grass,
screaming her name in a tongue as familiar to me as the
shadow that the tall grey-stone building cast in my path.Tears streaked my face and I struggled to climb the steps,
hearing the babble behind the closed entrance doors, like
the stream beside the lodge that would swell after the winter
rains. My polished, square, school-approved heels squealed
in protest as I burst through the double doors, coming across
the same sight I had seen a thousand times: hundreds of
faces turning to me and then blackness. I waited, breathlessthough asleep, for the scene to replay itself as it always had
in the past.
But this time was different. Instead of waking up in a
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2 AUTUMN ROSE
cold sweat, cheeks wet, bed soaked, I drifted into another
scene. Now, a tall statue loomed in front of me and sunlight
glinted off pale paving and the tumbling water in two iden-tical fountains. Almost as though somebody had hit fast-
forward, the scene sped up and I watched, captivated, as
thousands of suit-clad humans and camera-carrying tourists
rushed from one side of a square to the other. The clouds
sailed across the grey, simmering ocean of a sky, the square
darkening as day turned to night, Nelson lighting up on his
column as fewer and fewer people passed by. Eventually,
Trafalgar Square emptied of any life, except for a few pigeons
and a lone girl.
The scene slowed and focused on the girl. Dark hair framed
her face and she wore a long black coat, half-unbuttoned to
reveal the darkened outline of cleavage and hoisted high
enough to show the hem of her black dress, which she
tugged down every few minutes. She wasnt pale, but neither
was she blessed with a tan; most striking of all were her
eyes, purple, which glowed above the light of her mobile.
Slipping her phone back into her pocket, she moved to
sit on one of the long stone benches beneath the trees that
lined the square. After a single minute, she perked up again,
alert and tense.Abruptly, the scene cut and was replaced by another.
Darkening, congealing red liquid coated the ground and
stained the water of the fountains like wine. Bodies littered
the floor and I looked on, sickened as their life and energy
drained from their necks and seeped across the city I knew
and loved; the city I was torn from . . .
I was wrenched back to consciousness. Bolting upright inbed, I reached for the light on my alarm clock, surprised. It
had only just turned one oclock in the morning.
I was sweating now and heaving in air, hugging the clock
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ABIGAIL GIBBS 3
to my chest so its light illuminated the room. It was empty,
but every time I blinked I could see blood, and bodies, and
purple eyes . . .Groaning at the vivid images still implanted in my mind,
I grabbed a pen and reached up to the calendar above my
bed, crossing out and therefore marking the start of another
day of the fast-evaporating summer holidays: the 31stJuly.
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CHAPTER ONE
Autumn
Well, look here, its everyones favourite recluse. An apron
came flying my way and I caught it, unfolded it and tied
the strings behind my back.
Good morning, Nathan.
Did you hear that, Sophie? he asked, turning to one of
the new, young waitresses, whose arms were stacked up
with crisp white plates as the much older Nathan emptied
the dishwasher. Its a good morning. How unusual.I stared at the girl and tried to decide if Id met her before,
or if she was just totally indistinguishable from the other
skinny-jeans-clad and powdered orange Saturday staff.
And how am I a recluse? I asked without tearing my
eyes off her.
She returned the gaze with wide eyes as sweat began to
trickle down her temples. Her fingers nervously tappedagainst the rim of the lowest plate and as I side-stepped her
to grab a pile of menus, she scrambled back and squeaked.
The plates in her hands dropped towards the tiled floor.
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ABIGAIL GIBBS 5
Havent met her before, then.
With a flick of my finger the plates froze in mid-air and
floated onto the worktop. Before she could react again Ileft the cramped kitchen and made my way towards the
front of the Harbour Caf, flipping the Closed sign on the
door so it read Open. It was the end of August, and
though it was still early I could see through the window
that tourists were already beginning to crowd the busy
walkway from the working harbour to the more upmarket
marina; in the distance, trawler fishing boats squeezed
between jetties, bringing with them the smell of fish.
Neither was the glass a barrier against the sound of chinking
of masts and the cry of the gulls as they swarmed for their
chance to snatch a portion of the days catch the score
which accompanied every morning in the bustling fishing
town of Brixham.
Nathan rounded the counter and crossed the caf in a
couple of bounding strides not hard because of his tall and
lanky build. He cocked his head apologetically.
Before you arrived, she was telling me shes never seen
a Sage, he explained in an undertone.
I shrugged. Her reaction came as no surprise. In the year
I had worked at the caf, only Nathan the chef and Ihad been permanent, and every new member of staff had
given me a wide berth and left shortly after. The only reason
I hadnt lost my job over it was because my boss knew she
could get away with paying me less. I wasnt about to put
up a fuss. She had been the only person in town willing to
offer me any work at all.
Nathan placed a tattooed left hand on my arm as I wentto pass. And recluse because you havent answered my texts
for a month.
You were in Iceland, and I was in London.
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You still could have replied.
I grabbed the sleeve of his chefs whites which were, in
fact, black and removed his arm. Released, I laid the menuscontaining the days specials on the tables, working my way
across the caf with Nathan following.
How was Iceland? I eventually asked to fill the silence.
Beautiful. Democratic.
I sighed and rolled my eyes as my back was turned.
The humans and Sage there live together as one commu-
nity, not divided like here. I straightened up to see him
jerking his thumb back towards the kitchen where Sophie
was. Or anywhere, he added as an afterthought.
Id heard his rhetoric on Sagean-human relations before,
but he had saved up for so long to afford his holiday that I
didnt want to burst his bubble. And yet . . .
Sage? Only Extermino live there.
I couldnt see his eyes because his hair curly, brown and
almost down to his shoulders was covering them, but I
thought I saw him avert them.
Extermino are Sage too, they just believe different things.
And yes, their scars turn grey just because they play
happy families with humans, I mocked, but didnt find the
matter funny at all. Theyre violent extremist rebels, Nathan.They are enemies of the Athenean monarchy, and of all
other dark beings too. Dont forget that.
He looked towards the ground and adjusted his rolled-up
cuffs. I just think things arent great as they are, whilst
people like you get marginalized
The tinkle of a bell interrupted him and we both startled
and turned towards the door, as if surprised that customersactually might be coming in. The three girls in the doorframe
paused, as startled as we were, and then proceeded towards
the table beside the window.
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ABIGAIL GIBBS 7
Good luck, Nathan muttered, and retreated back to the
kitchen.
I took a deep breath, pulled out my notepad, and approachedthe group.
Good morning, what can I get you? I chirped, pretending
they were total strangers.
The nearest girl flicked her long black hair over her shoul-
ders and leered at me from behind her heavy fringe. She
was tall, and her shoulders very wide; she didnt have to tilt
her head far to meet my gaze.
The usual, witch.
I gripped the pen tightly, trying to focus through the
window on the steady lap of the sea against the harbour
walls.
Ive been away for a month, Im afraid I cant remember
what you and your friends have, Valerie, I said through
clenched teeth.
Valerie Danvers was what could only be described as a
bully. My schools bully.
Her sustenance was my misery, not a damned coffee.
She muttered something to her friends about Sage, and
then begrudgingly gave me her order, demanding that half
the dish be omitted. Her friends were only slightly lessunpleasant.
I went and got their drinks and was thanked with the
usual grunt. A minute later I was in the toilet, back to the
door, forcing myself to take deep breaths. It was a Saturday
morning ritual, and had been ever since Valerie Danvers had
discovered the caf was the perfect place to torment me.
With my eyes closed I could almost see the short outlineof a woman my grandmother growing older but still in
her prime, with her head bowed towards a small child, half
her height, and talking. Always talking.
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Sagean children are like ivy; you grow fast and live very long.
Human children are like butterflies. They are ugly in their chrysalis,
until the day they finally emerge, and become adults. The uglychrysalis is jealous of the ivy, you see?
I squeezed my eyelids tighter together. Breathe . . .
Hammering on the other side of the door wrenched me
back. The small room was still dark and I grabbed a cord,
flooding the room with sterile white light.
Autumn, I know its you, get out of there now!
Nathan, I groaned. He knew Valerie was a pain, why
was he bothering me?
Somethings happening outside!
My skin began to heat and tingle as blood and magic raced
to my hands. Walls ceased to be barriers . . . because from
far away, I could hear a heartbeat, fast approaching and
speeding up . . . and it wasnt human.
I unlocked the door and peeked out. A pale Nathan stood
on the other side whilst the rest of the caf was empty;
stepping out I could see Valerie and her friends straining
over the railings surrounding the harbour, watching a
commotion across the water.
I ran outside and the warmth on my skin was whipped
away with the cold sea breeze; but my heart went cold too.A jetty opposite us was blanketed in a miniature patch of
fog, like a fire had been lit and the smoke had engulfed the
wall. Yet it lit up with flashes of light, and it screamed; it
screamed for mercy . . . or the people trapped inside did.
My body froze. The rational part of my brain knew I
should help but my feet wouldnt move.
Suddenly, Nathan bolted away from my side and sprintedalong the wall towards the screams. His action shut the fear
off and I flung myself into the air and flew across the harbour,
crumpling to the ground near the fog.
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ABIGAIL GIBBS 9
I had no idea what the fog was I was too afraid to send
any magic towards it in case it hit anybody trapped inside
. . . so instead I tentatively reached out with a finger, ballof fire ready just behind in the other hand.
It seemed like fine drizzle from a couple of inches away yet
as the tip of my finger touched it, no moisture collected . . .
Like a sheet being torn apart, I felt the borders between
dimensions rip open. You had to have magic to cross them
strong magic and weak dark-beings and humans couldnt
open them.
The dread in my heart only increased as I realized what
kind of enemy I was facing: not one I could fight.
The pull of the borders tried to yank me forward and I
stumbled, trying to hold myself back until the white cloud
abruptly disappeared into a closing black hole; it sealed before
I could possibly see who had created it.
The scene that was revealed was horrifying. There were
maybe ten humans, most crouched or lying on the ground,
some bleeding, all blinking and looking around bewildered
at the sunlight. In the middle there was a man lying flat on
his back, a pool of blood gathering around his head but not
a scratch anywhere else on him.
A woman was leaning over him and shaking his shoulders.Another had her fingers pressed to his wrists. She reached
out and placed a hand on the arm of the other woman,
shaking her head.
Autumn, do something! Nathan demanded having
caught up with me.
The humans looked up for the first time and noticed me.
No, Nathan, hes gone, I cantNathan shoved me forwards, glaring. Youre a Sage, of
course you can. Sage can do anything.
I looked down at the man on the ground, shaking my
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head as tears brimmed. Why is he doing this? Nathan knows I
cant bring back the dead!
Its your duty, Nathan continued.The woman managed to stop sobbing long enough to
speak. They had grey scars . . . two of them. Hit him with
black light.
Grey scars Extermino! And black light . . . That was a death
curse!
Im sorry, I really cant
I backed away. There was nothing I could do even if I
hadnt been paralyzed by fear of the Extermino . . . in
Brixham. Attacking humans. It didnt make sense, and some-
thing told me that their target had been a Sage . . . and I
was the only Sage for miles.
The woman screamed and kept shaking the man. I couldnt
watch any longer, and leaving a gaping Nathan, I took to
the air again and fled the horror.
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