Rebel
Heart
Christine
Young
achristay@aol.com
Excerpt
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"God Almighty!"
Cameron Savage rocked on the balls of his feet before he moved swiftly and
silently behind the furtive shadow ahead. Until this moment, Cameron thought
the area was secured and safe. If something wasn't done soon to stop this boy,
all hell would break lose.
The most powerful of the
overlords were due into this area by noon. He, Cameron Savage, confidant of the
most influential of all the overlords and also double agent, spy--thieftaker,
was blessed with the burden of securing the perimeter.
His job was two-fold; the
overlords must feel safe, and the wheels must be set in motion for their
eventual capture and prosecution.
This City Dweller
complicated his mission, had the nerve to steal away in the early hours of dawn
to some secret rendezvous. It seemed he cared not for the laws and the tenuous
peace. And why should the boy? The corruption that existed in this world went
unprosecuted, terrifying all law-abiding citizens.
Cameron vowed long ago to
put an end to the trafficking, to stop the thieves who stole the deadly viruses
from the disease control centers, holding them ransom until the City Dwellers
were all but bankrupt. He'd vowed to stop the corrupt and dangerous thieftakers
from forming unholy alliances with the thieves, and in the process reaping
fortunes from both sides.
For a moment he looked at
the emblem sewn on his jacket and gritted his teeth. Once, the golden red
symbol of the dragon, of the thieftakers, stood for something noble. A man
wearing the emblem could be proud of what he did.
But no longer.
Over the last five years,
progress had been made. The tension had eased somewhat, but the threat of
contamination always lingered. One mistake, one infestation and all would be
for naught. All the hard work and research over the long years would be wasted
by a few heartless people. Corrupt thieftakers. The crime syndicates.
Any mistake could prove
fatal.
While Cameron watched, the
small figure stopped beside an old rotten log and knelt before whipping the
knapsack from his back and rummaging through the inside. Seconds later a spade
and a small knife were secured from the pack, and the figure began to shuffle
through the dust, the dirt, and the growths found within. The boy sat back on
his haunches and deposited debris in tiny plastic sacks.
A shiver snaked along
Cameron's spine. The figure did appear elusive but hardly dangerous. He wore
loose fitting camouflage pants and a matching shirt. His cloak was hooded and
dark. When he looked up, he seemed to stare directly at Cameron. With lithe
movements, he deftly packaged and labeled each article and moved farther into
the dense undergrowth.
The darkened forest and the
grey mist closed in around the City Dweller as he passed a huge redwood tree
and disappeared. Cameron stepped forward, intent on tracking this person, but a
flash of light where the boy had been digging made him stop. Cameron searched
the ground for the object that pulled his attention away from his quarry. Then
he saw the piece of jewelry, a ring, with the DeMontville crest.
Perhaps this wasn't a waste
of time.
Cameron's hand closed around
the ring and he held the jewelry a scant moment before he slipped it on his
little finger.
He looked again for the
wayward youth.
"Halt!" The person
he trailed stepped from behind a shield of trees.
A slow smile of amusement
curled Cameron's lip. "Halt?" Cameron leaned casually against the
tree the juvenile had emerged from. His hands crossed negligently over his
chest. "Why?" Cameron asked.
"You have no right to
be here."
Cameron cast the boy a
contemptuous glare. "And I suppose you do." Cameron straightened and
stepped boldly toward the small tense figure.
"Yes...I..." The
young man sounded unsure of himself.
"Tell me what you are
up to and I might allow you to slip back over the wall. Perhaps the good people
within will forgive you the indiscretion."
"It's nothing,"
the youth said shakily as he backed away.
"Leave the pack and
go," Cameron said in what he hoped was his most menacing tone. This young
man needed a good scare.
"No.”
"What?" There was
too much at stake here. Cameron decided the boy's curt refusal was foolhardy,
and perhaps a good scare was not quite intimidating enough to convince him.
Perhaps he needed to be taught a more severe lesson. Cameron started toward him
bent on that very thing.
The boy stood his ground,
chin tilted upward in a strangely feminine gesture that almost stopped Cameron.
"No?" Cameron's
eyebrow rose in mockery. "Don't try to defy me. It will do you no
good."
The little hellion whipped
out a gun and pointed it at him. "I kill thieftakers!"
"Hell!" Cameron
swore again.
Despite the shaking fingers,
Cameron had no doubt this boy would use the weapon. He could disarm the boy.
Easily disarm him. Swiftly
he brought his hand up, landing hard beneath the boy's wrist.
The gun, that had moments
before been pointed against Cameron, went flying into some green oblivion of
forest and moss.
Retribution could be quite
satisfying.
Satisfying indeed. Yet he
was about to be deprived of it. That very minute the juvenile turned and ran,
disappearing into the mist and the trees.
Seconds later Cameron picked
up the sound of his quarry's rapid flight through the overgrown and nearly
forgotten trail.
He moved swiftly through the
forest and its pathways, as if he had intimate knowledge of every tree and bush
within.
And he did.
But the boy proved elusive.
Cameron came to a complete
stop, warily searching the surrounding area, listening intently for any sound,
or a subtle mistake. Only silence prevailed in the forest.
Suddenly a camouflaged waif
darted between two trees. Cameron followed. As he managed to close the distance
between the two of them, his adversary reached for a handful of dirt and grass.
The debris hit him squarely in the face.
"Damnation! Fight like
a man or I'll treat you as I would a small child. You deserve a thrashing, by
God." The dirt did not slow Cameron. He started after the brat once more.
The boy slipped several
times and was now scrambling on all fours as if he searched for something else
to throw.
"Just try it."
There was nothing more in the little clearing for the urchin to grab hold.
Cameron, more frustrated
than he could ever recall, moved with lightning speed and agility. Like a
thunderbolt, he crossed the few remaining feet between them and tackled the
boy.
Fragile hips suddenly lay
between his thighs, and something within him quickened as he held the soft
form. Sheer amazement at the sudden insight held him still for a second.
Even as she struggled again,
with what should have been the last of her strength in a final bid for freedom,
beating upon his chest with her small fists, Cameron tried to decide what
should be done with her. He caught her wrists and held them still.
"Who are you?" he
challenged.
Nothing had changed,
except...
Annie
for Euro Reviews writes:
Rebel Heart is a well-written futuristic novel of a time that very possibly could
come to pass, when viral plagues have laid the planet waste, and life is lived
either in the sterile confines of domed habitats, or as pariahs in the outside
wilderness. The world-building is excellent, vivid, and true-to-life. The
characters will quickly catch and hold the reader's sympathies. The plot is
quick, and takes time to examine many valid social, economic, class, and
political issues as well. Christine
Young delivers a winner which will capture the interest of
futuristic/science fiction fans as well as the general reader.
Jasmina
Vallombrosa for TCM Reviews writes:
Filled with drama and
suspense, this book will draw you into the mysteries of science fiction. I was
pleasantly surprised by Ms. Young’s storytelling talents as she wove not only a
wonderful futuristic adventure, but also that of a passionate love story. I
loved the main characters as they came to life on the pages. The plot was quite
suspenseful and deliciously entertaining. As a result, I had no choice but to
keep flipping the pages as I raced to the end. Bravo Ms.Young for such an
extraordinary book from cover to cover!
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