Part 53 (2/2)

As for the book, and its powers, I have set these aside. I want nothing more to do with them and I have vowed never again to use them unless financial distress or some other inclination should convince me otherwise. It is but a surety of my happiness with Lady Caroline, there to bring her back should some tragedy befall her, a.s.suming we are still, at the time, living in a state of felicity.

Perhaps it was so that Lady Caroline was a bit darker after her resurrection. Perhaps it was this darkness that allowed her to forgive me my crimes and to marry a man who had blackmailed her friends and taken such liberties with the lives of others. I could not say. I do feel that a little bit of darkness might have made her even more compatible with me, and nothing that resulted from her death and revival harmed our love.As to whether or not it strengthened it, I shall leave that to better minds than mine.

As one last note, I should mention that business takes me, from time to time, to London to meet with bankers or lawyers or suchlike people, and while I am there, I always make it a habit to pay a visit to St. Bartholomew's Hospital. It is a wretched place, mostly full of the housed dying, but there are a few longer-term patients, paid for out of donations.There lies such a terrible case, a man who lacks feet and so cannot walk. He lacks hands, and so cannot write. He lacks a tongue, and so cannot speak. Some unknown benefactor pays for his upkeep, and I must say, I find it a touching experience to visit this unfortunate, whose eyes are wide and expressive, as if he has something to say to me. What could it be? No one knows. Perhaps he wishes to express grat.i.tude to those who care for him. Perhaps he wishes to say that it was a mistake to cross a man so disposed to feed his inclination for vengeance. Perhaps he wishes to plea for death. I can offer no informed guess as to what this poor fellow wishes to communicate. I suppose it is a secret he will take with him to his grave.

Alive Day

Jonathan Maberry Author's Note

This story features Captain Joe Ledger, the lead character from my series of science/action thrillers. It is not necessary to have read any of Ledger's previous adventures in order to read this story.

1.

rAttlesnAke teAm

Ten Days Ago . . . He lay there, crushed inside a fist of darkness.

Unable to move.

Barely able to breathe.

”I'm sorry,” he tried to say.”G.o.d . . . I'm so sorry.”

There was no answer from the darkness.

The Afghan desert that surrounded this abandoned town had been so hot

bef ore . . .

Now it was cold.

So cold.

Sergeant Michael O'Leary-combat call sign ”Finn”-tried to move his legs, but they were dead and distant things. He could barely feel them. His toes were cold, though. Icy. He could feel that much.

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