Atonement Sky, page 38
part #9 of Psy-Changeling Trinity Series
Ajax spoke up. “You gonna tell Krychek?”
“I already did,” Bo said of the dangerous Psy who’d become a friend. “He turned over all research on his own team’s shield project when they thought the PsyNet was on the brink of a final collapse, and he’s willing to send us assistance if we need technical support—but man’s got no time to focus on it.
“This is confidential in order to stop panic, so don’t share it outside this room, but the PsyNet isn’t fixed, just bought itself a bit of time.” Bo understood the weight of what it meant to hold an entire people on your shoulders and didn’t begrudge Kaleb his focus on the failing psychic network.
The cardinal had more than kept the bargain the two of them had struck.
“The raptors and the cats have bought us some, too,” Heenali said. “Our scientists can work without fear of being mentally raped if they make new breakthroughs. We can provide security support where needed to make sure of that.”
Bo nodded. Because while an external shield wasn’t the most secure thing in the world…it was still going to change that world.
The human race was no longer in third place when it came to the reins of power.
Chapter 51
Dear Aunt Rita,
I know this update has been a long time coming.
First of all, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for answering my very confused query back in last year’s February issue. I know you get thousands of letters, so I didn’t even expect a reply, and never one so soon after I sent it.
But you did answer…and you changed the course of my life.
After I read your advice, I decided to invite my falcon friend over for dinner. By this time, she’d also dropped an entire cheese basket in my arms, so I decided to make cheese fondue. I know it’s old-fashioned, but it always seemed fun to me—and I had a LOT of cheese.
When she came over, she seemed nervous—and she’d brought me a giant bag of fresh green apples. So after we watched a movie and had fondue, we decided to make midnight apple pie.
And then, well, it was too late for her to go home, and I had so much food to get through…and…we’re getting married in six months’ time and would be beyond honored to have you attend the ceremony.
We did already mate but I’ve always wanted a wedding, complete with a huge white dress and lots of flowers, the whole romantic thing, and my falcon mate is happy to be married as well as mated—she says it just makes her mine twice over.
She’s my best friend in all this world, and she’s even talked her older brothers into flying past before the reception to drop chocolates into the guests’ hands as wedding favors.
We’re enclosing the invitation in hope. But even if you decline, know that you are the reason for our happy ending.
With grateful thanks and all our love,
~Soccer Fiend & Falcon Foodie
Dear Soccer Fiend & Falcon Foodie,
My dears, you have made this crotchety old lady shed a tear. I shall be at your wedding in all my finery, never you fear.
I also expect cheese fondue.
With love,
~Aunt Rita
—From the March 2074 issue of Wild Woman magazine: “Skin Privileges, Style & Primal Sophistication”
Acknowledgments
It was important to me to get my research about the Diné correct. Even though I write in a paranormal world, with artistic license taken due to the structure of that world—including, in this case, the unique realm of winged changelings—I still wanted to do everything I could to make sure I got things right.
Diné Bizaad (Navajo) is a beautiful and incredibly complex language. That’s why I used it sparingly and only where I was certain I was using it the correct way.
I’d like to thank the Diné teachers who run YouTube channels to teach others their language and culture, in particular: @daybreakwarrior, @navajotraditionalteachings, and @navajograndma. Thanks to them, I not only learned the particular words used in this book, but also found inspiration for further research about the Diné.
As always, if I’ve made an error, it was done without intent.
Thank you for coming with me on this flight into the skies above the canyons and deserts of Arizona.
Hágoónee’.
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the temples of Japan, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer.
She is the author of the Psy-Changeling novels, including Primal Mirror, Resonance Surge, and Storm Echo. She is also the author of the Guild Hunter series, including Archangel’s Lineage, Archangel’s Resurrection, and Archangel’s Light, and three stand-alone thrillers, A Madness of Sunshine, Quiet in Her Bones, and There Should Have Been Eight.
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Nalini Singh, Atonement Sky
