The stations touched down with a grace that could only mean they were operating as they were designed to. And once they were nestled on the surface of the planet, like the eggs of a great avian creature, they began to unfurl. The portions of the station added by man, built to suit his own needs, was cast aside, shedded like old skin, as the perfection of organic Tarsi engineering was fully realized.

In the center of each Fulcrum station was a great spire, and out of this spire a nutrient and moisture-rich substance began to spew. For the first time in centuries, rain fell on Hastrom City. The people rejoiced, dancing in the streets, feeling the sweet relief of precipitation, catching it on their tongues like children.

The canisters that Deacon had seen in the very core of the Fulcrum station were launched high into the air, where they exploded. Seeds coated with nutrients that would both protect them and hasten their growth began to fall to the earth. In a week, verdant fields would spring up all around. Saplings would shoot up faster than they had any business to, and before anyone knew it, forests would return to the planet Eursus.

The air was sweeter, the ground kinder to bare feet. The dull grays and brown of all things were soon augmented with the supple pinks, purples, and crimsons of budding flowers, their sweet scent filling the air wherever they deigned to sprout up.

It was a new world, and the people of Hastrom City were ready to rebuild it, promising not to fall back into the old habits that had first wrought the world’s destruction.

Only time would tell if they would be able to hold up their end of the bargain.

In October I ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the production costs of this novel. This book would not have been possible without the generous contributions from the people below:

Mike Fisher

Danny and Victoria Kilpatrick

Phillip and Jenny Hintze

Michael and Melanie Janis

Errol Ronje

Vinh Diep

Matt and Judy Strepka

Tyson and Vicki Wanjura

Steven Stacy

William Henderson

Paul and Alison Meiller

C. Scott and Angie Elfstrom

Sarah Rickaway

Jeremy Hicks

Wade Treichler

Tiffany Green Jarmon

Michael Kamion

Dan and Lisa Dible

Tyler Rickaway

Forrest Curran

Scott Early

Emilia and Katy Schatz

Shing-Lu Yue

Ben and Zuquing Dible

Carey and Kristin Lewis

Becki Vining

Sarah Hughes

Tosha Phelps

John-Paul Hayworth

Terry Julian

Billy Norwood

Andy Sherwood

David and Tricia Rickaway

Tawn Gale

Maury McCown

Kelley Barnard

Cathy Lucas

Carl and Becky Henderson

Daniel Bush

Zach and Heather Rickaway

Thank you so much!

Thank you, dear reader, for joining me on Letho’s second adventure. It has been great fun spending time in Letho’s world and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed discovering it. If you feel so inclined, please leave me a review on Amazon and/or goodreads. Every review helps!

Sincerely,

Doug Rickaway

@dougrickaway

http://www.dougrickaway.com

http://www.facebook.com/DougRickaway