Cinder

THE SAGA CONTINUES

"The reports are coming in now, sir."

"And what do they say?"

"Our initial findings were accurate; Spyglass has been destroyed, and half of Regis along with him. New Humanity is no more."

"Not quite. The head of the snake may have been severed, but the rest of its body may still yet writhe. His doctrines have grown like a fungus, spreading their roots throughout the minds of the weak. Granted, we no longer hover over the edge of extinction- but we have a ways to go before New Humanity's influence disappears forever."

"A wise assessment, sir. I'll look into further eradication of its supporters."

"I'm sure that the new governing body of the frontier will dispatch agents to assist with that as well."

"New governing body? It's been less than twelve hours since the Embers' victory-"

"And I'm sure that their ranks are already being assessed from within for someone to fill the power vacuum that Spyglass left behind."

"With all due respect, sir ... should that not be you? With all your information, and the decades of experience you've obtained-"

"The nature of my influence and power requires that I stay in the shadows. The moment I were to reveal myself- all of it would disappear. People respect and fear 'the Advocate' because they do not know them. They do not know if it's a man, a woman, an AI, a collective group of like-minded aristocrats ... there's far more to be gained from a lack of identity than the possession of one."

"I understand."

"That does not mean that we are without control, however. Whoever sits at the forefront of whatever new government rises, they will be someone of our choosing. Put forth Amelia Vale's name as a nomination."

"The leader of the Embers?"

"The same. If I recall correctly, she has not yet repaid what she owes- having someone indebted to me in the seat of power will provide us with a plethora of new opportunities."

"She's in your debt?"

"Years ago, I saved her life at the urging of another of my investments. I have not yet collected from either of them, but I will not hesitate to do so now."

"I can't believe you saw such a potential use for her so long ago."

"Even a pawn can play a vital role in securing victory for the king. Start spreading the word, let the people begin to whisper her name. She'll be preoccupied with her current search for several days at least, I imagine- plenty of time for inception to occur."

"Speaking of her search ..."

"Ah, yes. Four ... the defiant reflection."

"Our reports say that he and his Titan were left behind on the surface when the fold-weapon's portal destabilized. The chances of them having survived are astronomical, to say the least- a non-zero probability at best."

"It's more than enough."

"... Sir?"

"... For twenty years, I tried to find him ... and, quite by accident, he suddenly resurfaced from seemingly nowhere. He wasn't even trying to hide- that was the issue. I'd never imagined to find him so openly. Even kept his numerical designation, though I suspect he did not fully grasp the importance behind his name. Perhaps he did not remember."

"What would you like us to do?"

"I've spent many of my resources trying to locate him, and spent even more trying to assist him in overthrowing Spyglass. At this point, I'm far too invested to give up now. One way or another ... it's time to bring him home."

"Understood, sir. I'll deliver your commands to the proper channels. Primus inter pares."

"Primus inter pares."

-X-

A/N: Hello, all. I'm sure many of you are wondering, 'why is he posting another chapter to Cinder? Didn't we already have an epilogue? What's going on?'

Well, I'm here to tell you that the day has arrived- the one that many of you anticipated would come at some point, just three months short of a year ago when this story ended.

The fourth book in the series, and the first in a new trilogy- the 'Ghosts' trilogy- has arrived.

Not only that, but several chapters are already up and available to read right now.

The book's title is 'Six', and it's going to be rather different than what you might expect. There are new characters to love, new worlds to explore, and new concepts to be expanded upon. I can't say anymore without delving into spoiler territory ... but this one's going to be a whopper.

If you'd like to start reading, you can find the story on my author page. Hope to see you there.

- Matteoarts