Immortalys

Book Two Sneak Peek: January

Any regular person traveling across the Canadian tundra on the eighth of January wouldn't have noticed anything out of the ordinary. The air was bitingly cold, the wind slithered over the expanse of frozen ground, and the sky was sunless for twenty-four hours straight, lit only by a glow at the horizon during the short time called daylight. At night, the auroras shimmered in curtains of pastel below the silent sea of stars, reflecting on the snow and on the frozen shores of the Arctic Ocean.

However, atop a curious mountain, beside a certain grey lake, a great deal of activity completely invisible from outsiders' eyes began to occur quite early in the morning.

The capital city of Immortalys, despite being surrounded by endless, stark tundra and at least seven feet of snow, was positively glowing. Countless people swarmed the shining streets, wrapped in their warm coats, talking excitedly to one another and pointing at the large screens that displayed the latest news high up on the walls of buildings. The pillar of blue light which enveloped the Capitol tower radiated across the city and reflected on the lake. Amid the morning's excitement, people in every building paused in their tasks and ran outside to see the news up close.

Down on the street, wearing a heavy coat, a long scarf, and thick mittens, Willow Brockbeam stared up at the screens far above her head. "'Amn-Heuthe finally annexed into Immortalys after two hundred years of civil war,'" she read aloud. "'Broadcast from the Capitol starting in two minutes.'"

"Wow, they did do it!" said Friction Brumbah, who had set down the bags of groceries he had been carrying so he could rub his hands together feverishly in front of his face.

Standing on his other side, Blainey Vega let out a laugh. "You're looking pretty excited about this news, Friction; are you okay?"

"No," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets as his teeth chattered, "I'm freaking cold!"

Willow turned toward Blainey and asked, "So... why again is it so great that we have Amn-Heuthe?"

"I have no idea," Blainey shrugged. "I guess we'll find out right about now!"

The Broadcast began with a loud blast of the Immortalys anthem, and a female officer appeared on the screen; behind her, the dust-colored planet of Amn-Heuthe rotated slowly in the darkness of space. "Greetings, men, women, and children of the Immortalys Empire," the officer said. "It is 4113.25.11.0671 and a beautiful winter day on planet Earth. This morning from the Capitol we eagerly announce the annexation of the system of Amn-Heuthe, located in the Cahr-dynne Cloud and home to nearly eight billion people. We report that their wars have ended and our newest citizens there are receiving all necessary care and resources.

"We are also pleased to report that an important discovery was made on Amn-Heuthe c, in the database of an obscure scientific facility. The Virus, which has plagued the people of the capital city for so long, has finally revealed its secrets. With brand-new information on the biology of the Virus, our beloved biochemists in the Virus Research and Eradication Board are working with renewed energy as we speak in order to destroy the Virus once and for all."

Cheers erupted from the crowds before the officer had finished her statement. Willow tried to listen over them, but soon gave up; Blainey leapt into the air and cried, "Oh my gosh! Yes! Yes! Hooray!"

The officer said a few more things, but Willow couldn't hear her; the whistling, screaming, and applause around her made her ears ring. She and Friction glanced at each other and laughed.

"Well, we didn't have to worry about the Virus for very long, did we, Friction?" she asked him. He grinned at her, but it was obvious he hadn't heard a thing she had just said.