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Chapter 301
THE SUN WAS BRUSHING the tops of the trees on the western horizon when Leesa saw Cali threading her way through the crowd that filled the park above the river. Families and groups of friends sat on folding chairs and blankets spread out on the grass, waiting for the fireworks display that would be shot from a pair of large, flat barges anchored out in the water. A sizzling hot day had given way to a warm, muggy evening. Thankfully, a soft breeze now blew in off the river, providing at least a little bit of cooling. Near the edge of the water, a band from the local high school entertained the crowd with patriotic songs. At the moment, they were performing a rousing rendition of “This Land Is Your Land.” Leesa sat in a canvas chair, with Rave on one side of her and Dominic on the other. Her mom hadn’t been feeling well today and had decided to stay home. Bradley had chosen to remain at home with her. For some reason, he had never been much of a fan of fireworks, even
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 303
Once a year, on the second weekend of July, the otherwise sleepy little town of Lisbon Falls, Maine comes alive with fun and festivity. Normally home to only four thousand or so residents, on this weekend the population swells to two or three times that. The cause of all this activity is the annual Moxie Festival, a three-day celebration of Moxie soda, one of the first mass-produced soft drinks in the United States. The somewhat bitter, cola-like drink was invented in Lisbon Falls way back in the late eighteen hundreds and maintains an almost cult-like following in New England.Among the many activities spread out over the three days are dances, races, contests, a fireworks display and the centerpiece of the Festival, a big parade.Peter and Laurie Thibout locked their bikes to the metal pole of a street sign and found seats on the curb along Main Street. For twenty years, the forty-something couple had been attending the Moxie Festival without fail. The parade was one of
Leesa's Advent Chapter 304
Leesa watched the television in horror. The story was being reported on almost every station, replacing regularly scheduled shows. The broadcasts contained much more speculation than hard facts, but the gist of it was that a horde of what appeared to be zombies had attacked a crowded festival in southern Maine. Most people hearing the story would be flabbergasted or disbelieving, but Leesa knew better. Her mother and brother, watching with her and having suffered at the hands of vampires, also suspected the reports of zombies were probably true. Unlike Leesa, they did not know that the powers behind the attack were moving closer to Connecticut. She pushed the thought from her mind and listened to the somber-faced anchorman report what details he had.“In a scene that seems straight out of the television show The Walking Dead, a crowd of people attending the Moxie Festival parade in Lisbon Falls, Maine were attacked this morning by what appeared to be several dozen actual
Leesa's Advent Chapter 305
DOMINIC AND CALI WERE WAITING outside the entrance to the Weston College library when Leesa arrived. Her three mile walk had taken about forty-five minutes, and she had worked up quite a sweat in the hot, sticky air. She didn’t mind one bit, though. After suffering from a limp her whole life, she still hadn’t gotten over the thrill of being able to walk normally. She was going to enjoy it every chance she got.With the whole building wired for wi-fi, the library was a perfect meeting place. Even during the busy school months, the upper floor stacks provided enough privacy for Leesa to occasionally practice her magic there; now, with only summer school in session, she expected they would probably have the whole fourth floor to themselves.She bounded up the granite steps and entered the library with Cali and Dominic. Cali had brought her laptop, relieving Leesa of the need to carry her own computer with her on her walk. Inside the building, the cool, air-con
Leesa's Advent Chapter 306
As Leesa and Dominic approached Balin’s cabin, they spotted the old volkaane kneeling on the ground alongside the building, tending his garden. His back was to them as he busily pulled weeds from among a row of tall tomato plants, but as soon as they turned up the walkway to his home he stood up and turned to face them. His expression showed no surprise at their unplanned visit.“Welcome,” he said, wiping his soiled hands on the legs of his buckskin pants before reaching forward to shake Dominic’s hand.“Hi, Balin,” Leesa said. “You look like you were expecting us.”“Only for the last two minutes or so,” Balin replied. “Other than that, it is indeed a pleasant surprise.“Do humans make that much noise when we walk, even on packed dirt?”Balin grinned. “To volkaane ears, I’m afraid you do. But that is not how I knew it was you.”“How then?&rd
Leesa's Advent Chapter 307
One moment Leesa and Dominic were standing alone in the woods outside of Lisbon Falls, surreptitiously surveying the town below them through the trees, and the next Rave, Dral and Bain had silently materialized beside them. All three were dressed in black shirts and pants. Leesa hadn’t heard a thing, but Dominic turned his head just before their arrival, his heightened wizard senses detecting their approach at the very last moment.The night was pleasantly warm, without the humidity that had bedeviled them the last few days in Connecticut. A nearly half full moon peeked in and out from the partly cloudy sky. When the moon disappeared, it became fiercely dark in the woods, but Leesa could still make out the outlines of things around her. She was pretty sure her senses were slowly sharpening as she became more and more in touch with the magic inside her. She welcomed the darkness—it would provide excellent cover for the volkaanes to sneak safely into the town.
Leesa's Advent Chapter 308
When the sun was almost directly overhead, Rave made his way toward the northern edge of town to see about getting through the cordon that surrounded Lisbon Falls. The length of fence had grown substantially since he had entered the village the night before and the guards all appeared alert and ready. With his speed, he knew he could make it safely past them, but he didn’t see a way to get by them without being noticed. The same thing with the fence—he could easily leap over it, but someone was sure to see him. The last thing he wanted to do was raise more questions and cause the authorities to increase the security around the town.He moved westward, walking casually and keeping at least fifty yards from the fence and the sentries, searching all the while for any place he might escape unseen. When the fence curved southward, he turned with it, following it all the way to the river that formed the southern boundary of the town. He gazed down at th
Leesa's Advent Chapter 309
It was half an hour past noon when Rave rejoined Leesa, Dominic and Dral in the woods north of the town. His two mile long journey from the river had given his inner heat plenty of time to dry his hair and clothes. Bain was nowhere in sight, and Rave guessed that his friend had decided to remain in Lisbon Falls until nightfall.Alerted to Rave’s approach by Dral, Leesa rushed forward as soon as he appeared and wrapped him up in a tight hug.“When you didn’t make it back by noon,” she said, “I thought you might be stuck in town.” She smiled and kissed his cheek. “I’d much rather have you here.”“I would have been back on time,” Rave replied, “but I found a surprise in the river I thought well worth the extra time—especially since I didn’t learn much else of use in town.”Dominic raised one eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “What did you find?”“Thre
Leesa's Advent Chapter 310
Leesa, Dominic and the three volkaanes sat leaning against trees near the river, waiting for Jenna to arrive, although Leesa was leaning more against Rave’s side than she was the tree trunk behind them. Bain had returned soon after dark and reported pretty much the same thing as Rave had—no solid information to be gleaned and an increasingly tightening security presence around the town. He had exited the village through one of the few areas still remaining to be fenced. He told them he expected the fence to be complete by the following night.Earlier, Leesa had dispatched the remaining two zombies much more efficiently than the first one, needing just a single short blast to fell each of them. She was very glad for the extra practice and experience, and was now much more confident she could hold her own alone against a small band of the creatures, at least. She had also used her magic to help Rave and Dral dig three holes a short distance back in the woods to bury
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