Hellhole Inferno Read Online Free
Author: Brian Herbert
experiences, and almost magical powers, the slickwater attracted the desperate and the curious.
At the time she was already one of the most powerful women in Michella Town, managing supplies for the settlers who arrived on stringline haulers from Sonjeera. But the slickwater pools offered something much different, enticing pilgrims to saturate themselves with alien lives and memories.
Sophie was never tempted to do so herself, and neither was Tiber Adolphus, but he had made an agreement with the surviving Originals to allow the resurrection of their race in exchange for their help in protecting the planet against the Diadem. Sophie had established a settlement at the nearest three pools, first a rough camp and then a rustic resort she had named Slickwater Springs. As the numbers of shadow-Xayan converts grew, Sophie had constructed outlying bungalows and a larger lodge building to accommodate them all.
At the resort she neither encouraged nor discouraged the volunteers; immersion had to be their own decision. When acquiring an alien partner personality, they would gain wondrous insights, abilities, and memories, but they also surrendered part of their humanity. The converts spread the word, proselytizing about the wonders they had experienced, the abilities they acquired.
With the threat of the Constellation military and the even greater danger of the Ro-Xayans, however, increasing the number of converts had become more important than ever.
Even so, she had no intention of joining them. Sophie had already lost her son Devon to the mysterious waters, and she did not want to lose herself or her close relationship with Tiber Adolphus.â¦
In the brightening morning, Sophie climbed a steep trail on the shady side of the ridge that bounded the valley containing the slickwater pools, to where she could reach a sunny vantage. She wanted some private time, quiet time, away from the people at the bustling lodge complex. It was worth the exertion.
Catching her breath, she reached the top of the ridge and gazed down at the three mirrorlike ponds that were surrounded by boardwalks, fences, tents, bungalows, and the main lodge building. From here, the slickwater looked so placid, so tempting, but Sophie knew how many changes those alien pools had brought to the already struggling planet.
Events seemed frustratingly beyond her control. Soon she would head back to Elba to be with Adolphus again, but for now she had her private suite inside the main lodge. She couldnât be everywhere, no matter how much she might want to be. Back in Michella Town, she had other people to manage her warehouses and distribution operations, and many assistants helped run Slickwater Springs.
From the top of the ridge, still feeling the burn of exertion in her legs, she saw people milling about below. From a distance they all looked human, although many of them had the eerie alien eyes, a spiraling unnatural shimmer that indicated they shared their minds with a resurrected Xayan.
The converts had used telemancy to build an ever-growing settlement nearby, a separate colony that featured bizarre alien architecture, surrounded by a burgeoning forest of alien red weed. But many of the shadow-Xayans remained behind at the slickwater pools to help shepherd the new converts. Their odd behavior made her uneasy, though she had been forced to swallow her doubts when Devon became one of them.
Even now that her son was gone, Sophie allowed shadow-Xayans to remain in the camp, so long as they assisted with running the facility. The numbers of converts grew as urgency and anxiety swept through the DZ. The people were afraid of bloodthirsty Constellation reprisals, such as the Black Lordâs massacre on Theser and the Ro-Xayansâ planet-destroying vendetta that had wiped out Candela. Sophie and the General knew that the alien telemancy might prove to be their only salvation.
But undergoing that change wasnât for her.
From the top of the ridge, she
At the time she was already one of the most powerful women in Michella Town, managing supplies for the settlers who arrived on stringline haulers from Sonjeera. But the slickwater pools offered something much different, enticing pilgrims to saturate themselves with alien lives and memories.
Sophie was never tempted to do so herself, and neither was Tiber Adolphus, but he had made an agreement with the surviving Originals to allow the resurrection of their race in exchange for their help in protecting the planet against the Diadem. Sophie had established a settlement at the nearest three pools, first a rough camp and then a rustic resort she had named Slickwater Springs. As the numbers of shadow-Xayan converts grew, Sophie had constructed outlying bungalows and a larger lodge building to accommodate them all.
At the resort she neither encouraged nor discouraged the volunteers; immersion had to be their own decision. When acquiring an alien partner personality, they would gain wondrous insights, abilities, and memories, but they also surrendered part of their humanity. The converts spread the word, proselytizing about the wonders they had experienced, the abilities they acquired.
With the threat of the Constellation military and the even greater danger of the Ro-Xayans, however, increasing the number of converts had become more important than ever.
Even so, she had no intention of joining them. Sophie had already lost her son Devon to the mysterious waters, and she did not want to lose herself or her close relationship with Tiber Adolphus.â¦
In the brightening morning, Sophie climbed a steep trail on the shady side of the ridge that bounded the valley containing the slickwater pools, to where she could reach a sunny vantage. She wanted some private time, quiet time, away from the people at the bustling lodge complex. It was worth the exertion.
Catching her breath, she reached the top of the ridge and gazed down at the three mirrorlike ponds that were surrounded by boardwalks, fences, tents, bungalows, and the main lodge building. From here, the slickwater looked so placid, so tempting, but Sophie knew how many changes those alien pools had brought to the already struggling planet.
Events seemed frustratingly beyond her control. Soon she would head back to Elba to be with Adolphus again, but for now she had her private suite inside the main lodge. She couldnât be everywhere, no matter how much she might want to be. Back in Michella Town, she had other people to manage her warehouses and distribution operations, and many assistants helped run Slickwater Springs.
From the top of the ridge, still feeling the burn of exertion in her legs, she saw people milling about below. From a distance they all looked human, although many of them had the eerie alien eyes, a spiraling unnatural shimmer that indicated they shared their minds with a resurrected Xayan.
The converts had used telemancy to build an ever-growing settlement nearby, a separate colony that featured bizarre alien architecture, surrounded by a burgeoning forest of alien red weed. But many of the shadow-Xayans remained behind at the slickwater pools to help shepherd the new converts. Their odd behavior made her uneasy, though she had been forced to swallow her doubts when Devon became one of them.
Even now that her son was gone, Sophie allowed shadow-Xayans to remain in the camp, so long as they assisted with running the facility. The numbers of converts grew as urgency and anxiety swept through the DZ. The people were afraid of bloodthirsty Constellation reprisals, such as the Black Lordâs massacre on Theser and the Ro-Xayansâ planet-destroying vendetta that had wiped out Candela. Sophie and the General knew that the alien telemancy might prove to be their only salvation.
But undergoing that change wasnât for her.
From the top of the ridge, she
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