About Himiko: Warrior
by CB Conwy
192 pages / 51800 words
ISBN: 978-1-61040-545-4
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html, lit, Adobe and Sony optimized pdf, prc, epub, also available in
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When the aliens arrived on Earth, it turned out that Plato was right.
You really can find your other half - your soulmate, and Matt found his. Now
he's got an unbreakable mental bond to his mate and some intriguing
telekinetic abilities to explore. Full of excitement, Matt returns to his
old life, but he's completely unprepared for the anger and rejection he
encounters because of his bond with Pietr. Shunned and assaulted, Matt
realizes the hard way that you can never go back. Especially not when you're
bonded with the enemy.
Giving up isn't an option, though. Even though Matt's pretty sure that
Pietr's the most annoying alien in history, he's also sure that his mate is
more important to him than anything else. But Matt's mental strength is
increasing, and Pietr can no longer hide the one secret he's been desperate
to keep. Matt's world falls apart, and he's not sure if he's ever going to
be able to put it back together.
He might not have a choice. The hostility between humans and Himika is
increasing, and Matt is forced to face some unwelcome truths about his own
nature in order to ensure not only his own survival, but that of his fellow
human beings as well.
Himiko: Warrior is the sequel to Himiko: Bonding
Review
Jane Davitt, author of Drawing Closer, writes:
In the sequel to 'Himiko: Bonding', CB Conwy continues the absorbing story
of Matt, the human who's fallen in love with the alien who swept him out of
his old life and into a new and often scarier one.
Pietr's people have plans for the earth, plans that their leader is
corrupting to suit his own purpose and as the people of Earth begin to speak
up against the perceived violation of their rights, Matt's caught in the
middle.
I found this scenario fascinating and I really felt for Matt as his old
friends treated him with scorn and fear because they saw him as a traitor.
The love between Matt and Pietr isn't in doubt; what is at risk is their
ability to survive to enjoy it in the face of pressure from every direction.
The story races along, with Matt's abilities growing as quickly as the
unrest on Earth, and I was swept along with it, as angry as Matt at what was
being done to humanity, but equally able to understand the motives and
concerns of the Himika who are trying to save humanity from repeated
mistakes they made.
This is an unusual, thoughtful story, one that will stay with the reader.
Sample
Matt was deep in thought when he left work that
evening. It was Friday, and he had given his employees the afternoon off,
leaving him a blessedly empty office in which to get some work done. He
still relished the work; something as simple as an extension to a school or
an administration building thrilled him. It wasn't just the aesthetic side
of it, even though that was important. He also loved adjusting all the
technical specifications to make one coherent, well-working building. It was
like a giant puzzle, the pieces consisting of the demands made by the owner
of the building, the future users, and his own aesthetic ambitions.
He was still thinking about the possibility of incorporating an extra
entrance for his current project when he saw two men. They were walking
toward him in the shadows along the pathway to the parking lot. The men were
clad almost identically in black trousers and shirts, and he guessed it was
their outfits that had caught his attention. Just before they got into the
light from the lamppost, they pulled on black ski masks.
Matt turned around to run, but there were two men behind him as well,
dressed like the other two. He halted, reaching his arms out to the sides in
a gesture that was meant to be appeasing.
"I don't have anything worth stealing," he said. He had a feeling that they
weren't there for his wallet, though. You didn't dress up like that and call
three of your friends to rob random people of their spare cash.
One of the men stepped closer, and with a shock, Matt realized that he knew
the figure. Jones and Matt had dressed up as robbers for a costume party
once when they couldn't come up with a better idea for a costume, and Jones
had even worn the ski mask one very memorable night in bed.
"Don't do this to me. Fuck, Jo--" Matt felt a hard punch in his back, making
the pain soar through him. He tried to turn around, but the man next to
Jones was too quick, and he got a blow to his head that almost knocked him
over.
Matt shook his head to clear it. He tried to use his mental powers to defend
himself, but the blow to his head made his mind sluggish. All he could think
to do was lifting up his bag to protect himself. It did block a punch from
Jones, but Matt got another in the side, making him lose his breath. He
fought hard to stay upright, knowing that it would get really bad when he
couldn't keep standing anymore. Then the blows started raining down, and it
was only a matter of time before his knees gave out and he sank to the
ground. It didn't stop there; the punches turned into kicks, one of them
making a horrible crunching sound as the boot hit his ribs. He cried out,
and it was only then he realized that he had been quiet until now.
"Yes, make the fucker scream."
It was Jones' voice, and it was Jones who kicked him in the head, making the
world go gray and quiet. The only thing he registered were the flagstones
under him, hard and cool where he rested his face, but there was no sound,
no pain anymore.
His head eventually cleared, though, and he saw that the men were gone. Only
Jones was still there, mask off. His former friend pulled roughly at Matt's
hair, forcing his head up.
"See, that's what happens to people who fuck aliens. Fucking freak!" Jones
spat, most of it hitting Matt in the face. Then he slammed Matt's head into
the ground and walked away.
Matt couldn't move, his brain not remembering how to make his limbs work.
The only sound he heard was his own labored breathing; something in his
chest wasn't functioning as it should, and he wasn't getting enough air. It
felt horribly wrong. He finally managed to move an arm, trying to get it
under him to get up. The pain in his chest and shoulder was overwhelming,
tearing through him, and he was lost in pain, was nothing but pain.
Help me! Pietr, help me. It hurts so much! He cried out for his mate
with all of his mental powers, desperately hoping that Pietr was near enough
to hear him. Then he faded, all energy spent.