Echoes in the Dark
The planet is dying, slowly being drained by an alien Dark, and only one last, desperate plan can save it. Deep in another dimension, a disillusioned young singer is summoned as Lladrana's last hope. Uncertain of her future, unaware of her extraordinary magical talent, Jikata will be the sixth and final outsider–Exotique–to step through a dangerous portal of prophesy and magic.Survival will require her to forge closer friendships than she has ever known. The price of those bonds will threaten the very fate of Lladrana: a world where music holds the key to an ancient mystery–and six women will wage the ultimate battle against the forces of Dark.
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Praise for the novels of
ROBIN D. OWENS
âStrong characterization combined with deadly danger make this story vibrate with emotional resonance. Stay tuned as events accelerate toward the final battle.â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews on Keepers of the Flame
(Book Four of The Summoning)
âFans of Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey will appreciate the novelâs honorable protagonists and their lively animal companions.â
âPublishers Weekly on Protector of the Flight
(Book Three of The Summoning)
â[A] multi-faceted, fast-paced gem of a book.â
âThe Best Reviews on Guardian of Honor
(Book One of The Summoning)
âThe story line is action-packed but also contains terrific charactersâ¦Robin D. Owens enchants her readers.â
âAffaire de Coeur on Guardian of Honor
âOwens takesâ¦elements that make Marion Zimmer Bradleyâs Darkover stories popularâ¦and turns out a romance that draws you in.â
âLocus magazine
âOwens excels at evocative, sensual writing.â
âRomantic Times BOOKreviews
Echoes In The Dark
Robin D. Owens
To the Song that moves within us all.
âPoets are the hierophants of an unapprehended inspiration; the mirrors of the gigantic shadows which futurity casts upon the present.â
âPercy Bysshe Shelley
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Author Note
Cast of Characters
1
Ghost Hill Theater, Denver, Colorado
Late August, Night
Jikata was taking her last bow on stage and soaking in applause when her great-grandmother died. The odd thing was that Jikata actually felt Ishi Yamuri pass away in one of those increasing moments of hyperawareness. As if the old woman touched Jikata with her stubborn disapproval even as others yelled and clapped.
The bond with her great-grandmother vanished. Ishi hadnât waited to see Jikata tomorrow, the date Ishi herself had insisted upon.
Jikata had added her old hometown of Denver to her touring schedule because sheâd sensed her great-grandmotherâs time was near, though she hadnât heard from the woman in years.
Suddenly the applause, the only thing that had satisfied Jikata for a long time, rang hollow and empty. Like the rest of her life.
Jikata lowered her head, closed her eyes against the lights made brighter by tears. Then she stepped back on the polished wooden stage and let the heavy maroon velvet curtains descend.
The crowd whistled and clapped louder, but she had no more to give. This final eventâthe reopening of a newly renovated small Victorian theaterâwas the last in her tour. Fitting.
Her career was skyrocketing. She neared the pinnacle of success for a pop singer, a female half-Japanese no less, and found herself alone and panting after the climb.
Her life was tanking. Fans adored her. No one loved her. No man, no good friend female or male, no child. As her great-grandmother would have said, her soul was withering from lack of nourishment.
Applause came from stage right and the philanthropist behind the renovation strode forward, beaming, accompanied by his wife. Jikata pasted a smile on her face, hoping that it might turn into the real thing since she usually enjoyed the company of Trenton Philbert III. He stopped clapping and held out a hand and she put hers in it. âGreat job. Definitely the next star. Iâm looking forward to that last zoom to the top.â He squeezed her hand and let it go.
The praise warmed her a little. âThank you.â
âYou did the inaugural event of the Ghost Hill Theater proud. Thanks again for agreeing to perform. We sold out.â He glanced around, the backstage was still shiny with cleanliness and held the faint scent of wood stain. âThis place should be good for another hundred years.â
âItâs a lovely theater,â Jikata said. Now. She could remember when it had been a ruin.
He radiated satisfaction. Turning to his wife behind him, he said, âWe have a gift for you. Darling?â
Juliet Philbert stepped forward with a large fancy birdcage fashioned like the Taj Mahal. Jikata gritted her teethâ¦no, please, not a bird. Her great-grandmother had kept finches when Jikata had been younger. âIâm sorry,â she said, âbut Iââ
Then the bird opened its beak and pure liquid notes warbled out, like nothing Jikata had ever heard. As if it were more than song, a communication. The bird didnât look like any sheâd seen before, either. All scarlet red, but with a fancy cockatoo comb of red, yellow and white. About the size of a cockatoo, also. It fixed a yellow eye on her and let loose another stream of notes. This time sounding a lot like the underlying melody of the last ballad sheâd sung. Jikata blinked.
