Echo Read online

  She’d run away from so many places in her life, and she knew she had to let him find his own path.

  “Aunt Sky,” Tommy whispered when Sky turned back to the ‘sled. “You came to get your gun back, didn’t you?”

  “I came looking for my nephew,” Sky said. “He has my gun. If he’s not in the ‘sled by the time I take off… then I didn’t find him.”

  Tommy looked from her to the gun, and Sky kept walking. She took her time with the ignition sequence, keeping her eyes forward when she heard him on the ladder. She smiled when he dropped the gun in her lap. When she took off, he was in the ‘sled with her.

  FREE SHORT STORY!

  Thank you so much for reading my book. If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review! I need your reviews so that more readers can find me, and I can keep writing!

  Sign up for my newsletter to receive your FREE copy of “Second Chances: The New Dawn Short Stories.” The e-book download contains two stand-alone stories featuring New Dawn characters.

  When you sign up, you will also receive a handful of other free short stories, plus information on promos and sales, and other fun tidbits!

  Subscribe at:

  http://www.valeriejmikles.com/contact.html

  The Qinali Virus

  An ancient warning. A new threat.

  Amber’s astral projection ability is rare…

  … and it’s everything the Council of Highmere has been waiting for.

  Trained in astronomy, Amber is bored by her tedious, Council-appointed job. When her mind wanders, so does her astral body, and always to the same place – a meteor-flattened crater in a forest with an ancient metal sign poking up through the dirt.

  The sign warns of Sudden Death.

  Decades ago, a silent, but deadly virus had decimated the population of the planet, and left in its wake the seeming utopia Amber’s people enjoyed. But with the warning, Amber starts to question her world like never before. Her quest to unbury the past makes her a threat to the Council.

  And they will use her family against her.

  Can Amber uncover the truth behind the ancient warning sign before the Council enacts their plan?

  You’ll love this sci-fi thriller, because you can’t protect your family if you don’t know what’s out there.

  Get it now!

  Also by Valerie J. Mikles

  The New Dawn Series Novels

  #1 The Disappeared

  #2 Sequestered

  #3 Trade Circle

  #4 Hybrid

  #5 The Gray Market

  #6 The Confluence

  #7 Premonition

  #8 Echo

  Standalone Novels

  The Qinali Virus

  Nebula’s Edge

  Ship Whisperer (Coming in 2021)

  Short Stories

  Join my Newsletter to get all of these free!

  Second Chances: A Reason to Walk

  Second Chances: The Lost Ingredient

  Invasive Species

  Alien Invasion 2020

  Brains: The Starving Zombie’s Guide to a More Successful Apocalypse

  About the Author

  Valerie J. Mikles is a PhD astronomer who defected from academia to pursue her dream of being an out of work actor in L.A. She is active in community theater as an actor, choreographer, costumer, and stage manager. She frequents sci-fi conventions as a science/author guest and a fan/cosplayer. She currently lives in Maryland with her three cats and works on weather satellites for NOAA.