We are back from vacation! Clearly, a thousand ships have been launched while we were gone.
Before we delve: if you would like to reread The Inheritance from the beginning, uninterrupted, click The Inheritance tag under the post title. We now have a front page banner, and we would like to introduce Candice Slater, the talented artist who will be illustrating chapters for us. You can find her Instagram account here.
The cave passage stretched in front of me, a narrow tunnel painted with bioluminescent swirls of strange vegetation with a stream trickling along the left wall. The passage split about thirty yards ahead, with one branch curving to the right and the other cutting straight into the gloom.
I had a light on my hard hat but decided against using it. It didn’t illuminate much, while making me easy to target, and I had no idea how long the battery would last. It was better to save it for emergencies. The pale green and pink radiance of the foreign fungi and lichens offered some light but it made the darkness seem even deeper.
It was like I’d turned five years old again, lying in my bed in the middle of the night, too afraid to move, until the need to pee won out and forced me to make a mad dash to the bathroom. Except that back then, if I got really scared, I could flick the lights on. As long as you had electric light, it gave you an illusion of safety and control. Without it, I felt naked. It was just me, Bear, and the tunnels filled with underground dusk.
There would be no dashing here. We would go carefully, quietly, and slowly.
A cold draft flowed from the tunnel, bringing with it an odd acrid stench.
Bear whined softly by my side.
Whining seemed entirely appropriate. I didn’t want to go into that gloom either.
“We don’t have a choice,” I told the dog.
Something rustled in the darkness, a strange whispering sound.
Bear hid behind me.
“Some attack dog you are.”
That’s probably why she survived. If she were braver, she’d be dead.
“The exit is to our left. This is the closest tunnel to it. The other two branch off to the right, which will take us further from the gate. This is our best bet for getting out.”
Bear put her ears back.
“It will be okay. Well, no, it probably won’t be, but staying here isn’t an option. Come on, Bear.”
I started forward and tugged on the leash. She resisted a little, but then changed her mind, and followed me through the passage. We picked our way through the glowing growth. It looked almost like a coral reef that had somehow sprouted on dry ground.
We reached the fork. The stream flowed from the right branch, with a scattering of luminous plants along its banks. It promised light, but the banks were narrow and strewn with rocks and water would attract predators. We needed to hang left anyway, so I took the other path, straight into the gloom, and kept moving. The tunnel was about thirty feet high and probably the same width. An almost round a hole in the rock, as if some massive worm had burrowed through the mountain. Hopefully not.
The passage veered slightly left, then angled right. Normally, cave passages like this varied in size and shape. This one was too uniform. Whatever dug it out had to be huge.
Time stretched. We trudged forward, following the curves of the passageway. Occasionally Bear paused, listening to something I couldn’t hear. I let her take her time.
Back by the entrance, we’d passed by some stalker bodies, and Elena mentioned that the assault team didn’t wipe them all out. Taking on a single stalker would be difficult. There had been eight corpses, and the stalkers typically traveled in groups. If a pack of them attacked us, the best strategy would be to run and hope the tunnel narrowed ahead so they could only come at me one at a time. If I saw a crevasse, I would have to make a note of it in case I needed to double back…
For some reason, I could actually see both sides of the tunnel now with a lot of clarity. My eyes should have adjusted to the darkness, that was to be expected, but I could pick out small details now, like the cracks in the stone. The walls weren’t glowing, and the shining growth in this area was kind of sparse. Hmm.
We rounded another gentle turn, and I stopped. Ahead ridges of growth sheathed the floor and walls of the tunnel, like someone had raked solid stone into shallow curving rows. Between them bright red plants thrust out, shaped a little like branching cacti or Sinularia corals, almost like alien hands with long twisted fingers decorated with narrow frills. The tallest of them was about two feet high, but most were around eight inches or so. There were hundreds of them in the tunnel. The red patch stretched into the distance. Forty yards? Fifty?
Something about the red plants gave me pause. I crouched by the nearest patch. The frilly protrusions weren’t leaves. They were thorns, flat and razor sharp.
I flexed, accessing my talent. The red patch snapped into crystal clarity, flaring with a bright purple. Not helpful. Red was usually valuable, blue was toxic, orange was dangerous, but purple could be whatever.
I focused, trying to dig deeper.
The Grasping Hand. The thorns carried lethal poison. If one of those cut me or Bear, we would die in seconds, and the Hand would devour our bodies. In the distance, I could see a lump that was once a living creature, soon to become one of those ridges, drained of all fluids.
How did I know that? This hadn’t been in any of the briefings. I had never seen this before. I hadn’t read about it, no one had talked about it, and I should not have detailed knowledge of this carnivorous invertebrate. I shouldn’t have even known it was an invertebrate. The best my talent could do was identify it as animal and possibly dangerous.
The knowledge was just in my head. I flexed again, concentrating on the bright red stems.
A dark plateau unrolled in front of me, acres and acres of red stems, some twenty-feet-high, blanketing purple rock with giant dinosaur like reptiles thrusting through the growth, the stinging thorns sliding harmlessly from their bony carapace…
This was not my memory.
Fear washed over me. My heart pounded in my chest. I went hot, then cold. What the hell was happening to me?
Bear nudged me with her cold nose. I petted her, running my hand over her fur, trying to slow my breathing. Was this my inheritance? Memories from I didn’t know who obtained I had no idea where.
I stared at the patch. I could have a nervous breakdown right here and now, or I could keep going.
It didn’t matter where the damned memory came from. It warned me about the danger. It might not have been mine, but I knew it was true. Blundering into that growth was certain death.
The Grasping Hand grew in clusters, probably determined by the availability of nutrients. Each of those clumps or ridges used to be a body. This growth was relatively young, the stems short and somewhat sparse.
If I was careful, I could pick my way through it. The problem was Bear. There was no way to communicate to the dog that she had to stay away from the thorns. One tiny scratch and it would be all over. I had to keep Bear safe. No matter what it took. I owed it to Stella, and if Bear died… Bear couldn’t die. We would leave this place together.
I could carry her. She was a big dog, she had to weigh… I flexed again. Eighty-two pounds. And that was a lot more precise than normal. I could usually ballpark weight and distance but not with that much accuracy. Something told me that if I concentrated, I could probably narrow it down to ounces. Fuck me.
I focused on the field of red. Forty-eight yards or one hundred and forty-four feet.
Great. All I had to do was pick up an eighty-pound dog and carry her across half the length of a football field. While carefully avoiding deadly thorns.
I could always double back and try one of the other tunnels. But none of the other passages led toward the exit. We’d been walking for what felt like hours. It would be a long trip back, and there was no guarantee we wouldn’t run across this same problem in another tunnel.
Also, very few things could get through the Grasping Hand without some kind of body armor. It was a deterrent, a little bit of safety behind us. Nothing would come at us through that patch.
If I put Bear on my shoulders, I could make it. But not while I carried the backpack. The canteens were bulky and heavy, and the backpack pulled on me. If Bear squirmed, she would throw me off balance and both of us would land right into the thorns. It was the pack or the dog.
All of the water and food we had was in that pack. I could try to throw it ahead of me, but there was no telling where it would land or how far. Dragging it behind me was out of the question. It could get stuck and pull me back, and the thorns would either shred it or deposit poison on it. I had no effective way to neutralize it.
If I got through, I could find a safe spot on the other side, tie Bear to something, and come back for the pack. Yes, that had to be it.
I dropped the pack, pulled a second canteen out, and hung it on my coveralls. I had to take only what I absolutely needed. The antibacterial gel, a couple of bandages, knife, a single candy bar, and Motrin went into my pockets. That was all that could fit.
God, I didn’t want to leave the pack behind, but Bear mattered more. It would be fine. I would come back for it.
I took off my hard hat, pulled one of the spare canteens out of the backpack, poured water into the hat, and offered it to Bear. She lapped at it. I drank what was left in the canteen and waited until the shepherd stopped drinking. I took the hat, tapped it on the ground to get the last of the liquid out, and put it back on my head. It was the only helmet I had.
There was a command guild dogs were taught to make them easy to carry. I’d heard the handlers use it before. What the hell was it? Lie, rest… Limp. Limp, it was limp.
I tore the packet of jerky open, pulled a piece out, and offered it to Bear. She sniffed it and gently took it out of my hand.
“Good girl. See? We’re friends.”
I took another piece of jerky and crouched by the shepherd. “Limp, Bear.”
She stared at me.
“Limp.”
Another puzzled look.
I was sure that was the right command. I scooted close to her and put my arm around her. Please don’t bite me. “Limp.”
The shepherd leaned against me, slumping over. I put my hands around her hind and front legs and heaved her up onto my shoulders. If she were a human, it would be fireman carry, but since she was a dog, it was more like a fur collar. I stood up.
Bear made a surprised noise halfway between a whine and a growl. I offered her another piece of jerky. A warm wet tongue licked my fingers, and she swiped the jerky from me.
“Good girl. Stay. Limp.”
I put my hands on her legs, took a deep breath, and walked into the field of red death.
Ten feet. Fifteen. Twenty-five…
I zigzagged through the field, threading the needle between the thorn ridges.
If Cold Chaos alerted the DDC that I died, the government would sit on that news until my body was recovered or the breach was closed, at which point I would be officially presumed dead, and they would notify the kids. There would be nobody to cushion the blow.
Roger was out of the picture. His father and stepmother basically disowned him in favor of his younger brother and never showed any interest in our kids.
My mother was unreachable. After my father died a decade ago of a heart attack, she moved back to her native UK, and I didn’t even have her phone number. My mother viewed having children as a duty she had to fulfill. She had me, she provided food and shelter until I reached adulthood, and that was the end of her obligation to me and society in general.
I was an only child, and I didn’t have any friends, at least none who would step in. I did have an excellent lawyer and a will, but the kids would need warmth and kindness.
I had to make it home.
Sixty feet. Almost halfway there. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. I would make Melissa eat those words when I got out.
Bear must’ve been a shoulder cat in another life because she sat steady like a rock. Come to think of it, carrying her should’ve been a lot harder. Maybe it was the adrenaline…
Bear stiffened under my hand. A low growl rumbled from her mouth. She craned her neck, looking at something in the tunnel behind me. I didn’t have room to turn around and check what was happening.
Ninety feet.
Another growl.
Running would get us killed. I wove my way through the ridges. Whatever was coming up behind us would have to deal with the Grasping Hand as well. It would be fine.
Growl.
One hundred and twenty feet.
Fine. Just fine.
A dry skittering noise came from behind me. It sounded insectoid as if a giant cockroach was scrambling through the tunnel at top speed.
Bear snarled, trying to lunge off my shoulders. I wobbled, careened, caught myself at the last moment and kept going, feverishly trying to keep from slicing my legs to ribbons.
Bear erupted into barks, jerking me to and fro.
“Stay! Limp! Stay!”
The chittering chased us.
Almost there. Almost through. Just a little longer. Just a little bit…
Bear threw herself to the left. I spun in place, my boot catching on the nearest clump of thorns, shied the other way, and jumped over the last ridge. My boots hit the clear ground. Alive. I was alive somehow. The thorns didn’t penetrate through the shoe.
I dropped Bear to the ground and spun around.
The awful chittering sound filled the tunnel behind us. I flexed and saw a dark outline of four-foot-long chitinous legs.
“Run!” I turned and sprinted down the tunnel. The dog dashed ahead, pulling me forward with the leash.
It wouldn’t get through the Grasping Hand. Surely, it wouldn’t.
I glanced back, flexing. A massive insectoid thing tore out of the tunnel. It sampled the red field and plowed right into it. Shit!
I flew across the cave floor, drawing even with Bear. No turnoffs, no branching hallways, just a death trap with the thing behind us charging full speed ahead.
The tunnel veered right, curving. We took the curve at breakneck speed. I slid, caught myself, and dashed forward. Ahead the mouth of a tunnel opened to something lighter, glowing with eerie purple. We raced to it. A moment and we sprinted into the open.
I flexed. Time stretched as my enhanced vision thrust the feedback at me.
A huge cave lay in front of us, its jagged walls rising high up. You could fit a ten-story office tower into this chamber. Natural stone bridges crossed high above, a waterfall spilled from a fissure in the wall far in the distance, and straight ahead, in a front of us, a small lake lay placid, its color a deep blue. Short shrubs grew along the shore, about a foot high, with leaves the color of purple oxalis, dotted with glowing mauve flowers.
Two stalker corpses lay in the flowers, torn apart, and in the lake itself, a large shape waited, hidden in the water. It flared with bright orange. Danger. Chances of survival: nil.
The world restarted with my next breath. I pulled Bear to the left, where a chunk of the wall protruded in a miniature plateau. We couldn’t crawl onto it, but there were boulders around it. It was the only cover we had. Anything else would bring us too close to the lake.
We dashed through the flowers. My heart was beating a thousand beats per minute.
A screech erupted from the tunnel.
We reached the ledge, and I ducked behind a large boulder and pulled Bear close. She squatted by me, and I hugged her, my hand on her muzzle, and whispered, “Quiet.”
The shepherd stared at me with big brown eyes.
A monster burst out of the passageway. Its front end resembled a silverfish that had somehow grown to the size of an SUV, with razor-sharp terrifying mandibles. Its tail was scorpion like, curving over its head, and armed with another set of flat pinchers, studded with sharp protrusions.
The monster paused. Its tail blades sliced the air like two huge shears.
I held my breath.
The creature skittered forward, straight for the stalker corpses on the shore.
The thing in the lake waited, still and silent.
The bug monster reached the closest stalker corpse. The mandibles sliced like two sets of shears, cutting the body into chunks, dissecting it. The first shreds of flesh made it into the creature’s mouth.
The thing in the lake struck. A blur erupted out of the water, lunging onto the shore. Somehow the bug monster dodged and skittered back. The lake owner paused, one massive paw on the torn-up corpse. It was huge, ten feet tall, as long as a school bus, and it stood on four sturdy legs armed with eighteen-inch claws. Its body was a mix of dinosaur and amphibian, dark violet, with scales that shimmered with indigo and pink as it moved. A massive fin-like crest crowned its head and flared along its spine all the way to the tip of a long thick tail. Its head with four small deep-set eyes and a wide, triangular mouth filled with razor sharp teeth was straight dragon. There was nothing else to compare it to. It was a lake dragon, and it had sighted an intruder in its domain.
The bug monster skittered backward, then sideways, its tail raised high, ready to strike.
The dragon’s flesh rippled. Pale pink spots appeared on its sides, near its crest, glowing softly. Was it a warning or was it trying to mesmerize the bug?
The monster silverfish veered left, then right, but did not retreat. Bugs weren’t known for their strategic thinking. There was meat on the shore, and the bug wanted it.
The silverfish lunged forward, the tail striking like a hammer. The dragon spun and swatted at it with its tail. The silverfish dodged and charged in.
I grabbed Bear’s leash, leaving her six inches of lead, and moved carefully away, past the boulders, along the ledge, toward the back of the cavern. Bear made no noise. She didn’t bark, she didn’t growl, she just snuck away with me.
Behind us, the bug monster screeched. A deep eerie hiss answered, almost a roar.
I picked my way along the wall, through jagged boulders. On our left, the walls were smooth and almost sheer. On our right, the river that flowed from the waterfall rushed to the lake.
I flexed again. The water was twenty-two feet wide and seven feet deep. Too deep to easily cross, and the other shore sloped up, littered with large rocks. A chunk of cave ceiling or one of those stone bridges above must’ve collapsed and broken into big chunks. Too hard to climb.
I kept scanning. There had to be a way out of this deathtrap.
My vision snagged on something ahead, where the wall curved left. A dark gap split the rock face, twelve feet high and fourteen feet wide. I focused on it.
No dice. The gap was fifty-three yards away, and my talent told me that there was nothing valuable in the rock wall around it, but I couldn’t tell how deep it was or if it even led somewhere. My ability was always tied to my vision. I could sense things buried within rock, but I still had to look at the rock while doing it. If I closed my eyes, I got nothing, and that fissure was just a dark hole. Once I entered the gap, I could scan it but until then, it was a mystery.
There could be other passages on the other side of the cavern, but I didn’t want to risk it. There could be nothing there.
The boulders ended. The ground here was almost clear and sheathed in the mauve flowers. We’d have to leave cover to get to the gap.
I glanced over my shoulder. The bug monster had circled the lake. It was on our side now, still facing the dragon, but two of its left legs were missing and a long gouge carved across its chitin carapace. It wasn’t darting quite as quickly. The huge lake monster kept advancing, its crest rigid, the spots on its sides almost blinding. A wound split its right shoulder, bright with magenta blood.
We had to risk it.
I tugged Bear’s leash, and we padded into the open, heading for the gap. My enhanced vision snagged on the flowers. Poisonous when eaten. Everything in this fucking breach was trying to kill us.
Something thudded. I risked a glance. The bug had crashed into the wall, falling on its side, and the dragon bore down on it, mouth gaping. At the last moment, the silverfish flipped and dashed away, heading straight for us.
I ran. We flew across the cave, scrambling over rocks. The air in my lungs turned to fire.
The bug was right behind me. I felt it there. I didn’t need to flex, I knew exactly where it was.
The gap loomed in front of us.
Bear and I scrambled into the darkness. For a moment I was running blind, and then my night vision kicked in. Ahead, the passage narrowed down to four feet wide.
Yes! The narrower the better.
An awful scraping noise came from behind us, the sound of bug legs digging into the rocks.
Beyond the narrow point lay darkness. It was too deep and too dark.
We dashed through the narrowed gap, and I slid to a halt, yanking Bear back. We stood on a seven-foot ledge. Past it the ground disappeared. There was no way down. There was just a gulf of empty dark nothing.
We were trapped.
The wall behind us shook.
I spun around.
The bug rammed the stone, trying to get its tail through, but the gap was too narrow. It screeched and struck the rock again. The mandibles shot toward me through the gap, slicing.
I jerked my right arm up on pure instinct. The cuff around my wrist flowed into my fingers and snapped into a long sharp spike, and I drove it into the bug’s head. The blade sliced through the right mandible and bit into the armored carapace. The mandible hung limp. I yanked the blade free and stabbed again, and again, and again, thrusting and cutting in a panic-fueled frenzy. To my right, Bear launched forward, exploding into snarls, bit the mandible I had partially severed, and ripped it free.
The bug screeched. Puss-colored ichor wet its head. It tried to back up, but its head was wedged into the gap.
I kept stabbing. Bear lunged back in, foam flying from her mouth, latched onto another mandible, and hung on, fur standing straight up.
Stab, stab, stab…
The bug collapsed. I drove the sword into it seven more times before my brain finally processed what I was seeing. The giant silverfish was dead. It wasn’t even twitching.
I heaved, trying to catch my breath. We killed it. Somehow we killed it.
Bear snarled next to me, biting a chunk of the bug she had torn off. All of her fur stood on end.
“Good girl,” I breathed. “Finally snapped, huh?”
Bear growled and bit down. Chitin crunched.
The bug shuddered.
I jerked my sword up.
The silverfish slid backward, into the gloom of the dark passageway, and behind it, I saw the outline of a massive paw and pale glowing spots.
I dropped into a crouch and hugged Bear to me in case she decided to follow. The silverfish vanished, swallowed by the darkness. The pale pink spots winked out.
First?
Certified 🙂
Yes! I won the refresh wars. Bwahahaha.
Holy crap, my adrenaline is still pumping! Talk about fight or flight…
Bowing to the HA gods. Your storytelling chops is mind-blowing
+1
+++1
+2
Another Amazing chapter!
First?
we are all first!
Not first but happy!!!
This will be my reward after off-site sexual harassment training.
Thank you HA!
Yay! I have been keeping an eye out on this page this morning!
That chapter was amazing, I was on edge the whole time.
+1
+1
Thank you for the fabulous serial!
Thank you!
+1
Yay Bear! I think we’re beginning to see some of the Inheritance making itself known… and it’s very intriguing! Can’t wait to read more.
this story is sooo great. Thank you so much for all installments so far.
Hopefully you had a wonderful vacation and got some energy and strength back
+1! 🤗
Awesome!!
Thank you for another amazing snippet!
A ship was launched. Another one sank to the depths of no return.
Each reading gets more and more interesting. 😀
**Announcer voice** Will Ada and Bear make it out of the cave system? Will Elias and company find Ada and Bear in time before the gate crashes? Will London and Melissa talk their way out of the situation they are in? Tune in Friday for more of the Inheritance (or InBearitance).
+1
Now on the edge of my seat, Ada and Bear for the win. Thank you!
+1!
+1
I love this story so much! go Adaline! go Bear!!
Only House Andrews can give us a reason to say “I can’t wait for Monday”.
Hope you had a great vacation!
This!! I woke up feeling a little down because I didn’t have a good book I was excited to dive into. Then I remembered The Inheritance blog posts, and suddenly, I’m thrilled again. I’m so invested in this story, and the writing is so good that I’m genuinely rooting for the main character.
Also, I pre-ordered Maggie yesterday – did I mention how excited I am for that too?
Bless you, HA, for bringing such a spark to my life!
Actually it might be more accurate to say we can’t wait for Friday. Or, even MORE accurate to say that Monday AND Fridays hold a special place in our hearts for as long as it takes this story to be told.
+1
+1
Oh God this is too nerve racking too read! Loved the chapter as always – Team Bear all the way!
Woot – Welcome back house IA. And happy bank holiday to Mod R.
Thanks for this section. Bring on Friday.
Who needs coffee to wake up? This was intense and did the job just fine. Phew.
Right?!
On the edge of my seat! Love it!
Welcome back, hope you had great holidays!
Thank you for the serial! I am so hooked it’s not even funny. I would seriously follow you into that monster infested breach if you only promised to keep telling this story (or any of the other ones ;-)). I want more so badly I resorted to checking the time in Texas (I’m from Poland) and refreshing the blog since 7 am your time – 3 pm here.
Mod R usually posts them at 9:00 am Central or 16:00 by Warsaw time. 🙂
It seems like the time most people check 🙂
Hits the Americas and Canada at various times during the morning, Europe in the afternoon, Asia hopefully just before bed at 9/10 pm.
Sacrificial Australia and NZ, sorry guys, you always catch it next day for breakfast! I like to imagine you do Tim Tam slams while reading the snippets 😀
Oooh! I’m up at 6:30 (Pacific time) to take my fur baby for her morning constitutional, now that I have this information, all I need do is hurry through our walk,,and get back in time to enter the “First?” sweepstakes! Well, and to get my “fix” that much earlier! 0_0
Next day for breakfast is actually great. I’m having my morning coffee, scrolling through my Facebook feed, and then see the post, and I have a warm happy feeling (I don’t track when the posts are due, so it’s always a lovely surprise)
Melbourne, Australia
I’m in Africa and I get morning of the next day too lol. so it’s not Monday Friday for me. it’s Tuesday Saturday.
That would be 10pm here in Malaysia. Now I can set my alarm.
What a great way to wind down on Monday and after a full work week!
It’s fine, kangaroos pretty much ride themselves so we can read it on our way to work in Aus 😅
I will be ready at 16:00 on Friday then :-D. Thank you!
The AuthorLords suck us in every time. Looks like Adaand Bear will save themselves!
I am looking forward to them showing up just as London thinks he’s all clear to ruin his life. Fingers crossed
P.S. hope you had a fine bit of vacation. ModR was very good at tending the Horde (even though we aren’t very fluffy)
Thank you for the part. I enjoyed it. I am looking forward to finding out what happens next.
So good! Thank you again!
Oh, the adrenaline was pumping!
another super wow chapter…..
can’t wait for frINday
thanks much IA
oooh it’s exactly what I pictured 💜
Ooh, another exciting chapter!
Love that life experience coming through – “It will be ok. Well, no, it probably won’t be, …”.
Also, that Ada is such a loving parent despite her own childhood – she is literally walking (and then running) through lethal obstacles to get back to her kids. Go Ada!
Thank you for the chapter. This was scary and fun.
Holy moly! Incredible chapter, I love this story. Thank you HA!
+1,000
FYI, ModR, I’m in France and I got the chapter at 4 pmhope.
Guys, did you notice that Ada hmmed at some point? Does it ring a bell 😉? If not, have a look at the previous chapter 🙂
Yes, I am aware 🙂.
Hope you had a wonderful vacation HA! This was another awesome chapter…and the artwork is spectacular! Thank you! 😍💕💕💕💕
Welcome back! I hope you had a fantastic and rejuvenating time!
Another great installment! Thank you!
OMG, the suspense! Hope you had a wonderful break, it’s good to have you back!
Woo Hoo! More Awesome Ada and Bear.
Fav line:
“Whining seemed entirely appropriate.”
Well, she should probably slow down juuust a little. Find out how long that swordthing can get. Try a bit of weightlifting since it seemed Bear was too light. Pinch or scrape her skin since it might now be tougher.
Logically with great strength should come stronger bones, ligaments, and skin since otherwise it would be torn apart by more strength (depending on how much more, I suppose).
A good scene, gimme more 🙂
Ugh, so creepy… thank you!
I was first years ago. I’ll never be first again since I can’t help but read the installment before commenting.
Exactly! Right? Reading the installment has to come first.
You got that right!
Wow! Just wow…
That was amazing! Hair raising, stomach churning. It was wonderful.
House Andrews is killing it with new worlds and characters! First Maggie, now this. I’m so excited to read the rest of inheritance and appreciate your hard work and imagination!!
WOW!!! another heartstopping adventure for Ada and Bear. I was holding my breath for most of this Chapter
Awesome as always and thank you for so much fun on this UK Bank Holiday Mon.
It not raining like normal either, win win today 😃
It rained all day here. Luck of the English draw 🤣
So good
Holy crap, this place it super-dangerous! Ada and Bear seem to have surprises in store for the things trying to kill them, though. Wonder what all Ada can do? I’ll bet she is wondering the same thing about now!
Thanks, House Andrews, for another great episode!
This world is fascinating and the new Talents are really interesting. Two words: ANCHOR SERIES— right? Wouldn’t this be a great gateway drug— er, great creative introduction— to all that is House Andrews?
Yes, I know, typical Horde behavior. You feed us delicious tidbits and all we do is whine for MORE. 🙂
At the moment, House Andrews envision this as a stand-alone novella rather than series 🙂. Officially. That’s what we’ve been told. For now. (🤪 Barsabarsa)
Anyone want to start a betting pool? 😜
I’m channeling my inner Ada (or Elias) and say “hm”. 😉
#BigHmmEnergy
You know, we probably have enough HA-centric words to make up a Horde vocabulary.
Chiiiii! Barsa barsa! Hmmm. Barsa.
Chalant and fluffy, too.
Could you define fluffy for me? I am new to the blog
Caves, swamps, mystery portals, talents… and a dog. I for one am gonna whine for More!
Wow, can’t wait for the next one! Welcome home!
So much suspense!! My heart!
Ada is now a certified Bada$$! Good. Glad HA had a good vacation and welcome back.
wow.
thank you!
ooh, i like the art. kinda vintage comic book feel.
Monday happiness achieved! Thank you and welcome home ❤️
Fantastic!! I cannot wait until Friday. Thank you so much!!
love it! Ada and Bear working together!
hope you guys had a good vacation!
Love the artwork!
Story had me on the edge of my seat
Ooooo I admit I wasn’t sure exactly what I was seeing at first, but after reading and peeking again? Candace’s work is so good!
Man I would be sooooo freaked out in that cave. And of course she had to leave her pack behind, augh.
I am so invested.
Awesomeness.
Welcome back HA!
Hopefully Mod R can say we were a good Horde while you were away. I know I for one stopped myself from asking for more chapters. Lol
On the edge of my seat!! I can’t wait for Elias and Ada to meet up
Okay, now I’m confused, and having difficulty trying to imagine exactly how a ship can evolve in these circumstances. I had originally pictured Elias and a small volunteer crew searching for Ada after finding the ambush site and realizing that there was a possibility that she (and Bear) had survived, and they would at least try to confirm it. But that scenario has a lot of problems. There could be many reasons that Ada’s and Bear’s bodies weren’t there, they could have been dragged off by predators. And even if they had survived, tracking them through the caves with no prior knowledge of the danger the poisonous plants pose would be very difficult. Elias seems that he would be too pragmatic to expose even more of his people to risk on a CHANCE that Ada might still be alive. So I’m at a loss trying to picture any ships evolving between our two main characters. Darn! I’ll just have to be p*tient, and trust that Ilona’s imagination is (as always) superior to mine. 0_0
Elias is the Guild Master of Cold Chaos. He isn’t taking a small team of volunteers into the breach.
He is assembling a team of the guild elites, autjorized triple pay, and going in himself – to deal with the anchor and to confirm what happened inside and bring back the bodies. Maybe a reread of Chapter 4 (1)? https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/the-inheritance-chapter-4-part-1/ 🙂
Well yes, I knew that. My thought was that he would leave the majority of his team at the ambush site to recover the bodies, and take a small group on what might be a forlorn hope to see if Ada has survived. Thus making it easier to create a more intimate setting for a ship to happen if/when they meet up. I would think that having a large group of people would inhibit any possibility of Elias dropping his responsibility to lead his group, just to become interested in any romantic possibilities with an employee. Whearas if he had a small group, and he were to catch up to a plucky survivor, admiration for her determination might set the stage for looking beyond just a rescue. This was at least the best my imagination could envision. So do not think that I wasn’t paying attention, I was! I was!
Let’s let the story weavers spin the tale and tell us 🥰
Of course! But the mind can’t help letting the imagination run wild when he’s forced to be p*tient for 4 DAYS! Where’s the fun without that? It just makes the actuality of what comes, be that much more satisfying (and amazing) P*tience without imagination is overrated. (and boring)
Wow
This story has me in its grip and I love being this enthralled!
Ok. That was amazing!
I forgot to swallow. And breathe. And blink.
Thank you.
thank you for the wonderful story and I hope you had a relaxing vacation
I’m a little uncertain about the breach timing and order protocol, probably because it was so compelling I read it too fast. I’m not trying to be picky, just trying to understand.
Does the anchor on this breach still need to be destroyed or is Ada racing against that too?
Ada assumes the assault team is dead because too much time past (7 hrs based on generator clock) since the assault team checked in on the miners. Is it possible the assault team died or got lost on the way back from the destroyed anchor?
The anchor has not been destroyed yet 🙂.
In Chapter 4 Part 1 we find out the Guild itself considers both teams lost- the assault and mining team. 28 people in total 🙂 https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/the-inheritance-chapter-4-part-1/
edge of the seat – loved it and the descriptions – thank you and welcome back to reality – groan!!!
Woohoo!
Wow! My heart was pounding, man!
Awesome illustration by Candace – Ada tip-toeing through the Grasping Hand flowers with Bear on her shoulders. ❤️
Big She-ro Stuff! Love it!
I think I held my breath! That was so exciting… Good job Bear! Show that overgrown bug you aren’t kibble.
Wow! Just Wow!
She got stronger. She heals fast, aside from poison thorns of course and funky fungi monsters trying to eat her. Is she developing thicker skin? Is she becoming ‘other’? Cause that would be a big issue for Ada trying to go back to her children and Earth… As to finding her, I am very unclear how well they can track her through the Maze of the breach, unless SHE is trying to find the anchor site, as they are also and they wind up there. I though she was trying to get to the entrance to the breach. I figure they can find the bodies of the miners yes. Note she is not there, and bodies are missing equipment. Yes. Figure out which way she went? Well maybe not so fast. And then if they do get lucky, find the thorn patch and the abandoned pack. Then run into the water dragon? Find the hole Bear and Ada went through? I’m thinking needle, meet haystack. Unless there are ‘finding talents’ that can find things and people no matter where they are. Or Ada can find Elias’s team.
It sounded like Ada planned to head for the gate, as she wasn’t sure if Cold Chaos would intentionally not rescue her / wait until she died, to cover up the catastrophe. Getting there would be even more important now that she’s lost much of her supplies. However, if she came across the anchor site, that could be a good spot to hang out, as the team would have to eventually go there to shut down the gate before it burst. But she’d have to weigh being able to find enough food and water to stay there (and being able to defend herself) versus being able to find a way back to the gate.
For where Ada is now, I don’t think it would be ‘a needle in a haystack’ to find her if they follow the same logic that Ada is using. Which is to follow the path / tunnels heading in the same direction as the path the group came in through, (which they marked with paint, so Elias’ team will be able to retrace it to the collapsed entrance). However, she does have probably another two days or more to explore before Elias’ team even enters the breach…
Thank you for putting it all in one place! So much better than hunting thru post to put it all together
Am I the only one a little bit (teeny *tiny* bit) disappointed? Since this is ch4 P2 I had all my hopes up for more Elias & Leo 🥰
Never gonna complain about delicious HA storytime, but I’ve though since FrInnDay that I was getting more flashing eyes and meaningful “Hm”‘s… 🤷
I love love loved it – just thinking it could be two halves of a chapter in a book, but in a serial it was a bit jarring. My (un-asked-for) tuppence.
As far as we know, Ada is the protagonist of the story. It will be told from her POV.
We’ll have to see how things develop, but so far there is no indication Elias will get dual POV status with equal time on the page.
Teri, Elias had one scene in 4 chapters, which is a clear indicator that he is not the main character.
He has about 3 scenes in the entire thing. It’s not about him. It’s about a traumatized single mother who has been brutally betrayed and is trying to make it home to her children and keep the dog alive.
Yes! Go, Ada! This is amazing!
Ada is the most interesting and refreshing protagonist I’ve read in a while. I love her POV and age/life stage because it makes it more realistic and relatable. Please keep her coming!
Absolutely! And I’ll bet I speak for the vast majority of the Horde when I say we are all Team Ada and want to see her triumph and get back to her kids with Bear in tow (and learn about her nifty, freaky powers in the process). I know we all want to see certain disreputable people who betrayed Ada and the rest of the team get their very-much-earned comeuppance, too.
But you know the Horde— we WILL ship, we cannot help ourselves, and we will long to see the two pieces of our ship interact and ultimately unite. 🙂
Maybe it would be easier for the illustrious authors in House Andrews to make this unification happen in the NEXT Inheritance novel? Just trying to be helpful, you understand! Clearly not wheedling for this fabulous story to spin out into an Anchor Series or anything… 🙂
🤣 Smooth…
Held my breath for awhile there! Teamwork makes the dream work.. whew.. amazing chapter! Thank you
Hoo Boy! What a story! I love it! What a good dog.
That’s interesting about Bear’s weight cuz German Shepherd girls just don’t get that big. The females run 55-65 pounds while males are much bigger, up to 90 pounds. So either Bear had a sex change or her momma fooled around with someone from a bigger breed. Either way, she clearly has some exciting backstory! Maybe we’ll get a peek later on into her murky past…
We don’t generally comment on a lady’s weight 😛. Averages are overrated.
#Bones #BigBones
https://ilona-andrews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Artha-1.jpg
This is my granddog Artha. Artha is 80lbs, working breed line, her father was a K9 officer, and the vet feels she is at a good weight for her large frame. Quincy, my other GS granddog, is taller but much leaner at 70lbs and the vet feels he is at an excellent weight as well. The size within the breed varies quite a bit and while AKC lists average weights, those weights are estimates. American breed lines tend to produce larger, heavier dogs while European lines are lighter and leaner.
There is a reason why we put a GS in the story. We know and love the breed. 🙂
Cute puppy! I love GS – smart, houdini dogs with a loyal streak. Love the banner too with the puppy pic!
I knew it! Bear was giving me Artha vibes from the beginning.
Good dog!
My Grandma had a retired GS police dog when I was a kid. A friend of the family who was a cop had him. He got married and new wife was afraid of the dog so Moxie came to live with us. We roamed all over the woods and hills with Moxie and my Dad never worried about us.
Adaline should get her own four book slow burn.
Also I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest The Inheritance deserves the Maggie treatment!
(Although if it does maybe it shouldn’t be four books.)
Intense. Wow. Little food or water and no going back for the pack, but at least Bear is still with her. Thank you for a great start of the week! And I hope y’all had a marvelous vacation!
I need more asap. Each chapter gets better.
That one kept me on the she of my seat!
Yay! Made my day. Love this so much.
Wow. That got my heart rate up! So much excitement in one snippet. Hope your vacation was wonderful.
Man, that was disgusting. I have a vivid imagination and a deep fear of bugs. I can’t wait to read more!
Thank you for this! What a great nobble to gowith my afternoon tea. I love the world building so much. Silverfish. Ugh.
nobble=bigger than a nibble
Okay, she lost the pack but Bear is safe! I repeat, Bear is safe. Plus Ada’s inheritance is starting to manifest—stab stab stab. She’d be amazing at one of those Guess the Number in the jar contests.
I’m so excited to see what else she has up her sleeve…on her sleeve..wrist. Whatever.
*Jazz Fins*
Apart from stab, she also runs faster than a scared GSD now. As in overtaking it coming out of that Grasping Hand patch. Without mentioning knee pain, but that might be the adrenalin speaking (or limited wordcount 🙂 ).
I’m so excited to find out what all the Inheritance has given her.
I will buy this book when it is published and read it over and over, enjoying it with every re-read. It has intense action and a heroine that you can get behind and cheer for. She cares about her children and Bear. You care about what happens to her and Bear. Thank you – to the team of Ilona Andres. Write ON!
Awesome – thank you for the Chapter on my birthday!!! Especially since I’m sick lol.
Happy birthday and feel better! You might have to have a delayed celebration, except for opening the nice present/chapter.
Thank you for making me look forward to Mondays!
Welcome back from vacay! Jope you had a restful time.
So good! I love that y’all are trying new genres. Can’t wait for the rest! I have no idea where this is going other than the main character will probably make it out and London and Melissa might get their just desserts. Everything else is a mystery! Amazing!
This is so intense and exactly what I needed. Who knew I’d ever look forward to Mondays?
Wow. I’m really enjoying this serial. World building top notch, characters too.
I’m also enjoying the twice weekly format. Feels like less w*iting. Thank you.
Hope you had a restful and rejuvenating holiday. Thanks to ModR for holding the fort.
Everything she said.
This is sooo muckiest fun!!!
So. Do I smell government conspiracy around somewhere? That bit about not having spotted humanoids, or maybe they lied, left me intrigued for an even deeper background story. And why did Ol’Boy just up & leave? Is he having an affair with the other gal that lived? Big dirty money from an outside investor? Government conspiracy to off a middle aged mom who saw the wrong thing and got inconvenient quick????? So. Many. Questions!!!
*much. Muckiest? should be much. Unless there’s some good muck coming up that we don’t know about! 🤣
Hope the vacation was great!
As I was reading the part about hearing the legs behind her, my mind went straight to Ron and the giant spider (can’t remember his name) in Harry Potter. I still shudder every time I read or watch that scene. This just gave me all the creeps in the best possible way.
Good for Ada. Facing her fears to get home to her children. And she gets to pet the dog!
Aragog?
Aragog was a she – remember all her children? That is one scary scene, even for spider fans.
Aragog was male 🙂 .
His wife was called Mosag and together they had the many Acromantula spiderlings that formed the colony in the Forbidden Forest.
Clearly time for another reread! I don’t remember Mosag at all, and have been thinking of Aragog as female for years, in spite of regular rereads. Thank you ModR!
That’s who I meant, and I still shudder when I think of all those spiders.
Chiiiiiii!
It’s like Mother coming home after you had a sleepover with the babysitter :DDD. Mod R let us stay up late shipping, fed us chapter snacks and got us tired playing quizzes. Welcome back, Ilona and Gordon! Thank you for the goodies!
Love the Inbearatence!
Y’alls imagination has been running amuck and it is awesome!
i am enjoying this series SO MUCH.
thank you!
Well , that certainly got the blood flowing and my old heart beating a tattoo this morning, terrific.
anybody else old enough to remember Zork? This reminds me of it. only 100 time better, of course 😉
Yup. Now to find the tomb of the unknown implementer!
If the author lords can make an april fools joke into a stand alone and change the villian to a human being, that contributes to the main story, they can do anything.
I just checked out Candice’s art, and it is spectacular.
Dear Ilona, does your illustrator get to read the story ahead of time? Because if so, I’d like to throw my hat in the ring. My drawing style is quite different from hers, but I think you’d enjoy the variety. My style is closer to ultra-post-modernist, in that I specialize in stick figures and color blobs. The viewer needs to be an active participant in the experience, with an even activer imagination.
If you think you’d enjoy an extra set of drawings (and really, how could you not?) then please send me the full story at my email address.
(Somewhat) sincerely yours,
Megan the impatient
Ok, you got me 😀 . I did a whole serious reply before the penny dropped, Scooby Doo style lol
Hahaha!
Your excellent technical description of your school of artistry reminded me of a cartoon I once saw:
Two art critics are standing in front of a painting at an exhibiton and one says: “I find the contrast between the shoddiness of the work and the audacity of the price to be immensely exciting!”.
It was a very nice try!
If you got Ilona to send you the whole story, you would have had a Horde stampede in your inbox. The rest of the Horde would ask Mod R for your e-mail, and the rest would be history. 😀
Smooth…very smooth.
Are you the Megan from XKCD?
I read xkcd, does that count?
This is so much fun! I’m loving it. Thank you!
Boy can you tell a great story!!! It is amazing how you grabbed my attention and will keep it until the end. I want to be first in line for book pre-order
Enjoy your lunch, Pinky!
My heart is pounding!
Thank you for yet another enthralling episode.
You’re the best!
Amazing. Very hooked. HA has a gift.
Wow! The creepy monsters just keep getting creepier!
Excellent! Thank you. Hope you had a nice trip!
Wow, I need half an hour to catch my breath!!!
Im glad I waited until the end of the night to read this one. I need to lay down and gather my heart back into my chest…
Wow!!!
Each episode so far has my heart pounding.
Wow. This is intense. Thank you.
Didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I let it out in a huge sigh of relief at the end. haha! Awesome installment!
Read this segment this morning. Then went back and reread the chapters in their entirety this evening. Read all the comments and my heart is still racing from the adrenaline rush/dump. What a read!!! Thank you!
This was my reward after doing some job searching. I expected to be on edge, based on the first half, but wow! I wasn’t expecting this. I’ll be looking forward to the next chapter. Thank you for this!
finally a winner for them!!!!! first kill!!!
Welcome Back! Hurray for Ada and Bear!
Bugs are the worst ever, I have nightmares about the bugs the Cat Overlords bring inside for me to learn to hunt pawperly.
Ada’s weapons are better than my cast iron skillet tho.
Thank you!
We all were excited by Maggie because it was something totally different, but now we have the Inheritance which is even more different and awesome too! The BDH is so lucky! I am very thankful for this, and impressed at the skills of House Andrews to switch to completely new worlds and come up with such new and inventive ideas. Woohoo!
!! Moreeeeeee
Silverfish monsters, icky! Thank you!
Might be quite tasty when boiled and served with melted garlic butter.
Lol, this was a running joke in my family years ago: Anything tastes good if you put enough butter and garlic in it.
Loving it! Thank you, HA!
so wonderful
Chills!
Thank you! I hope you had a great vacation!
Thank you for the chapter! I’m happy to learn more about the inheritance she got. I have some questions that hopefully aren’t too spoilery.
Will Bear become different if she starts to feed on denizens of the dungeon, is this possible at all to be changed that way?
Also, what happens if our DeBra comes across something very valuable as she escapes will she get to keep it or will it belong to her employees?
Have the humans ever explored a cave as deeply as she is doing right now? I’m betting there will be a debrief of everything that went down and I’m wondering if her impromptu survival adventure will yield some serious information for the guilds and organizations that are concerned with exploring and exploiting the dungeons .
We’ll have to read on and see 🙂.
But in terms of exploration, assault teams do head into breaches until they discover the anchors so probably yes, others have explored more than a day’s walk inside the tunnels 🙂
Behind him the rest of the assault team staggered out. He’d force-marched them for the last two days, all the way from the anchor chamber.
More than a day, closer to 3-4 apparently, depending on how fast a force march is.
Its a good point, no food to Bear other than earth variety (and she’s running out of jerky so she’d better find a safe food source for other of them soonest!). No food for her, so I really hope the Inheritance (knowledge of the breach ecology/biology and what is safe not safe to eat or use) kicks in fast. 🙂
I like the serial. I had never heard of this genre (LitRPG) before, so I think I’m going to look for some more of it.
The genre reminds me of an episode of Misfits, a British TV series, S2 Ep 4, loosely based on GTA.
Is it me y’all or is each chapter just getting shorter and shorter? I swear it takes just a few heartbeats to read it!
This story is so much fun. thank you so much! 💖
The worst thing is that I have to wait till friday for the next part.
Love the story beary much!!
I can’t WAIT to buy this ebook
I hope you both had a great vacation!
Thank you for another great serial!
I am so enjoying this story! It could be a really cool series (no pressure). The artwork is beautiful-it perfectly captured the scene. As always, deep and humble thanks for thinking of the BDH. Hope that you enjoyed your vacation and are rested and refreshed!
Thanks for sharing. it was a nice distraction before work.
Oh crap! So good! Thank you.
OMG! The suspense! What alien creature is going to show up next?! 😳
Welcome back! I hope you had a great vacation.
I hope Candice Slater knows she is going to get a lot more followers now 🙂
Soooo good. 😀
Wow! Good girl Bear. We love our faithful German Shepherd.
This sequel is amazing and left me on the edge of my seat.
Very exciting stuff
Ah, this is very good. I am waiting with much excitement for every bit of this story we get! Thank you for making my week better <3
i’m loving this story so much! you guys have amazing imaginations. and your ability to pull the reader right into the scene as if we were there ourselves is magical. thank you.
also, i was finally able to get the first book of Solo Leveling from my library (the line was long, it is very popular!) and i devoured it in one sitting. absolutely loved it! thanks for mentioning it! i also started reading the Top Dungeon Farmer webtoon and am enjoying that too. now i impatiently await my turn for the second Solo Leveling book, as well as the next chapter of Inheritance/InBearitance.
Scary place!
Glad you had a good vacation. I love this and hope it turns into a book. I need more
Welcome back. Hopefully you two got some rest and decompressed a bit.
Thank you for leaving us so many exciting episodes of the new serial. (We would have survived, but the whining would have been – umm, memorable…)
I am enjoying the new story, but having trouble remembering to check on Monday. Thus, I read this on Tuesday morning.
Looking forward to Maggie!
Wonderful; thank you!
Wow!! What an imagination y’all have.
Y’all must’ve had a really good time conjuring up the descriptions of these monsters.👿
Thank you and looking forward to Friday.
So so so good!!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
Fantastic! This story is addictive and wonderful. Thankyou for sharing your hard work with us. House Andrews rocks! It is a good thing we are not in Kate Daniels world or eventually Ilona and Gorden would ascend to become Gods from BDH devotion
whoo! That was stressful and great!
What A Story! I can’t wait for the next installment. Each one gets better. Thanks for a Monday treat.
I wonder if anyone else has to come home from vacation and needs a vacation to recover from vacation;-)
I was on the edge of my seat for Bear and Ada and relieved at the chapters end. Then I thought oh no! My ship might sink! Elias and his team won’t have the help of the inheritance if they go looking for her .
Does this mean that Blood Heir book 2 isn’t happening? It’s been 4+ years and it would be nice to just know if it is still or isn’t going to happen.
There will be a sequel for Blood Heir, but at the moment work is on the Maggie the Undying series and other projects.
“Hi HA, I just wanted to say how much I adore your books and writing. I make sure to read absolutely everything you publish, whether it’s here on the blog or your traditionally published works. I was especially excited when you started posting the second Hugh book, and I have to admit I was quite disappointed when it stopped after just two chapters. While I’m trying to enjoy your current book, I do find myself still really wishing for more of Hugh’s story. Thanks for all your writing though!”
Hi Noa,
There were actually 5 chapters published of Hugh, I’m sorry you did not see the rest 🙂 House Andrews were also always clear that they will not make Hugh 2 into a serial, as the format does not suit the novel, and it will only be shared up to a certain point in the draft manuscript.
So glad to hear you’re enjoying the new story!
Wow. The amazing pictures created surpass my ability to give proper homage. So very well done. Thank you. I am speechless.
File 404? Oh, no! Woe is me! This is getting so good…I shall be patient. I shall wait. Glad you had a great vacation. Everyone needs time off. Rest is good. I look forward to the rest of this one.
Hi Ona,
Where are you getting the File 404 error, please? What are you referring to? Thank you
Oh, nevermind, the “Read the Next Chapter” link. It is not up yet, p*tience indeed, it will come tomorrow afternoon 🙂
Aaarrrggghhh!!! Can’t wait for the next one! Thank you!
WOW! I saw The Inheritance mentioned on Tobey White’s site, jumped here and devoured it. Love this. More please.
Oh that’s fab 🙂 ! Where was it mentioned?
So, I have a huge problem, I may be the most attached book horde here…
It’s been going on for years now, I can’t enjoy any book as much as I enjoy Ilona Andrews, so, I have one question.
Has anyone here read a book that could only be close to Andrews writing.
I have had a problem finding a different author and it’s difficult to live on this weekly posts, Friday is tomorrow and then I will have to wait days again after that. I cannot go on like this.
This is not the place for this conversation. 🙂 Please stay on topic related to the Inheritance.
Hey Oluwarotimi,
It sounds like you love House Andrews books almost as much as me! 👯 We are very lucky to get unparalleled books!
I will ask you please to come back with this question when we have a proper thread dedicated to recommendations for other authors and books – they happen here from time to time, like this one for example https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/the-bdh-book-recommendations-megapost/ 🙂
If you want some interesting recommendations for books in the same genre as the Inheritance, you can check out the most recent blog post here https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/back-to-life-back-to-reality-and-book-recommendation/
Its Mother’s Day on Sunday, I hope Ada and Bear get a nice surprise – rescue no – but rest recuperation and food and safe lodging… for a day to rest up for the next push forward (wherever that may be taking them!) Oh, and that little weasel London and his nasty collaborator Melissa get the boom lowered on them and their little ‘games’are exposed. Maybe just march them back into the breach? Let them experience a fraction of the torment the miners and others went through… fear and panic and trauma. Might serve them right if they WERE trapped not Ada and Bear (sorry I’m not much for cold calculating bastards or their side kicks)
Ada and Bear forever. I didn’t think you could write a dog to match Grendel. I shouldn’t have doubted.
This chapter caused me such visceral fear. The chittering bug thing was terrifying.
I admit, as soon as you described the bigger monster as a dragon, I was like, “Whew, a dragon, now we’re safe.” Ha. Too much Anne McCaffrey when I was little.