The Silver Skull: Rove City, #10

By Ariele Sieling

It's been one year since Amarok offered Maybelle a job aboard his vessel, and she hasn't heard from him since. Anger, concern, and irritation towards him have plagued her, but now all she feels is worried—and bored. Her father has been on the straight and narrow, has a new job, and is taking care of Maybelle's sisters competently. And Maybelle feels adrift and unsure of what her future holds. 

 

In one last effort to reach out to Amarok, Maybelle agrees to a strange task: collect a mysterious item hidden in a bot sent to the mechanic's shop where she works, and deliver it to the resistance. Maybelle has heard of the resistance, and after some initial hesitation, she decides it's worth the risk, especially if it leads her to finding out what happened to Amarok. 

 

But one task for the resistance leads to another, and Maybelle finds herself dragged into a web and of intrigue and danger far more complex than she ever could have imagined. 

 

This is the tenth book in the Rove City series, and the second installment of Maybelle's story.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ariele Sieling
• Release date: Oct 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223204633

Ariele Sieling

Ariele Sieling is a Pennsylvania-based writer who enjoys books, cats, and trees. Her first love, however, is science fiction and she has three series in the genre: post-apocalyptic monsters in Land of Szornyek; soft science fiction series, The Sagittan Chronicles; and scifi fairytale retellings in Rove City. She has also had numerous short stories published in a variety of anthologies and magazines and is the author of children's books series Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep.She lives with her spouse, enormous Great Pyrenees dog, and two cats.You can find her work on Kobo, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Apple, GooglePlay, and Payhip. Visit www.arielesieling.com for more information.

Book preview

Chapter 1

One year. That’s how long it had been.

One year since Amarok had left. One year since Gabor had died. One year since Maybelle’s whole life had come to a screeching halt.

Maybelle stood in shadow on the edge of the same dance floor where she’d last seen Amarok. She watched her father dance song after song with his new-ish girlfriend, while Sam curled her arms around the neck of her most recent not-boyfriend, and Kiya swirled across the floor with her friends. And once again, Maybelle remained at the edges.

It was poetic, in a way. Or pathetic, depending on how you looked at it. Because after one year, still all Maybelle could think about was Amarok.

She’d worked hard to forget him. A single dance and a job offer—that was all that had transpired. Well, that and Gabor’s death. And freeing Amarok from the arm made of living metal. And everything else.

She really should let go. Move on. He’d made the offer and then vanished without a trace, after all. But she couldn’t stop thinking about his mysterious smile. She couldn’t stop hoping that he would reappear, hand outstretched, to transport her off to the stars. And she couldn’t stop worrying about the fact that something bad might have happened to him.

Forcing a smile onto her face, Maybelle waved at her youngest sister, as the beaming girl ran past with two of her giggling friends. Happy dancers laughed and called out to each other as they spun and wiggled. Maybelle knew most of them, and greeted them kindly as they passed. But even though she was surrounded by her community, she still somehow felt alone.

At first, Maybelle had been patient with Amarok. She’d needed some time anyway, to process all that had happened. She had woken many nights from nightmares of Gabor’s hand clutched around her neck—that terror had taken time to recede. Plus, she wanted to make sure her family was stable and secure before running off to a new job on a ship off the city.

But then she’d gotten annoyed—not even a message had arrived from him, telling her it might be a while or that things were taking longer than he’d planned. She’d done some digging in the city’s data systems, but when a Rove City official had shown up at her job the next day and said they were looking for someone who went by the name Amarok, she had stopped searching, not wanting to put him or her family at risk.

Then anger had replaced the annoyance. Why would he abandon her like that? He could have at least had his sister send her a message, even if he was unable to. It was rude, to say the least. They’d had something good. A friendship. At least, she’d thought so.

She’d held onto that anger for a long time. But as the months passed, the anger subsided into a dull, aching worry. What if the queen had found him after all? What if he was dead? What if he needed help? She wished she could do something—but what? She didn’t know where he was, what was happening, or how to contact him. And she didn’t want to do anything to risk putting him in danger.

She just hoped he wasn’t dead.

Maybelle, sweetie. Her father grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor. You look positively dreary. Dance with your old dad. These dances are supposed to be fun, you know.

Maybelle pushed her worries out of her mind and let herself laugh as her father spun her around. Thanks, Dad. I was just getting lost in my own head. Her skirt spun out and around her legs as she twirled.

Her father had changed a lot in the past year—grown up, in a way. He hadn’t vanished once, and in fact, had gotten a job as an accountant, leaving his merchant days—smuggling was more like it—behind, so he said. He’d been dating the same woman for the last six months—a woman named Bess, who seemed kind and sweet, and loved Sam and Kiya like her own, as far as Maybelle could tell.

What’s bothering you? he asked, but Maybelle just shook her head. I think I just need to go for a walk and clear my head.

You know, he said, pulling her closer so she could hear better over the music. I’ve been worried about you.

Don’t be silly, Dad, she protested weakly, but he waved her words away and kept going.

You’ll be twenty-six soon, and you’re still at home taking care of your little sisters and dear old Dad. But we’re fine, thanks to you. If you wanted to... you know... do something else, you could.

Maybelle raised her eyebrows at him. What are you saying?

I just want you to be happy, sweetheart. He gave her hand a squeeze. "And ever since the whole incident last year, you’ve seemed... dissatisfied. That’s all. Of course, you can stay home and keep doing what you’ve been doing as long as you want. We love you, and it’s wonderful how well you take care of us. But you don’t have to. If there was, you know, something else you wanted. Or someone else."

Maybelle rolled her eyes at her father’s implication, but his words sank deep into her. He wasn’t wrong. She was dissatisfied. She’d wanted the job Amarok had offered. She’d been excited and hopeful that maybe she would have the chance to do something else with her life besides work in a bot shop and take care of her little sisters. And when the opportunity had slowly faded away, she’d been disappointed.

But maybe she could find a different opportunity. Just because the job with Amarok hadn’t worked out, it didn’t mean she was forced to continue living the same old life.

Thanks, Dad, she said, smiling at her father. I’ll think about what you said.

Good girl. He patted her shoulder as Bess reappeared. Loose curls framed the woman’s face, and she wore a flowing green dress. It was clear to Maybelle that her father was besotted with the woman.

May I cut in? Bess asked, grinning at Maybelle.

By all means. Maybelle smiled at the two of them as Bess swept her father into a high-spirited frolic. With one last glance at her sisters, who were still happily engaged with their dance partners, Maybelle slipped out of the community center and into the quiet corridors of Rove City.

Late-night wandering had become Maybelle’s new hobby. With her father consistently home, she didn’t have to worry about her sisters being alone, and there was something appealing about the quiet calm of evening. The corridor lights were dim, set to nighttime mode, and the few people who were out that late were typically lost in their own thoughts and uninterested in her.

It was peaceful. And it was a freedom she hadn’t had in many years. If ever.

After wandering for nearly an hour, she entered to the main community center of the Southgreen pod. It was quiet here too, though a few people wandered about the area or sat at tables with drinks and snacks. She strolled up to a popular bar called Captain Joe’s and sank down onto a stool.

What can I get you? The bartender was a middle-aged woman with laugh lines around her eyes and slightly graying hair. A kind glimmer sparkled in her gaze as she waited patiently for Maybelle to answer.

Maybelle stared at the menu for a few moments before finally shaking her head. I don’t know.

I got you. The bartender disappeared into a back and returned a moment later, plopping a flight of four different beers down in front of her. The ‘I Don’t Know,’ a Captain Joe’s special.

Maybelle laughed. Thanks.

What’s on your mind? the bartender asked, leaning on the counter. She glanced down at the bar. Quiet here tonight, if you feel like chatting.

Therapist part of your job description? Maybelle asked, half serious and half joking.

Yep. The bartender shrugged. Sometimes you just need a stranger to listen for a few minutes. If you want. No pressure. My name is Mary Alice, by the way.

I’m Maybelle. Taking a sip of the first beer, Maybelle contemplated sharing her dilemma with Mary Alice. If she didn’t use names, Amarok’s identity would be safe, and it might help her to hear someone else’s perspective on the matter. It’s complicated.

It often is, Mary Alice agreed.

I got a job offer a year ago, Maybelle said slowly, from someone I... trusted. She took another sip of the beer. Then he disappeared and I haven’t heard from him since. His situation is... complicated. So I tried to be patient. But it’s made me realize I want more out of my life than I’m getting, but I don’t know quite how to... make changes, I guess.

So you’re trying to decide if you want to do something new with your life? And what that might look like?

Yeah. Maybelle sighed. I just can’t stop thinking about that job. I... wanted it. A lot. I know I should let go of the idea, but there’s just some part of me that wants to know what happened, you know? Where’d he go? Why’d he disappear?

Have you tried hunting him down? Mary Alice asked, a small crease in her brow.

Once, Maybelle replied. But then... She leaned forward and whispered, ...the cops showed up looking for him.

Oh my. That is tricky.

I can’t really say anything else about it. Maybelle leaned back and selected another beer from the flight. Even if she was mad at Amarok for vanishing, she still didn’t want to do anything that might put him in harm’s way.