Promo: Storm by Evan Angler - Deleted scene

STORM Blog Tour Promotion - Deleted Unmarked River Scene

Dear Reader,

Can you keep a secret?

For the launch of my latest banned book, STORM, I am doing something that I’ve never done before: I am releasing a series of deleted scenes. Scenes that are cannon, that did happen, and that simply didn’t fit on the page. What follows here is an exclusive first look at one of my very favorites--a scene in which Logan and Hailey are traveling along the Unmarked River and receive a message from a surprising visitor.

So why am I doing this, you ask? Why am I publishing this deleted moment?

Perhaps it is just one more way to stick it to DOME. As if a third Swipe novel weren’t enough to ruffle their feathers, now I’m insisting on sprinkling it with bonus material too. Take that, Chancellor Cylis! How do you like me now?

But no. That’s not the only reason. That’s not all.

Because the truth is, it’s my hope that the scene you are about to read will inform the story of STORM, will complement it, will add to it and enhance it once all is said and done.

Because one way or another, a storm is coming. And it threatens everything we’ve ever fought for, all this time. And the more we know before it hits, the better.

Because right now, we Markless need all the help we can get.

Yours,

Evan Angler

The figure came fast from the horizon, peddling hard an on old, pre-Unity bike. Its wheels rattled and kicked up dirt that billowed and rose into the cloudless sky.

“Get the horses,” Hailey said.

“They’re resting.”

“They’ll get over it.”

So Logan and Hailey hopped onto the old saddles of their tired horses, and they galloped off without another moment’s hesitation.

“Nothing like a little motivation,” Hailey joked. “We’ll get to Lahoma even sooner than we thought.”

“If we get there at all,” Logan said, glancing back behind him. Their visitor wasn’t giving up; she was biking harder.

Logan kicked and whipped the reins of his horse, edging it on and whooping as he rode.

But the horses were tired. And their visitor was determined.

“I think it’s a girl,” Logan said to Hailey after riding for some time. “The person following us...I think it’s just a little girl.”

Hailey turned around and saw Logan was right; at this closer range, the bike rider looked even younger than them.

“Dust!” the girl called, her words falling flat against the dark, empty field. “I’m Dust! Like you!” She was waving her left hand now, trying hard to keep steady with her right. “I’m here to help!”

“If she’s lying, we’ll overpower her,” Hailey said. And she pulled back on the reins.

“Hailey—” Logan protested, but in another moment he realized Hailey was right. The girl was too young to be a threat, suspicious as her visit might have seemed.

The horses stopped. The girl caught up. She slowed her bike and let it drop to the ground, walking up to Logan and Hailey with a clear, youthful excitement plastered across her face.

“You’re Logan, right? Logan Langly?”

Logan said nothing. He stayed perfectly still.

“Oh!” the girl said. “I almost forgot!” And she made an arc in the dirt with her foot—the symbol of trust along the Unmarked River. Only true Markless knew the code. If this kid meant harm, then she sure did have impressive informants.

Logan nodded. He made the arc with his own foot. Together, these arcs made the fish.

Along the river, the rule went, fishermen always had fish.

“How did you find us?” Logan asked.

“The captain whose horses you took. He pointed me in your direction. River’s been a pretty straight shot ever since.” The girl was panting, out of breath from her long, fast ride. She swallowed hard, and Logan could tell her mouth was dry. Hailey gave her their canteen, and the girl drank eagerly.

“But what are you doing here?” Hailey pressed. “What is it you want from us?”

The girl look surprised. “Me? Nothing. I’m just the final link in the chain.”

“What chain? What are you talking about?” Logan leaned down, getting a closer look at the girl’s face, searching for trust.

As if in response, the girl reached into her back pocket...and she pulled out a note.

“What is this?” Logan asked. He held the paper in his hands, flipping it around, examining the thing from all angles.

“It’s a letter,” the girl said. “From Erin Arbitor.”

“From Erin? How long was this chain?”

“Long,” the girl said.

But Logan couldn’t believe his ears. “The River’s delivering mail now?”

The girl smiled. “To you? Yes.”

            So Logan stared at the letter, awed and speechless, flipping through its pages, squinting under the dim starlight.

            “She knew we didn’t have a radio,” Hailey said. “Markless broadcasts wouldn’t’ve worked for us.”

            But Logan shook his head. “It’s more than that. Radio’s not secure enough. Not for us. Not for this. Not anymore.”

Hailey leaned over her shoulder, trying to get a look at the note for herself. “Well? So what’s it say?”

“It’s hard to read the writing. Looks like it was copied pretty quickly.” Logan looked up at the girl, who shrugged apologetically. “But the general message...it’s...”

“Spit it out! What’s it say?”

“Nothing much, actually. Not specifically, at least. But it’s clear, all the same. This letter...it’s a warning.”

Storm (Swipe #3)

by Evan Angler

In a future United States under the power of a charismatic leader, everyone gets the Mark at age thirteen. The Mark allows citizen to shop, go to school, and even get medical care--without it, you are on your own. Few refuse to get the Mark. Those who do . . . disappear.

Logan Langly went in to get his Mark, but he backed out at the last minute. Ever since, he's been on the run from government agents and on a quest to find his sister Lily, who disappeared when she went to get her Mark five years earlier. His journey leads him to befriend the Dust, a vast network of Markless individuals who dissent against the iron-grip rule of the government. Along the way to the capital to find Lily, the Dust receive some startling information from the Markless community, opening their eyes to the message of Christianity and warning that humanity is now entering the End of Days.

In "Storm," Logan and his friends are the leaders of the Markless revolution. But while some Markless are fighting Chancellor Cylis' army, the Dust is busy trying to find a cure for a horrible epidemic sweeping through the Marked. And it's difficult for them to know who to trust, especially when they aren't sure if Logan's sister Lily, one of the commanders in Cylis' army, is on their side or not. And all across the nation--and the world--the weather is become less stable, and a storm is brewing that bigger than any of them could have ever imagined...