Stellar

Really? I don't think of it as one of my best, in honesty. In fact, if anything I think it serves a purpose (as every chapter should) but it doesn't fit into the 'favourites' category. Thank you though!

Thank you I know I am an expert at revealing information that only poses more questions. Lucere is indeed a place that is full of death and destruction. A note on the aqumi grid. The grid itself didn't cause anything per se! It was the catalyst for a lot of human goings-on, but it was simply *there*. The real source of chaos is of course the Sharpe virus itself. The question I'd be asking if I was a reader is: where did this disease come from?

Thank you! Though, the caveat of 'maybe' is my saviour in this instance. Escape clause FTW!

Lucere's past will become better explored before this is all done. In fact, that's the place where the real answers will originate, in many senses, so it can't be totally forgotten! Go Shay, indeed!

My betas skewered me for the placement of that scene right at the chapter end. HAHA! I'm so not even sorry either

While Konstantin was looting the dead assassin's belongings for anything of value and moving the corpse to be buried, the rest of us went back to the house. The exception was Mira, who stayed behind to aid in this task. Though the Russian had asked his assistance, I had the impression that Mira wanted to be there. I didn't know whether it was a desire to see the finality of burial, an over-anxious vigilance that persisted even after this guy was dead, or something else I was unaware of. Once aga

You make me feel so guilty! Watch for a notification some time soon

Happy birthday!

This girl achieved what many thought was impossible: she made Rebecca Black look good by comparison. In other news, the single most amusing part about this horror-inducing brain-numbing piece of vapid pop-music tripe, is the actual Youtube page for it. The most liked comment: "thank god thanksgiving was not on a friday" I too am eternally grateful for this fact.

Hey Steve, thanks very much for letting me know your thoughts Ah, there are always questions, aren't there? One cannot escape from the mystery in such a story, but for me that is part of the foundation of it, part of the enjoyment. Having folks understand the science of what is going on is important. It needs to be accessible to the average reader and if the text contains a bunch of technobabble that has no basis in reality or too much specific jargon; it kills the interest rather fast. Regarding Shay's 'powers', his immortality and how it effects him and those in his life: this will be explored a bit more in coming chapters. There is a lot of potential for it to go several possible directions. Something that is overlooked however is that Mira shares several of these 'super' characteristics with his other half, so naturally one must wonder if he is not 100% the same! Food for thought. Mira was never dead Chapter 11 will live in infamy, I am sure .. but it was never exactly what it appeared Again, thank you for taking the time to review. I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far and hope to see you follow for the rest of the ride!

Definitely feel-good .. it was very much needed after the previous events. Aliens! Indeed, who built such a thing?! *Why* build such a thing? It's pretty advanced stuff! The bigger picture may now look a little clearer, but the whither-to and what-for of the situation is still a bit murky, I know. There is something very satisfying about the relationship to me and writing it brings a lot of enjoyment. The readers seem to enjoy it, so I'm feeling good about that! Figuring out the villain's game is the next step in the journey and is what will lead everything to the eventual conclusion.

Thank you, I'm glad you think so Carlos is the least explored personality of the five who are living at the Andropov estate at this point in time. Also probably the most different than any of the others, as he has lived a much less secure life than any of them. Definitely more to come from him!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Yes indeed! Very sexy times

Haha! I'm glad He didn't learn his .. erm, techniques, in any particular place He's just a very physical boy and is a fast learner .. with a keen eye for what makes his other half tick.

Thank you! It's the third longest by wordcount and it required quite a bit of revising before it was ready, up there with chapter 10 in how much I had to play with it before I was happy to release it. Indeed, everyone is united now in their wish to make sure Hartley is given his due. You are right, Shay cannot control the power within him and it certainly must make one wonder what he could achieve with it once he is able to do so. Mira still is what he is! Though now perhaps, grown a little wiser about how dangerous other humans can be.

Thank you! Chapter 13 is rather enlightening, I think, though there is always more to come, more secrets and mysteries out there to find. Then of course, the question remains: what exactly is Mr Hartley planning to do?

Standing upon the terrace, the misty warmth of Lucere's summer night surrounding me, I was faced with the uncompromising truth. There was no latitude for anything else. Even as the nocturnal weather lulled for a second, I felt as if it was over. My acceptance of what appeared to be real was the only thing remaining. What more is left? The garden and grass were still and in that moment of calm, I imagined him, as clear as the light of day, walking sedately across the lawn. A phantasm from

Thank you very much for your comments. It is fantastic to find an appreciation in my readership; yours is the sort of reaction I hope for, that gives me such fulfillment from my endeavour. If my memory serves, Day of the Jackal was published not long after De Gaulle's era, in the 1970s some time. I did read it when I was at high school, though at that age my understanding of the themes in it was much less advanced. It is a wonderful coincidence that you mention this, as the name and heritage of one of Hidden Sunlight's villains were chosen as a homage (and allusion) to this very book! Nonetheless, to be placed on a scale with respect to works of that same calibre is very humbling. Once again, thank you.

You guessed well! Most seemed to think it was longer than the original week Shay was meant to spend, but few thought as far as centuries. Vindication is incoming! Incidentally, you have given me my 100th review! This is it. Woohoo!

I wish to point out that those emails *did* have the year present on them, just that they were dated from when the outbreak ocurred, so it is no more illuminating to Shay about the current date. Your comments are interesting and may prove to be predictive and then again, maybe not! I'm glad you are enjoying it and thank you for reviewing There is so much more to comed.

I am sure many readers had their suspicions, but some of the reactions I received after chapter 11 were interesting, to say the least. To touch on what I said earlier in this very thread, I don't believe the author is obliged in any way to gratify his audience through indulging what they *want* to occur; as much as some may yearn the story to go a certain way, the creative license to build a work of art from the words is his (or hers, to be fair) alone. However .. what was not mentioned above was that I believe this freedom must be tempered by a sense of being true to the spirit of what the author is creating. This is something I didn't talk about earlier, because if anyone had really thought too long, they would have realised that it made exactly zero sense to kill him off. By zero I mean .. exactly that. None at all, zip, nada, niente. This is because it goes against the grain of what is happening and serves no real purpose. A good author does not kill a major character for absolutely no good reason! Minor characters? Sure, they are subject to the whimsy of The Tentacles Just Came Out Of Nowhere! and Oops Was That The Trigger? being thrown at them from whatever angle, but a major cast member is there for the longer haul and has that necessary gravity attached to them that shouldn't be removed without a *reaaaaaallly* fucking good reason .. and in this case there weren't any. Furthermore, not only is this the love interest at the very core of the story along with the protagonist, but there were little signs in the story, in chapter 11 mostly, that pointed to there being NO DAMN WAY I was going to do this and that he had in fact survived! The truth is in the smallest details; the story is told, for the vast majority of it, from Shay's perspective, and like anyone, what he sees is simply the world as he knows it and as it appears ... and he does not know or see everything! Hugely important fact right there. This is all a very round-about way of saying that those that reserved judgement and had a bit of faith in Mira's tenacity (and other things besides) were on the right of it. I hoped to emphasise the very things that you mentioned; his will to survive and that synergy you described. Core attributes of his character! Anyone else in his position would have died, because who could have managed that? Normal humans don't possess that quality, and therein, I believe, lies the crux of it. Text wall! To address your last suggestion .. what an interesting concept! That Lucere itself could be 'alive' in some way ... hmmmmmmmmmmm! No comment, because if I say anything, well ... I just shouldn't, should I? All I can say is .. the scope is a little bigger than this. Oh, how it will grow. I am curious though .. a future? Are you suggesting a sequel or spin-off series or something? My, what a thought, in any case! Lastly, on the mention of R&R, I trust you will not be disappointed. Those little steps will continue, though saying how far they travel would be telling.

That is high praise indeed. Thank you very much for your comments, it's appreciated.

As with previous chapters, italicisation has been used (when in an entire scene) to immediately distinguish between Mira's third person (not the normal perspective) and the regular first person perspective of Shay. That also accounts for the difference in language and style used in those sections; third person is the 'eye of God' as such and is expressed differently because it is less impersonal. I can't say I really understand how the writing can overpower the story per se, since it *is* the story and language like this has been use before, just not for an entire chapter. It is Shay's story and the narrative does not normally follow Mira, but as noted elsewhere, this was necessary to explain how he survived. He ended up in Palatus because one of the four imprisoned sharpelings from the previous chapter who went berserk when Shay witnessed Mira's 'death' was embedded with a desire, a command, to save him; so it had taken his 'body' with it when it fled back to the den it originated from, in the nearby ruined town -- Palatus. Mira wasn't dead (obviously) but had very tenuously survived due to his own body's enhanced hardiness and regeneration ability and the healing burst of 'power' Shay had given when he witnessed the stabbing. Forgive me if this information was not clearly enough presented - I did think it was implied if not explicit in the text?