The Last Frontier Novels & Stories

"Started on the east side of the country. Went more west each time. Each family closer to..." "Us," George said. "We are west. Montana was last in 2020. That's our neighbor." "He saved us for last," Catherine whispered. "The Laurent family. The purest and strongest." "The big ending," I said, feeling mad. "That means he won't hurry," Dane said. His hand was on my shoulder. "He wants it perfect. Big and showy." "The full moon at the special place," Elder Miriam said. "He will want the place where goddess power is strongest."

"Did they breach the perimeter?" "No, ma'am," Silas said. She hesitated, clutching her tablet against her chest. "It is a request for aid. From the Borderlands." I froze. The Borderlands. That was the polite political term for the cluster of weaker, primitive packs on the edge of our territory. They served as a buffer zone between civilization and the wild lands. They were the places time forgot. Silver Creek was in the Borderlands. A cold feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. It wasn't fear. It was something darker. Anticipation.

"If you had, you would understand. Even without your plan, I would have gone there regardless." Selena looked up at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes. His expression was grave, softened by a rare touch of compassion as he explained, "The Northern Frontier is a place where countless factions collide. Year after year, war tears through the land, and the common people live in constant peril. "Men are conscripted as laborers, the elderly and children are often slaughtered, and young women suffer unspeakable horrors. Before I arrived, people were constantly fleeing and never finding rest. Starvation was rampant, and there were even reports of... cannibalism."

Somehow she managed to walk away instead of running like a scared rabbit. Gemma’s trailer was empty. Channing had a few hours to kill before the rodeo started so she wandered through the vendor stands and the midway. She cruised through the gift shop. Studied the bronze statue of the late Lane Frost for a long time. A reminder that even the best athletes in the world succumbed to forces beyond their control. Frontier Park was huge, the biggest outdoor rodeo arena in the world. After the Air Force paratroopers sailed in, and the state rodeo queens in attendance were announced, and a barbershop quartet from Riverton belted out “The Star Spangled Banner”, it was time to rodeo.

The pair then arrived at the top of Evercrest Mountain. "Nova." "Yes, Father?" Adrian pointed toward the Evercrest Mountain camp and said, "That's where the camp is. More than twenty years ago, the Excenomers and four nations in the outlands came together to invade our borders. At the time, I sent out a team of vanguards to take control of this mountain and make it our base. After we won, we established this outpost. Do you see that sentry tower behind the camp?"

Maddy smiled like a maniac and raised her middle finger back at him. Minutes have passed. Maddy asked Finn about what he talked about with Uncle Sam. Finn said that they just talked about his current state of life now after getting rid of poverty. Uncle Sam even reminded him to take care of Maddy as she's the only girl in our group. Jackie whined. Even though Maddy is a woman, she's strong that even a man would run away once she fires a word. We got farther away as I saw the sign ‘You're now living in Demitri City’, it became clearer to me that I'm getting nearer on seeing the lake and the stern face of grandma Debbie again…

He worked slowly, carefully. They came every week after that. I learned the man's name: Damien Voss. The boy was his younger brother, who had autism. They came from a smaller family-their father, Augustus Voss, ran a legitimate shipping empire, neutral territory. That made him safe, and complicated.

The northern envoy arrived on a bitter, wind-scoured morning three weeks after Kade's first letter of invitation, their travel banners marked with the pale blue and silver of a territory Aria had only ever encountered in old Council correspondence, the Frostbourne pack, ruling the harsh, mountainous lands beyond the northern border, a people known more for isolationist caution than diplomatic ambition.

Her burner accounts were banned from monetized brand deals. That night, Dylan sent me a photo. It was the apartment we had lived in for three years. Everything had been moved out, leaving the place empty. On the floor sat the rusty metal box, along with the teddy bear keychain I had pushed back under the door before I left. He did not include any message with it. I did not feel anything. I closed the chat and started writing down the extra ingredients I would need for the following day’s breakfast rush. Early the next morning, while the fog still hung in the air, Dylan reached the window.

"They are succeeding." "Stay inside. Lock your doors. Call us if they come back." They left. Raven locked the door. She leaned against it. Her knees were weak. Sasha stood beside her. Her face was hard. "We need to leave," she said. "Where?" "Somewhere they do not know." "They knew about this place." "Then we go somewhere they do not know." "Where?" Sasha was silent for a moment. Then she said, "My uncle's cabin. It is outside the city. Remote. No one knows about it."