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Truth Changer: Truth Seer Trilogy, #3
Truth Changer: Truth Seer Trilogy, #3
Truth Changer: Truth Seer Trilogy, #3
Ebook289 pages4 hoursTruth Seer Trilogy

Truth Changer: Truth Seer Trilogy, #3

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The past is back to haunt her.

 

A hundred years in the future, Kenyan-born Imara Kalu becomes a fugitive in the city she just saved. She must return to her home and stop a global vote that could destroy the world.

 

The taggers—terrorists obsessed with moral cleansing—move to her home city with a plan to force their ideals on the entire population. They tag innocent citizens with labels that incite anger and fear. The city soon becomes a breeding ground for mobs and riots.

 

With the help of her friends, Imara seeks to provide refuge for the tagged. But when it comes to saving the world… she might be too late.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherMarten Press
Release dateJul 1, 2019
ISBN9781393448860
Truth Changer: Truth Seer Trilogy, #3
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    Book preview

    Truth Changer - Kay L. Moody

    BOOKS BY KAY L. MOODY

    A picture containing text, alcohol Description automatically generated

    The Fae of Bitter Thorn

    0: Heir of Bitter Thorn

    1: Court of Bitter Thorn

    2: Castle of Bitter Thorn

    3: Crown of Bitter Thorn

    4: Queen of Bitter Thorn

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    The Elements of Kamdaria

    1: The Elements of the Crown

    2: The Elements of the Gate

    3: The Elements of the Storm

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    Truth Seer Trilogy

    1: Truth Seer

    2: Healer

    3: Truth Changer

    To receive special offers, bonus content, and info on new releases, sign up for Kay L Moody’s email list! You’ll also get this short story collection for FREE! The only people who call it a gift are the ones who don’t have it.

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    Truth Changer

    Truth Seer Trilogy Book 3

    THE PAST IS BACK TO haunt her.

    A hundred years in the future, Kenyan-born Imara Kalu becomes a fugitive in the city she just saved. She must return to her home and stop a global vote that could destroy the world.

    The taggers—terrorists obsessed with moral cleansing—move to her home city with a plan to force their ideals on the entire population. They tag innocent citizens with labels that incite anger and fear. The city soon becomes a breeding ground for mobs and riots.

    With the help of her friends, Imara seeks to provide refuge for the tagged. But when it comes to saving the world... she might be too late.

    Publisher’s Note: This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, organizations, or locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business or government establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

    Truth Changer

    Truth Seer Trilogy Book 3

    By Kay L Moody

    Published by Marten Press

    3731 W 10400 S, Ste 102

    South Jordan, UT 84009

    www.MartenPress.com

    © 2019 Kay L Moody

    All Rights Reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact:

    help@martenpress.com

    Cover by Shawnda Craig

    Edited by Deborah Spencer and Justin Greer

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    To my children

    Thank you for letting me work on something I love so much.

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    ONE

    TWO

    THREE

    FOUR

    FIVE

    SIX

    SEVEN

    EIGHT

    NINE

    TEN

    ELEVEN

    TWELVE

    THIRTEEN

    FOURTEEN

    FIFTEEN

    SIXTEEN

    SEVENTEEN

    EIGHTEEN

    NINETEEN

    TWENTY

    TWENTY-ONE

    TWENTY-TWO

    TWENTY-THREE

    TWENTY-FOUR

    TWENTY-FIVE

    TWENTY-SIX

    TWENTY-SEVEN

    TWENTY-EIGHT

    TWENTY-NINE

    THIRTY

    THIRTY-ONE

    THIRTY-TWO

    THIRTY-THREE

    THIRTY-FOUR

    ONE

    WELCOME BACK.

    Carlotta Santini turned to give her most faithful servant a smile. It was a calculated gesture that would help him know he was appreciated—but not too appreciated. He was the only one besides Takara who had ever known her true identity as Judge. She desperately needed him, but she didn’t want him to know it.

    He did better when he got affirmation. Too much of it made him sloppy.

    Hello, Vikal, Carlotta said to the man. The lime green T on his chest was displayed proudly. He featured it as prominently as the round scar on his forehead. He had received that scar in the catacombs twenty years ago when a flood caused him to hit his head on stone and black out. Vikal was later revived but without the son he had entered the catacombs with.

    Carlotta smoothed the wrinkles out of her gray dress pants. Pulsing yellow splotches fell away from Vikal’s skin. She knew they represented his eagerness, but the indistinct shapes were nothing more than a nuisance. She used to rely on the colors to know what emotions other’s felt. Now, she could read emotions using only voice and body language cues. The less she relied on the colors, the more indistinct their colors and shapes became.

    She settled her face into a calm and collected expression, devoid of the relief she felt. Vikal always responded better when he was trying to prove himself.

    Tell me Takara is dead, she said without breaking eye contact.

    His head bobbed up and down, the desire to prove himself dripped off his skin in blue-gray drops so heavy, it looked like they were magnetized to the ground. Yes, we sent a team of taggers with the police just like you ordered. Harrison injected the poison while the police were fighting over whose bubble car to put Takara in. They don’t know it was us. I think they suspect, but they also don’t care. They’re glad she’s dead.

    And what about Marco? she asked as she took a hairbrush from the bag he had brought. I assume you know where he is.

    Vikal cleared his throat, obviously delaying his response as long as possible. He’s with that girl. The one from the catacombs that you thought would save us. We tried to intercept them as they left the Egyptian Council chambers, but we couldn’t do it without the Egyptian police suspecting us.

    Why not?

    He swallowed as his eyes found a spot on the ground to stare at. "Unfortunately, we’re working with the Egyptian Council. We had to in order to stop Takara. It was that girl’s idea. I know it’s not ideal, but it was the only way."

    Carlotta let one of her eyebrows slide up her forehead just enough to make him squirm in place. Not ideal?

    He reached for the fraying hem of his shirt as he spoke, averting his eyes. Yes, because now we’re on their side and that’s ... His voice trailed off. It took him three excruciating seconds before he understood. In an instant, his eyes lit up and his whole body glowed with realization. "Wait, we wanted to be on their side. This is perfect!"

    She rolled her eyes at his ignorance and took pleasure in how he squirmed again, tugging harder at the frays in his shirt hem.

    She brought the brush to her head and started smoothing the hair that had been matted for months. We do have one problem. Imara Kalu is now on their side too. Fortunately, I can turn them against her easily. In fact, it’s part of my plan.

    A rust-colored string of doubt fell away from Vikal. As soon as the emotion escaped him, he shifted his shoulders as if he could shrug the doubt away. How can you turn them against her? They love her. She and her friends just saved the city. They almost gave her the empty seat on the Egyptian Council, even though she doesn’t live in Egypt.

    Really? Carlotta asked, holding the brush mid-stroke. Interesting. She will play her part well.

    Her part?

    Don’t worry about that. For now, I need to convince the Egyptian Council to arrest Imara, and then call a global vote to make me judge and ruler of this world.

    More strings of doubt snaked their way out of Vikal’s skin, but he made fists with his hands as if willing them away. What do you need? I’ll gather the taggers. We know a lot about the Egyptian Council, who they care about, what they love, that sort of thing. We can bribe over half of them. But the other members will be trickier to convince.

    Carlotta let out a scoff. Have you already forgotten my skills? I am the most powerful truth seer this world has ever known. I don’t need anything from you.

    Vikal’s fingers twitched as he stared back at her. He wanted to believe her. He wanted so much to trust implicitly, but the logical part of his mind was clearly making it difficult. He seemed to force a look of hope onto his face, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself from asking, How could you possibly convince them to arrest her?

    She continued brushing through her hair and answered flippantly. He needed to know she only gave an answer as a favor to him. It wasn’t something she needed to do. Blackmail, obviously, she said, brushing through her matted strands. I’ll use my truth seer abilities to find out what each of the Egyptian Council members loves most, and then I’ll take it away. I’ll have control in less than an hour.

    In truth, it would be much more difficult than that. She would need every bit of the information Vikal had gathered, but he didn’t need to know that. It would take blackmail, bribery, persuasion, and all her truth seeing abilities. It wouldn’t be easy, but as she always did, she would make it look easy.

    Vikal couldn’t hide his doubt anymore. Along with the rust-colored strings now enveloping him, a deep crease appeared between his eyebrows. Tugging on his frayed shirt hem, he said, We’ve been trying to get control of the Egyptian Council for years. If you could do it that easily, why didn’t we act years ago?

    Because. She stood up and threw the brush at him, so he’d have to catch it and stop picking at his hem. She lifted her chin into the air. I can use my truth seer abilities to get what I want out of people when I am with them in person. But I can’t get every council member from around the world to vote for me as judge. There are too many of them. For that, we need someone even more persuasive than I am.

    Desperation burst from Vikal’s skin in a flurry of brown flakes. Carlotta didn’t try to hide her disappointment at his lack of belief in her. How could we find such a person? he asked.

    That’s why Imara has to be arrested, Carlotta said, snatching the brush from his hands. She shook the hair out of her face and swept it behind her shoulders. She made sure to exude the deepest confidence. With each of her tiny movements, Vikal’s confidence in her seemed to grow.

    Finally, he understood what she needed him to understand. He didn’t need to worry about the plan. He only needed to worry about the individual tasks she gave him.

    Oh, and Vikal? One more thing.

    Yes? he asked, his eyes finally as eager as they had been at the start of the conversation.

    My brother, Marco, must die. If he lives, Imara and the others will use him as a symbol for their movement. They will try to tell his story to show that tagging is unnecessary and harmful. If we are going to have any chance at all, Marco cannot survive this day.

    Vikal dropped to one knee. His entire body seemed to shake with the desire to prove his faithfulness. She allowed him to take her hand as he solemnly said, I swear to you, by the end of this day, either he will be dead, or I will be.

    TWO

    ALIVE.

    Imara Kalu shuddered at the word even an hour later.

    Carlotta Santini had been many things to Imara: teacher, mentor, Judge. In no part of her brain could she have imagined that alive would be the worst of all.

    Imara sat slumped in a chair at headquarters. The other desks and chairs were filled with Abe and his co-workers. Former co-workers. She still couldn’t believe he had sold his portion of the business. Husani flicked small chips at Keiko’s newly cut amber-colored hair, but she ignored him and scowled at the ground. Naki paced through the room, breathing so fast she’d soon be hyperventilating. Siluk ran a hand through his black hair and kept trying to let out a laugh.

    As if that would help.

    Carlotta Santini was alive, and Imara just knew that every victory they had gained was about to be ripped away. Marco seemed to be the only one with no reaction at all. He sat in a corner like a man on death row, resigned to his inevitable fate.

    Imara turned back toward the recording that played on the wall hologram. Professor Santini kept saying the same words over and over.

    Alive. Alive. Alive.

    Edrice kept glancing back at the recording as if glaring at it might make it disappear. As she glanced back this time, she and Imara caught each other’s stares. Edrice said nothing, but merely gulped and turned back to her own hologram screen. She had dozens of windows open with security footage and police alerts. It all seemed so useless now. What could Edrice find that they didn’t already know?

    Imara looked back the recording. The matted hair and sunken eyes of her former mentor haunted her just as they had the first time she saw them. Imara exerted every effort to force some emotion into herself. Any emotion. Mostly she felt cold.

    She had spent months carrying the guilt of Professor Santini’s death only to find out she had survived the catacombs. Imara had spent so much effort keeping the golden transporter away from Professor Santini. Then, she had finally trusted Abe and let him destroy the ruby transporter crystal.

    And it was all for nothing.

    Apparently, Professor Santini had had a second transporter crystal all along.

    The victories Imara had gained in the past months felt empty. Every pore in her skin tingled with regret. So much for trusting others. So much for stopping Sef. So much for Abe selling his business to be with her. None of it mattered now because Carlotta Santini was alive. One thought danced around inside her, and she clung to it like the last umbrella in the middle of a hurricane.

    She didn’t know what Professor Santini would try now that she was back. She didn’t know how things would change.

    But she knew what she wanted to do. What she needed to do. The truth burned through her as if her very soul understood it. She kept saying the words in her head, hoping the repetition would help it stick.

    Over and over she thought: I have to keep people from dying.

    Takara is dead, Edrice said as she fiddled with the brick-red ribbon in her hair. The Egyptian police aren’t saying it was poison, but the security footage shows Takara angry and resisting arrest one moment and dead on the ground the next. There were several taggers nearby, but the police aren’t looking into anything at all. Considering how much they wanted Takara dead, I doubt they ever will. She sat in her normal spot at her desk, but the lines around her eyes had deepened. A faint raven black rash of anxiety skittered out around her.

    Abe had cleaned Imara’s eyes three times in the last ten minutes, which meant she could make out a few emotions with her recovering hila. They would fade soon, but for now, she had some small sense of everyone’s feelings.

    The plum-colored worms of discomfort wriggling out of Marco Santini’s skin matched the expression on his face. He dug his fingernails into his knee as he gulped. With his eyes darting from one end of the room to the other, he said, Can you take me back home now?

    Abe frowned, indecision weighing his eyebrows down. We don’t know if you’ll be safe there. Santini knows where you were living.

    Naki danced on her toes. Short fear spikes grew out of her skin as she spoke. I want to go home too. Professor Santini is focused on the Egyptian Council right now, but who knows how long it will take for her to get whatever it is she wants. She’s going to come after us next.

    I think we should all leave. And Naki’s right; we should probably do it soon, Imara said.

    Keiko stomped her foot so hard that her short amber hair flew over her shoulders. I’m not leaving Cairo. Santini barely knows my name. Why do you think she cares about us anyway?

    Abe opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. For a moment, he just stood there gaping. Naki and Siluk spent a moment staring at each other, but now they turned to Imara. As if she had all the answers.

    Unfortunately, in this case, Imara did.

    Professor Santini wants to make tagging mainstream. She has big plans for it, and even though I don’t know exactly what they are, I know she wanted me for something. No matter what, we can’t underestimate her. Professor Santini is smart. Crafty. She knows how to trick people into thinking her lies have shades of truth. The biggest challenge won’t be getting to her. The biggest challenge will be convincing everyone that she’s wrong. The sooner we get out of here and come up with a plan, the better.

    Abe flung a bag over his shoulder. A glint of periwinkle shined out from his copper skin. Imara recognized the emotion as one she had seen in the catacombs, but it had been so long now, she couldn’t remember what it represented. Just as she concentrated on it, the periwinkle seemed to fade away.

    We need to stop talking and start moving, Abe said, locking his eyes onto hers. It’s too dangerous to take Marco back to Alaska. We should go to your house in Kenya, but I don’t think we should take a regular flight. They’ll be able to track us if we do.

    Abe must have known Imara would protest this idea. He was suggesting they take his jet, which she was still way too terrified for. He raised his eyebrows in a pointed stare, trying to convince her to listen.

    Edrice jumped to her feet and let out a gasp, clapping a hand over her mouth. They just... She looked up slightly from her hologram screen until she made eye contact with Imara. The moment their eyes met, Edrice turned her face away and closed her eyes. I’m so sorry, she said.

    Abe’s jaw flexed as he gritted his teeth together. What happened?

    Edrice turned away from both of them and wrung her hands. A spattering of cerulean chunks left her skin, which was only more frustrating. This was a new emotion Imara didn’t recognize. She normally loved seeing new emotions, knowing that she was capable of seeing both good and bad now. Except, because it was new, she had no idea what it could possibly mean. Whatever it was, it didn’t look good.

    Edrice peeked over her shoulder at Imara before looking away quickly. She bit her lip and said, The police just sent an order for your arrest.

    For my arrest? Abe with a snarl. What do they think they’re playing at? I didn’t break any—

    Not you. Edrice looked back, and now Imara could place the emotion even though it had faded out of her sight. Regret.

    They’re saying you attempted to murder Carlotta Santini in the catacombs. Your airport pass and bubble car privileges are both frozen until further notice.

    Frozen? Imara managed to choke out through her constricted throat.

    They want to arrest Imara? Abe said in disbelief. He let out a huff even a bull envy. Kicking a chair to the floor, he said, She tried to save Santini, not murder her. We have three people in this room that could prove it. After a quick phone call to my dad, we’d have another one.

    Reaching for the familiar tuft of hair at the back of her neck, Imara chewed her lip as she thought. Again, her mantra flitted through her mind. I have to keep people from dying. Would the taggers go after Marco next? How long could they hide him?

    If they arrested her, would Professor Santini try to use her to get to Marco?

    Professor Santini had been counting on Imara in the catacombs. She gave her the chance to leave quietly, and Imara hadn’t taken it. She knew as surely as the sun rose each morning that whatever Santini wanted with her, it would be better to never find out.

    You know they won’t let you plead your case, right? Siluk said. The taggers will try to kill you before you make it to the council chambers.

    She tugged her hair harder, trying to discover a scenario where he was wrong. Either fear blinded her, or else Siluk was right.

    You need to run, he said. Let’s get you back home and the Kenyan police can defend you since they already know you’re trustworthy.

    How? Somehow, she managed a small laugh as she said it. How can I run when my airport pass is frozen? Someone could take me as a passenger in a bubble car, but it would still take a week to drive to Nairobi from here. Even on the highest speed setting.

    You don’t need an airport pass if we take my jet, Abe said with a wink.

    Her gut twisted, and it must have shown on her face because he immediately reached for her hand. "I know you’re afraid of heights and

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