Dani Hoots - The Return

Contents

THE RETURN

Dani Hoots

The Return

Sanshlian Series, #3

First Publication 2020 FoxTales Press

Content and line edits by Justin Boyer

Cover Design Copyright 2020 by Biserka Designs

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious and are products of the authors imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ISBN for paperback: 978-1-942023-65-4

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What would you do with the dichotomous power over life and death? For Chrys, apparently, it was to stay cooped up in the Underworld all her life. She wishes she could leave and see what the human world is all about, but her Father would never allow it, as she was never supposed to be born. If Zeus found out, she would be sent straight to Tartarus. So she has stayed in Hades' palace all her life, her only friends being a punk whom she convinced her father was a genius tutor, and a demigod who she may or may not have almost kissed (father would be so mad if he found out).

After a huge fight with her mother Persephone, Chrys decides she can't take it anymore and has to travel to the human world, since her mother loves it so much more than she seems to care for her own husband. With her two best friends, Chrys travels through Oceanus and finds herself in London, England. Ready to experience what it was like to be human, Chrys decides they can stay for a couple of days before having to return.

Nothing could go wrong in that short of time, right?

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To my High School BFF Corinne,

Ha! Told ya I could finish what I started! Eventually

Three years earlier.

These guys were amateurs.

I glanced back in my rearview mirror to see the next contestant barely making it around the corner a couple hundred meters behind me. I licked my lips and smiled. This was way too easyI could get used to a life like this.

The sad part for these guys, I had just learned to drive. I was new to this, and I was still beating them. No wonder the Emperor thought it would be a good idea for me to enter this contesthe had faith I would figure it out.

Taking a deep breath, I tried not to think of what this was really about. I couldn't let my current victory cloud my judgment, as there was a lot at stake here. Although, if I still got second or third in this last race, I would still get first place overall, as my points were exceeding everyone else. But I knew if I let them get near me, someone would try to sabotage my car. I was too good for them, which caused them to resort to illegal tactics.

But that was Recar for you. Legal means accomplished nothing here.

Which was where I came in.

This was my first mission on my own that the Emperor had assigned me. After years of training, I was ready, although I felt I had been ready for awhile now. The mission was to get close to the leader of Recar, Jack McHannon, and assassinate him, as he was causing some trouble for the Pandronan Empire. It was about time the Empire dealt with this planet, and I would be key in that victory. I couldn't wait.

The reason I had to compete in this race, however, was because there was no good way to get close to Jack. He was heavily guarded. However, if I won this race I could become his personal driver. Then I could kill him.

Easy as that.

The Emperor had trained me to stay incognito, but this mission was proving to make that a strenuous task. I was the youngest person to compete, and it was technically against the rules. However, rules didn't matter here, but it was gaining a lot of press and although I tried my best to stay away from cameras by keeping my helmet on as much as possible, those sneaky journalists followed me everywhere and snapped a few pictures. Now everyone knew what I looked like.

I guess I would just be that face everyone feared.

No one knew who I was, but that would change soon. I was the Emperor's Shadowthe person that would be getting the dirty things done. I was to crush any resistance throughout the galaxy. It was what the Emperor trained me to do.

And I didn't have a choice.

I would have been dead if the Emperor didn't find me and adopt me, so to speak. I had tried to kill him a few times, yet he still took me under his wing. Why that was, I did not understand. I tried to bring it up multiple times, but he always ignored the question. I gave up asking him and just accepted my fateI was his tool.

"Bitch, you better not win this! You aren't even old enough to race! I'm going to"

I clicked off the radio. Great, they tapped into my car komlink that was only supposed to be used by me and the race coordinators in case there were any hazards or reasons to stop the race. If the man was smart, he would have pretended he was one of the coordinators and created a fake hazard so I would slow down and he could pass me. But instead, as all men like to do, he just threatened me.

I swerved a little right, barely clearing the corner. I needed to keep my mind focused on the race and stop thinking about how stupid people were, and about my past. It was what moved me forward, however, as I had learned to look out for myself and myself only. I didn't trust anyoneI didn't need to. All I needed was myself and I would do anything to keep it that way. I hated working with the Emperors other generals, as they all wanted to see me fall. They seemed to be jealous of the way the Emperor treated me, although I wasn't sure why. His attention didn't mean I was living a splendid life, it just meant I had more at stake.

Which was why I couldn't mess this up.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced in my rearview mirror again to find one car starting to decrease the distance between us. He must have been using illegal boosters, which were fair game on this planet. It just meant he would lose even harder. I pushed the gas a little more, as he wasn't the only one with a spruced-up engine. The Emperor gave me all the finances I needed to win. I laughed as the car took off.

I still didnt quite understand what the point of these races were. It seemed excessive to have the entire capital Himeo shut down for a week so they could race through the streets. It was all for the leader to decide who would be his next driver. Although the planet was under his rule, there were other bosses in different cities who tried to murder him often. So they needed someone reliable driving him around.

Yeah, this planet was crazy and needed to be ruled under the Empire.

I glanced up at the capitol building to see a figure in the upper window. It was probably Jack McHannon himself watching us race. There was no way to tell, as he was too far up and I had to keep my eyes on the road, but it was a feeling in my gut.

In the past couple of years, I noticed my gut feelings getting stronger and stronger, which has saved my life more than once. I just hoped I wouldn't lose faith in it, or trust it too much, and then be led astray. Intuition could only get me so far in this line of work, yet it was very beneficial. The Emperor said to always trust my feelings when I didn't know what to do next. At first, I didn't understand what he meant, but as time went on, I understood my gut feelings were always right.