The Silenced Tale
J.M. Frey
Contents
Convention Map
Title Page
Book by J.M. Frey
Praise for the Series
Hashtag
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
The Silenced Tale Copyright 2017 by J.M. Frey. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Cover design by Ashley Ruggirello
Cover art from Aramisdream/mercurycode/smashmethod on DeviantArt.com
Book design by Ashley Ruggirello
Map by Christopher Winkelaar
Edited by Kisa Whipkey
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-942111-50-4
Electronic ISBN: 978-1-942111-49-8
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locals is entirely coincidental.
REUTS Publications
www.REUTS.com
Created with Vellum
Other Books in this Series
The Untold Tale, book one of the Accidental Turn Series
Ghosts, an Accidental Novella
The Forgotten Tale, book two of the Accidental Turn Series
Arrivals, an Accidental Novella
The Silenced Tale, book three of the Accidental Turn Series
The Accidental Collection
Also by J.M. Frey
The Dark Lord and the Seamstress, a coloring storybook
“The Moral of the Story” in Wrestling With Gods: Tesseracts 18
“Zmeu” in Gods, Memes, and Monsters
“The Promise” in Valor 2
Hero Is A Four Letter Word
“Whose Doctor?” in Doctor Who In Time And Space: Essays on Themes, Characters, History and Fandom, 1963–2012
“How Fanfiction Made Me Gay”, in The Secret Loves of Geek Girls
“Time to Move”, in The Secret Loves of Geek Girls Redux
“Bloodsuckers” and “Toronto the Rude” in The Toronto Comic Anthology vol 2
City By Night
“TTC Gothic” in The Toronto Comic Anthology vol 5
Triptych
Praise for the Series
“Being a part of a family, however unconventional, is an integral theme of Frey’s clever, adventurous, and endearing second Turn novels. [...] The thought-provoking story discusses the stereotypical role of women in fantasy novels, but more focus is placed on the characters’ struggles with their familial roles and relationships, creating depth and commonality.”
—Publisher’s Weekly
“I started reading and was captivated. This superb novel grabbed me from the opening sentence, and never let go. [...] The whole tale is several clever twists on the oh-so-familiar fantasies we’ve read before. I want more. Books more”.
—Ed Greenwood, Forgotten Realms
“Let me start by saying [...] that I think that J.M. Frey's The Untold Tale is the most important work of fantasy written in 2015. It may be the most important work of fantasy written this decade, but I'll have to get back to you on that in 2020.
—Dr. Mike Perschon, The Steampunk Scholar
“INSANELYAMAZING! The Untold Tale tears apart the tropes of heroic fantasy and gives back what we need: true heroes, true love, and the astonishing realization that yes, real people are magical.”
—Julie Czerneda,the Night’s Edge and Trade Pact series
“This story is nothing short of fun, unexpected, and a little bit queer. If you’re interested in a Science Fiction/Fantasy undertaking with all of the ingredients of a queer anthology, The Untold Tale is for you.”
—Dallas Barnes, Pink Play Mags
“It’s easily the strongest I’ve read in the last year. [...] The fictional world = real world trope isn’t the only one Frey twists, however. She also plays with the ideas of the hero and heroic adventure, feminism, gender roles, and the role of the narrative itself, in innovative – and occasionally cheeky – ways. This novel has the potential to appeal to a great many readers, across genres.
—Violette Malan, PhD, Dhulyn Parno Series
“If I could mark this as 10/5 stars, I would, but that's impossible, so 5/5 it is, with much hearts and swoons. [...]The Untold Tale is delicious, each word meant to be savoured, breathed in, nibbled at, full of hidden delight and wonder. Frey has a beautiful writing style - all at once slightly old-fashioned and delectable, whilst also being modern and quick-paced. It's tongue-in-cheek and it's serious. It's like an epic fantasy and a modern YA all in one. It is a book for every bookworm or geek [...] But most of all, it is a book for writers - and Frey delivers.”
—Ana Tan, A Tsp Blog
“John Scalzi did Redshirts. He poked fun at a beloved symbol of geekdom, and we loved it. Frey has done the same for the sacred fantasy tropes and it’s fantastic. An empowered woman of color, thrown into the chauvinistic world of the epic fantasy today’s geeks were weaned on, serves as the perfect narrator for a critical and wonderful look at fantasy in the modern world.”
—Leah Petersen, The Physics of Falling series
For Stephanie Lalonde, my first convention-buddy and my greatest, and truest friend.
You have been such a rock, and such a wonderful source of fun.
I love being a fan with you.
Let’s never stop.
#ConClusion3
#CannotWait
#SoEXCITED
#ToKTReveal
#BlackOut
#TheatricsOrReal
#OHEMGEE
#BinkyLives
#WereYouThere
#WhatWasInTheWater
#ElgarReedIsOurKing
#EpicCosplayOfEpicness
#GotABitTooEpic
#RememberTheFallen
#ISurvivedConClusion3
#GeekArmy
#WeAreOurOwnHeroes
Chapter 1 Elgar
The phone call from the Smithsonian Museum is the first indication that something’s off. There’s a little dancing red star beside his calls icon, indicating a voice mail waits for him, when he gets off the plane from Victoria. He listens to it in the cab ride home, frowns, blinks a little, then listens to it three more times. The content doesn’t change, though he imagines the curator’s voice gets more and more hysterical with each replay. The upshot is this: his typewriter, the old race-car red Olympia De Luxe his aunty gave him, has been stolen.
It’s a bummer, but he’d donated the typewriter because he didn’t need it anymore. And frankly, as far as he’s concerned, they can make up a fake to put on display. Nobody will ever know the difference if they don’t publicize it. Why they told him it had been stolen at all is the bigger mystery. It’s not like he has a
