Bedlam Chapter Sampler

Your great-granddad was a firm believer in the legend that the Edgleys are descended from the Ancient Ones.” “The Last of the Ancients,” Valkyrie corrected. “But why does that make him grumpy? He knows it’s all true now.” “And that,” her mother said, “is the problem.” Valkyrie took a moment. “Ah,” she said. “Maybe I should talk to him.” “That might help.” Valkyrie walked into the living room. Desmond was sitting in his usual chair. The cricket was on. “Hello, Father,” she said. “Hello, Daughter,” he responded, not taking his eyes off the screen. She sat on the couch. “Enjoying this, are you?” “Yes, actually.” “Who’s playing?” Desmond nodded at the TV. “They are.” “Good game?” “Not sure.” “Who’s winning?” “Don’t know.” “What are the rules?” “No idea.” Desmond muted the TV. “My granddad had the best stories,” he said. “The three of us would sit round his armchair and he’d just... I don’t know. Regale us, I suppose. Regale us with family legends about magic men and women, doing all these crazy things, all because we were descended from the Last of the Ancients. But my father, well... he’d grown up with those stories and he was sick of them. He suffered from a, I suppose you’d call it a deficit of imagination. And he used to ridicule “I didn’t know you even liked cricket.” He sat up straighter. “This is cricket?” She settled back. “Mum told me about the diaries.”

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