CARNIVAL (The Spark Form Chronicles Book 2) by Matt Doyle Read Free Book Online

without any real complaint and you keep the character marketable by living it when you're out in public. What reason have you ever given me to dislike you? Or did you think I'd treat you less favourably than everyone else because you're an Offlander?"
                  I sit, jaw open and unable to form a response. I'm so used to being public enemy number one that it seems strange to think of anyone other than a handful of people looking at me as something other than an extension of how the law interacts with my heritage. Maybe we really have just been visiting the wrong areas. Either that or I've gone too deep into the Starchaser character. Maybe I've been losing track of what's real and what's show. "Sorry," I manage at last.
                  For a moment, Sean looks at me, his head tilted curiously, then he bursts out laughing. "You know; I think that's the first time I've ever heard you say sorry for anything."
                  "I apologise a lot actually," I say with an embarrassed grin. "Usually to Maria."
                  "Well, that makes sense," he says, still laughing. "You are a pain in the arse, after all. OK, how about this? If everything comes off how we want it to, I can't really keep you off the tour shows, not entirely anyway. What I can do is make sure that you don't have to actually compete at all of them. At the very least, we can have you do an extended interview instead of a match at the first one, and after that we'll see how much more time you need. That way you get to rest a little, you keep relevant in people's minds and you still get paid. Would you be happy with that?"
                  "Yeah," I say, taken aback. "That would be great."
                  "Good," he replies. "Then that's a deal. And the changes you wanted to make? I like them. I need to run them past the Djorkiev's and Day Rawley before I can agree them, but I don't think there'll be a problem."
                  "Day?" I ask. "I understand the Djorkiev's, I mean I assumed the whole thing with Dorian was a family idea, but why Day?"
                  "I thought I put that in the e-mail? Day helped come up with the whole thing. It's as much his baby as the Djorkiev's."
                  "Oh," I reply, slightly embarrassed. "I must have missed that bit. So how'd he convince them to go for it? I would have thought that they'd be worried about damaging their legacy through association?"
                  "Wait, you mean you don't know?" Sean replies with a bemused grin. "The Djorkiev's are one of the major sponsors of the Offland Civil Rights movement. I mean, sure they keep out of the public eye with it, but they've been supporters since the beginning. A lot of the early conferences and rallies were funded by them."
                  For the second time in the last ten minutes I have to fight to find an answer and once again fail to manage anything profound. "I ... I didn't know. At all."
                  "Hmm," he says, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms behind his head. "Well, I suppose if they're keeping it a secret then that makes sense. Maybe it was only Day that knew. It makes sense when you think about it though. I mean, look at how many Offlanders they've worked with. And have you ever heard any of them kicking up about it?"
                  "No," I concede. "I can't remember them ever saying anything about Offlanders actually."
                  "After this," he replies with a smile and a flick of his risk, "I'm guessing they'll have to. At the very least, they'll need to be seen throwing their support behind you against Jareth's wayward son. Who knows? Maybe they'll come out as supporters?"
                  "Maybe. So when will I know if my changes have been approved?"
                  "I'll get on it straight away. All being well, I'll have the