In a world where humanity’s diversity has been stripped away, Daleon’s shop stands as a relic of the past. Among shelves lined with ancient artifacts—music players, broken dishwashers, forgotten fragments of a different world—he and his wife Laurel lead a quiet life. Gone are the days of scavenging the desolate wilds with his friend Obrego; it’s simply too dangerous now.

But when a mysterious traveler named Rajink arrives with an unusual young girl, everything changes. Nola is an Original, a rare child with blue eyes and blonde hair untouched by The Averaging. Her very DNA holds the key to opening an interdimensional portal to Balise, a realm of endless darkness and shadows of an abandoned outpost.

Now, trapped in this alien dimension, Daleon and Obrego must unravel the mystery of the vanished residents before they too disappear into Balise's unending gloom. Tensions rise as Daleon and Rajink clash over purpose and survival. But in Balise, the stakes are high, and uncovering the truth could mean either escaping or disappearing into the unknown.

He rode in out of the west with a girl on the back of his horse. Unlike every other known human, this one had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was an Original. And with her genetic signature, a portal could be opened to Balise, a dimension of pure darkness. But not all exploration results in riches. Sometimes things go into the darkness, and they don't come back.

Bartering Nola is a free science fiction novella for subscribers! Available in ePUB, PDF, or online.

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• Prologue
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4