Fractured Earth by James Wymore

Author:James Wymore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Fantasy
ISBN: 9781620073186
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Published: 2013-08-12T23:00:00+00:00

anna screamed, “Guards!” Red wanted to cover his ears, but his hand still throbbed.

Dragon Star thrust forward with his sword, trying to pin her chest against the wooden throne. Before the blade entered, she disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, leaving only the echo of her piercing sound behind.

Dragon Star pulled the sword free. He slashed through the swirling gases, only hastening the dissipation. For good measure, Dragon Star pulled out a wooden stake and stabbed the point of it into the noxious fumes as well.

“How did she do that?” Red felt an acute loss when she disappeared, as if the only person he could ever love had died. “One minute I was fine and the next she sucked the will to live out of me.”

Before Dragon Star could answer, the stomping of metal boots filled the room. A dozen armored men with halberds and long swords marched in. They spread out, covering every exit. Marked with the red bat on fields of black, the few faces not hidden by helmets made it clear they weren’t prepared to discuss the matter.

“Drop your weapons,” the armored man next to the stairs ordered. Red held up his hands. Dragon Star struggling, probably trying to decide if he could take this whole group or not.

“Just do it.” Red respected the skills of the Korean, but he doubted they would be enough against Hanna’s mind-puppets. Mostly, he knew he couldn’t bear to watch another one of his friends die.

Dragon Star dropped the sword and stake. They clanged as they hit the stage. He raised his hands as well. Red averted his eyes, hoping against reason the guards wouldn’t notice the other sword on Dragon Star’s belt.

The soldiers moved in, creating a wall of weapons and armor. As they advanced, they pushed the two men toward the stairs. The group shifted once they moved out from between the tables and forced them behind the promenade. One of the geriatric old men waited behind the stone slope, holding open a black wooden door.

A smell of moldy, damp air hit them as the sharp steel moving toward the two urged them down the creaking wooden steps. With less light than the already dim dining hall, Red had to watch each step. The low ceiling forced him to bend at the waist in order to keep from cutting his head open on the roughly hewn rock. Unlike the castle above, this stairwell looked carved into the earth instead of constructed. Somebody put wooden stairs in as an afterthought.

When they came out at the bottom, the ceiling raised just enough for Red to stand. A lone gas lamp protruding from one wall provided the only light. Metal bars on three sides each had gates entering into small cells. A dungeon?

“This is crazy,” Red said. “We haven’t broken any laws.”

Two swords reached out and threatened to stab him if he stopped moving. He passed the side doors, moving through the end gate into the largest cell. An older man lay on the ground, a thick, black metal cuff clamped and locked around his ankle.

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