Prey House: Toroth-Gol Book 3 by Kenny Gould

Author:Kenny Gould [Gould, Kenny]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Spiderhead Press
Published: 2024-04-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Just like the last time, my view changed between eye blinks. One moment I was in the frosty clearing; the next, I stood on a beach. About twenty yards away, the turquoise waters of an ocean lapped against the shore. Moored a hundred yards beyond was a ship with the words “Rancid Pearl” emblazoned on its side. The warm breeze carried the scent of dried seaweed and salt.

I was surprised to find myself alone. The waves sent shells and sand tumbling, but there were no seagulls crying overhead, nor any sandpipers trying to outrun the frothing surf. The timbers and rigging of the pirate ship creaked in the surf, but no pirates ran along its deck.

More importantly, I didn’t see Cara. Just the beach, with fine white sand stretching in either direction, and the ocean. And beyond the ocean . . . I squinted at the horizon. In the distance, I spotted a storm.

The last time I’d appeared in a soul space, I’d quickly found its owner. “Cara?” I called. There was no response.

Maybe this isn’t her soul space, I thought. Is this the beach from the Kingdom of Death? But I knew that wasn’t the case. This was a physical manifestation of Cara’s soul, which explained why her precious ship was anchored just off the shore.

But then where’s Cara? I wondered.

I turned and looked inland, where a wall of sea grapes gave way to tall grasses that stretched as far as I could see. I couldn’t see Cara there, either. I glanced over my shoulder. I couldn’t be sure, but during the seconds I’d looked away from the storm, it appeared to have gotten closer.

For the first time, I wondered what my own soul space would look like. A lightball field, I imagine, I thought. Would the holes in my memory manifest somehow? Maybe as divots in the field? Or as a . . .

A storm. The clouds were puffy and gray, with a tinge of purple around the edges. I squinted. Now I was sure of it: The clouds had definitely gotten closer.

Suddenly, I wanted to be anywhere except that beach. “Cara?” I called again, not really expecting an answer—and I didn’t get one. “Cara, where are you?”

In those few seconds, it became clear the storm was barreling toward the beach at a breakneck pace. Even in the short time I’d stood there, the waves had turned into whitecaps. Now, they slammed the shore, the surf hissing and spitting as it ran back to join the ocean. Just off the shore, the Rancid Pearl bucked, the sails snapping and the rigging creaking.

“Ok . . . okay,” I stammered. “Experiment over. Time to take the loss and try something else.” Nothing happened. My stomach dropped and I experienced a spike of fear as I realized how deeply I was out of my element.

Xena tried to warn me about this, I thought as a wall of rain suddenly slammed against the beach. Within seconds, I was soaked. The clouds were only a few hundred yards away.

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