Unearthed by Keith Robinson & Brian Clopper

Author:Keith Robinson & Brian Clopper
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Coming-of-Age, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Boys
Publisher: Apparatum Books
Published: 2015-01-25T05:00:00+00:00

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With Byron and Kiff in tow, Kyle headed down the steep tunnel Makow had disappeared into earlier. It was strange having not one but two siblings to look after. He felt bad that Logan hadn’t had much of a chance to say a proper goodbye to Kiff, but none of them intended this to be a final farewell anyway. If all went well, they’d reunite again shortly.

Soft, yellowish light shone ahead. The tunnel widened into a chamber some fifty feet across with a ceiling so low he had to duck in places. He was surprised to find a circle of campfires way over on the other side. The yellowish glow flickered and sent shadows dancing across the walls. The roar of rushing water increased dramatically as he moved deeper into the chamber.

“This way,” he said over his shoulder to the younger boys. Behind them, still in the darkness of the tunnel, trailed the faint auras of three mostly-solid spirits, the Breaker bent double almost the whole time.

Ahead, Makow was leaning against a rock, chewing on a piece of blackened, steaming meat. “Kyle Jaxx,” he called, waving. “Come on over. You two boys as well. Are you hungry? I have some fine roasted vulper here. A bit burnt, but not too chewy.”

“No thanks,” Kyle said, although he realized then that he was quite hungry. He grudgingly accepted some of the pale-colored meat and bit into it. After a few chews, he turned to Kiff and said, “Tastes like durgle. Maybe a bit tougher. Try some.”

Kiff dug in eagerly while Byron stood aside and stared with the usual detachment he displayed at mealtimes. Kyle felt almost guilty eating, but he didn’t let that stop him from getting a decent fill. He glanced back to where the three spirits loitered. “Hungry?” he called.

They just stared at him, their heads tilted. In the light of the campfires, the creatures appeared far more solid now than Kyle had ever seen them, their green and red auras almost gone. Now they had taken on the skin tones of actual living creatures, and their substantial forms were somehow far more otherworldly in the flesh, and much bigger. The scowling Breaker, standing twice Kyle’s height, had developed scaly skin. Its eyes were deep-set, its tusks long and curved. The Creeper’s tentacles and constantly moving mouth-pincers set Kyle’s nerves on edge. It was far more menacing in the flesh. That ugly thing had been inside him all this time? And the Hunter swung its head from side to side as though looking for something to pierce with its horn.

Kyle returned his attention to Makow. “You’ll look after Byron and Kiff, right?” he asked over the roar of the unseen river. He guessed the water lay at the foot of the nearby chasm, which stretched across the chamber.

Makow nodded. “They’ll be fine all the way down here.”

“But if the Sentry self-destructs—”

“The blast won’t reach us. Relax.”

Kyle sighed. “All right. Where can I find these Diggers?”

Climbing to his feet, Makow stuffed another chunk of meat in his mouth, wiped his hands on his pants, and gestured for Kyle to follow.

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