HERETIC (The Helios Rising Trilogy Book 1) by Mayne Chris

Author:Mayne, Chris
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Attika Publishing
Published: 2021-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

UNLAND.

Travelling through Unland proved much more difficult than Arlex had thought. The foliage was so dense that often their path was blocked entirely by enormous patches of tangled vines, shrubs, and thornbushes, forcing them to traverse in a wide arc around the obstruction, diverting their course for hours. He followed the slope of the land, watching the tree line for patterns that would signal the presence of a river and, late on their first day, they stumbled across one.

‘Blessed Belial forever,’ Viktor said.

The stream was broad and flowed swiftly. Arlex took the opportunity to wash. He hadn’t bathed since before that last shift down the mines.

The daylight was waning and, both of them utterly exhausted, they made camp. They climbed up to a rocky knoll nearby, where they created a basic shelter by positioning some leafy branches across two boulders. They were a reasonable distance away from the river as Arlex hadn’t wanted to stay too close—he figured that would be where the animals would congregate come nightfall. Sure enough, that evening, a barrage of exotic grunts and cries rose from the riverbank.

It was a bright night, allowing them to see quite easily; it gave Arlex a feeling of security, although he knew it to be a false one. They sat huddled together within their shelter, rustling every time they moved as, in order to keep warm, they’d crammed their clothes full of leaves. They hadn’t dared build a fire, concerned about the unwanted attention it may bring.

‘Can you tell me what you heard about the explosion and the casualties?’ Arlex asked as he chewed on a dry twig.

Viktor scratched at his head. ‘The alert I read said that the death toll was unconfirmed, but they had estimates in the thousands. Nothing about survivors was mentioned. It seemed to me to be way too early for details at that time, due to the extent of the damage.’

Arlex nodded. ‘So, nothing on the other miners?’

‘I am afraid not.’

‘Could some survivors have been admitted into the cathedral that you weren’t aware of?’

‘It is unlikely. We received none, to my knowledge, which means rescuers were probably treating them at the scene. I honestly do not know anymore, Arlex. You know more than I do. You were there.’

Arlex held up his hands. ‘I’m sorry. I just can’t remember any of it until after I woke up in the cathedral. It’s killing me not knowing what happened and if they’re all—’ Arlex’s mouth dried up.

Viktor jumped in quickly to break the silence. ‘You must not… you know… I mean, just do not think the worst until you know for sure what has happened.’

‘Yep. You’re right. I need to find out the truth.’

‘Indeed,’ Viktor said, an unusual inflection entering his tone. Arlex dismissed it at first, but when Viktor spoke again, his voice was as slick as oil. ‘Of course, you were down there, though.’

Arlex glanced up at him, but Viktor was looking out at the forest.

‘What?’

Viktor’s eyes turned to meet his. ‘During the explosion, you were down there, in the mines.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.