Past Lives: Hotel California Book One: An Urban Fantasy Series by R.J. Wolf

Author:R.J. Wolf [Wolf, R.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Altered Media Inc.
Published: 2020-02-06T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

THE AETERNUM STRAIT

Eric felt a sudden wave of pressure in his ears and a dizzying weightlessness. He tightened his hands around the amulet and grimaced before slamming into the ground and falling over.

As he opened his eyes he found himself on a platform inside of an aging subway station. It was dark and eerily silent. To his right was a flight of stairs and he could smell the stench of foul water rising from below. Behind him a set of dark tracks vanished into blackness as rats scurried about.

He took a deep breath and pushed himself to a stand then started down the grimy stairs. The concrete was slick with rainwater and mucky, algae that infected everything. Green ooze trickled down the wall and splattered to the floor, the constant pitter patter was like a metronome.

He clutched the amulet in his hand, it’s once vibrant power now dormant and the metal cool to the touch. In the distance he could hear the gurgle of running water, the mysterious Aeternum Strait winding below the city like a massive serpent.

Eric slowed the last few steps and strained his ears. Fear and anxiety shot jolts of caution through his limbs and he tensed then stepped onto the landing below.

The corridor opened into a gaping hall that stretched on for miles. Flames swayed back and forth from torches along the aging brick wall. The light spiraled through the massive tunnel illuminating the black waters in front of him.

Whispers flooded his ears from the shadows. The hushed voices of death that seemed to torment him in the dark. He pushed them from his mind and made his way closer to the canal.

As he stared into the black abyss the amulet hummed gently. Shuffling back, he glanced around the hall and shivered.

“Where’s the ferry?” he mumbled to himself. “Come on…how did you find it Gary?”

Frustrated Eric made his way toward the wall and ran his fingers along the weathered brick. He strained and tried to feel the latent magic that hummed all around him. If I could just focus hard enough.

He knew power was down there, but his ignorance of how to use it was embarrassing. Instead, he stomped around in the dark, cursing Gary’s name and the stupid idea that brought him there.

“Hoo!” a deep grunt suddenly echoed all around him.

A heavy foot fall sounded in the shadows and Eric tensed up. “Hello?” he said in a worried voice. “Who’s there?”

Another footstep sounded, and Eric tightened his grip on the amulet. Something massive shuffled just out of sight and the sound of a chain rattled against the floor.

“Who are you?”

Out of the shadows stepped a massive creature that Eric had never seen before, but he instinctively knew it was the troll Gary had told him about. Its looming figure sent shockwaves of fear through his body. Eric shuffled backward, until he slammed into the wall then stared up at the towering giant.

He gazed at the monster, disregarding the rank smell that permeated from its body.

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.