The Weight of Souls by Bryony Pearce

Author:Bryony Pearce [Pearce, Bryony]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: jutice, murder, revenge, cursed, The Darkness, ghosts, Tyler Oh, doomed love
ISBN: 9781908844651
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Published: 2013-08-05T23:00:00+00:00

A dreadful sound disturbed my contemplation: a low snarl on the edge of hearing.

For a moment I thought I had imagined it, then the boy next to me exclaimed with a trembling voice. “Do you hear that?”

As the rest of the workers drew together I held myself still and tried to pinpoint the source. However, the growl echoed strangely and seemed to come from more than one direction.

“There’s more than one of ’em. Can you hear?”

Voices raised. “We need a lantern, t-there’s something in here with us.”

The darkness carried the Sunbird’s reply. “You lazy Lubberlanders, don’t you want to find the treasure? All you have to do is stand still while we wait for the Professor to come and work out where it is.” His footsteps pounded angrily, but the workers exhaled relief; he brought with him an island of light.

Then the overseer stopped. “What was that?”

The snarling grew louder and shuffling cloth told me that panicking men had raised their tools. Forcing the numbness from my limbs, I managed to edge away.

In the centre of the chamber the Sunbird span and his beacon left a trail in the darkness; a dimly glowing spiral which surrounded him like a cage, but illuminated nothing. He began to retreat and immediately a howl went up from the workers beside me. As one, they rushed the escaping glow.

Horrorstruck I watched my fellows fight over the lantern. As it was torn from hand-to-hand it revealed scraps of faces contorted with terror and rage. The brawl reverberated from the walls until the room filled with voiceless thunder and the beast stopped snarling and began to roar.

Fleeing men tripped on their comrades and in the confusion the myriad of tunnels leading from the antechamber became a labyrinth, trapping us inside. Although my feet itched to run, I thought my best chance of finding the exit was a slow creep along the wall.

With rising terror I soon realised the babble had quieted. Now the only sound in the tomb was made by my chattering teeth. Quickly I inhaled and held as still my shaking limbs would allow.

Every sense burned yet I heard nothing.

When the silence continued I took one tortoise-like step to the right, then another. Finally my hand found empty space and I looked to see that around the corner, high above me, there was a square of light. I had found the way out.

As noiselessly as possible I felt for the first step.

The distant barking of a small dog called to me and I climbed as fast as I could. When the line of daylight was a mere body length ahead I took a deep breath and something whistled by my face to thud on the tread in front of me.

A clawed foot slid towards me and wet warmth on my thighs and the smell of urine betrayed my terror.

Yet the beast did me no harm, only drove me back into the tomb.

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