Arkadium Rising (39 page)
Authors: Glen Krisch
Jason lost sight of Dawn, RJ, and Kylie. It looked like Linda had been struck by something; she was sprawled over on her stomach and she wasn't moving.
"We need to get out of here!" Marcus said. He pushed Jason toward the flooded tunnel.
"We can't!" Jason pressed back against Marcus, but he wasn't strong enough. Even at full strength it would be a futile fight. His feet skidded along the chamber floor.
"Wait, just wait a minute!" Leah said, and Marcus actually listened to her.
A handful of Anaki, mostly battered and bloodied but still game to continue their fight, closed in on them.
"We have no choice. Either come with us, or stay behind. I don't care either way, but me and my brother are getting out of here!"
Marcus grabbed Jason by the shirt collar, and the rest of the ceiling came crashing in.
Half the air escaped Jason's lungs, exploding in a burst of air bubbles from his mouth. The bubbles floated away, higher, higher still, popping somewhere above him. Somewhere in the light above.
The water was cold, too cold for summer. He watched the halo in the floodwater above him get bigger, brighter, and as his lungs began to burn, his vision began to fade.
He felt hands on him, pulling him, dragging him from the violent river flow. His head sloshed around, but he could no longer focus and no longer cared to. He tasted blood in his mouth. He gagged, spat it out, but it came flooding back in, threatening to seep down his throat to drown him. He sputtered, spat.
"Always remember, brother." Marcus's voice reached him through his pain-laced fog. "In the end, there is a beginning…"
If you enjoyed
Arkadium Rising
, sign up for Glen's email newsletter and receive a free copy of
The Hollowed Land: Brother's Keeper Book 1.5
(a novella available January 2015).
If you are reading this book on an eReader, just click this link,
http://eepurl.com/qFUfP
or drop him an email at:
[email protected]
with 'newsletter' in the subject line.
Glen Krisch's novels include The Nightmare Within, Where Darkness Dwells, Nothing Lasting, and Arkadium Rising (Brother's Keeper Book One). Besides writing and reading, he enjoys spending time with his wife, romance author Sarah Krisch, his three boys, simple living, and ultra-running.
He enjoys talking to his readers. Feel free to stop by his website to see what he’s up to:
