Approaching Storm (Alternate Worlds Book 2)

by Taylor Leigh

  Sam stretched and stood. ‘Ooh, that wasn’t long enough of a rest!’

  Darius came to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. ‘Are you okay with this?’ He led her out of the library.

  Sam sighed heavily, bumped her head against his. ‘Not sure. I’m scared, yeah, but I feel ready. I’ve got to do this, you know?’

  Darius nodded. ‘I guess. I didn’t think I’d feel that way, but I get it now…sort of. I don’t want to just sit back and do nothing.’

  They made their way into the main hall and Darius guided Sam to the armoury. Sam couldn’t ignore the fluttering in her stomach, try as she might, and held Darius’s hand a little tighter. The others were already waiting for them.

  Arkron hardly glanced up from the handheld she was reading. Sam took in her lean, curvaceous body, barely contained in her black leather and marvelled that such women actually existed. She felt more than a little jealous; hardly the time for such things.

  Arkron suddenly clicked her device off and glanced at Darius. ‘You ready?’

  He gaped at Arkron, unable to tear his eyes away from her.

  Sam gave him a nudge. ‘Wake up before you embarrass yourself!’

  Darius cleared his throat. ‘Yeah, yeah, I’m ready. As ready as I can be, I guess…’

  Arkron smiled. ‘Goodie. We’re going to have lots of fun.’ Her eyes gleamed with a dangerous light, her tone a purr. Sam glanced to Darius and had to admit: they probably would.

  Darius ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. ‘Okay, I can do this…’ He turned to Sam, shifting from foot to foot. ‘Right, well, be safe and all that. Hate that I have to keep telling you that.’

  Sam threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss she hoped he wouldn’t forget any time soon. Behind her she heard Marus mutter something.

  When she finally let Darius go he was grinning. ‘Yeah, okay! I’ll see you soon, then?’

  Sam bit her lip and pushed her hair behind her ear. ‘Yeah, definitely.’

  Darius said a quick, awkward goodbye to Marus and Tollin and then followed Arkron from the room.

  ‘Bye, boys!’ Arkron called from the door, and then slammed it shut.

  Tollin scratched the top of his head. ‘Okay then, well, guess it’s our turn. Best you nip upstairs and get as ready as you can. Wear something practical. Meet us down here in about ten, okay?’

  Sam nodded. ‘Right. Any idea where we’re going? Snow? Anything I should know of?’

  Tollin shrugged. ‘Em, maybe a jacket, just think comfortable, easy to move in. You’re not going to be photographed so don’t worry on how you look.’

  ‘I think Arkron has some more of that leather somewhere,’ Marus put in.

  Tollin glanced over at him. ‘Yes, thank you for that. Now off you go, Sam, quick as you can!’

  Sam dashed upstairs and rifled through her clothing, mind racing. Her heart was thudding; it was time. She was actually leaving. Fear threatened to clog her veins. As close as she’d come to such a feeling was the time she was boarding the shuttle to leave for Scrabia. It felt so long ago now…A new world, filled with untold danger and adventure. Whatever was going to happen to her, this was it.

  It didn’t take her long to dress. It was too short a time, in fact. She needed longer to steady her nerves. But the more she thought things over, the more nervous she’d become. Best to just get on with it, she supposed.

  She bobbed back downstairs and swung up next to Tollin, flashing a strained smile. Tollin returned it warmly.

  ‘Now, you can’t kill a Daemon with just any old weapon,’ Marus said, immediately getting to business. ‘You need something forged with Daemon metal. I highly doubt we’ll make it far enough to do any damage, but who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky.’ Marus held up a firearm lovingly. ‘Daemon metal bullets. What a genius invention.’

  Tollin ducked into the armoury, whistling.

  Sam frowned. ‘How can you kill something that’s made of energy?’

  Tollin emerged from the armoury with two swords in hand. ‘You can’t really kill them. But it does break up their physical forms, makes them a lot less trouble to deal with.’

  He handed a sword to her. It wasn’t too long or heavy, but it certainly had a wicked look about it. Sam self-consciously hefted it up. She’d never held anything like it before.

  Tollin held his own sword at the ready. ‘Think you can manage?’

  Before Sam could answer he swiped at her. Sam blocked the blow with a yelp. Tollin brought his attack forward, gradually gaining speed with each strike. Sam parried and swung, exhilaration filling her. She felt a wild grin pull across her face. Tollin was smiling back at her as he kept up his attack, spinning this way and that, one hand folded behind his back.

  Their blades crossed and Tollin leaned in close to her, eyes twinkling. ‘Good,’ he said simply, then swung his blade free. ‘Hopefully you won’t need to use it, but it’s good to be on the safe side. Marus and I will look out for you—not that you need it.’ He gave her a wink.

  Sam grinned.

  Marus swallowed. ‘I haven’t been out of this Realm in ten years, and this is the first one I get, why am I not surprised?’

  Tollin held out his hand to Sam, smiling ruefully. ‘Are you ready?’

  Sam took his hand and held out her other to Marus. Already she felt her body filling with an odd sense of power, just beyond her reach. ‘As ready as I’ll ever be.’

  ‘Right,’ Tollin sucked in a deep breath. ‘On we go!’

  It was Sam’s third Realm jump, but it was still as staggering and overwhelming as the first. It wasn’t violent like Sam always expected it to be, it was gradual. A fading away of the world around her with a throbbing roar, then glimpses shot past her of different worlds. She could feel Tollin concentrating, zeroing in on the proper Realm. She didn’t know how he did it, at the rate the Realms were flashing past them, it seemed next to impossible to land in the correct place. But, gradually around her the images started to grow more substantial. Sam again became aware of Tollin and Marus gripping her hands. A blink later, the three of them were standing on firm ground.

  Marus released her hand and immediately took up a defensive stance. Sam turned around in a small circle with Tollin, taking in their surroundings. The room they’d landed in was completely empty, square and metal. Sam hadn’t expected that, and from the look on Tollin’s face, he clearly hadn’t either.

  ‘Are you sure this is the right Realm?’ Marus asked, eyes darting.

  Tollin seemed peeved that his brother was questioning his jump ability. ‘It’s the right Realm. The Daemons must be off somewhere else; probably preparing.’

  Marus straightened. ‘Preparing for what?’

  Tollin sighed. ‘To jump to Scrabia, I shouldn’t wonder. I didn’t tell you all but before Sam rescued me in the Myrmidon headquarters they managed to connect my mind to the stone. It seems to act like a type of storage device. The stone recorded my memory. It may not need another stone to connect with since it has the coordinates now. Not with the anniversary and generator helping it. Oh, and I’m sure Sam’s ring in this Realm helps, too.’

  Marus stared at him. ‘What?’

  Tollin winced. ‘I held off as long as I could but I was drugged and a few Realms slipped through my mind. That’s why it’s imperative we destroy it!’

  Marus swore. ‘Wonderful. So it is basically all your fault if the Daemons break through.’

  Tollin glanced to his brother. ‘That is why we must get there first.’

  Sam nodded, Tollin’s confidence was making her heady. She didn’t understand how, but she knew it was the proper Realm, too. ‘So where is everybody? At the stone?’

  Tollin’s face grew dark. ‘Probably. Still, keep your eyes sharp.’

  Where they’d landed was a dark place, with a low metal ceiling and broken machinery up against the walls. Sparks flashed here and there from long abandoned equipment. At the end of the small room was the one entrance: a dark
tunnel that ran out into the unknown.

  Without another word, Tollin started for it. Sam hurried till she was by his side.

  ‘Your ring has a connection to that stone, Sam,’ he murmured quietly as they stepped out into the hallway. ‘Try and focus on it, it will probably respond to us as we get closer. It should give us a basic heading.’

  Sam glanced down at the gently pulsating jewel on her finger. Much like her pull to Tollin, Sam could almost feel a slight tug, as if a giant magnet somewhere was drawing her in.

  The atmosphere of the Realm was oppressive and heavy. Sam was finding it difficult to breathe; the inexplicable feeling of being buried was the only way she could describe it. Despite that, it was fascinating. Sam supposed the people who had lived in the Realm before the Daemons had conquered it must have been somewhat advanced as she looked at the broken and abused equipment lining the hallway.

  She shuddered as she thought about what would happen if the Daemons did get through to Scottorr and Scrabia.

  Tollin was unusually quiet as they walked, lost in his own dark thoughts. Sam was just toying with the idea of trying to communicate with him mentally to see what was up when something touched her shoulder. Sam was reasonably surprised with her restraint. She hadn’t cried out, though her heart went racing wildly. To her relief, it was Marus.

  He leaned in close to them. ‘The tunnel turns off up ahead. You two stay here while I check it out.’

  Tollin scowled but didn’t protest as his brother slunk off into the gloom.

  Sam smiled. ‘I almost think he’s enjoying this.’

  ‘You know the thing about Realms, Sam?’ Tollin said, breaking his silence and clearly not listening. ‘They’re all so different. This place may be filled with Daemons now but it was once a thriving city of advanced beauty.’

  Sam looked around. She didn’t see anything that beautiful. Just metal walls.

  Tollin smiled at her, guessing at what she was thinking. ‘Don’t believe me? Come on.’

  Tollin walked towards one of the walls of the tunnel. He touched a cracked panel on the wall and started to turn an old wheel. Even after all these years, it made no noise and Sam could only watch in amazement as the wall in front of them started to slide upwards. She looked on as deep blue light poured into the room, filling the tunnel. As the darkness lifted, Sam got her first look at what was beyond.

  They were underwater.

  Before her stretched a beautiful, dark world of an ocean floor. While everything in the tunnel appeared dead and broken, in the water was life. She let out a breath and came to stand next to Tollin. There was a city out there. She pressed her hands against the cold pane and grinned. When she looked back at Tollin, his eyes held none of her wonder.

  ‘I couldn’t save this one,’ he said after a moment.

  They both watched a giant creature drift past lazily.

  Sam swallowed and glanced up at him. ‘Did you try?’

  His face twisted unhappily. ‘I wasn’t alive when this one was consumed. How many more are like this? How many people—brilliant people who built all of this, how many of them died?’

  Sam took his hand. ‘You can’t beat yourself up for something you didn’t have any control over. If you weren’t alive to save it then it’s silly to torture yourself.’

  He nodded heavily. ‘I know. But it’s Realms like these that make me all the more determined to stop it from happening anywhere else.’

  Tollin would never cease to amaze her. She wanted to ask exactly how he planned on stopping them, but a more disturbing thought was chipping away at her mind. ‘Tollin? What happened to all of the bodies? I mean, there had to be people here, right? Where did they go? I know it was years and years ago but this place just doesn’t look like it’s been abandoned for that long.’

  Tollin nodded, an amused smirk replacing his darkened face. ‘Very good, Sam. You’re rather observant.’

  She shrugged and offered him a humorous grin. ‘Well you know; I’m just astute like that.’

  Tollin crossed his skinny arms across his chest. ‘No doubt you inherited it from me!’

  Sam rolled her eyes.

  Tollin cleared his throat. ‘But yes, to your question. Ah, I’m afraid it’s not very…pleasant.’

  Sam’s eyebrows slid upwards. ‘Oh no? Daemon takeover isn’t all cheery and flowers?’

  ‘Afraid not. There no doubt came a point when the Daemons far outnumbered the humans who lived here. I can only imagine the emotional atmosphere was…beyond poisonous for any human being to handle. Their bodies probably gave up on them. The Daemons have grown very good when it comes to farming. They probably burned through several generations of possessing families for food before there wasn’t any hope of reproduction or life left. I’d imagine this city—being as advanced as it is—disposed of the bodies as they dropped.’

  Sam felt a horrible sense of dread at the picture Tollin painted. All those poor people. ‘Blimey, that’s a bit worse than just dying, isn’t it? Can you…I mean, if you’re possessed, do you know? Or are you just wiped out of existence?’

  Tollin sighed heavily. ‘That is something I would rather not think on, Sam.’

  Marus ducked around the corner at that moment, before Sam had a chance to question Tollin further. He jogged up.

  ‘This hallway opens up to a round common area. Not too many Daemons inside, but more than I’d like to deal with. Five other halls branch off from that. I can’t tell which one our rock will be in. Without any information we’re stumbling around in the dark. Nothing but a good way to get caught!’

  Tollin mused. ‘Well then I’d say we need to ask for some directions, aye?’

  Sam and Marus both balked. ‘What?’

  Tollin grinned. ‘Come on!’

  Marus cast Sam a long look before hurrying to follow Tollin, Sam keeping just after him.

  Tollin stopped at the hall and frowned before holding up a finger, bidding them to be still. Before Sam or Marus could stop him, Tollin ducked around the corner and out of sight. Marus swore quietly and dashed forward, but he crashed straight into Tollin, who had just bobbed back.

  ‘I thought I told you to be still!’ he snapped quietly.

  ‘I couldn’t just let you go out there!’ Marus hissed through clenched teeth.

  Tollin blinked. ‘What? Oh, not you, him!’

  Tollin held up his hand and Marus and Sam both backed up with disgusted cries. Tollin was gripping a squirming, swearing Daemon firm by the scruff of its neck. Sam had never seen a Daemons before—besides the thing in her ring. It was a strange sight, indeed, and exactly what she would have expected: all slime and horns and teeth; bulbous and ugly.

  ‘How are you doing that?’ Marus demanded, repulsed.

  Tollin tugged on a leash around the creature’s neck. ‘Energy restraint! He’s not going anywhere.’

  The Daemon swore and swung a kick at Tollin, to no avail.

  Tollin dropped the creature to floor with a thud! and tied the leash to a handle on the wall in one quick movement. He watched, bemused, as the creature struggled to reach him.

  ‘Hullo,’ he said cheerily. ‘And what’s your name, then?’

  The Daemon grumbled. After a slight prodding he burbled out, ‘Boglight.’

  Tollin grinned a bit nastily. ‘Boglight, hello. I’m known as the Traveller.’

  Boglight’s eyes grew all the more bulged in horror and he opened his mouth to shout. He was silenced by Marus’s sword up against his throat. The creature’s eyes darted to Sam’s hand and the ring, and at last appeared to realise exactly what was happening.

  Tollin started pacing in front of the Daemon, hands clasped behind his back. ‘We’re here doing a bit of sightseeing, but we can’t seem to find our way round! We’re looking for a rather famous landmark: the stone of Sahabra. Heard of it, perhaps?’

  Boglight shook his head wildly. ‘Never!’

  Tollin paused mid-stride. ‘Really? Forgive me for saying so, but I don’t believe you.
’

  Sam felt a slight chill leach through her. Something in Tollin had shifted a touch. He had grown more dangerous, dark even, right before her. It was so subtle, if Sam hadn’t known him so well she wasn’t sure she would have caught it, but the Daemon certainly had.

  Boglight swallowed. ‘Well, what do you expect?’ he croaked.

  Tollin smirked. ‘Nothing less. Now, let’s start this again, where is the stone? And don’t give me a false location. I’m good at detecting Daemon lies.’

  Boglight pointed towards the window looking out to the ocean floor and the rest of the city, barely visible in the gloom. ‘That far dome. That’s where it is. But you won’t make it. We’re everywhere.’

  Tollin grinned. ‘Don’t you worry your slimy, little head about that. Now, has the stone managed to connect to Scrabia yet?’

  The Daemon scratched his head. ‘Nope. It’s confused. Can’t figure the information out.’ It spat something near Tollin’s shoes.

  Marus chuckled. ‘Hear that, Tollin? You’re smarter than a rock, congratulations!’

  Tollin looked at him. ‘Well, it’s a good thing they didn’t connect your mind to it!’

  Sam bit her lip thoughtfully. ‘Okay, so the Daemons are all there and the stone hasn’t connected yet. We’ve still got time!’

  ‘Yeah,’ Marus said. ‘Except the Daemons are all there! How are we supposed to stop them?’

  Boglight grinned sickly. ‘Guess you had better just give up now!’

  ‘We need a distraction,’ Tollin mused.

  ‘Well,’ Sam said easily. She sidled up to the window. ‘We are underwater, aren’t we?’ She tapped the window gently with her sword handle.

  Tollin stared at her, then to the window. He raised his eyebrows. ‘That is very risky.’

  ‘You can’t be serious! The Daemons wouldn’t even care if this all flooded, would they?’ Marus hissed.

  ‘Oh, absolutely; they like their comfort just as much as you and I do. Not to mention they still have power here in a base that should have long ago been lost. They’re still using it. Probably for the stone. If water floods, then all is lost. They can’t replicate it.’ Tollin ran a hand through his messy hair. ‘Of course, we can’t just smash the window; we’d all drown, but we could crack it just enough. Close this section off, let it gradually fill. The water would eventually break through the door—and it wouldn’t take long. If we can keep a low profile till it starts setting off alarms, we’d have much less to deal with.’