Read Online BEYOND THE LOOKING-GLASS: Book One in the BEYOND Series by Gordon Rothwell - Free Book Online Page B

water and tossed the two men aside into its frothing wake.
    Nikki choked out one last pitiful cry. Kaa stared at Aleeta standing helpless on the riverbank. The reptile’s long crimson tongue darted in and out. Then the huge python’s powerful body crushed the life out of its prey, and slowly sank back into the dark river, disappearing beneath the surface.
    Only a slight ripple on the surface remained.
    Anton and Kellen scrambled out of the water to join Aleeta. The three of them stood in silence. “Oh, how horrible,” Aleeta whispered..
    Anton’s lips tightened, then his face regained its usual official mask. He wheeled about to face them “I’m taking you two back. I’ll let the court decide your fate.”
    “But what about my kids?” Aleeta pleaded. “They’re still lost out here somewhere. I’ve got to find them. I can’t go back, yet.”
    “I’ve got to bring you back now. I’ve no choice. It’s my job.”
    As Anton and Aleeta argued, Kellen looked around. He didn’t see anything he could use as a weapon. But he did spot a large patch of mud between the edge of the river and the jungle. He kicked a rock into the mud patch. It quickly sank out of sight.
    “Let’s go, Allie. The kids are gone. We’ll never find them. We have to go back with him.”
    Aleeta was about to argue, but Kellen took her arm sharply and marched her toward the jungle. The Government agent was close behind. At the last possible moment, Kellen shoved Aleeta aside, twisted, and pushed Anton into the mud patch. The agent immediately began to sink.
    “What the hell?” he yelled. He twisted this way and that. But the harder he tried, the faster he sank. The mud was over his knees in seconds.
    Kellen grabbed Aleeta’s hand and pulled her deeper into the jungle. “Hurry, now’s our chance!” Glancing back, Kellen could see Anton was being rapidly sucked down into the mire. “Help me, damn your eyes!” he screamed. His desperate cries for help rang through the sultry jungle air.
    Aleeta whirled about to face Kellen. “I can’t do it, Kel. It’s murder.”
    “He’s a Government agent, Allie. One of the bad guys who messed up our world. He wants to take us back, send us to jail, or worse. I’m not going back again to that rotten prison ship. Why should we help him?”
    “I can’t let him die like that!”
    “Damn it, Allie. He’s not a man. He’s a menace.”
    “I’m going back to help. It’s what any decent human being would do.”
    Aleeta tore loose from Kellen’s grip. She ran back through the thick jungle underbrush. When she reached the quicksand pit, she searched around for a strong vine and threw one end of it to Anton. He was almost up to his nose in mud now.
    Anton frantically reached out with both hands and grabbed the vine. Slowly, he began to pull himself to safety.
    “It’s the least I could do,” Aleeta remarked, as she turned and ran back into the jungle.
     
    ~*~

FOURTEEN
     
    For hours, Kellen and Aleeta battled dense jungle foliage, biting and stinging insects, slithering poisonous snakes, a murderous sun, and seemingly mile after mile of dense marsh grass. They finally dropped to the ground, totally exhausted.
    “I don’t think I can go on…” Aleeta groaned.
    Kellen wiped a stream of sweat from his face. His eyes and cheeks were burning like fire. He fanned Aleeta with a large jungle leaf, first making sure there were no leeches on the other side. “You can’t quit now. I’m sure we’ll find the kids. I promise.”
    “You don’t know that!” she said. “You promised me a lot of things when we were first married. But you had to go play the big hero, fighting for justice against the evil Government! And look what happened! You went to prison, and left me alone to raise my infant son. With no friends, no family – “
    He grimaced. “Is that why you took up with that scum, Falconer?”
    “He helped me. He cared about me.”
    “He was your lover. Admit it. That’s why you went back