Read Online Cracks in Reality (Seams in Reality Book 2) by Alex Siegel - Free Book Online Page A

thousand horrors stories, imagined and real. It would be very difficult to rattle him.
    An idea occurred to Andrew. It was a nasty, unethical trick, but it would definitely work. This is how sorcerers fight, he thought.
    Andrew recalled his memories of Keene's former apprentice, Serkan. He had been a young man, only a few years older than Andrew. Serkan had had thick eyebrows and a pleasant, round face. He had liked to wear nice, long scarves even when indoors.
    Andrew created the illusion that he was Serkan. The projection was more complex than the ones Andrew usually attempted, but he was motivated.
    "You failed me," Andrew said in Serkan's voice. "I was in trouble, and you didn't notice. Blake controlled my mind. The mighty Keene, master sorcerer and member of the Sorcerer's Tribunal, didn't lift a finger to save me from disaster. I died along with dozens of innocents. Blake is still at large."
    It was a powerful image with a potent message. Keene's mental defenses wavered, and he completely lost his grip on Charlie's mind. She scrambled to reach the far side of the room.
    Andrew took full advantage of the opening. He hammered Keene with an image of Serkan after his death. Andrew had seen the corpse firsthand, and the memory was still vivid. Andrew followed by showing Serkan rotting in the grave. That illusion was more fanciful, but Andrew drew upon all the horror movies he had seen.
    Keene dropped to his hands and knees.
    "Stop!" Tonya yelled. "Enough! It's over."
    Andrew relented.
    Keene staggered to his feet with a dazed expression. He mumbled incoherently, went to the door, opened it, and walked outside. Andrew sensed his energy moving away.
    "Is he OK?" Andrew said.
    "Sure," Tonya said. "He just needs a few minutes to settle down."
    "I didn't mean to hurt him so bad."
    "Don't worry about it. He expected to take a beating today. You were brilliant."
    He smiled, but he had mixed feelings.
    Charley came over and kissed him lightly on the lips. He tried to hold onto her, but she slipped away from him. He speculated she was still shaken from her experience.
    "Thanks for saving me," Charley said, "but next time, could you work a little faster? I was hurting."
    "I'll try," Andrew said, "but I was fighting a master. It wasn't easy."
    "I know." She gave him another quick kiss. "And you really were brilliant, although what you did to Keene was pretty nasty."
    He turned to Tonya. "Am I ready for Blake?"
    "Not yet." She shook her head. "You showed some weaknesses that we need to work on. Keene didn't have to lose. You're getting closer though."
    "How much longer?"
    "Another couple of weeks maybe. Then you'll have to pass a final exam."
    Andrew raised his eyebrows. "What kind of exam?"
    "More realistic than today."
    "How is that possible? Keene and I were really going at it."
    "But you stopped short," Tonya said. "During your final exam, the fight won't end until it's over."
    He gasped. "Who will I fight?"
    "I don't know yet. The BPI hasn't told me. Now sit down. We have to get back to work. Andrew, your focus was terrible this morning. You had no game plan. You have to be one hundred percent intellectually engaged right from the start. I'm going to use delusions to put you into scenarios where you'll have to think quickly. Charley, you'll be with him. Work together and work fast. Got it?"
    Andrew and Charley nodded.
    He was suddenly in the cockpit of an airplane. A snow-covered mountain loomed directly ahead, and if the plane didn't turn soon, it would crash. He grabbed the control wheel and pulled back. It broke off in his hand.
    "Oh, crap!" He looked at Charley who was seated in the co-pilot's chair. "What now?"
    She grimaced.
    * * *
    Blake looked through a pair of binoculars at the headquarters of the Bureau of Physical Investigation. He didn't dare to get any closer. He wasn't aware of technology that allowed the BPI to detect sorcerers at a distance, but that didn't mean the technology didn't exist. The BPI liked to keep its