Read Online Fracture (The Machinists) by Craig Andrews - Free Book Online Page A

especially close to their leader treated Jarrell as if they were his superiors. Jarrell was okay with that. In fact, he encouraged it. It made him less of a threat.
    “Sorry. I’m not as young as I once was,” Jarrell said, his voice strained. “Where are we going?”
    “This way.”
    Kaleb set a quick pace, probably expecting Jarrell to fall behind and have to eventually ask for him to slow down. Jarrell played his part, following with a slight limp and breathing heavily.
    Kaleb glanced back, smiling wryly. He led Jarrell through the compound, which was a private single-level loft above an abandoned machine shop. Exposed ductwork ran along the ceiling, knocking and banging as the furnace kicked on. Stale warm air blew through the vents, offering a temporary reprieve from the cold before escaping through broken windows.
    Lukas’s quarters were on the far side of the compound, near the barracks, so that he could gauge the pulse of his followers. Only a few had private quarters like Jarrell’s, and his privacy would be short lived as more magi flocked to Lukas’s cause. Two guards stood outside Lukas’s door. They nodded as Kaleb and Jarrell approached.
    Kaleb knocked, waited for permission to enter, then opened the door and waited for Jarrell to enter first.
    “Thank you,” Jarrell said, stepping into the room.
    Kaleb closed the door behind them and waited.
    Lukas sat in the corner, his back against the exposed-brick exterior wall beside the bed. The bed wasn’t his. That was near the front of the room, but a second bed had been brought in for the girl.
    Jarrell shivered, not because of the cold winter air blowing through the dusty windows, but because of the woman lying unconscious on the bed. Her wrists and ankles were bloodied from fighting against the bonds tied to the frame. Her dark hair was matted and stuck to her face, hiding the bruises caused by Lukas’s abuse.
    “Kaleb said you wanted to see me,” Jarrell said, tearing his eyes from the woman.
    “Yes.” Lukas rose to his feet and strolled across the room to a small circular table with two glasses and a pitcher. He filled one of the glasses with water and sipped it without offering any to Jarrell. “She’s stronger than I anticipated.”
    Jarrell knelt beside the bed and examined the woman. She showed few signs of direct abuse, but dried tears sparkled on her flushed cheeks, and her clothes were soaked with sweat, urine, and blood. Jarrell took her wrist in his hand. “She’s alive.”
    “I know.” Lukas took another drink.
    Jarrell’s relief was quickly replaced by anger. Control yourself . You won’t be any help to her if you’re dead. “Then why did you summon me?”
    “I want you to wake her up.”
    So you can continue torturing her. “What do you want with her?”
    “I want to bring Graeme to his knees,” Lukas said, placing his half-empty glass back onto the small table. “He lied to us, Jarrell. They all lied to us, and I’m going to prove it. She is the key.” Lukas had been trying to break the girl all night, and every time she lost consciousness, he brought in a cleric to bring her back. It was his way of forcing everyone to play a part. Everyone became responsible for his actions. And now it was Jarrell’s turn.
    Ashamed, Jarrell placed his hand in the center of the woman’s chest. He didn’t even know her name. He took a deep breath and held it. He increased his heart rate until it pounded like a jackhammer. His body grew hot, and the hand on her chest glowed red. When it became as bright as the naked bulb above him, he projected.
    “I’m sorry,” Jarrell whispered.
    The glowing energy burst from his hand into the woman’s chest, shooting pulses of white light through her body. It ran back and forth from her hands to her feet, then to her chest, where his hand had been. As each wave returned, he learned more about her condition. She was fighting the beginnings of an infection and had a slight fever. Making matters