Read Online Sunset: Pact Arcanum: Book One by Arshad Ahsanuddin - Free Book Online
Authors: Arshad Ahsanuddin
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widened. It’s the terrorist from the broadcast, Jeremy something or other. Toby turned back to his mother.
“It was real, wasn’t it? All of it.”
“I think so, Toby. He said he’d explain everything as soon as we were all here. We’re just waiting for your sister now.”
“They just picked her up in New York City, Mrs. Jameson,” said Lucas, standing beside them. “She’ll be here in a few minutes.”
Toby turned to face him. “You have the same kind of cross Nick wore. Are you a vampire, too?”
Lucas glanced nervously at Nick.
“Mr. Jameson, if I were to answer that question before your brother has a chance to talk to you, he would probably have me killed. If you will excuse me…” He stepped back onto the platform. “Initiate transit for one to Armistice Security garrison, main level.”
“Teleport ready.”
“Execute.” Lucas disappeared in a white haze.
Toby turned back to his mother. “Will you be okay if I go talk to him?”
She nodded. “I’ll wait for Faith and then join you.” She sat down at a nearby table.
Toby squared his shoulders and walked to Nick’s side, his footsteps silent in the heavy air. From the edge of the disk, he could finally see below the level of the sky. The view took his breath away. The black sky had led him to believe it was night, but the vista before him was starkly lit by bright sunlight. They were standing on top of a conical tower of white metal that swept downward to join a network of white buildings interconnected by cylindrical tubes. Clear domes atop the buildings shone in the light, like droplets of dew clinging to a spider’s web. Toby realized they were standing in a similar dome, so transparent that it was invisible from the inside.
Toby lifted his eyes to look beyond the edge of the city. A barren wasteland of tumbled gray and white rock stretched monotonously to the horizon.
“What is this place?” he whispered.
“The Citadel,” Nick said from beside him.
Toby turned to meet his brother’s eyes. “Everything I saw on the broadcast, everything I heard you say—it was all real, wasn’t it?”
“Why don’t you sit down? I’ll explain as soon as Faith gets here.”
“I’ll sit if you answer my question.”
“Toby,” Nick said, his voice deepening, “sit down.”
“Yes or no, Nick? Either way, I promise I’ll stay to hear your explanation. Just tell me the truth.”
Nick gazed into his brother’s eyes, measuring his resolve. Then he turned away and looked back out over the city again.
“Yes … it was all real.”
Toby took a deep breath. “Okay,” he said. Then he strode over to the table next to Scott and slugged Jeremy in the face as hard as he could, knocking the former terrorist onto the floor. “That’s for trying to kill my brother, you son of a bitch!”
Scott looked at Toby, then at Jeremy who lay on the floor in a daze, and burst out laughing.
“Go, Toby!” Scott smiled. They ignored the other Sentinel as he slowly rose to his feet, righted his chair, and sat back down without saying a word.
“Why is he even here?” Toby directed his question at Scott.
“I wanted to be here for Nick and the rest of you, but I don’t trust Jeremy enough to let him out of my sight,” Scott answered.
“Fine. Keep him away from me.” Toby walked back to one of the tables on the other side of Nick and sat by himself. A moment later, the rest of his family joined him, his sister and his mother wearing identical expressions of apprehension. “Well, we’re all here now, so go ahead,” he told his brother.
Sighing, Nick gazed at the expectant faces of his family. “Did all of you see what happened in Los Angeles?”
They nodded.
“Then you heard what Scott and I said about the war between Sentinels and Nightwalkers and the peace treaty in North America.”
“We heard it,” said Claire. “We also heard you say that you were one of these Daywalkers.”
“That’s right. I am.”
“You’re a
“It was real, wasn’t it? All of it.”
“I think so, Toby. He said he’d explain everything as soon as we were all here. We’re just waiting for your sister now.”
“They just picked her up in New York City, Mrs. Jameson,” said Lucas, standing beside them. “She’ll be here in a few minutes.”
Toby turned to face him. “You have the same kind of cross Nick wore. Are you a vampire, too?”
Lucas glanced nervously at Nick.
“Mr. Jameson, if I were to answer that question before your brother has a chance to talk to you, he would probably have me killed. If you will excuse me…” He stepped back onto the platform. “Initiate transit for one to Armistice Security garrison, main level.”
“Teleport ready.”
“Execute.” Lucas disappeared in a white haze.
Toby turned back to his mother. “Will you be okay if I go talk to him?”
She nodded. “I’ll wait for Faith and then join you.” She sat down at a nearby table.
Toby squared his shoulders and walked to Nick’s side, his footsteps silent in the heavy air. From the edge of the disk, he could finally see below the level of the sky. The view took his breath away. The black sky had led him to believe it was night, but the vista before him was starkly lit by bright sunlight. They were standing on top of a conical tower of white metal that swept downward to join a network of white buildings interconnected by cylindrical tubes. Clear domes atop the buildings shone in the light, like droplets of dew clinging to a spider’s web. Toby realized they were standing in a similar dome, so transparent that it was invisible from the inside.
Toby lifted his eyes to look beyond the edge of the city. A barren wasteland of tumbled gray and white rock stretched monotonously to the horizon.
“What is this place?” he whispered.
“The Citadel,” Nick said from beside him.
Toby turned to meet his brother’s eyes. “Everything I saw on the broadcast, everything I heard you say—it was all real, wasn’t it?”
“Why don’t you sit down? I’ll explain as soon as Faith gets here.”
“I’ll sit if you answer my question.”
“Toby,” Nick said, his voice deepening, “sit down.”
“Yes or no, Nick? Either way, I promise I’ll stay to hear your explanation. Just tell me the truth.”
Nick gazed into his brother’s eyes, measuring his resolve. Then he turned away and looked back out over the city again.
“Yes … it was all real.”
Toby took a deep breath. “Okay,” he said. Then he strode over to the table next to Scott and slugged Jeremy in the face as hard as he could, knocking the former terrorist onto the floor. “That’s for trying to kill my brother, you son of a bitch!”
Scott looked at Toby, then at Jeremy who lay on the floor in a daze, and burst out laughing.
“Go, Toby!” Scott smiled. They ignored the other Sentinel as he slowly rose to his feet, righted his chair, and sat back down without saying a word.
“Why is he even here?” Toby directed his question at Scott.
“I wanted to be here for Nick and the rest of you, but I don’t trust Jeremy enough to let him out of my sight,” Scott answered.
“Fine. Keep him away from me.” Toby walked back to one of the tables on the other side of Nick and sat by himself. A moment later, the rest of his family joined him, his sister and his mother wearing identical expressions of apprehension. “Well, we’re all here now, so go ahead,” he told his brother.
Sighing, Nick gazed at the expectant faces of his family. “Did all of you see what happened in Los Angeles?”
They nodded.
“Then you heard what Scott and I said about the war between Sentinels and Nightwalkers and the peace treaty in North America.”
“We heard it,” said Claire. “We also heard you say that you were one of these Daywalkers.”
“That’s right. I am.”
“You’re a
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