Read Online The Bones Of Odin (Matt Drake 1) by David Leadbeater - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: David Leadbeater
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where they had stood, taking about twenty feet of precious steps with it.
Kennedy flicked stone chips off her shoulder, and regarded Drake with a dry smile. “Thanks.”
“Hey, I knew the woman who saved the SAS guy’s ass could outrun a mere boulder. ”
“Funny, man. So funny.”
But it wasn’t over yet. There was a sharp twang and a thin but solid length of twine snapped across the step that separated Ben and Kennedy.
“Fuuuck!” Kennedy shouted. The length of twine had shot out with so much force it could easily have separated her ankle from the rest of her body.
Another snap two steps further down. Drake danced in place. “ Shit!”
Another roar from above signified the next falling rock.
“It’s a replicating trap,” Ben told them. “Same thing keeps happening over and over. We need to get below this section.”
Drake couldn’t tell which steps were snared and which ones weren’t, so he trusted to luck and speed. They ran headlong down about thirty steps, trying to stay airborne as much as possible. The sides of the staircase crumbled as they traversed the ancient pathway, scathing away into the depths of the rocky cavern.
The sound of rubble hitting the bottom began to grow louder.
The snapping of hard twine followed their flight.
Drake stepped on another false stair, but his momentum took him over the short void. Kennedy leapt it and him, graceful as a gazelle in full flight, but Ben tumbled in her wake, now rolling into the gap.
“Legs!” Drake shouted, then fell backward across the void, becoming the ground. Relief washed tension from his brain when Kennedy pinned his legs into place. He felt Ben hit his body, then tumble across his chest. Drake guided the kid’s momentum with his arms, then gave him an extra push onto solid ground.
Sat up quick, crunch style.
“Keep going!”
The air was filled with bits of rock. One glanced off Kennedy’s head, leaving a cut and a gush of blood. Another struck Drake’s ankle. The agony made him grit his teeth, and spurred him to run faster.
Bullets raked the wall above their heads. Drake ducked, and took a momentary look up at the entrance.
Saw a familiar force gathered there. The Germans.
They ran at full pace now, beyond reckless. Drake took precious seconds to fall to the rear. When another salvo of bullets pitted the stone next to his head he dived forward, bouncing down the steps, rolling full circle with his arms tucked in, and coming back up to full height without losing an ounce of momentum.
Ah, the good old days were back.
More bullets. Then the others collapsed in front of him. Horror sheared a hole through his heart until he realised they’d simply hit the bottom of the cavern at a dead run and, unprepared, had ran themselves right into the ground.
Drake slowed. The bottom of the cavern was a thick mess of stone and dust and tree-debris. When they rose, Kennedy and Ben were a sight to behold. Not only covered in dirt and mud, but now with extra baked-on dust and leafy mould.
“Ah, for my trusty camera,” he intoned. “Years of blackmail stands before me.”
Drake picked up a glow stick and hugged the curve of the cavern that ran away from the gunmen. It took five minutes to walk the outer limits of the tree. They were constantly overshadowed by its imposing stillness.
Drake clapped Ben on the shoulder. “Better than any Friday night groupie sesh, eh mate?”
Kennedy glanced at the young lad with new eyes. “You have groupies ? Your band has groupies ? That’s a conversation we’re gonna have real soon, bro. Believe it.”
“Only two - ” Ben began to stammer as they rounded a portion of the final curve, and then clammed up in shock.
They all stopped.
Ancient dreams of amazement stood before them, rendering them speechless, practically brain-dead for about half a minute.
“Now that’s . . . that’s . . .”
“ Gobsmacking, ” Drake breathed.
A row of the biggest Viking longboats they’d ever imagined
Kennedy flicked stone chips off her shoulder, and regarded Drake with a dry smile. “Thanks.”
“Hey, I knew the woman who saved the SAS guy’s ass could outrun a mere boulder. ”
“Funny, man. So funny.”
But it wasn’t over yet. There was a sharp twang and a thin but solid length of twine snapped across the step that separated Ben and Kennedy.
“Fuuuck!” Kennedy shouted. The length of twine had shot out with so much force it could easily have separated her ankle from the rest of her body.
Another snap two steps further down. Drake danced in place. “ Shit!”
Another roar from above signified the next falling rock.
“It’s a replicating trap,” Ben told them. “Same thing keeps happening over and over. We need to get below this section.”
Drake couldn’t tell which steps were snared and which ones weren’t, so he trusted to luck and speed. They ran headlong down about thirty steps, trying to stay airborne as much as possible. The sides of the staircase crumbled as they traversed the ancient pathway, scathing away into the depths of the rocky cavern.
The sound of rubble hitting the bottom began to grow louder.
The snapping of hard twine followed their flight.
Drake stepped on another false stair, but his momentum took him over the short void. Kennedy leapt it and him, graceful as a gazelle in full flight, but Ben tumbled in her wake, now rolling into the gap.
“Legs!” Drake shouted, then fell backward across the void, becoming the ground. Relief washed tension from his brain when Kennedy pinned his legs into place. He felt Ben hit his body, then tumble across his chest. Drake guided the kid’s momentum with his arms, then gave him an extra push onto solid ground.
Sat up quick, crunch style.
“Keep going!”
The air was filled with bits of rock. One glanced off Kennedy’s head, leaving a cut and a gush of blood. Another struck Drake’s ankle. The agony made him grit his teeth, and spurred him to run faster.
Bullets raked the wall above their heads. Drake ducked, and took a momentary look up at the entrance.
Saw a familiar force gathered there. The Germans.
They ran at full pace now, beyond reckless. Drake took precious seconds to fall to the rear. When another salvo of bullets pitted the stone next to his head he dived forward, bouncing down the steps, rolling full circle with his arms tucked in, and coming back up to full height without losing an ounce of momentum.
Ah, the good old days were back.
More bullets. Then the others collapsed in front of him. Horror sheared a hole through his heart until he realised they’d simply hit the bottom of the cavern at a dead run and, unprepared, had ran themselves right into the ground.
Drake slowed. The bottom of the cavern was a thick mess of stone and dust and tree-debris. When they rose, Kennedy and Ben were a sight to behold. Not only covered in dirt and mud, but now with extra baked-on dust and leafy mould.
“Ah, for my trusty camera,” he intoned. “Years of blackmail stands before me.”
Drake picked up a glow stick and hugged the curve of the cavern that ran away from the gunmen. It took five minutes to walk the outer limits of the tree. They were constantly overshadowed by its imposing stillness.
Drake clapped Ben on the shoulder. “Better than any Friday night groupie sesh, eh mate?”
Kennedy glanced at the young lad with new eyes. “You have groupies ? Your band has groupies ? That’s a conversation we’re gonna have real soon, bro. Believe it.”
“Only two - ” Ben began to stammer as they rounded a portion of the final curve, and then clammed up in shock.
They all stopped.
Ancient dreams of amazement stood before them, rendering them speechless, practically brain-dead for about half a minute.
“Now that’s . . . that’s . . .”
“ Gobsmacking, ” Drake breathed.
A row of the biggest Viking longboats they’d ever imagined
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