Read Online The Hunter by Theresa Meyers - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Theresa Meyers
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coils and magnets that Colt didn’t completely understand.
He’d never tried it before. New inventions from Marley always were a gamble. Colt knew he had a fifty-fifty chance of either getting a great source of light, or of having his eyebrows singed off. But bringing an oil lamp in his saddle pack hadn’t been practical and using a pitch-soaked torch would give them light enough for an hour, maybe two.
He held the tube out as far away from him as he dared and shook it hard. The rattling was loud enough that it stirred a few bats out of the mine shaft and they streaked off into the dark night sky. He flipped the switch and a soft blue glow grew in an ever-widening circle at his feet. He swung the saddlebags over his shoulder and moved forward. They left Tempus outside the entrance and ventured into the dark recesses of the mine.
The rocky dust beneath their feet became damp about fifty feet inside. Colt flashed the illuminator on the walls and saw only a small, dark trickle of moisture seeping like tears from the rocks.
Deep down his gut twisted. He hoped the reason these mines had been abandoned had nothing to do with flooding. From the map he’d sketched based on Winn’s poor description, the hiding place of his pa’s piece of the Book of Legend was down deeper in the shafts. If the shafts were flooded, there’d be no hope for getting it. He had a distinct dislike for water. Since he’d been fourteen he didn’t get any deeper than his waist in it, and that was only in a washtub.
“You don’t look so well, Mr. Jackson.”
Leave it to the demon to state the obvious. “I’m not the kind that likes to be confined.”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the dark.” There was humor in her voice.
He gave her a cocky grin. “Not of the dark, darlin’, just don’t like our odds down here. The sooner we get what we’re looking for and get out, the better.”
“And what are we looking for?”
“A door.”
“To what?”
“A door. That’s all you need to know.” They had come to a series of three shafts branching off from the main tunnel.
“Which way do we go?”
He pulled the coil illuminator closer, using it to cast a pool of bluish light on the crudely drawn map in his hand as he balanced his saddle packs over his shoulder. “If I understood my brother, it should be down the shaft to the left.”
She shivered.
“Cold?”
“Something’s coming.”
Even though the sulfur scent in the air hadn’t grown any stronger, Colt’s gun hand began to itch worse the farther they traveled down the left tunnel. A hushed, rasping sound, like the whisper of a hundred voices, began to grow the deeper they moved into the earth. Colt pulled the demon closer. “Whatever it is, I don’t like the sound of it. Stick close to me.” He pulled his gun from his hip holster.
She nodded, and glanced behind them. Her eyes widened and Colt spun around to see what had caused her reaction. In the light of the illuminator the walls of the passage itself seemed to be shivering, moving as if the rock were a blanket and something crawled along beneath it.
Then it transmogrified, the rock pulling away from the walls of the tunnel-like living, breathing things, built like men, but so broad and so tall they hunched in the tunnel. Their flat, featureless faces only looked like faces because of the twin glowing red eyes and gaping dark maw. Small puffs of dust, almost like spurts of steam, issued from the creatures’ joints as they lumbered toward him and Miss Arliss.
“What in the hell are those?”
“Scoria soldiers. Guardians to the Darkin. Don’t just stand there, shoot them!”
The gritty, grinding sound of rock against rock as they moved caused the hairs on Colt’s arms to prickle. “Hold this.” He tossed the coil illuminator to the demon and held the gun out in front of him, trying to take aim. But at what? All he could see were mounds of massive rock limbs and glowing red eyes headed straight for
He’d never tried it before. New inventions from Marley always were a gamble. Colt knew he had a fifty-fifty chance of either getting a great source of light, or of having his eyebrows singed off. But bringing an oil lamp in his saddle pack hadn’t been practical and using a pitch-soaked torch would give them light enough for an hour, maybe two.
He held the tube out as far away from him as he dared and shook it hard. The rattling was loud enough that it stirred a few bats out of the mine shaft and they streaked off into the dark night sky. He flipped the switch and a soft blue glow grew in an ever-widening circle at his feet. He swung the saddlebags over his shoulder and moved forward. They left Tempus outside the entrance and ventured into the dark recesses of the mine.
The rocky dust beneath their feet became damp about fifty feet inside. Colt flashed the illuminator on the walls and saw only a small, dark trickle of moisture seeping like tears from the rocks.
Deep down his gut twisted. He hoped the reason these mines had been abandoned had nothing to do with flooding. From the map he’d sketched based on Winn’s poor description, the hiding place of his pa’s piece of the Book of Legend was down deeper in the shafts. If the shafts were flooded, there’d be no hope for getting it. He had a distinct dislike for water. Since he’d been fourteen he didn’t get any deeper than his waist in it, and that was only in a washtub.
“You don’t look so well, Mr. Jackson.”
Leave it to the demon to state the obvious. “I’m not the kind that likes to be confined.”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the dark.” There was humor in her voice.
He gave her a cocky grin. “Not of the dark, darlin’, just don’t like our odds down here. The sooner we get what we’re looking for and get out, the better.”
“And what are we looking for?”
“A door.”
“To what?”
“A door. That’s all you need to know.” They had come to a series of three shafts branching off from the main tunnel.
“Which way do we go?”
He pulled the coil illuminator closer, using it to cast a pool of bluish light on the crudely drawn map in his hand as he balanced his saddle packs over his shoulder. “If I understood my brother, it should be down the shaft to the left.”
She shivered.
“Cold?”
“Something’s coming.”
Even though the sulfur scent in the air hadn’t grown any stronger, Colt’s gun hand began to itch worse the farther they traveled down the left tunnel. A hushed, rasping sound, like the whisper of a hundred voices, began to grow the deeper they moved into the earth. Colt pulled the demon closer. “Whatever it is, I don’t like the sound of it. Stick close to me.” He pulled his gun from his hip holster.
She nodded, and glanced behind them. Her eyes widened and Colt spun around to see what had caused her reaction. In the light of the illuminator the walls of the passage itself seemed to be shivering, moving as if the rock were a blanket and something crawled along beneath it.
Then it transmogrified, the rock pulling away from the walls of the tunnel-like living, breathing things, built like men, but so broad and so tall they hunched in the tunnel. Their flat, featureless faces only looked like faces because of the twin glowing red eyes and gaping dark maw. Small puffs of dust, almost like spurts of steam, issued from the creatures’ joints as they lumbered toward him and Miss Arliss.
“What in the hell are those?”
“Scoria soldiers. Guardians to the Darkin. Don’t just stand there, shoot them!”
The gritty, grinding sound of rock against rock as they moved caused the hairs on Colt’s arms to prickle. “Hold this.” He tossed the coil illuminator to the demon and held the gun out in front of him, trying to take aim. But at what? All he could see were mounds of massive rock limbs and glowing red eyes headed straight for
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