Read Online The League of Doorways (A Book of Vampires, Werewolves & Black Magic) (The Doorways Trilogy - Book Two) by Tim O'Rourke - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tim O'Rourke
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has been caused inside. The surgery-spider’s good…but it can’t perform miracles.”
Zach and his friends watched in wonder as the top of the surgery-spider resurfaced and crawled away from the wound, settling on the hermit’s stomach. Its minute legs retracted and became still. Faraday plucked it off the man’s body. He turned it upside down, and Zach watched as the pointed tip of the stake rolled from the surgery-spider and into the palm of Faraday’s hand. He threw the tip away, placed the surgery-spider back into his coat pocket , and produced a bottle of clear liquid. He poured some of this onto the wound, and it oozed from the bottle like runny jelly. It plopped onto the hermit’s chest and began to fizz and smoke.
“It’s burning him!” Bom hissed.
“Just watch,” Faraday assured him.
The thick, gooey liquid began to froth, bubble , and then gradually dissolve into the man’s skin, taking with it the crimson coloured hole that the stake had made. Zach looked in awe, as there was no sign, no mark, in fact not even the smallest of scratches to show that this man had ever been shot.
Faraday briefly checked the hermit’s pulse again, placed the bottle of goo back into his pocket , and stood up.
“What is this thing?” Neanna suddenly said, breaking the silence.
Zach glanced over at the odd-looking car. He moved towards it, then realised, like the tiger-bikes he had seen, this wasn’t a car at all – but what appeared to be a giant beetle. Zach stood with his mouth open as he looked at its sleek design. It was hump-shaped with a hard shell, which shone black and turquoise beneath the moon. Instead of wheels, it had three black, bony legs which jutted from each side of its body. Where any normal car would have had a bonnet, this had a bulbous black head with two antennas protruding from it and what looked like a crank-handle sticking out front.
Faraday strode over , and with one hand, he lifted back the creature’s shell.
“Is this some kinda car?” Zach asked him.
“I guess,” Faraday said. “It’s what happens when technology and creatures get entangled together as they come through the doorways. Cribbot called it a beet-wagon.”
With the shell slid back, Zach peered inside. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me!” he cried, as he saw the seats, the dashboard , and a steering wheel.
“C’mon,” Faraday urged the others. “Those dead peacekeepers could come back at any moment.”
“Dead peacekeepers?” Neanna asked him.
“Peacekeepers turned bad by black magic,” Faraday said , climbing in behind the wheel.
As William, Bom , and Neanna climbed into the back of the car – creature – Zach glanced back at the hermit one last time and hoped that he would be okay. It was then he noticed two tiny holes appear in the white blanket of sand that covered his face, as the hermit opened his eyes and looked up at him.
Zach slammed the passenger door shut as Faraday started the creature up. They lurched forward as the beetle shook and made a scuttling noise. The creature seemed to stall, rumble into life again, and then stop altogether.
“Look!” Bom suddenly blasted in Zach’s ear, as he lent forward from the rear of the vehicle and pointed ahead. All of them peered through the black glass windscreen to see the headlights of those tiger-bikes racing back across the desert floor towards them.
“You’ll have to be patient with me,” Faraday said flatly. “I haven’t driven one of these things for…”
“Patient!” Bom roared again. “My patience is fast running out!”
Faraday pressed down hard on the accelerator, pushed the gear stick into drive , and they lurched forward again, then came to a shuddering stop. The creature made a mewing noise all around them as if it were in pain. Then they all shrieked as the gaunt and pale face of the hermit appeared on the other side of the windscreen.
“What’s he doing?” Bom cried out in fear.
“How did you ever become a
Zach and his friends watched in wonder as the top of the surgery-spider resurfaced and crawled away from the wound, settling on the hermit’s stomach. Its minute legs retracted and became still. Faraday plucked it off the man’s body. He turned it upside down, and Zach watched as the pointed tip of the stake rolled from the surgery-spider and into the palm of Faraday’s hand. He threw the tip away, placed the surgery-spider back into his coat pocket , and produced a bottle of clear liquid. He poured some of this onto the wound, and it oozed from the bottle like runny jelly. It plopped onto the hermit’s chest and began to fizz and smoke.
“It’s burning him!” Bom hissed.
“Just watch,” Faraday assured him.
The thick, gooey liquid began to froth, bubble , and then gradually dissolve into the man’s skin, taking with it the crimson coloured hole that the stake had made. Zach looked in awe, as there was no sign, no mark, in fact not even the smallest of scratches to show that this man had ever been shot.
Faraday briefly checked the hermit’s pulse again, placed the bottle of goo back into his pocket , and stood up.
“What is this thing?” Neanna suddenly said, breaking the silence.
Zach glanced over at the odd-looking car. He moved towards it, then realised, like the tiger-bikes he had seen, this wasn’t a car at all – but what appeared to be a giant beetle. Zach stood with his mouth open as he looked at its sleek design. It was hump-shaped with a hard shell, which shone black and turquoise beneath the moon. Instead of wheels, it had three black, bony legs which jutted from each side of its body. Where any normal car would have had a bonnet, this had a bulbous black head with two antennas protruding from it and what looked like a crank-handle sticking out front.
Faraday strode over , and with one hand, he lifted back the creature’s shell.
“Is this some kinda car?” Zach asked him.
“I guess,” Faraday said. “It’s what happens when technology and creatures get entangled together as they come through the doorways. Cribbot called it a beet-wagon.”
With the shell slid back, Zach peered inside. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me!” he cried, as he saw the seats, the dashboard , and a steering wheel.
“C’mon,” Faraday urged the others. “Those dead peacekeepers could come back at any moment.”
“Dead peacekeepers?” Neanna asked him.
“Peacekeepers turned bad by black magic,” Faraday said , climbing in behind the wheel.
As William, Bom , and Neanna climbed into the back of the car – creature – Zach glanced back at the hermit one last time and hoped that he would be okay. It was then he noticed two tiny holes appear in the white blanket of sand that covered his face, as the hermit opened his eyes and looked up at him.
Zach slammed the passenger door shut as Faraday started the creature up. They lurched forward as the beetle shook and made a scuttling noise. The creature seemed to stall, rumble into life again, and then stop altogether.
“Look!” Bom suddenly blasted in Zach’s ear, as he lent forward from the rear of the vehicle and pointed ahead. All of them peered through the black glass windscreen to see the headlights of those tiger-bikes racing back across the desert floor towards them.
“You’ll have to be patient with me,” Faraday said flatly. “I haven’t driven one of these things for…”
“Patient!” Bom roared again. “My patience is fast running out!”
Faraday pressed down hard on the accelerator, pushed the gear stick into drive , and they lurched forward again, then came to a shuddering stop. The creature made a mewing noise all around them as if it were in pain. Then they all shrieked as the gaunt and pale face of the hermit appeared on the other side of the windscreen.
“What’s he doing?” Bom cried out in fear.
“How did you ever become a
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