The Acolytes of Crane (Theodore Crane, #1)(83)

‘What about the Dark King? Have his soldiers found this cave yet?’ I was worried about the concealment of such a strategic base that could threaten his brutal rule. It was practically an army-in-waiting, ready to overthrow a despot. My pulse quickened as I realized the true extent of my next mission.

‘They have searched countless times and found nothing. So don’t worry. This is my lab. Don’t touch anything. Here it is.’

‘What is it?’ I was curious if he was going to show me a brand new weapon. I was keen to add something to my arsenal that night.

‘This is an Elon suit. It’s an original. There isn’t anything like it. Put it on. It should be your size, and if it isn’t—it will adjust to fit you,’ Pike said. Grunting, with considerable strain, I put the suit on, and it felt like it was a living, breathing layer encompassing me. It was leafy.

‘Now, press that button right there in the center of your chest,’ Pike instructed.

When I pressed the button, the suit grew to accommodate my size. Thin, weed-like woody vines erupted from the suit. The trailing plants started to braid and cover me. I was covered in wiry young wood. When my suit had finished adjusting itself, I found that I could move freely because the wicker-like suit was pliant and flowed with my movement.

From the wall, Pike grabbed an axe and menacingly advanced toward me, the axe held up high. He had a maniacal look on his face.

‘What are you freakin’ doing?’ I shrank back, unable to strike back in time.

Gleefully chuckling, he slammed the sharp axe in my direction, striking me square in the arm.

Nothing. I breathed a sigh of relief. Although I felt the jarring impact, the axe penetrated only a few centimeters into my armor; it then repaired itself within seconds.

‘What the hell was that for?’ I yelled, still a bit rattled.

‘I figured that might be the only way you would trust it. I must warn you. This suit protects against most physical attacks. However, any plasma gun blade could cut through this like a knife through beetle butter, but it will keep your body from sustaining an injury. Your enemies, the Dacturons, are telekinetic, and can fling objects at your body with their mind. With your rolesk and sword, your boots and Elon suit, you will be a force to be reckoned with. Now, those steel balls you have on your waist belt, do you know what those are?’ he asked.

‘No, I just found them on the ship.’

‘Ha! Those are scouts, portable recon devices. If you depress that red button on any of them, it will detach itself from your belt. The recon device can hover in the air, and can scout ahead of you to convey valuable intelligence about the enemy to you. It’s very adept at foraging ahead, unseen by your adversaries.’

‘Wow,’ was all I could say. I was awestruck. I had the best in combat gear from many different universes. I had stuff from Zane, stuff from Ed, and stuff from Pike. I was unstoppable. I jutted out my chin in a brief flash of arrogance.

Pike sized me up. “All right,’ he said, wagging a finger at me. ‘I want you to go to sleep now. It is going to be a long day tomorrow.’

‘Goodnight,’ I said to Pike, as he walked me toward my room.

I fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the ordeals of the past few traumatizing days.

I woke up in the morning to excited chatter and bustling noises. There was something going on. Well, more than that. It was verging on insanity. The energy in the cave was so intense. I heard fast-paced footsteps and objects banging.

I was afraid to go outside of my room. They had not found me in my room yet, so I figured I could hide under my blanket to escape the commotion. I held Wrath at the ready, because my nerves were still raw and sensitive, even if I was in a safe hideaway. Ed was still in re-charging hibernation, and I didn’t want to remove my hands from my sword to interrupt his charging battery.


I stood up, and leaned toward the direction of the door, eager, ready, and nervous.





16 MARIAH: KARSHIZ





“I’m just devastated, and he’s standing closer to me. I felt his infectious energy; it was obvious that he cared about me. The way he looked at me, it was as if I knew him all my life. He said, ‘Without you, we would all be lost.’ And then we—”

A guard walks in, wearing his usual stern expression. “Prisoner eight-six-seven-eight. Come with me,” he requests, breaking up our conversation.

“What is going on?” I ask.

“Mariah, tell me the rest in a few minutes when you come back. I know your release is tomorrow, but I want to hear the rest of the story!” my girlfriend Javon says, deferring to the authority of the guard out of fear. She clasps my hand for a moment, attempting to reassure me. I’m allowed to mingle with the other female prisoners in the common room, and we’d bonded right away.

I walk toward the guard, and I keep my distance. Standing too close to a guard was bound to make him feel threatened. I turn, looking at Javon and say, “If I don’t see you, then you know…”

“I’m so happy for you, my turn will come soon. When you hear I’m out, give me a call! Bye, chica!” She waved at me jubilantly.

“The warden would like to speak with you,” the guard says as he escorts me to the meeting.

“Am I in trouble or something? Can you tell me? Ugh—God help us,” I say. The guards tend to ignore me. He has a thread dangling from the cuff of his uniform. I want to pull it off badly, but to approach a guard over something so trivial would be ridiculous.