Leviathan (Fist of Light Series)
Read Leviathan (Fist of Light Series) Online
Authors: Derek Edgington
Tags: #Fantasy, #Urban Fantasy, #YA Fiction, #Young Adult, #Speculative Fiction
by
Derek Edgington
Leviathan
Fist of Light Series (Book 2)
Copyright © 2012 by Derek Edgington
mobi ISBN: 978-0-9850089-2-5
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted electronically or mechanically. Neither photocopying nor recording are permitted without permission of the author.
Original cover art and design by Jordan Harris
All the characters, names, and events in this book are fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or occurrences is purely coincidental.
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— Chapter 1 —
F
ires raged across the city, belching thick clouds of smoke into the air. Copious amounts of rain released from an unrelenting storm brought an incessant hissing to my ears. Skyscrapers had been torn asunder, as if a giant hand had knocked them from their lofty perch. The once-glimmering ocean was blood-red, stained. Tumultuous waves crashed among the fallen remains of the Golden Gate Bridge. The scene before me relayed an evident message: a war had been fought here, and the victims were given no quarter. Innumerable bodies, which were strewn carelessly across the ashy ground, backed this hypothesis. A severe lack of humanity coupled with the nefarious designs of a sub-human entity had brought my city low. Growling under my breath, I shot a look behind me.
Dilapidated structures surrounded me, eclipsing any view that might have been gleaned, any visual point of escape. My heavy breathing echoed through the night, a constant identifier that relayed my position to the pursuing party. Wet, bedraggled hair plastered itself across my face. My clothes were similarly affected by the weather. Cursing, I siphoned some more power from the nexus, calling Air to speed and quiet my passage through what remained of the streets. Although I wanted to take to the skies, flying would likely paint me as a target. Already there were pursuers on my six. Adding further complexity to the chase wasn't advisable. There were sure to be some exceedingly unsavory entities roaming the dank and dark thoroughfares. A thought surfaced and I maneuvered accordingly through unmoving traffic, over a fallen streetlight, then up a protrusion of rubble.
A miasmic purplish aura encompassed my being, adding superhuman power to the leap. As my arcing trajectory steered me towards my target, I risked a glance behind to locate my pursuers. My keen eyes separated buildings and cars. I discerned leaping bodies amidst the unmoving traffic, tailing me without subtlety. My attention returned to my goal, and I landed lithely atop the housing structure. Keeping up a breakneck pace leeched energy from the core of my being. Another Air-fueled jump was required if I desired to cross the space separating the buildings. I didn’t undermine my confidence with thoughts of failure as Air powered my next leap, wind rushed by me, and rain stung my exposed extremities. As my shoes impacted the roof, I allowed my body to curl into a fluid roll, which dispersed my forward momentum.
“
It would be advisable to locate a defendable position amongst all this rubble, to better stand against their combined might,”
Jeeves opined.
“Has the smoke clouded your mind? That's what I've been running toward. There aren't any
defensible
positions in any of these burned out houses,” I grumbled between breaths.
“
Then it might be to your benefit to arrive at your destination with all due haste,”
Jeeves countered calmly, despite the encroaching enemy.
With a dramatically increased field of vision, it became clear the urban sprawl of the inner city was not so far removed as I previously thought. I entered into a reactive state and scanned the skies and streets, wary. There were no enemies. I briefly considered the possibility of an ambush. After discarding the idea out of hand, I ran assuredly atop the buildings, leaping over obstacles and gaping expanses as I came upon them. The row of houses I traversed paralleled my goal for a sequence of minutes, until finally the street came to a branching intersection. Waves of energy bounded in my wake, striking behind and downward, launching me into the open air. It was only moments before impact, with arms splayed wide and eyes focused intently on my landing area, I noticed the cavernous holes in the warehouse before me. The building was barely standing, charred remains just waiting for the right conditions before it fell to pieces.
“Mother—” My body impacted the flimsy structure.
A horrendous splintering reached my ears as fragile roofing met skin and bone. A wide section of roof caved in, sending a shower of splinters in every direction. I covered my eyes, protecting them against incoming shrapnel. This blinded me for a few precious seconds, barring sight of what lay below. I barely managed a graceless roll as the ground rushed up to meet me. With my recent luck, I should have guessed such a maneuver would only end in tragedy. My tumble took me straight into an extremely solid and uncompromising object, which, coupled with my jarring landing, knocked me for a good loop. Groaning, I rubbed dizzily at my aching forehead while making sure all my appendages were attached in the appropriate places. I stood groggily.
“
Nice flying, Ace,”
Jeeves chuckled.
“Thank you for flying Holden Airlines. Apologies for the unexpected bout of turbulence.” I swooned momentarily before regaining a tenuous hold on a balanced stance.
Chances were my pursuers wouldn't take long to catch up to me now that I'd come to a graceless halt. Taking stock, I realized the warehouse contained rows upon rows of wooden pallets, stacked high with bags of concrete mix. I jumped and grasped for the topmost bag and hoisted myself up. The unstable compilation tilted alarmingly but righted itself after some quick repositioning.
“This is hardly the ideal position to hold off a brood of bloodthirsty vampires.” Jeeves flashed into sight and regarded the pocketed roof with disdain.
“I realize that, which is why we're leaving.” I put action to words, hopping from one stack to the next.
As I progressed throughout the structure, pallets teetered and fell, the bags of concrete mix exploding in dense clouds of dust. It might have made me feel marginally guilty to watch the livelihood of some unknown person go up in smoke had the city not been demolished. As it was, I couldn't spare the time for another backwards glance at the exploding bags. My supernatural senses informed me of incoming bogies. The light at the end of the tunnel presented itself in the form of a door, left of a series of closed loading bays. A single, Air-enhanced bound brought me to a stumbling halt before the exit. I risked a glance beside me. A smile formed on my lips as the last few pallets, stacked high with concrete mix, acted as an absurd, coordinated set of dominos. Flurries of granulated powder exploded into the air in a veritable dust storm. Returning to the task at hand, I jiggled the handle, but found it to be barred and unusable, the locking mechanism stuck fast.
“Dammit all!” I yelled loudly then released a stream of curses, but in a much more restrained tone. Wouldn't do me any good to broadcast my position for those behind. Let them stumble blindly through the smoke for a while longer.
“
Might I offer a solution?”
Jeeves enquired through our mental link, amused.
“If you were so gracious, I might consider not beating your incorporeal ass into next week,” I aired out the mostly empty threat.
A katana forged of unobtainium appeared in my hand. The curved blade shone with an unnatural gleam, illuminated from the inside and faintly crackling with electricity. Five bands of bursting color adorned the hilt, representing my rudimentary control over the five elements. I took the hint and went to work, sliding the sword in the gap above the locking mechanism.
“With
just
the right amount...” My voice trailed off triumphantly as the lock gave way to the superior craftsmanship of the blade.
I maneuvered the katana between my shoulder blades where a sheath appeared on its own accord. After adjusting the manifested shoulder strap, I patted reassuringly at my belt, which contained the tools of the trade I had recently been forced to learn by an uncompromising new teacher. Then I frowned, as it became clear there had been another way through this door than brute strength. Shrugging, I decided there wasn’t time for subtlety. My foot lashed out in a powerful front kick, the entire weight of my body behind the blow. The door burst open, screeching loudly in protest.
“
Well done,”
Jeeves said.
“Now, we must move quickly if you wish to retain your lead.”
“Yes, sir, boss man,
sir
.” I saluted sarcastically before continuing onward in my flight through the urban sprawl.
Barbwire fence loomed before me but presented no real obstacle to my passage. After boosting myself off a metal sidebar, I leapt upward, executing a roll while airborne and landing in a crouch on the sidewalk. Glancing along the ends of the street, I was happy there weren't any vampires blocking my flight
.
With a burst of speed with the aid of Air, I blurred down numerous side streets, approaching my destination. The cityscape was just beginning to blend into skyscrapers when I happened upon a gold mine. Stopping abruptly, I processed what was before me. The tectonic plates had shifted, revealing the cavernous depths of the Earth. A yawning expanse gaped, effectively stopping my progress down the street. The buildings beside me were around ten stories high, caked with grime and ash that was slowly being washed away by the rain. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed ominously.