Page 1 of Night Fury
CHAPTER 1
THE DAY OF THE BATTLE
Something called to Luke, playing with the fringes of his mind, teasing him with answers to questions he’d never dared to speak out loud. But he needed those answers desperately. He needed them to help make sense of everything he’d felt over the last few months, and they were worth everything, even Greg’s wrath.
Luke ran away from the group, ignoring Greg’s shout. He followed the call as it pulled him further down the passage. It turned, narrowed, and then opened to a full room. The moment Luke entered, he was forced to duck, missing a punch aimed at his head.
“You weren’t who I was hoping for.” Zachariah smirked, his brown eyes gleaming. “But you’ll do.”
Luke rushed him. He landed a punch to Zachariah’s face and another to his gut before jumping back in time to miss Zachariah’s counterattack. Ducking under a kick, Luke delivered a punch to the underside of Zachariah’s knee, satisfied when the bone splintered.
It wasn’t enough.
Zachariah caught him with an elbow to the chest. He kneed Luke in his ribs before punching the side of his head. When Zachariah’s kick connected, Luke flew back, rolling until he hit the cavern wall.
Luke stood slowly, faking weakness. The healing agent in his blood was already working through his system and renewing his strength, but he needed to be smart about this. Zachariah’s enhanced strength would make him difficult to take down directly, and there was still speculation that Zachariah could copy another immortal’s ability. Without knowing how that ability worked, being impulsive could land Luke in a very dangerous situation.
And then there was Johanna. She stood in the middle of the room, her face blank, emotionless. She was still under Zachariah’s control. Luke had strategically pulled Zachariah away from Johanna during the fight, but he was still too close to her. Luke knew that if pushed, Zachariah would use Johanna as a hostage, and Luke would never risk her life. The best strategy was to tire Zachariah out without using his abilities. If Luke made him believe that he was weaker, Zachariah would grow cocky, ensuring Luke’s victory.
As Luke went to step forward, his body froze. An unseen pressure knocked him to his knees. He struggled against it, but the bone-crushing weight held him down, pushing his stomach flat against the dirt.
“Luke?”a soft voice whispered in his head.
His eyes darted around the room, but no one else had entered. Zachariah stood unmoving, entirely too still, and Luke wondered if he felt the same pressure. Luke’s eyes darted to Johanna. While she hadn’t moved, something seemed different about her—electric.
Confused, he responded mentally,“Johanna?”
“Good.”Her sigh of relief flitted through him.“You can hear me.”
“How are you doing this? What are you—”
“That doesn’t matter now. Please, stay down and lie still. Don’t fight me.”
Something akin to panic squeezed at his chest. Was it hers or was it his?“Johanna, whatever this is, stop it. Let me go.”
“No!”The force of her shout was so strong it made his ears ring.“You don’t understand. You can’t kill him!”
“Yes, I can!”Luke tried to will his body to move but it wasn’t responding to him.
“No, you can’t!”Johanna’s voice softened.“Please, stop. Zachariah isn’t the leader you’ve believed him to be. It’s someone else, and she is far more powerful than you or I. If you kill him, she will come after you, and she won’t stop until she breaks you. I don’t … I don’t want to see you hurt. I don’t want anyone to ever experience that again. Now please, stop—”
“Johanna—”
“We don’t have any more time! You’ll be able to move when I’m gone. As soon as you can, take the passage to the left. It’ll lead you outside.”
Zachariah suddenly twitched and shook his head, as if coming out of a daze. He stared down at Luke and thentsked. “I thought he would have lasted longer. Oh well.” He turned toward Johanna. “Since he left me so unsatisfied, you’ll have to make up for it. Now, let’s go.” Zachariah grabbed her by the arm and dragged her behind him.
Johanna followed him meekly, but Luke heard her quiet sob in his mind, and recognition pierced his heart. He fought against the pressure holding him down like a wild man.
Move! Move damn it! Move!he urged himself.
“I’m sorry,”she hiccuped.“At least you’ll be safe. Goodbye, Luke.”
“Johanna!”he screamed, fighting against her power until she disappeared around a corridor.
And just like that, she was gone.
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