Annihilation (Shadowmark Book 2)

by Alex Bratton

  The fight was over. With that move, the Condarri would view him as the winner. Calla had remained on her hands and knees, her face toward the stone as Dar Ceylin rose. The adarria on the dais had glowed again and changed, communicating their masters’ decision. He would maintain first command.

  The shame of Calla’s defeat burned anew in her mind as she gazed at the now empty dais in front of her.

  “You were the only one to challenge him,” a voice said from behind her.

  Angry at being interrupted, Calla spun around. “I have not bidden you to speak!”

  One male stood in front of her. He nodded.

  “Where are the others?” she asked. “I am changing your orders.”

  “I thought you had already chosen a team.”

  “I’m adding to it. Williams went rogue before I reached him. You three will stay with me as we root out the rest. Traitors will not be tolerated!”

  The hybrid nodded his head, acknowledging Calla’s command.

  “Get the others,” she said as they left the hall. “Meet at my ship.”

  Lincoln awoke lying on his back on the stone floor, parched. The oppressive darkness had disappeared, replaced by completely regular gloom. A cool breeze blew on his face. He sat up, and his hand brushed smooth stone. He must have passed out somewhere in the chamber. Still, he felt better. His wound hurt less, anyway. He used the wall to climb to his feet. Since he had been walking with the wall to his right, he continued in that direction.

  “Hello?” he shouted. No answer.

  Lincoln couldn’t see anything, but he didn’t care. By following the wall, he would find the door soon. His hand reached out into nothing, and he turned to follow the tunnel out. The lights here were extinguished, too. Why hadn’t his team waited for him? His temper flared, even as he realized they would never leave him behind on purpose. A lingering sense of fear returned at the thought of another catastrophe. What had happened? How much more loss would he have to endure?

  He shouted every few steps, hoping someone would hear him, but each time, his cries for help were met with silence.

  After a few more minutes, Lincoln tripped on something and fell forward, banging his knee. Stairs. Metal stairs. Wrong tunnel. But there hadn’t been another tunnel. Preferring not to spend any more time in that room, Lincoln climbed them, his boots clanging loudly. He climbed and climbed until his lungs and legs burned. The wound pulsed with pain again. His shirt clung to the stitches.

  Then, the stairs twisted around, and the mountain walls closed around him. There. A breeze. Before Lincoln had time to consider what was happening, he found himself standing in the middle of the woods on the side of a mountain. Stars shone overhead, sparkling in the crisp night air. Lincoln looked back at the gaping hole in the mountainside, small and surrounded by trees.

  A half-moon illuminated the valley. No burning campfires to show him the way back. Either he’d surfaced on the wrong side of the mountain, or they had already been extinguished for the night. From here, everything looked different. He didn’t recognize the ridge line because he had never seen it before from this angle.

  Lincoln started fidgeting. He had thought his stitches were bleeding, but being outside made him feel better. This had to be the wrong side of the mountain. The trees wouldn’t allow enough moonlight through for him to see where he was going, even if he knew the camp was below. He had enough experience outdoors to know he should stay put and wait for morning. Loathing the idea of spending the night alone, Lincoln fumbled his way back into the hole in the mountain, out of the chill air, and sat facing down the steps. At least he was wearing warm clothing, but what would tomorrow bring?

  Author Note

  Thanks for reading Annihilation. There’s plenty more to come with a new episode releasing every two weeks until the series is complete.

  Now that you’ve finished the book, would you take a moment to leave a review? Passing on the word to your friends via reviews, social media, and personal recommendations is the best compliment you can give me as an author. I deeply appreciate your help.

  Before you go, you can get an Origins story, The Mine, free as a download at www.alexbrattonwrites.com if you sign up for my email updates.

  Best,

  Alex

  Also by Alex Bratton

  The Shadowmark Series:

  Invasion, Episode 1

  Annihilation, Episode 2

  (More coming soon.)

  Shadowmark Origins

  The Mine, A Shadowmark Origins Story

  Hybrid, A Shadowmark Origins Novel

  Acknowledgments

  So many people were involved in helping to get this story out there. In its original form, I have to thank Dad, Nicole D., Carina, and Pam for their early feedback.

  For this final manuscript, many thanks to the lovely Nicole Z. for editing and to Heather for beta reading.

  And to my husband Eric, who brought me a grilled cheese sandwich as I was typing this page. Well-played, my love, well-played.

  About the Author

  Alex Bratton grew up reading almost every genre of books, anything she could get her hands on. In a former life, she taught Middle and High School English. Now, Alex lives in Tennessee with her husband, son, and three dogs. She writes alien invasion/post apocalyptic stories and also publishes space adventure under another name.

  You can find out more about her at www.alexbrattonwrites.com.