Novum: Revelation: (Book 4) by Joseph Rhea Read Free Book Online Page B

before daybreak.”
    Jake nodded and followed him down. Crazy or not, he couldn’t deny the man’s logic.
    By the time the last of his crew had finally climbed down from the tree, Ash and Raines had completely put the fire out. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, Jake realized that they really didn’t need firelight to see. The world around him seemed to glow from the same starlight he had once condemned for being useless.
    Within a few minutes, everyone began to relax a bit. Being able to see the area around them, rather than be blinded by the bright fire as before, had a calming effect. One by one, his crew began to drift off to sleep. Jake overheard Ash telling his sister that he would stay awake and watch out for her. Soon, she was out.
    As tired as he was, Jake forced himself to stay awake as well. He still didn’t trust Ash, but on top of that, the night sky was just too amazing to disregard. While he was looking up, he felt Jane crawl up beside him and put her head on his chest. He put his arm around her and felt her body relax. The sound of her breathing relaxed him as well, and soon he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 07
     
    When Jake woke, the first direct rays of the sun were just peeking around the upper corner of the curved inner wall to the east. He gently moved Jane’s head from his lap then stood and surveyed his crew. Everyone seemed to be sleeping soundly. Then he realized that Ash was not there. “AJ,” he whispered, tapping her shoulder with his foot then jumping back. He didn’t want to make the mistake of being too close to her when she woke.
    “What’s up?” she asked, eyes still partly closed. The morning sun on her face made the small tattoos on her temples stand out.
    “Ash is gone,” he said.
    Jessie must have been eavesdropping, because she suddenly jumped up. “Where is he?”
    AJ sat up and stretched. “Sure that wasn’t just a dream?”
    Jake looked at her. “Unless you believe in shared dreams, I don’t think so.” The rest of the group began to stir. “Does anyone know where Ash went?”
    “Right here, Captain,” Ash said as he strolled in through a space in the bushes off to Jake’s left.
    “Where were you just now?” AJ demanded.
    Ash walked over and gave his sister a hug. “You don’t trust me, do you?” he said to AJ.
    She shook her head. “It’s not about trust. I just asked a question.”
    He sat down on one of the logs. “Well, it just so happens I was making our morning walk a bit easier.”
    “How exactly were you doing that?” Jake asked.
    He pointed to the west. “There’s a barrier just ahead. I’m guessing you found it last night, which is why you camped here.”
    AJ nodded. “We found it.”
    “Well, there is a way to pass through it without taking the full effect. You have to make a sort of zigzag pattern. I dropped some rocks along the route so you can just follow them through.”
    “How do you know how to get through the barriers?” Raines asked. “Did someone show you?”
    “Did someone show me?” Ash repeated, as though he didn’t understand the words. “No. No one showed me. I’ve been here for a couple of months, so I’ve had time to work out a few things.”
    “That reminds me,” AJ said, “you never explained how you knew we were out here.”
    He looked confused. “Yes, I did. I told you I saw your fire.”
    “From a day’s walk away?” AJ asked. She obviously didn’t believe him.
    “I was much higher than we are now,” he said casually then looked to the west. “You can almost see it from here. A small plateau on the inner mountain range.” He pointed, but Jake couldn’t see what he was referring to. “In a space this big, you can see farther from higher elevation.”
    “Really? I didn’t know that,” AJ said sarcastically.
    “Are we all ready to go?” Ash asked, ignoring, or missing, her sarcasm. “As I said, it’s a long walk.”
    “Can I eat something first?” Jessie