Ruin, The Turning by Lucian Bane Read Free Book Online Page A

not so much that it interferes, that’s the best way I can explain it.”
    “Is Scriber here?” Ruin stood and draped his arm around Sam’s shoulder. Despite his large frame next to Sam, he held him up with ease.
    “I don’t see him. Wow, somebody eats their Wheaties.” The strain in Sam’s voice seemed to be the only thing showing the burden. Isadore looked around in the darkness, feeling a presence surrounding them.
    “Are we alone?”
    “Actually, we’re surrounded,” Sam said. “But not by anything you’d want to know about,” he added before Isadore could be relieved.
    She followed the two of them through the woods as close as she could. “Tell her not to worry, they’re not wanting to kill her.”
    Sam repeated the words she’d heard and it made her dizzy with hope. Not just the fact that it wasn’t her death she was walking toward, but that he was worried about her. She forced down the huge lump in her throat realizing that not feeling his love was slowly suffocating her, it was the worse feeling ever. But if she cried now, she’d grab hold of a tree and never let it go.
    They made it to a clearing and Sam huffed, “That’s it.”
    “Yes,” Ruin said.
    Isadore searched the expanse of darkness, only seeing what looked like a lopsided wood shed off to the right. But that’s what they hobbled across the ground toward.
    “Scriber!” Sam gasped. “Scriber’s here. Thank you God.”
    “Shut up!” Ruin growled right in Sam’s face.
    “Sorry, habit.” They hurried the rest of the way with Sam looking all around. “I take it none of these things can see you,” Sam whispered. “That’s good, yes, I agree.” Straightening, Sam nodded at the air before them. “Do we get to know what’s going to happen or we’re just doing this one step at a time in utter darkness and confusion?”
    Sam’s calm tone was a huge contradiction to the question Isadore very much wanted the answer to. She thought.
    “I see. Right,” Sam looked down, nodding. “You can’t say, I get it. What about Isadore, does she really have to go, I mean she could stay at the car.”
    “I’m going,” Isadore said, not wanting to be left alone. “I’d rather face what’s coming. Together.”
    Sam regarded her. “I don’t think it’s anything you’d miss?”
    “I don’t care, I’m coming.”
    “She has to come,” Ruin said.
    Sam raised both hands. “Three against one, fine.”
    “Scriber agrees?” Isadore wondered.
    “Yes, he does, and that settles it. So who wants to go first?” Sam asked this to Ruin while gesturing to the woodshed door.
    Ruin only grunted his response and pushed open the weathered slats with one inch gaps between them. “Stay close.”
    Isadore watched Ruin take hold of Sam’s hand and the need to have him touch her stabbed her guts. She gasped down the wet, moldy dirt air in the dark space. “I can’t see.”
    “Hold my hand,” Sam said before her.
    Isadore reached out and connected with the warm fingers in the dark and grasped them tightly, devouring the strength that flooded into her body through his touch.
    The descended in silence until they got to a narrow passage leading up. The walkway widened as the ascended and when they got to a door, Ruin stopped. “This is it.”
    “This is what,” Sam said.
    “Where I need to go.”
    Several seconds of silence ensued before Sam whispered, “Then, let’s go.”

Chapter Six
     
    Ruin opened the door and they entered into a candle-lit round room. The walls were black and Isadore realized they were covered in black curtains from ceiling to floor. The door shut behind them with the sound of a large metal lock moving into place shooting panic through Isadore. The curtains began moving then to reveal a huge auditorium beyond filled with rows of robed people. Red, black, and purple robes divided the stadium sized area into three.
    “Dear God,” Isadore breathed, looking all around. They were waiting for them.
    Isadore looked at Ruin