The Unfinished World (The Armor of God Book 2) by Diego Valenzuela Read Free Book Online Page A

smiling earnestly for the first time in weeks.
    Maybe he should get knocked out more often.
    The Apse of her Creux was open when they got to it, and Erin was nowhere to be found. After climbing onto Phoenix Atlas’ chest, Ezra took a look around the area to find her, and when he did, he felt the awfully familiar trepidation of seeing a friend in danger.
    Erin was standing just a few feet from the edge of the oasis, and not far from her, just outside the green patch, there stood a huge Trooper type. Erin was staring it down, as if trying to intimidate it into leaving, knowing it wouldn’t dare attack her.
    He climbed down the Creux’s chest and ran towards her. Garros and Jena followed him.
    Erin barely registered their presence when they joined her, and only asked one question, her eyes still on the creature: “Where were you?”
    “I thought you were getting some rest,” Garros said, unconcerned by the Fleck. Much like Erin, Garros looked unimpressed by the presence of the monster, more troubled by Erin’s fatigue than the giant creature standing only a few yards away.
    They had very little evidence to know for sure that the Flecks would not set foot on the oases, and this was the first time that their risky hypothesis proved true: the monster appeared to fear the green.
    The creature’s stillness, and its closeness, gave Ezra the rare opportunity to inspect it. Outside the protection of Nandi, he didn’t remember ever seeing a Laani Fleck this close, at least not since Subject Edward, and even then, he had done so standing on an observation deck from a safe distance. Seeing one of its kind from ground level gave him a new perspective of what he was fighting, the horrors of infection, and of the Creux’s massive strength.
    Taller than a house, this thing was saurian in appearance: it had the forward-facing eyes of a predator, a thick tail, and a long befanged snout. Yet, its most defining characteristics were two giant legs and very long, very thin arms ending in clawed hands that touched the dry ground, somehow supporting the weight of its upper body.
    “What do you suppose this thing was before getting infected?” Erin asked no one in particular.
    “A lizard?” replied Garros, taking one step closer to the edge of the oasis, where the grass stopped growing and the earth died.
    It made Ezra anxious. He shouldn’t stand so close to the Fleck.
    “A dog? Someone’s brother, maybe.”
    “He’s afraid. Isn’t he?” Erin said. She hadn’t peeled fearless eyes from the creature, and didn’t share Ezra’s anxiety in seeing Garros come so close to it. “He’s afraid of us.”
    Hooh boy , Ezra thought. So long, Dr. Mizrahi; we have a new Queen of District Crazy.
    “Not of us ,” replied Jena. “It’s afraid of something, but it’s not us.”
    “Garros, where are you going?” Ezra finally said when Garros took a step on the dry land.
    “It’s all right, Blanchard. They won’t come any closer than this,” Garros said with what Ezra thought was unwarranted confidence—it was almost cocky; he had too much faith in their hypothesis. “I told you we saw another one a few days ago, remember? They wouldn’t come any closer.”
    Garros gave the monster his back, and it took its chance to attack.
    “They’re afraid of this place,” was the last thing he said, before—
    It roared its murderous intent. The creature lunged toward Garros and raised its arm, sharp claws ready to shred him where he stood. Garros turned to meet his sudden death.
    Having read the monster’s intentions, and hearing Jena’s scream even over the monster’s roar, Ezra pulled Garros by the collar. The creature almost fell over as his claws missed their target by inches.
    It roared again, this time in defeat, maybe even humiliation, and ran away, its feet making thunder in the windy wasteland.
    The world around him had become blurry. Ezra didn’t know what had happened, or even when. His mind was suddenly clouded by what felt