The Vitalis Chronicles: Tomb of the Relequim by Jay Swanson Read Free Book Online

Somehow he doubted it; he couldn't concentrate enough over the hunger and weakness to give it a try. His mind was clouded, and he lacked the volition to make any attempt. Even if he didn't, there wasn't enough in him to fuel the effort.
    He stayed on the floor for what may have been a day or two or only hours. He couldn't tell. There was no change in light to mark the passing of time. Only the endless flicker and buzz of the fluorescent bulb in the ceiling. If one didn't enter this place mad, they were bound to leave it so.
    The dingy water that gurgled out of the rusty tap in his cell still came at his beck and call. But on occasion there would be a sputter and the water would stop. It was in those moments that he couldn't help but cry.
    The door to his cell clicked and clacked and swung open, scraping the floor lightly along its arc. The two big orderlies walked in and observed him glibly, batons held loosely in their hands. A third followed them to the door and stopped. The low stubble surrounding his lips seemed to ripple as his flat face scrunched up in revulsion. “God he smells.”
    “ The doc wants you to come pay him a visit,” said the one.
    “ And we don't want no trouble,” said the other.
    “ So you want trouble then,” Ardin mumbled under his breath.
    “ What was that? You givin' us lip?”
    “ Double negative,” he said under his breath again, not caring to move or further acknowledge their presence.
    “ Ah, so he's a real smart ass then?” The new one quipped from the door.
    “ Sounds like it.”
    “ Sounds like resisting our help, doesn't it?”
    “ Sure does.”
    They spread apart, moving in slowly, no longer holding the batons loosely. There was a sick pleasure that crossed their mouths in wry smiles. This was the one part of their job that made sifting through mindless babbling and endless shit worth while.
    Ardin shrunk into the corner whimpering. But the warmth was there. The feeling that had been familiar to him once. It stirred to match his racing heart, burning away in his gut before it swirled out into his extremities. His fear was gone. A cold determination came on him as he focused on their massive legs. Self-assurance returned as he sized them up; he could handle himself. He almost smiled. What did he have to fear from a couple of goons?
    And with no more of a thought than that, his right hand shot out towards the orderly on his right and shattered his knee. The invisible strike blew the orderly's leg out to the side and sent him screaming to the floor with a thud. The other orderlies hesitated for a moment before plunging forward, batons raised, hoping for the encounter to end quickly.
    Ardin brought his hand around and up across the face of the larger man. He never touched him, yet the air rippled visibly as an unseen hammer caught him under the chin so hard that his neck snapped like crisp celery.
    The orderly slumped over unconscious next to his screaming comrade. The new orderly stopped in shock. Ardin stood slowly. He gained his balance on his shaking legs as the warmth ran down and strengthened his quivering muscles. There was a familiar satisfaction that rose in him then. It had never been his, he recalled, but it had been given him. Instead of a burrowing pain, it now came with only pleasure.
    The orderly twisted. He brought his baton around in a blur that would crush Ardin's skull in a single blow. But Ardin was ready for it. Somehow he could sense the man's every move like a premonition. He pulled his head down to the side, the baton whizzing past his ear and shoulder. The orderly fell forward, all of his weight behind his swing, and all Ardin did was put his hands out.
    The sound of ribs breaking barely registered to Ardin who squeezed the air within his fists. He could feel the power. Feel it writhing, pulsing through him. As it coursed out of his bare hands, Ardin sent the man into a red unconsciousness. He let him drop as the screams of his first victim slowly reached