The Cyber Chronicles Book III - The Core Read Online Free

smiled.
"Don't be so sure, mage. His powers are greater than yours."
    "We shall
see." He rose and approached her, took hold of her arm before she
could spring away and pulled her to her feet. "Let's go for a
little walk."
    Gearn
gestured, and the back of the cavern vanished, revealing a low
tunnel toothed with limestone pillars. Another gesture brought the
blue light that inhabited the stalagmite leaping into his palm,
where it nestled in a shimmering sphere. Holding it aloft, Gearn
strode into the tunnel, towing Tassin. She tried to wrench free,
but he ignored her struggles, and she was forced to follow him on a
winding course between the pillars, stumbling on the rough ground.
The tunnel opened out into a larger cavern, and unseen denizens
scuttled from the light, taking refuge in dark corners.
    A pool of
mysterious black water occupied one quarter of the cave, fed by a
trickle down the far wall. Stalactites and stalagmites grew from
ceiling and floor, carved into majestic shapes by water and time,
as if a mad sculptor had been loosed into this subterranean
darkness and forced to work by touch alone. Fragile shapes hung
from the roof, lacy filigrees of rock formed from minerals and
Mother Nature's infinite patience. Glowing colours revealed
themselves in the alien light, bright streaks of scarlet, yellow
and white, minerals that the seep of moisture had leached from the
soil.
    Tassin had no
time to feast her eyes upon these wonders as Gearn hauled her
through the cave and into another narrow tunnel, where he paused to
wave a hand and mutter a few arcane words before hurrying on. She
stumbled down a steep incline into a chamber filled with thin,
sharp stalagmites, like sharpened stakes at the bottom of a grim
trap. Gearn threaded his way through them, uncaring of the damage
he did. On the far side, he stopped and made her sit on a step in
the cave wall, next to yet another tunnel. He infected one of the
stalagmites with his blue light, then rested against the wall, his
cadaverous features corpse-like in the harsh illumination.
    "Now we wait,"
he said. "Your superman will never find you here, I promise."
    Tassin leant
against the wall and watched a sparkling water droplet form on the
tip of one of the stalactites overhead. It swelled with incredible
slowness, mesmerising her with its timeless beauty. Trying to fight
the magician was a futile endeavour. He would only use his magic to
drain her strength, or worse, bind her with a geas. All she could
do was wait for Sabre.
     
     
    Sabre studied
the granite lid, deciding that it was hot enough for his purpose.
Releasing the spent laser, he picked up the water skin and poured
water over the lid. Clouds of steam engulfed him, and there was a
dull report as the rock gave up the uneven struggle with hot and
cold. He emptied the skin and waited for the steam to clear, then
squatted to examine his handiwork. Cracks dissected the lid into
three segments, and he picked up the stone he had used to bang on
it earlier and smashed it with a blow. The rock fragments rattled
down the shaft and crashed onto something crunchy far below, and he
leant over the edge to peer into the darkness.
    "Tassin?"
    The scanners
remained devoid of life signs, and his concern redoubled. Lowering
himself over the side, he climbed down the shaft's craggy walls,
but found only a pile of brush at the bottom. Glancing around, he
spotted a tunnel and followed it into a stalactite-filled cavern.
It seemed to be a dead end, and he used the cyber's infrared vision
to search for footprints, but the floor was rock. When he checked
the cave's structural analysis, it showed a tunnel right in front
of him, yet it looked like a solid wall.
    Sabre frowned,
his suspicions as to the identity of Tassin's abductor confirmed,
and passed his hand through the stone. With a growl, he walked
through the illusion and banged his head resoundingly on the
tunnel's low roof, staggering back with a curse. Clutching his
pounding head, he bent