Part 1 (1/2)

BLOOD AND SAND.

A Hank Boyd Thriller.

By Matthew James.

Description:.

A fierce sandstorm hits southern Algeria and uncovers a lost ruin, its location unknown to modern man...until now. A team led by slacker archaeologist, Harrison ”Hank” Boyd, is called in to investigate the find.

In way over his head, Hank must lead his team through countless dangers and survive brutal encounters with enemies both human and inhuman alike. And if that's not bad enough, a shadowy group with a thirst for violence and a blind ambition is hot on their heels and will stop at nothing to obtain what has been found.

Hank and company should have heeded the warning left by the ancient civilization who built this place. Expertly carved into the face of the golden relief found at the ruin entrance and written in perfect Latin is liberate te ex inferis...save yourself from h.e.l.l.

To my wife and daughter.

You made this all possible.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

The adventure of writing my first book has been an interesting one indeed. I would be lying if I told you it was an easy process, although it was exciting for sure.

First off, thank you to my editor Jason Keen for putting up with my rookie mistakes and for answering my endless questions. Also, thanks to Jeremy Robinson for your inspiration and for pointing me in the right direction. I would also like to thank Kane Gilmour, Sean Ellis and J. Kent Holloway. You have all been irreplaceable during this endeavor of mine.

You all started as mentors, guiding me along, and have since turned into wonderful friends. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you gentlemen.

Prologue.

The Past.

The end is near, Rahji-itza! He heard someone yell, well not yell per say, the statement had been projected into his mind by another. He and his compatriots didn't technically speak any more, they didn't have to. Thought was quicker and easier to convey.

Out of breath and having trouble focusing on his own words, he knew attempting to have a conversation while sprinting at full speed down a dimly lit underground tunnel, was not the place. But he also knew they needed to prepare a coordinated effort once they reached the surface. The battle raging topside was one of mayhem and destruction and they needed to get there as soon as possible to help defend their homeland.

They continued through the stone pa.s.sage and up a steep grade of earth where they pa.s.sed beautiful murals, some complete and others just in their infancy. They depicted the long history of their kingdom. The technological advancements that had been made over the centuries had been amazing for sure. Some of the pictographs pictured ma.s.sive temples and other various structures, while others showed the beautiful landscapes that surrounded the kingdoms walls. The sculptor, a man more than twice their age, was no doubt home hiding, hopeful they would be able to save the empire.

I know, Qaaft, Rahji-itza thought to the man that was running alongside of him. However, we must not yet act. We will rise when called upon. We just went over this.

And if he acts before we are summoned?

Rahji-itza glanced over to the third and final member of their party knowing that the speaker, Kylak, was always overly pessimistic, thinking the worst.

Let us pray that doesn't come to pa.s.s, Rahji-itza solemnly answered.

And if it does? Qaaft asked as he skidded to a halt underneath a tall opening above his head, the worry clearly evident in his communication.

He and Kylak stopped next to Qaaft, joining him in his vertical gaze. From this depth they could only see a spec of daylight through the opening. But they knew what awaited them, they had seen the events taking place through another's eyes, that of someone they wish they did not see through.

They saw fire reigning down from the heavens and homes crumbling from intense seismic activity. They also saw flooding rainfall trouncing the kingdom and blood-red lightning destroying temples. A fourth, an exact duplicate in every way to the three, was at the center of the violent storm controlling it, his skin blackened by the hate and revolution he felt towards his own people. His body, which floated in mid-air, was incased in an obsidian ghost-like fire, acting as a buffer against the melee he now wracked upon the city.

Hundreds were already dead, maybe more.

Rahji-itza tried to shake the images out of his head, but couldn't. Without taking his eyes off the now darkening entry point, he sighed a heavy breath and thought, Then the world will burn.

As they prepared to leave, Rahji-itza's thoughts turned inward as he relived the conversation he had just had with his brothers.

The three sat in an underground cavern deep within a hidden cave system, discussing the future of their world. Stalagmites and stalact.i.tes randomly protruded from the floors and ceilings, occasionally meeting to form huge columns. Above them, through hundreds of feet of solid earth, lay an oasis of unmatched beauty.

They spoke not with their mouths, but with their minds, silently communicating, eyes closed. While they sat around a glowing orb of pure crystal, the room shook. A deep resonating reverberation sounded through the stone ceiling above, signaling that they had to finish their discussion quickly.

Why had they come so deep? One of them thought. But they had agreed to descend to the depths of their known world, hoping to block their communications from another, someone they didn't want hearing in on them.

More rumbles followed, their intensity increasing to the point that a nearby column crumbled and fell.

What shall you have us do, Rahji-itza? Are we to sit by and watch the world be destroyed? Why don't we attack now and defeat our lost kin?

Because, Kylak, Rahji-itza thought. We are to help contain him, allowing the people of our homeland to flee. We, the Elders of this land, will protect it at all costs until the one strong enough to prevail against him is delivered.

The other two reluctantly agreed.

How do we proceed? Kylak asked.

We will construct a prison powerful enough to contain Nannot, Rahji-itza answered.

The others sat in silence. No-one had dared to use the enemy's given name in some time.

Where do you suggest we build such a place?” Kylak inquired.

Right where we sit, in the center of this very cave, Rahji-itza replied simply.

The cavity they sat in-while impressive in size-was nothing compared to the one above their heads. Another column collapsed close by as the rumbling increased again.

Under the necropolis? You would willingly taint this place with his presence? Qaaft, the third and final member of the trio, queried, shock and frustration evident in his telepathic voice.

What power do we use to suppress him once he is imprisoned-once our king is done with him? Kylak asked.

The answer pained Rahji-itza to admit, but he knew his brothers would accept it knowing there was no other way.

With...us, he answered, sorrow in his response, as he put a long slender hand to his chest, patting it. He then lowered his head, clenching his eyes tighter.