Aegis: Catalyst Grove
Read Aegis: Catalyst Grove Online
Authors: Nathan Roten
Chapter Two - A Survey of the Crowd
Chapter Three - Back At The Orphanage
Chapter Five - Dinner and a Guest
Chapter Seven - The Pathway to Freedom
Chapter Eight - At The Stroke of Midnight
Chapter Twelve - Out Into The Open
Chapter Thirteen - He's The One
Chapter Fourteen - The Casey File
Chapter Fifteen - Uncharted Waters
Chapter Sixteen - The Calm Before The Storm
Chapter Eighteen - Now Or Never
Chapter Nineteen - Face Your Fears
Chapter Twenty - Coming Full Circle
Chapter Twenty-One - Explanation
Chapter Twenty-Two - Implosion
Chapter Twenty-Three - Revelation
Chapter Twenty-Four - Falcon HQ
Chapter Twenty-Five - Scattered Pawns
AEGIS
Catalyst Grove
By:
Nathan Roten
Copyright © 2014 Nathan Roten
All rights reserved.
Duplication of this material and its associated logos are strictly prohibited.
All contents are protected under US copyright law and may not be duplicated in any form unless express authorization by the author for the purposes of reviews and blurbs.
Edited by:
Jordan Roten
Cover Design by:
Damon Za
ISBN:
ISBN-13:
Note To The Reader:
Thank you for taking the time to read through the Pre-release copy of Aegis:
Catalyst Grove.
At this stage, the manuscript is about 95% complete.
It is still in the final editing stage, so please keep this in mind as you read.
There may be a few mis-spellings and punctuation issues.
Please think of this as a unique, behind-the-scenes preview of the newest Urban Fantasy Thriller Series.
Upon it’s completion, I will be giving a shout out to all my beta readers (that is you), so thank you in advance for taking the time to read!
You are awesome.
In celebration of your efforts, I will be giving the final version away (currently only available in eBook format) for free to my list of beta-readers.
In order to get the final version, you will need to sign up for my newsletter.
I will be sending the download link through this list.
Just go to the link below:
Enjoy!
C
HAPTER
O
NE
Flash Forward
“Get away from me, or I swear I will use this!”
It was getting dark outside.
Thick fog hovered overhead, making it hard for Graham to see anything, let alone what the man coming at him was going to do next.
Graham knelt in the wet grass, panting.
The others stood close by waiting to see what was about to happen next.
“I am disappointed, Graham.
Murder isn’t your thing.”
“You have hurt us enough for it to be self-defense,” said Graham in shallow breaths.
He was dizzy from the pain.
The metal blade in his hand was multiplying into three knifes as his eyes crossed.
He drifted to the side a bit and then forced himself to refocus. His wrists were still glowing, though they were fading with each attack.
“There is a big difference between close combat weapons and long range weapons.”
The veiled figure extended his hand, firing a blast of light from his palm.
The light hit the knife, sending it spiraling into the air.
“Now you know the difference.”
Graham recoiled from the attack.
The knife had taken the bulk of the hit, but his hand was stinging from the aftershock.
As he pulled his hand to his chest, his heart sank into his gut.
There was no way he could win.
“Fight back.”
Graham remained motionless.
“I said fight back!”
Another glowing blast hit the ground in front of Graham, sending dirt and rock into the air.
Graham wanted to fight, but he was so fatigued that it took all his strength to remain upright on his knees and not succumb to the dizziness.
“Fine.
Have it your way.”
The man reached out and shot a blast of light from his hand, just in front of the silent figures huddled together to Graham’s right.
“STOP IT!
Why are you doing this?!” yelled Graham.
He did not respond.
He just stared into Graham’s eyes as his hand illuminated again.
“Hit me!
Leave them out of this!”
Graham’s chest was wracked with pain as he yelled.
“You need to fight.
You should be able to use your full strength by now, but you are still holding back.
First you can’t control it, and now you can’t use it.”
The man lowered his illuminated hand to allow Graham time to think about it.
“Does everyone have to get hurt before you let go?”
Graham’s mind was numb with the pain surging through his body.
He could not focus.
He could hardly even breathe.
Trying to stand back up, he braced on one foot, but it gave way, sending him back onto his side.
Exhaustion had taken full effect.
No, it can’t end this way.
I will not let it end this way.
Closing his eyes, Graham pressed his face against the wet grass.
In his mind, he saw a wave of black smoke.
He heard the voices screaming to keep away, and then his own screams fill the air as the light surrounded him.
Taking a deep breath, Graham let the memory empower him.
As his eyes opened, Graham pushed himself upright with his hand.
His head was swimming, but he forced himself to focus.
In slow movements, he swung his legs around so that he was on his hands and knees.
His wrists began to glow again as he painfully stood to his feet.
He clenched his jaw and made eye contact through the fog.
His fingers curled up into fists, making the light around his wrists intensify.
“Yes, now you are beginning to understand.”
The man on the other side of the fog took a step back into a fighting stance.
“Now we are getting somewhere.”
The chill in the air caused his breath to form white puffs of vapor after every breath as he spoke.
The pain that wracked Graham’s body was subsiding.
He felt his energy levels rising with his anger as the light around him grew brighter.
“This ends now.”
C
HAPTER
T
WO
A Survey of the Crowd
4 days earlier…
Graham sat atop Building 14 as he did every Saturday morning.
It was a crisp 55 degrees outside and the leaves of the trees were just beginning to trade in their formal summer green shells for their true vibrant colors of yellow, orange, and red.
Saturday was the busiest day for the Wellington Market, with all of the vendors pouring into the city after stocking their carts and stores throughout the week.
Not only did sellers of produce, clothing, meats, exotic animals and rare objects come from all over the region, but customers with eager eyes came from even further away to buy these eclectic treasures.
The Wellington Market was the largest market on the eastern side of the United Sates.
Perfectly positioned between three main highways criss-crossing around the small town of Portfield, it attracted sellers traveling in the Northeast United States.
The market was modestly built with only two rows of buildings stretching over a 1/4 mile.
The buildings were facing each other with a simple cobblestone road holding them apart.
Each building was labeled with a number, ascending in number from West to East.
Most of the buildings were a single story, made of wood, stone or brick, but there were three buildings that stood tall and masterfully crafted with elegant architectural skill.
These three were made of large stone, seven stories high, with steep roofs and ornate carvings peppering the corners of the rooflines.
After climbing the narrow, rusty metal ladder in the alleyway between Buildings 14 and 15, Graham had assumed his usual position between two stone gargoyles perched as overseers of the western side of the market.
Graham stood a modest 5’6” tall with short sandy blonde hair and a slim athletic build.
His eyes shifted from building to building.
They matched almost perfectly the deep blue hue of the morning sky as the vendors finished setting up their shops.
He slowly slid his raggedy green backpack off his shoulders and dropped it to the ground, creating a cloud of fine dust around the base.
Graham took hold of the small zipper and opened the right side pocket of his backpack.
Plunging his hand in, he fiddled around for a second or two until he felt the plastic cylinders tucked at the bottom.
As he continued surveying the crowds of people, he removed his plastic binoculars from the pocket and proceeded to lie down on his belly with his elbows braced against the two stone gargoyles.
Reaching into his sweatshirt pocket with his other hand, he took out a small rubber ball and rolled it around rhythmically between his fingers.
As Graham put the binoculars to his eyes, his nose was hit with all the different scents of the market.
Fresh pastries and brewed coffee from Collins Cafe & Bakery were the first to come.
His stomach began to growl with hunger, reminding him he had skipped out on breakfast.
The eastern breeze carried in the aroma of citrus and berries from Mrs. McKay’s produce stand at Building 2.
Familiar wafts swirled around him: leather, clay pottery, animal fur, and finally came the best fragrance of all.
Wood.
Not just because there was a carpentry shop near the end of the market, but from the woods that encapsulated Wellington like a hidden treasure.
Graham’s grip tightened around the binoculars.
Today I will find you. I just know it.
Armed with eager anticipation and a quickened pulse, Graham peered through the binoculars in search of answers.
For
Him
.
His first inclination was to stare down the fresh baked pastries his belly demanded, but after deciding that it would make matters worse, he shifted his gaze to the sitting area of the Cafe.
The first thing Graham noticed was an older couple holding hands under a red umbrella as they ate their spinach and cheese scones.