Hot Blooded Episode 1: The Prodigal Prince (Supernatural Thriller Series) Read Online Free PDF

Naslen said, walking past her through the water. 
     
    Akna stood still, her shaking hands clenched into fists.
     
    Revfran wondered how long he could stay where he was without making a sound.  He sure as hell wasn’t moving before Akna did, and judging by the expressions on his compatriots’ faces, they both looked like they would rather crawl back into the cave and die than take one step further.  The dark green algae felt slimy beneath his feet, and he noticed the same algae covering the walls of the cliffs.  The cliffs were steep and high at the point by the cave, but they tapered off in the distance to meet with the shoreline.
     
    “That’s right,” he thought.  “Just keep focused on other things.  Don’t let her pull you into this.  Wow, I never noticed how damp these cliffs are.  Sure is a difference from the arid environment of most of the mainland.  Wait a minute, aren’t I allergic to algae?”  He sneezed.
     
    Akna smacked herself on both sides of her face twice, then shook her head.  She turned around to face them.  Her eyes were dry.  “Let’s get going,” she said. 
     
    Lakerdi held Revfran’s neck with his arms in a choke hold, while Yavmah smothered Revfran’s nose and mouth with his hand.  “Yes, Chief!” they said in unison.  Revfran looked like he was about to pass out from the sudden lack of oxygen.  Yavmah wiped his hand on Revfran’s skins, wrinkling his nose.
     
    Akna turned without a word, and ran along the rocks to catch up with her father.  Her toes gripped the edges of the rocks, pushing off with the balls of her feet almost as soon as she landed.  She caught up to Naslen, who was already seeking cover along the rocky shore.  “Have you spotted anything?” she asked as she squatted down beside him.  Her fingertips grazed the ground, and her head stayed low when she peered over the rock that kept them hidden.
     
    “‘Bout time you got here.  I don’t see anything, but I can hear voices coming from inside that grove of trees,” he said, pointing a little further inland.
     
    Akna’s eyes followed to the place where he motioned.  Loud voices were indeed coming from inside the grove.  Deep, rumbling voices that shook the sands beneath her feet.  It was then that Akna noticed the smoke coming out of the trees.  “Fire giants,” she said in a low voice.
     
    “What’s going on?” Lakerdi asked.  He and the others knelt down beside Akna and her father, watching the smoke grow thicker at its base.
     
    “We’re not sure yet,” Akna said.  She crawled in front of the rock on her hands and feet, keeping low.  “I’m going to go check it out.”
     
    “I’ll go with you,” Revfran said, drawing his knife from his pelt.
     
    Akna frowned.  “No, you stay there.  I can’t trust any of you to not do something stupid.  Besides, this is a no-contact mission, remember?  I’m just going to see what’s going on.  Wait here for my signal,” she said.  Her hands braced her body against the terrain as she crawled forward.  She came to the edge of the grove and stood up, hiding behind a tree.  She peered inside the grove.  The trees obstructed her view, but she could tell that the voices were not far off. 
     
    “And how did you expect to kill them all by yourself?” a man asked from behind her.
     
    Akna swung her arm at the man’s head, stopping herself inches away from his temple when she saw it was her father.  “Damn it, Father!  Stop sneaking up on me like that!”
     
    He snorted.  “Like I’d really let you go alone.  Anyway, I figured you were only talking to Revvy, back there.”  His mouth pulled up at the corners.
     
    “I can’t think of anyone I was talking to more than you,” she said, shaking her head.  “And keep your voice down.  What do you think will happen if - ”
     
    A cracking sound in the tree she was standing behind cut her off.  The tree split apart horizontally, right at their level.