Renegade Rupture Read Online Free PDF Page B

Moordin, your dad, and mine,” Jackobi said.
    “It’s . . . it’s that serious? Jack, what is it? What’s wrong with him?” Rolce asked.
    “Better I get everyone together first before I say anything,” Jack said as he turned to go. Rolce grabbed his arm.
    “Jack, wait. Just tell me,” Rolce said. Jackobi turned and saw deep concern in his synergy mate’s eyes, then looked to see if anyone was paying them any attention. He took a deep breath and spit it out.
    “I’ve known for some time, but I wanted to see how he would handle it and he clearly isn’t. Rolce, you know I don’t mince words, so I’m just going to say it. Gisbo is infected with the Drakeness.”
     

 
     
    Chapter Three: Everything Burns
    Just beyond the snow-covered fields of the Life End Burial ground, Gisbo stood at the base of large oak. The afternoon sun glistened off his sweat-soaked, shirtless upper body as he went at the tree again, firing off punch after punch, grunting every time his knuckles struck bark and the reverberation from the tree shook his core upon impact. Again and again he hammered away until he felt as if sand filled up his lungs and he both heard and felt his knuckles break open like tiny coconuts.
    The freshly inducted Renegade backed away from the tree, breathing hard, and observed his mangled hands. They looked like he had placed them in a meat grinder. Torn muscle and tissue lazily draped over each moon white bone, and his fingers twisted like bent rake teeth, and then, he felt utter calm drip inside him and watched his hands twist and pop back into place as brand new skin grew over his knuckles.
    The healing sensation was incredible. It stretched out through his entire body, not just his hands, as he felt embraced in a tingly softness and a comfortable numb and pleasure beyond any orgasm. When it was over, Gisbo looked down to see his hands healed, leaving only tiny white scars.
    “Don’t you think you’re overdoing it a little?” a voice spoke. Gisbo turned around to see his Falcon, along with Rolce, Jackobi, Moordin, Foxblade, and Shax, Rolce’s newly returned father. Gisbo eyed them all suspiciously and didn’t say anything. Falcon walked up beside his son and felt along the tree where the dry cold bark was drinking in Gisbo’s warm bursts of blood.
    “Non-Elekai’ training is fine for emergencies where you lose your essence, and hitting trees can help harden and strengthen your knuckles and punches, but this? This is borderline masochistic,” Falcon said. Gisbo ignored the comment and folded his arms.
    “So, did you all come out here just to give me a lecture? Or is there something more to this?” Gisbo asked. Jackobi stepped forward.
    “I know what you’re doing, Gisbo,” Jackobi said.
    “And just what am I doing, Jack?” Gisbo asked.
    “The door, it’s open,” Jackobi said.
    Gisbo was silent and he suddenly found the sky quite interesting.
    “But it hasn’t revealed everything to you as you hoped. It’s not that simple. Most likely it will return to you in pieces; smelling the same air, touching the same spots will reveal your lost memories to you. You already know where it happened: here. You know your mother died. Is that not enough?” Jackobi asked. Gisbo reached up and felt down the tree’s base.
    “Where is my mother’s grave?” Gisbo asked. “I’ve looked and looked, but it’s not here.”
    “It’s in a secret place, to protect you,” Moordin said.
    To protect themselves, not you, a voice whispered.
    “More like to protect yourselves,” Gisbo snapped as he eyed his father. “Save your speeches. I’m outta here.”
    Gisbo turned to leave, but before he could, he felt a tug on his now longer, Renegade length bandana tails. Within a moment, his bandana was off and in Jackobi’s hands.
    “Turn around,” Jackobi said. Gisbo clenched his fists.
    “Turn around,” Jackobi ordered again. Gisbo did so, revealing the black mark of the Drakeness upon his forehead, three