The Awakened: Book One Read Online Free PDF Page A

shadows of the alcove and gripped the anchor with both hands.
    The passing seconds seemed like hours to him as he hung in the water, holding the rusting metal.  Occasionally, scraps of coherent sentences floated to him from above deck.
    “…leave him there.  He’ll go down with the ship!”
    Bahari hoped that the men outside the door to his room had given up on their chase.  As long as they were unable to get into the room, they would think that he remained there for the safety that it offered.  If they got into the room they would see the open window and know that he was outside the ship.  Within a few minutes, he could hear the sound of marching footsteps getting louder as the soldiers left his boat and boarded their own.
    The sky was beginning to lighten in the east, which was the only direction that Bahari could see past the anchor and the confines of the alcove.  With miles of ocean surrounding him on every side, he started to wonder what he was going to do if the enemy stopped looking for him.  Without warning, the ship lurched backwards, putting an end to his wondering as he struggled to hold on to the anchor.  Then he heard the voices of men yelling in unison and the ship lurched again.  He counted five such motions, accompanied by a shuddering vibration that moved through the hull of the ship each time.  On the last attempt, they pulled the battering ram free of Bahari’s ship, allowing the weight of the water inside the hull to drag it down the side of the reef .  As the enemy ship turned back to the south, Bahari watched from his hiding spot as his cargo ship rolled to the port side and slipped beneath the surface.  Everything he had worked for, everything that made his way of life possible came to an end in that moment.  Within minutes, the boat was gone, with only an area of bubbles and floating debris to show where it had been.
    Despair threatened to overtake him, but he fought it off, realizing the urgency of his situation.  What am I going to do now?   I can’t hang on to this anchor forever.  Even now, the jagged, rusted metal was biting into his hands.  Even if he could hold on, he would be in greater danger once the ship reached its port.  No, I’ve got to get free of this boat without them seeing me!   Suddenly, the ship began to turn around and as they came back to the sight of the attack, Bahari realized that they were looking for survivors.
    Isn’t it enough that you attacked us and sank my ship?  Is it really necessary to make sure that we’re all dead?  Pirates would be satisfied with looting and sinking the ship.   As soon as the thought came to his mind, Bahari was faced with the obvious conclusion.  These were not pirates.
    Who are these people?  What are they doing out here?  Are they looking for something, protecting something, hiding from something?  It is an outrage that a citizen of the Empire would be attacked like this!
    As they passed the attack area once more, Bahari hoped to come in contact with some debris that he could hide behind, but the ship stayed just barely out of the wreck area.  Then as they moved further to the south, he noticed a barrel floating a few yards away.  The sky was still mostly dark, offering a small measure of concealment and he knew that the opportunity would not present itself again.  So, taking a deep breath, Bahari ducked under the water and pushed off of the boat.  The saltwater stung his eyes and it was too dark to make out the barrel.  He continued to kick his good leg and paddle with one arm while the other was outstretched, feeling for the barrel.  At first, he thought that he had passed it and started to panic, knowing that he couldn’t go to the surface to look.  But then his hand touched something firm.  Swimming underneath it, he surfaced, taking caution to keep the floating barrel between him and the enemy ship.  He waited, for what seemed like an eternity, before risking a peek from behind the barrel.  When