The Underground City Read Online Free PDF Page A

glanced up at the sun, which was now beaming brightly at the top of the sky. He stared at me with a sour expression before turning on his heel and walking away, without waiting for either of us.
    “Nice ta see you too, Shrek!” Bill called out behind Tallis, but the grumpy giant didn’t respond. He just marched forward, with enormous strides that Bill and I struggled to follow. At the sound of rustling in the bushes nearby, I glanced over and barely caught sight of two or three Grevels.
    Grevels were demons; and even though it was forbidden by Afterlife Enterprises, Tallis kept a handful of them as pets. Unlike tame, friendly dogs, however, Grevels were, by nature, ferocious. They stood about as tall as a Labrador retriever, but that’s where the similarities ended. Unlike a Lab, Grevels were hideous to look at. Hunched over with misshapen bodies, shiny, rust-colored scales covered most of their bodies and their limbs terminated into cloven hooves. As if their figures weren’t frightening enough, their faces appeared even worse. Rows of miniature, razor-sharp teeth filled their mouths and hot steam blew from their muzzles. Their eyes glowed red.
    “Dude, I think Bubba is canine whipped,” Bill whispered to me.
    “Grevel whipped,” I corrected him. “Demon whipped.”
    “True dat,” Bill said with a nod before clearing his throat. “An’ you better keep them ugly sons o’ bitches away from me, Hercules!” Bill yelled out to Tallis, who still had a good lead on us. Bill had gotten into a few run-ins with the Grevels the last time we traveled through the Dark Wood.
    Tallis, as expected, didn’t respond, but continued plodding forward, while we remained maybe four or five paces behind him. He weaved through the trees, over the rocks and through a few shallow puddles, with no pathway to follow. If I hadn’t known better, I might have thought he was lost …
    After hiking through an open meadow and taking a right around an enormous oak tree, I recognized Tallis’s home. It was a humble dwelling—more like a shanty than a house. The Grevels dispersed, and like tired dogs, lay down on the ground beneath the lush foliage. I stopped walking and watched Tallis remove the scabbard from his chest as he laid his sword against the log wall of his cabin.
    “Dude, you got anythin’ ta eat in that mansion o’ yours?” Bill asked as he scratched his head and his stomach growled audibly. “Pollyanna over here didn’t feed me breakfast this mornin’.”
    Tallis narrowed his eyes at Bill, but didn’t respond. Instead, he faced me. “Have ye broken yer fast, lass?”
    I swallowed hard, knowing Tallis wouldn’t approve of my response. “We didn’t have time to eat this morning.” Then I glanced over at Bill. “We were running late.”
    “What?” Bill asked innocently, shaking his head as he threw his hands into the air. “Way to row me downstream, sugar lips.” I assumed that phrase had something to do with selling him down the river, but wasn’t interested enough to ask. “Dude, all this mission shit we’re on is bogus. I’m startin’ ta get volunteer’s remorse.”
    “You didn’t volunteer for anything, Bill,” I pointed out. “You’re here because you have to be.”
    “Whatevs,” Bill said before frowning at me as if my point wasn’t a good one.
    Tallis glanced over with his jaw tight. “Ye have a long day ahead o’ ye, lass. Ye cannae expect yer body ta perform withoot givin’ it nutrients.” Opening the door to his home, his eyes remained on me. “Coome,” he said simply.
    “Damn right,” Bill interrupted as he started for Tallis’s cabin and I brought up the rear. “You got any o’ that squirrel stew, Conan?” Bill inquired once we were inside. Then, addressing me, he asked, “Was it squirrel stew last time? Maybe gopher?” He shrugged. “It was some little rodent with screwed up teeth.”
    Tallis ignored Bill and started a fire in the hearth by merely looking at it. I wondered