Ink (Book 1 of the Ink Series)

Conduit

The heat was terrible. The man hauling me dropped me to the ground. There was no way for me to escape, so I saw his method of judgment. I protected my eyes from the intense blaze of the gigantic fire in the middle of the sand. And right next to that was a ring of stones. Stones of all shapes and sizes. Some russet, aged, bluish. They formed flawless circle with only a couple inches placed between each stone.

Karsen huddled next to me, trembling in fright. Her bogus hair tangled to the side of her head. She didn't say anything. And neither did I. We watched in horror as these bizarre men worked painstakingly, transporting buckets and timber back and forth. Just as I gained an excellent view of them, they would vanish behind this partition.

And, as if that wasn't enough, the fence at the back would clatter, screech, then open and allow in an additional shady guy or one more screaming girl. I estimated fifteen minutes had passed. And now we were standing with two additional girls.

I twisted my head a little to observe them. The first girl had golden-brown hair, smooth and slanting at her jaw. Her hands gripping together in fear. She had on a frayed mini skirt, black leggings, a black camisole and Converse sneakers on her feet. Her hands quavered with panic, her nose was running and she wasn't bothering to do anything about it. I could hear her snivel, and her short, uneven breaths. Another glance made my heart drop. Her eye makeup trailed down her face, making her appear even weaker.

I took a deep breath, turning my head frontward once more. I didn't know what we were there for, but I knew I was fearful. I was trying my best to pull it together. I linked my fingers with Karsen's shaky hand.

"Don't cry. Just stay still. It's going to be okay," I reassured her.

Karsen squeezed my fingers. "Swear?"

I nodded, not taking my eyes away from the fire.

A tall guy approached from behind us, his body slim beneath the long black coat he sported. A collared dress shirt peeked out from underneath that. I wondered idly how he wasn't sweating to death. I was wearing barely any clothes and was drenched with sweat.

He came to an unhurried stop before us. He wore dark combat boots that crunched in the sand and, considering the enormity of them, made him look clown-like in comparison to his thin frame. He wasn't a big guy, or perhaps it was all the garments swallowing him whole.

"I am Odin," he spoke, not to anyone in particular. Shadowy eye make-up rimmed his disturbingly, nearly translucent, crystal blue eyes. As he scanned over our little assembly, his dark eyebrows knitted together.

"What are you going to do with us?" the girl standing next to Karsen asked through hiccupping sobs.

Odin twisted on his heels, raking a hand throughout his dark hair that nipped at his lapel. The ends were tinted red and I wondered if it was because he once had a head full of flaming red hair, or possibly it was just the style.

"What is your name?" he asked, calming his eyebrows as he took her in. He extended a gloved hand, his fingertips jutted out, confirming his nails were painted black.

"Samantha," she stammered, staring downward at the ground.

"Samantha, come here. I swear I won't harm you," he coaxed in a low, smooth tenor. I almost wanted to trust him. But I was afraid to. We all watched Samantha advance slowly until her hand met Odin's. Odin smiled, taking a step back to really get a look at her. His head moved up and down as if he was inspecting her.

"He's a little hot," the further girl a space away from Karsen said, crossing her arms over her full breasts. She jutted her jaw forward, visibly not afraid like the rest of us.