The Unburned Island (The Other Investigator Series 1)

By Auden Johnson

The entire island was on fire yet only one schoolhouse burned. Everyone disappeared. Several tried taking it over but were never successful. People no longer talk about the Unburned Island. It was left to rot.

Years later, Kiran, En and a team of magical investigators travel to the island to banish whatever haunts an old building. It takes them no time to realize the building isn’t the problem. The island is.

With En acting strange, they knew this wouldn’t be a simple job. Kiran develops a second ability, making their investigation both easier and harder. They never anticipated the terrible secrets hidden within the school’s campus. Maybe some of the residents deserved their fate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Auden Johnson
• Release date: Apr 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9780996423427

Auden Johnson

As a kid, Auden created her own books by folding several construction papers in half and stapling them down the middle, adding her own illustrations. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get away from writing. She holds a B.A. in English, an M.S. in Library and Information Science, an M.S. in Publishing Digital and Print and she studied Creative Writing in England. She is an Author and Social Media Consultant for Aubey LLC and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. She’s written several short stories and novellas as well as two novels in her Merging Worlds Series. Look out for Book 3 of the Merging Worlds series coming soon. She’s also written a world building guide. Find her books at aubeyllc.com

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Description

The entire island was on fire yet only one schoolhouse burned. Everyone disappeared. Several tried taking it over but were never successful. People no longer talk about the Unburned Island. It was left to rot.

Years later, Kiran, En and a team of magical investigators travel to the island to banish whatever haunts an old building. It takes them no time to realize the building isn’t the problem. The island is.

With En acting strange, they knew this wouldn’t be a simple job. Kiran develops a second ability, making their investigation both easier and harder. They never anticipated the terrible secrets hidden within the school’s campus. Maybe some of the residents deserved their fate.

The view on the way here nearly made this long trip worthwhile. Pity something ugly infested such a beautiful place. The paved road leading to the old schoolhouse was in good shape despite years of neglect. Cracks made the ride bumpy but not impassable.

The car stopped in front of a black iron gate guarding an old building. A heaviness settled on Kiran Ava as soon as she stepped out. Whatever still lived in this monstrous building took pleasure in wringing out pain and suffering from its victims.

Kiran agreed to spend the weekend here because her friend had asked. She needed to learn to say no to En Libore. He saved her enough times to earn an affirmative when he needed a favor. She should rethink that policy but the way he asked her to join his team hinted he was in some trouble. Their boss knew but wouldn’t tell her.

Her alarms were going off again. En wouldn’t accept a job like this.

She couldn’t feel any power. As an Other, Kiran could tap into the rivers of power flowing through everything. Something here blocked her access to the rivers somehow. They were on a small island people no longer visited, eight hours away from their home base in Stonehall. Kiran was stuck here. She’d have to be more careful with the power stored inside her. Fortunately, Kiran had backups but she’d rather not use them.

A flashy, red vehicle pulled behind them followed by rows of larger cars. By the feel of it, humans and Others were here. The ferries were working overtime today.

En stood beside her. Someone with a lot of wealth and power wants this building purified. They got our and the human governments involved. I don’t know why they had to turn it into a competition. It’s going to be a school for humans and Others.

Kiran’s kind interacted with humans often enough but, for the most part, they attended separate schools. Many people tried creating an integrated school but humans get hurt when young Others lose control of their power. Others’ bodies were hardier. What knocked them unconscious could potentially kill a human. Getting hospitalized in a school with Others was normal. Human parents couldn’t understand that.

En’s expression usually turned greedy when he started a new job but he seemed less than enthusiastic about this adventure. Why did he accept this assignment if he didn’t want to do it?

Three males climbed out of the red vehicle and gave En and Kiran dismissive smirks.

Shifters. Others could sense their own kind by their aura. Shifters smelled like the outdoors no matter where they were. As the dominant Others, common shifters like wolves, bears and domesticated cats thought themselves above the rest. They weren’t more powerful. They were simply too loose with their seeds.

Power built behind her eyes. Destroying a limb would put them in their place. Kiran closed her eyes. A bad sign if she was losing control so early. Kiran’s power, through her eyes, reached inside her victims and explode. The attack fortunately was invisible. The amount of teasing she still received...her ability wasn’t that common.

She could destroy the whole body or parts of it. It only worked on living things. She knew how to focus on something specific now. In the past, if her gaze lingered on someone for too long, her power assumed she wanted them dead. She was weaker back then so she never killed anyone. She was forced to wear ugly protective glasses until she was fifteen. That didn’t get her any friends. It did make her a magnet for bullies.

En was her biggest tormentor. For many years, she imagined all the ways she’d kill him. She never thought she’d grow to like him.

Stop plotting to kill me, En said, heading for the trunk.

I’m not looking at you, Kiran opened her eyes. Even now, she had problem controlling her power.

I know that expression.

She followed him. I wasn’t plotting to kill you.

En glanced at her then faced the trunk without responding.

Knowing En, he packed the entire library. The other bags were probably filled with food, emergency supplies and protective charms. He also had two boxes- a floor lamp and a generator.

En stepped back, dropping a bag on the ground. The sun caught his fire colored eyes standing out against his reddish-brown skin. En usually wore glasses. When he was working, he put in magical contacts. They helped him see in the dark. Despite the color, they made him appear almost human. En’s natural black eyes had pupils so small you barely noticed them. Kiran often wore contacts for a different reason. Her eyes were black with an ice blue ring around her pupils. Odd eyes were becoming less common among Others as more mixed with humans.

Is it just us? Kiran asked.

En curled his face and glanced at the shifters.

I mean our team, Kiran snapped.

He faced her. You should’ve said that. No, I’m expecting three more people.

Do I know them?

I know how lovely you can be but no stranger is going to work with you. Of course you know them.

En had been carrying that foul mood for weeks now. It was getting old.

Why can’t you answer the question without giving attitude?

Because he’s programmed to be a bastard, a gravelly voice said behind her.

She wouldn’t be fooled. Kiran turned and looked down. Despite his big voice, Sona Ridge was shorter than she was. It was strange being taller than someone. Sona’s second form was a wolf-like creature. Even after knowing him for a year and seeing him transform, Kiran had trouble picturing him as that black four-legged monster big enough to ride. Sona’s race, the Taga, liked colder climates. His pale skin showed he got little sunlight.

Why do you always leave out important details? Sona asked.

En shrugged. You never ask the important questions.

Sona jerked his hand at the building. It’s rotten and dangerous even for Others with experience. Cleaning this type of filth would take months and team far larger than ours.

En just gave him that sweet smile made for breaking down all defenses.

By the time they piled all the supplies by the car, more groups had arrived. Mostly shifters. Some were humans with enough equipment to fill a house. En mentioned spies being placed in the competition to ensure everyone played fair. Kiran couldn’t keep track of how many people exited the vehicles.

En said those in charge of the competition had hired a team to make the building livable. He also said not to assume the team did their job properly.

En rolled back his shoulders. A scowl slipped into his expression then disappeared under a smile. He headed into the crowd to greet people. Sona growled as he dropped on the pavement beside the car and closed his eyes.

A few people wandered the grounds. That must not be against the rules since no one was stopping them.

The cars sat on pavement outside a broken gate. They weren’t on the grounds yet Kiran could feel the wrongness. In made the mind conjure an endless abyss with hands of darkness that forever poisoned the soul and tortured the mind. She stepped through the hole other people were taking and onto the property. The crumbled building curled over her like a beast ready to pounce. It ravaged sunlight as Kiran approached. A sliminess slid up her leg. Heavy emotions joined the attack. Kiran closed her eyes. She needed to get used to it. Times like these she wished she was human. Even sensitive humans didn’t feel spirits the way Others did.

The assault lessened to a throb at the back of her head. That too would disappear when she spent more time here.

The waist high grass was annoying. Kiran couldn’t see the ground to know if she was stepping on something she shouldn’t. Her foot kept turning at odd directions as it found unevenness. Stones tripped her a couple of times. The distance between the gate and the