Light (A Flamestone Novel): Flamestone Trilogy

By Holly Hook

This novel takes place after Freed (#3 Flamestone Trilogy.)

Jaden's nothing but a traitor and he knows it. He's sold out his settlement to the Flamestone Society in the hope of getting his mother back from them. Instead, he's now cursed to dwell underground and avoid the toxic rays of the sun, which will kill him. There's no hope of redemption. The best he can hope to do is find his mother so she can go back to Earth. 

But in his search for her, he discovers an entire culture of people like him—the Disgraced—far underground. They're in danger from both starvation and a sadistic leader who's rising through their ranks. And worse—the guy he sold out is with them, doomed to remain underground until he can find a cure. 

Tense.

Only a cure will free the Disgraced from their condition and a life in the depths, but finding it may prove too dangerous. But Jaden's not going to live the life of a coward anymore. He's going to help free the Disgraced and redeem himself even if it means his death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Holly Hook
• Release date: Dec 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386534433

Holly Hook

Holly Hook is the author of the five-book Destroyers Series, which is the prequel to the Deathwind Trilogy. She began writing at a very young age and published her first book for Kindle, Tempest, in September of 2011. Since then, Tempest (#1 Destroyers Series) has seen thousands of downloads and four sequels. The Deathwind Trilogy is a spin-off of the Destroyers Series, with three books planned.The author is currently working on the Timeless Trilogy, another YA fantasy series with a hint of science fiction, and has written a few short stories. She grew up with a fascination with natural disasters and weather, especially storms. She enjoys writing stories with a strong female lead and exploring concepts that have never been done before. Reading teen fiction and young adult books is another one of her biggest interests. She lives in Michigan with her two cats and an assortment of other pets.If you would like to subscribe to her mailing list for a free book, be sure to check out her blog at www.hollyannehook.wordpress.com and hit the big "subscribe" button or just go to the sign up page here: http://wordpress.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8696a40cb388cfc9f1421d292&id=2e2b7ac94dOther Titles By Holly Hook Include:Tempest (#1 Destroyers Series)Inferno (#2 Destroyers Series)Outbreak (#3 Destroyers Series)Frostbite (#4 Destroyers Series)Ancient (#5 Destroyers Series)The Destroyers Omnibus (All Five Books in One Bundle)Torn (#2 Deathwind Trilogy) Available Now2:20 (#1 Timeless Trilogy) Coming Soon in April of 201511:39 (#2 Timeless Trilogy) Coming Soon in April of 2015After These Messages (A Young Adult Comedy)Walls (A Teen Paranormal Short Story)Going Home (A Science Fiction Short Story)The Youngest Prince (A Short Story in the anthology Out of the Green)

Book preview

Light

A Flamestone Novel

By Holly Hook

Light (A Flamestone Novel)

Copyright 2016 by Holly Hook

Prologue

He stands inside the cave, facing the blue sky outside.

The circle of blue isn't that far away, maybe just a hundred feet up the incline. So close, in fact, that there's moss growing on the rocks in here, green and vibrant and alive. But it might as well be several miles distant. A universe away. Or even farther than that--in another universe altogether.

Jaden's limbs are stiff. The light mocks him. He can barely stand to look at it. His eyes burn as if he's just tried to face the sun and pain explodes between his temples. The surface is forbidden now. And it's because of his stupid mistake.

He should have never helped the Flamestone Society or agreed to so much as say a word to them, even when they threatened to send him into the worst mines. Even when they told them they had his mother and she was working to death down there. Why did he have to get caught by the Dwellers a year ago and get dragged down into their territory, anyway? He should have been more careful.

Jaden turns away from the light to give his eyes a break. They're hurting. He faces the darkness from which he came. The cave extends downward, sloping through layers and layers of cold, heartless ground. He can't see the end, even with his new ability to see in the dark.

He completed his task for the Society. But instead of getting his mother freed, this is his reward. Eternal night.

Unless the Society lied to him about the surface light killing him. He might not have to stay underground after all like Garrett said. Jaden's never tested his words.

He faces the cave exit again. He's climbed through so many caverns, showing his former settlement leader and Elaine's gang out of here. They climbed out of the cave hours ago, to vanish into the sunlight with thank yous and good lucks. He stands close to where a toxic ray touches the ground, casting brightness down on the stone. The others are gone now. Long gone, up in the world of sun and light.

There's no way he's redeemed yet. Two of his friends, Weslie and Antoine, are still missing down in the depths. He never got a chance to ask what happened to them. And Elaine’s still gone, taken away by the Dwellers.

But before he goes down to search for them, he needs to check something.

Jaden lifts his forearm. Turns it over. He can see every feature of his arm in the dark. The blood vessels, now the color of grass instead of blue. Every mole.

The green spiral tattoo still sits there against the tan of his forearm, bright as ever. Slimestone. It’s his mark of shame. He was just a pawn to them, someone to use and dispose of. He’s the day’s garbage now. He should have known. The Society hasn’t stood for anything good in hundreds of years.

He should have let them throw him into the mines instead of revealing the location of Wompitt’s most valued citizen. It wouldn’t have made much difference.

Well, it’s now or never.

Jaden takes a step towards the exit. Towards the beam of light hitting the rock and the moss.

And another.

What is he doing? He can't go out in the sun. The light will dissolve that green substance that's replaced his blood. It's just the way of this world.

But he's desperate to get out. Desperate to be normal again and desperate to have friends. He has nothing down here. Nothing.

Closer. He can hear birds singing now.

Jaden's moccasin enters the first ray of light.

There's no burning. Maybe the Flamestone Society was wrong about his tolerance to light after all. But he has to squint. His headache grows by the second. Jaden's heart races. He can do this. He can get out of the underground, even if it's just for a few minutes.

He sticks his arm forward.

Heat and light fall on it. Jaden has no choice but to close his eyes. The light shouldn't make the busting headache worse now. It won't cause a shock to his system like it would with those Dwellers, who have no eyelids.

And waits.

His arm begins to burn.

A deep fire blazes to life on the inside of his arm, just underneath his skin, as the sunlight warms it. It spreads and intensifies. Jaden cries out and yanks it back into the darkness.

He opens his eyes.

And curses and kicks at a rock.

Swears again. He picks up another rock and throws it against the happy moss growing against another boulder. The rock makes a dent in it and topples to the ground, right along with his hope. The Society leader was right after all. He's like a vampire now, unable to go out in the daytime. Maybe he can rise from the cave and roam around at night.

By then, the others will be long gone. Miles up the river.

Jaden turns away.

Walks into the darkness, where traitors belong.

Nobody's going to come back for him.

Chapter One

Darkness

The cave slopes downward into dark, but he can see. Even without light, he can make out the stalactites ahead, dripping moisture. He can make out every crevice in the walls. Dull gray stone with green spirals and streaks. Slimestone ore. Worn rock down the middle of the cavern that’s been stomped down by thousands and thousands of Dweller feet over the years.

Jaden's moccasins slap against the stone floor of the cave. His legs tremble.

He hasn't eaten in almost two days now. He's been too busy running. He can't go on much farther before he collapses.

A tiny stream of water runs downward next to him, fresh and clean. The stone’s smooth where it’s been running for decades or even more. His throat’s dry. Jaden stops and cups some water in his hands. Drinks. It’s pure and tastes good. The coolness spreads relief through his stomach, but it's short lived. At least he still needs water. It makes him feel a little more human.

Until he needs to eat.

Even without the light from above, Jaden makes out crack and crevice in the cave ahead. The whole cave's dusk to him. It would be all black to a normal person. At least he can spot any monsters before they get too close.

There's still no food here. He scans the walls, but they remain brownish with streaks of green. There's none of the orange that he needs now. That's deeper down. He has to keep going.

He walks down, down. Glances back. The entrance to the cave's just a distant circle of stabbing light now. It's noon or early afternoon up there. There's no way he'll be able to wait until nightfall to go see the others again. He almost thought of them as friends for a bit, even Elaine’s boyfriend, Shawn.

Almost. Traitors like him don't deserve friends.

Down, down. Still no signs of orange in the walls.

He's going to starve if he doesn't find something soon.

He checks again. The cave entrance is just a pinprick now. A star. He’s a few thousand feet down but the cave’s staying as bright as ever. Well, to him. Some gift.

There’s skittering.

The Dwellers. The little gnome things are down here, somewhere. He's getting close to the mine complex again. He's got nothing to fear there. The Dwellers huge green eyes don’t make him sick anymore. He’s become like them, made of the same stuff inside.

And there might be food there. He's got to have that before he does anything else.

The cave curves a bit and reveals a crossroads. The stone around him morphs from brown to gray, with more streaks and swirls of green Slimestone throughout it. The miners don’t dig that stuff out. The stuff he needs still isn't here.

The mine crosses the cave here. The stone here’s flat and a tunnel goes off in either direction. Wooden supports hold up both entrances. Beyond the mine, the cave continues down. Workers might have crossed through here once, not knowing that straight up leads to an exit, an escape.

His stomach roars. It's painful now.

He stops at the junction. This is one of the upper mineshafts. The tunnels are square and neat. Giant glowing blue mushrooms, all three feet high, lean against the walls of this mine and cast it in dim light. Torches aren’t allowed here. Bright light bothers the Dweller and would allow the workers to get away. There’s another round of soft thunder, of hundreds of little feet. Maybe they’re chasing someone who’s trying to escape. Jaden will be happy to point the way out to them. He can’t see the cave exit anymore, but he knows it’s there. There’s a faint glow where the light still mocks him. Any escaped workers won’t be able to see it. Maybe he’s got another mission.

But then the skittering stops. There are no human voices. Maybe. The Slimestone in his body might have boosted his vision down here, but it’s done nothing for his hearing.

There’s no movement all the way up and down this tunnel. More tunnels must connect to this one. Even though he can’t see them, he knows there are people here. There are still so many of them, slaving away. Maybe his mother is still here after all. The Society didn’t tell him she was dead. They didn’t tell him anything about her—only that they knew her name.

We have your mother, Garrett told him after he’d been caught by the Dwellers a year ago. We have her. She’s working down here in one of our lowest mines. That’s the fate we reserve for people who have escaped us before. She’s working to death right now as we speak.

No, Jaden said. You can’t do that. How do I know you’re not lying?

I know her name. Maria Sanchez, said Garrett. Now how would I know that if we didn’t have her?

The Society leader had him then.

They do have his mother—somewhere.

And now they might have Elaine, too. They might have stuck her in the mines as well. He saw the Dwellers take her after Garrett died.

Jaden spots a low, moving mass far down the tunnel. Dwellers. The little six inch high gnome things are everywhere in the mines, making sure their workers don’t try to escape. Making them pass out with those awful eyes of theirs if they try. But Jaden hasn’t gotten Dweller sick ever since he agreed to work with the Society in exchange for his mother. The Slimestone tattoo has made him immune.

He's going to search for his mother himself.

She might still be here. Might still be alive. And he might not have that much time. The lower mines are full of monsters. They connect to the worst caves.

Jaden sucks in a breath.

She’ll be disappointed that he betrayed Wompitt. That he’s helped the organization that captured her twice. He’ll have to explain his ability to see in the dark and why he can only—

He's not leaving her down here to die, either.

Jaden's going. Back into the extreme depths of these caves, miles below his feet. She wasn’t near the Heart of Flamestone. She might be in one of the tunnels above that, in Shaft 15 or 16 or something. He has to check them all.

Jaden walks towards the Dweller mass. Hundreds of little red and yellow striped points dance around on the floor. His mother would have done this for him, even if she’d made his stupid mistake. She was way braver than him, going out on those long hunting trips for Wompitt. His mother wouldn’t have offered to help the Society with anything. She didn’t work with them. If she had, she would have taken his fate.

The Dwellers scurry down another corridor, leaving the tunnel empty again. Jaden walks down it, over some tracks and around a large metal cart. He stops and leans over it, peeking inside. His stomach rumbles.

There’s nothing in this cart. Just a few little crumbs of Flamestone that he can’t reach. The Dwellers have already eaten out of this one.

Jaden feels like a Harehound walking around a pile of butchered animal bones, desperate for a bite to eat. He feels mangy. He also needs a bath. He’d give anything to stand under that waterfall by Wompitt right along with everyone else, talking about chores for the day. To have Weslie laugh with him. To sit around that fire with Elaine giving him reading and writing lessons so he doesn’t look like an idiot when he goes back to Earth. They almost got to four letter words before he had to let the Dwellers in and ruin everything.

Jaden keeps walking. There’s skittering again, but the Dwellers won’t have a use for him. There’s no way they’ll want a worker who can run away at any time. The Dwellers aren’t even tough. He can step on them. Maybe he will if they get in the way.

The tunnel forks ahead. More shiny mine cart tracks line the place. This is an upper mine, maybe the highest one. The best one. The lucky foster kids get taken to this one after they get sold. Elaine won’t be here. Not after she helped kill Garrett, the Society leader.

He’s going to find her, too.

Jaden stops at the intersection. A crowd of Dwellers, easily a hundred strong, surge past his feet and around the corner. Small figures brush against his shins. They’re like a river going around some rocks, only they squeak to each other. The whole floor’s yellow and red points for a second. And then it clears. The Dwellers scurry the way he came, ignoring him. He’s a ghost, wandering down here for the rest of time.

His stomach rumbles again, then cramps. Food. He needs it.

Jaden makes a right. He needs to eat before he goes looking for the people who matter. He owes them.

Come on, he mutters, searching the tunnel ahead for a cart. It curves, and at last another one of the metal carts comes into view. It’s right next to a glowing mushroom. Jaden sighs in relief. This one’s piled high with Flamestone ore, which glitters orange in the weak light. It’s mixed with a bit of regular stone, but it’ll work.

He grabs a piece about the size of his palm.

Bites in.

His stomach roars. He’s so hungry that he doesn’t care what he’s doing. The Flamestone’s warm on his tongue, filling it with heat. It’s…spicy. Jaden chews. Swallows. The cramping ebbs a bit. He goes for another piece. He’ll feel stupid about this later. He needs a meal or he won’t be going on much further.

Hey! You!

Jaden straightens up.

Two miners walk around the curve, pickaxes ready.

Jaden swallows and backs away from the mine cart. He’s caught. Great job, he thinks. He’s failing already.

What are you doing? the first miner, a stocky young woman, asks. She’s wearing black overalls covered in orange Flamestone dust. Her gait is tired. That’s for the Dwellers, she continues. "I’ve been digging that out all damn day, and if we don’t meet our quota, they make us work longer. My feet are ready to explode and if I have to work any longer than necessary, you’re not going to be happy."

Jaden backs away. The hot, spicy flavor’s still lingering on his tongue. These people might have seen him eating this. Awesome. He might as well wear a sign that says I'm a freak. S…sorry. I didn’t mean to cut into your quota.

Put the Flamestone back, the woman orders, pointing down at the cart. Now. The Dwellers are picky. They’re going to come back any second. They’ve been really, really active today and I don’t know why.

Jaden drops the piece he's holding. There's a mark in it in the shape of his teeth. He's got to change the subject before these people notice. The Dwellers are running around because the Flamestone Society leader just died a few hours ago, he says. I saw it happen.

The man's mouth falls open. He's got a longer, more tired face than the woman does. He's at least fifteen years older. He glances at her.

He’s what? the woman asks. Are you serious? Her eyes get huge. She swings her pickaxe and holds it in both hands. Wait. You can't be. He's a young guy. Healthy. He never tours the mines. He likes to stay safe in his office.

"He’s