Save Aether (The Trinity Key Trilogy Book 3) by L.M. Fry Page A

copper-coiled pistol from the table, she aimed it at the approaching guards. She pulled a trigger and an electric bolt shot from the muzzle. It hit two of the men, and they fell to the ground twitching. Eli dragged a large table to blockade the door, holding off anyone who tried to get in. The lab erupted into chaos. More men stormed Professor Scrod. She shot one more time before she was disarmed. Mercy wasn’t a word in Slammy’s vocabulary. Valera felt helpless as she watched Slammy’s men beat the professor.
    “We have to help her,” Valera shouted, banging on the door. “We’re trapped in here!”
    Eli pulled her away. “There’s nothing we can do right now.”
    Dr. Lawless opened a drawer and removed the Trinity Key, stuffing it into a duffle bag along with the three relics of Danu.
    “This way.” Dr. Lawless cranked a lever and a hidden doorway opened. “Hurry.”
    Dr. Lawless went through first, followed by Theo, Julia, and Valera. Eli snapped off the gear that opened the secret door and squeezed through before it closed. He lit a torch and whispered to the doctor.
    “I know a place we can hide until we figure this out,” Eli informed them. “Follow me.”
    The tunnels curved and zigzagged for what felt like forever. Valera wondered if they’d ever find their way out the labyrinth. Everyone stopped in front of her. They’d arrived at a welded metal grate. Aether and anxiety slipped through her, creating a wave of heat in the cramped space. Theo touched her arm.
    “Everything will be okay,” she whispered.
    The grate screeched open, and they emerged into an alley in the dirty part of the city. Instead of the glorious glass buildings, dilapidated wood structures surrounded them. The air smelled like rotten eggs, which made Valera gag. She wrapped her collar around her face, but it only dampened the odor.
    Julia wretched. “What is that?”
    Eli turned to her and handed her a handkerchief. “Welcome to the Lows of Pacifica City. Put this over your nose. You’ll get used to the smell.” He pointed to a fissure in the ground. “It comes from the sulfuric gases. Pacifica uses the volcanic vents to heat the city. The air recyclers don’t always work in this part of town.”
    Eli led them through the seedier part of town as if he’d frequented the place in the past. The simple boards that formed a sidewalk sank into the wet sandy ground. Crabs skittered in the alleyways, picking at the muck. Loud music and boisterous voices emanated from the series of gambling and drinking establishments. Greenish slime grew on the rotted wood planks of the buildings.
    “Where are we going?” Julia asked Eli.
    He took her hand and helped her step over a drunken man lying across the walkway. Valera followed along behind, but the drunkard grabbed her ankle.
    She shrieked, “Get away from me!”
    “Hey, yer a purdy lil thing, ain’tcha,” the man slurred. “Be nice to an ole’ man.”
    She kicked him as hard as she could. He yelped, pulling his hand away and coddling it.
    “Ya don’t hafta be so sore bout it,” he huffed.
    He struggled to stand, smacked his filthy brown cowboy hat on his leg, and stumbled back into The Crooked Crab Tavern . Valera felt the urge to scrub the spot where the man had touched her.
    “Are you all right?” Theo asked.
    Valera nodded, but stayed close to the others.
    “Keep moving. We’re almost there,” Eli said from the front of the pack.
    They wound through a few busy streets and came to a quieter neighborhood. The buildings were brick, but they still lacked the grandeur of the Elders’ tower. They stopped in front of Madame Blackbird’s Hostelry , a crumbling, two-story place.
    Two lace curtains cracked open and a dark figure appeared. Eli walked up the steps and pulled on a cord. A bell rang inside the building, and the figure disappeared from the window. The door swung open, and a robust woman with a massive pile of blonde hair on her head filled the frame.
    “Eli, mon