Read Resonance 4th Edits - Bleeding Worlds Bk 3 for Free Online Page A

a single, elongated, blur.
    Someone tapped Brandt’s shoulder.
    He wheeled around, his fist missing Katsuro’s face by hundredths of an inch.
    Katsuro pointed his fingers at his ears.
    “What?” Brandt said.
    Katsuro gave him an exasperated look.
    Oh, right, I can’t hear him.
    Brandt willed one of the ear plugs back to gel and pulled it from his ear with a sucking pop!
    “Make it quick, I’m kind of in the middle of a battle here,” Brandt said, rubbing furiously at his ear.
    Though at the moment, the battle seemed quiet—his opponent having disappeared.
    “That’s what I need to tell you. The Einherjar are Woten’s elite—Anunnaki recruited by the Valkyries from a multitude of worlds. The one you’re fighting is Kydoimos. He uses auditory and visual hallucinations to confuse his enemies. On his world, he was considered the personification of war. The ear plug thing was a good trick, but you can’t beat him.”
    “I’m plenty strong enough to beat him,” Brandt huffed.
    “Don’t turn this into a pride thing. You’re strong, a good fighter, but robbed of one or more of your senses, you’re less effective. Being less effective is going to get you killed.”
    A war hammer crashed through the space between them, forcing them apart.
    “Katsuro,” Kydoimos said. “You finally decided to crawl out of that dank dungeon you’ve been hiding in.”
    Sutr leapt to blazing life in Katsuro’s hand.
    “It’s still brighter than the darkness here.”
    Katsuro slashed with his sword. A wall of flame leapt from Sutr’s tip, spreading up and out, pushing Kydoimos back.
    “Go. Get your friends out of here,” Katsuro said to Brandt. “We have little chance of beating him, and even if we do, we’ll destroy every chance of escaping. I know him. I’ll be able to hold him off so you can escape.”
    Brandt had to remind himself this was a stranger. And even if he wasn’t, he made sense. Brandt wasn’t sure what he’d fallen into, but everything had obviously gone to shit. None of whatever plan existed had worked. When things reached that point, there was only one course of action, only one goal, that mattered…Survival.
    “Fine,” he said. “But don’t be a martyr. Get out if you can.”
    Brandt dashed back to where the others were.
    “What’s going on?” Jason asked.
    “We need to find something that flies, and flies fast, and get the hell out of here.”
    Jason looked to where Katsuro faced off against Kydoimos.
    “But we should help—“
    “No! We should take the man’s advice and get out of here alive. Jay, I threw a punch that would level a house—that guy took it with a smile. We’re not winning here. Katsuro’s giving us a chance to escape and we should take it.”
    Jason hesitated. Of all people, he would. Katsuro, their Katsuro, had been his mentor. Together, they were the only two Scripts in Suture—aside from the immortals who were too far removed to be peers.
    “Fine,” Jason finally said through a clenched jaw.
    He took a deep breath and pulled his shoulders back.
    “Marie,” he said, “check out everything that looks like a jet. See if you can fly it and that it’s big enough to carry us all. Go.”
    She said nothing, just disappeared in a blur.
    “Brandt,” Jason continued, “block all the other entrances. Hopefully, it buys us some more time. Caelum, give Katsuro some long distance firing support. Maybe give him a chance to get a few hits in.”
    “I should help Katsuro,” Pridament said.
    Jason regarded him with deep inspecting eyes.
    “I know who you are,” he said. “And no, you’re not helping Katsuro. I won’t risk losing the kind of power you give us. We could be flying straight into a war zone. I think we’re going to need you to cover our escape.”
    Marie seemed to materialize out of thin air.
    “I think I’ve got something to get us out of here,” she said.
    “Good. Everyone, let’s go. We are leaving.”
    The group reassembled and followed Marie to