Read Splinter (Whisper Walker Series) for Free Online

the tunnel. I did my best to keep track of the distance on the way out, like I had suggested.
    We estimated distance from the pit back to the opening. Once we made it out, Drake figured we had forty-five minutes of daylight left. That was one of the talents he had that I didn’t, secret or otherwise. He could tell direction and things like estimating daylight and weather. We started our way up the hill over the tunnel, bushwhacking through the foliage that did its best to push us backward. Soon, it became evident that the tunnel must slant downward because the hill lowered in elevation to the level of the area around the entrance. We looked thoroughly, using the leap-frog system to help us maintain a reasonably straight line.
    “Whoa. Stop,” I said, dropping to a crouch. “I’m pretty sure we just crossed onto Briln Water Guild land.” The Briln Water Guild was the enemy Guild that shared the island with us–the Sven.
    Drake looked around, seeing a totem that marked our side. “Yeah, so?”
    “Well, I don’t exactly want to get caught.”
    He grinned. “Me either. It’s daytime, for now. So if we’re careful, maybe they won’t find us. Besides, I really want to see where the hole comes up.”
    “The sun’s almost down. If we’re caught out here, it’s going to be bad.”
    “Yup. But you’re with me . So don’t worry. Let’s just keep low and talk quietly. Hopefully, we’ll find it really quick. We’re over three-quarters of the way there, I figure.” He paused for a moment. “Oh, and I brought a gun.”
    I grimaced. But curiosity got the best of my better judgment. I swallowed and took a deep breath, nodding for him to proceed. He rose out of his crouch enough to move more efficiently, while still keeping a low profile.
    I focused on placing my feet quietly. Luckily, being a closet mutant killer, I had learned stealth techniques from watching Drake.
    He paused, turning his head back towards me. “Hey, since we’re losing light, let’s go in as far as we think it could be, then work our way back out.”
    I nodded, as he kept going. I paused every now and again, checking my bearings and ensuring that there was no one else around. I looked up, the sun was fading quickly. We only had minutes left before we lost the rest of the light. There was no way we could turn on our head-lights while we were on Briln land. It would be like turning on a spotlight and pointing it at each other.
    Soon, we got in to where I deduced the hole should be. I started looking around for mounds, piles of rocks, something to indicate an opening. We searched out a ten-meter area, hoping we weren’t off by much. We didn’t find anything.
    Now it was getting dark. Drake whispered for me to keep low and move off in a straight line from him. He would then move to me and we would search that area. He waited, keeping an eye and ear out while I picked my way through the thick forest. I got about thirty meters away. I strained my eyes in the ever-growing dusk. I paused, listening. Nothing. Okay.
    He stood up slowly, looking in my direction. He cautiously waved one arm, the other hand on his gun.
    That was all it took.
    I heard the crack of a branch not far to my left. Followed soon by a bird call: a signal. No time to waste now. Drake sprinted towards me, weaving in, over, and around brush and obstacles like it was nothing.
    “Come on! We’ve been spotted!” Drake cried in a loud whisper.
    I almost gave a smart-ass retort about him stating the obvious, but decided against it since we actually did need to get moving.
    He grabbed my hand, yanking me up, running left. I guessed he was more worried about getting far away from whoever had seen him than getting back to our side. With any luck, they’d think he was Briln and had just been out after curfew and thus didn’t want to get caught.
    Honestly, I doubted they’d think that.
    Drake let go of my hand now that we were both moving so we could maneuver around trees and bushes. We