Read The Sowing (The Torch Keeper) for Free Online

Dahlia and Leander flank him, firing at any contaminated that venture too close.
    Leander barely stops firing when he recognizes Arrah and me. His eyes bulge. “ Don’t look back! Keep running!”
    A pang of guilt hits me. Leander and the others are Establishment, and they’re waiting for me. Would I hesitate to leave any of them behind?
    As Arrah and I reach them, Rodrigo connects two sparking wires together. “That’s it, baby.” The elevator doors grind open and we spill inside, just before dark shadows smother us.
    Rodrigo jams his gloved palm against the elevator’s key pad and the doors clang shut, sealing the horde out.
    Leander grins through a blood-speckled face and elbows me in the ribs. “Everyone having fun yet?”

four
    With a stomach-curdling lurch, the elevator begins its descent into the bowels of the research center. The lights flash on the floor indicator at dizzying speed, creating a strobe effect. I shut my eyes. A brief flash of memory assaults my senses. I’m on a different elevator, descending into the depths of the Skein on my way to begin the Trials. Instead of my fellow trainees, I’m surrounded by the four other Recruits, all with bowed heads. Cypress, Gideon, Ophelia, and …
    Digory.
    This time my chest lurches. My blood’s like a mallet pummeling the inside of my temples. Dead. They’re all dead. And there’s nothing I can do for them now but exact justice on their murderers.
    My eyes spring open.
    An alarm blares.
    I brace against the side of the car. “What’s that all about?”
    “Everyone remain at attention!” Leander barks.
    The elevator brakes suddenly, bouncing to a stop and jostling us around the car.
    The overhead lights flicker and dim.
    The doors swoosh open. A crimson glow spills into the cramped car, drenching us in emergency lighting.
    A voice bursts from speakers in the walls: Attention! A security breach has triggered the research facility’s failsafe device. The entire complex will self-destruct in T-Minus fifteen minutes. All personnel proceed to evac stations immediately. This is not a drill. Repeat. This is not a drill.
    I can’t help but notice the disdain in Leander’s face flicker into … something else. Is it fear? His hand coils around his sidearm.
    A guttural scream that sounds like it came from just out side the elevator doors shatters the silence, piercing my flesh like a skewer.
    “Back up!” Leander shouts, drawing his weapon in a flash and aiming it at the opening.
    We huddle behind him, drawing our own guns, our backs pressed against the rear and sides of the car. Arrah and I exchange a glance.
    I prod her shoulder with mine. “It’s going to be okay. Just remember our training.”
    Leander snorts and gives me a wink. “That’s cute, Spark. I’m deeply touched.”
    Arrah pushes away from me. “I’ve had more training than you, Spark. You just worry about taking care of yourself.” She looks away, her eyes focusing outside the car, her expression unreadable.
    Another scream reaches a crescendo, then echoes down the corridor. The crackle of several energy bursts follow it. Someone’s firing. But at who? And why?
    Dahlia takes a few steps forward until she’s standing at the opened elevator doors. “Stay put!” she says to us.
    Another yowl stretches through the corridor, followed by several short energy bursts.
    Then nothing but the sounds of our breathing and the steady thrum of my own heart in my ears.
    Crackle! A burst of static from Leander’s wrist com shatters the quiet.
    “Flame Squad, what’s your position? Over.” Even over the static, I can feel the tension in Valerian’s voice.
    Dahlia peers out the doors. “At the sub-level three south elevators, Sir. Over.”
    “Now that the failsafe has been activated, your directive has changed. It is imperative that you elude attack, make your way to Med Lab 10, and take Project GX07 into your custody. Then proceed to the emergency escape lift to the rooftop for evac before