Page 74 of Soulmarked

“Sean!” Cade's voice cut through the chaos as the floor beneath us gave way completely.

“Cade!” I shouted as we both plummeted into darkness, the collapsing structure sending us tumbling into the tunnels beneath the building. Debris rained down, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs.

17

TUNNELS AND REVELATIONS

Consciousness returned like drowning in reverse, water and blood and concrete dust flooding my senses. Everything hurt. The mark on my chest burned like ice, a sharp contrast to the lukewarm water soaking through my clothes.

“Don't move yet,” Sean's voice came from somewhere to my left, tight with what might have been concern. “That was quite a fall.”

I tried to blink away the grit in my eyes, taking stock of our situation. We'd landed in some kind of flooded sub-basement, broken pipes creating an artificial rain that caught what little light filtered down from above. The explosion had torn through multiple levels of the asylum's foundation, revealing older structures beneath.

“How long was I out?” My voice sounded rough, even to my own ears.

“Few minutes.” Sean moved closer, his hunter's grace unaffected by what must have been an equally brutal landing. “Hold still, you're bleeding.”

His hands were surprisingly gentle as they checked my head wound, though I caught him favoring his left side. Typical, worried about my injuries while hiding his own.

“I'm fine,” I started to say, but his sharp look cut me off.

“You have a concussion, probable cracked ribs, and that's not counting whatever's making your chest glow through your shirt.”

I froze. The mark. In the chaos and dim light, its power must have leaked through, creating a faint luminescence beneath my clothing. Sean's eyes met mine, carrying equal parts concern and suspicion.

“We don't have time for this,” I said, pushing myself up despite the world tilting sideways. “They'll be coming after us.”

“Yeah, well, neither do I have time for you passing out on me,” Sean retorted, but his hand stayed on my arm, steadying me. “But we're having a conversation about that light show later.”

I ignored him, focusing on assessing what gear had survived our fall. My primary weapon was gone, probably somewhere in the rubble above. The backup piece at my ankle was soaked but might still work. Extra ammo was a lost cause.

Sean was doing his own inventory, mouth set in a grim line. Most of his arsenal was either lost or waterlogged, though he'd somehow kept hold of his favorite knife. Then he pulled something else from his pocket. It was an old rosary, its wooden beads dark with age.

“Really?” I couldn't help asking. “You're carrying a rosary?”

“Proper tools for the job,” he shot back, checking the beads with practiced care. “Unlike you feds with your fancy theories, some of us actually come prepared. Those scientists up there? They're not just possessed, they're corrupted. Old magic, the kind that needs old remedies.”

Before I could ask what he meant, sounds echoed down from above. Sean's expression shifted instantly from concerned to predatory.

“Time to move.” He gestured toward the revealed tunnels. “Unless you'd rather stay and explain to those things why you glow in the dark? Not that I'm judging your life choices.”

The tunnels stretched ahead like open veins beneath the city, walls slick with more than just water. Our footsteps echoed strangely, as if the space itself was swallowing sound. Each throb from my mark made me more aware of the power running through this place, though I kept that knowledge carefully hidden.

We found temporary shelter in what might have been a maintenance junction, though the architecture suggested it was far older than the asylum above. Massive stone arches met at impossible angles, their surfaces carved with symbols that seemed to move in my peripheral vision.

Sean's attention shifted suddenly to the walls, expression sharpening with recognition. He pulled a battered leather journal from his back pocket, its pages worn and marked with dozens of tabs.

“These symbols...” He compared them to drawings in the book. “They're not just decorative. This whole tunnel system is built on a ley line confluence.”

“And that helps us how exactly?” I asked, wiping blood from my temple. My head was still throbbing, but the analytical part of my brain was already sorting through possibilities, trying to connect the tunnel markings to research I'd done over the years.

Sean tapped one of the symbols with his finger. “These tunnels were designed to amplify energy. Like a supernatural megaphone. Whatever power you channel through here gets multiplied.”

I studied the configurations with new understanding, my researcher's mind immediately cataloging patterns. “You could use them for an exorcism. Turn the whole system into one massive focusing array.”

“Yeah, but it's not without risks.” He flipped through more pages, each one covered in careful notes and diagrams. “Channeling this much raw power... it could burn out anyone trying to control it. Not exactly recommended for long-term health.”

Before I could press further, footsteps splashed through the flooded tunnel to our right. We both spun, weapons ready, but it was Lex who emerged from the darkness. His suit was ruined, and blood ran from a cut above his eye, but his smile was as sharp as ever.

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