Preview: The Lazarus Men #2: Repercussions

I love doing these, and I hope you love reading them. Here’s the next great adventure of Carter Gaetis. Move over James Bond, you have competition!

PROLOGUE

2274 A.D.

Wilds of Planet Gauntlet

Tiny beads of sweat dripped from his sloping forehead and down the length of his nose. A weathered hand reached up, removing the oppressive canvas hat designed to protect against Gauntlet’s obscene summer heat and wiped the moisture away. With a sigh, he slipped off his wire framed glasses—an archaic example of ancient technology—and used the same rag to clear most of the dirt smudges.

Clothes stained similarly; Archibald Nickademos was the definition of a man on a mission. He stabbed his spade into the freshly turned dirt and slumped down beside it. Overweight and out of shape, he glanced at his knobby knees. They were caked with dirt from the last few days. He was exhausted but hopeful. Anticipation of laying his hands on the prize spurred him on. He was so close …

A second man, more youthful, joined him. Archibald passed him a canteen, pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow, and sighed. “It is getting hotter.”

The younger man shook his head then drank deeply. “I don’t see how. You complain too much, Dr. Nickademos.”

He was the youngest member of the expedition, barely a man. Archibald knew he wouldn’t be here, toiling for rumored treasure under a merciless sun, if not for being an eager participant from the local university. The professor took his canteen back, muttering, “You are much too young to know what’s good for you, my man. I’ve been doing this for longer than you’ve been alive. We are close. So very close. Can’t you feel it?”

“No.”

Archibald slapped his hat back on. “Too many mocked me for coming here. What do they know? Political hacks and people who haven’t left the comforts of their offices for years.” He scoffed. “Stay with me, my man. Just a little more digging and we will find it.”

Shovels dug across a fifty-meter area, the latest in a string of potential discovery spots. Stretching across several kilometers. Workers dotted the nearby area, all languishing similarly under a brutal sun. This part of Gauntlet remained unoccupied, making it a blessing for what Archibald hoped to achieve. Adventurers had sought—unsuccessfully—across the northern continent for generations to no avail. Several times on this year long expedition Archibald struggled with the rising desire to quit and return in shame. Doing so would end his career and plummet his name to ruin.  On the other hand, should he at last discover the one treasure eluding him most of his adult life, he would be branded a hero among the academic community.

A shout drew his attention. Archibald looked up to see several soldiers rushing toward him. Each bore a spear and wore traditional tribal clothing. He blinked rapidly, desperate to comprehend how an extinct tribe of warriors could somehow still be alive. There was no time for him to move, Archibald threw an arm over his face and—

The warriors blew past in a rush of wind, disappearing into nothingness. Heart hammering, he rose on shaky legs. What did I just witness? Rumors of the quest being cursed hurried back to him. A handful of volunteers had quit over the past few weeks as superstitions and inexplicable events rose. Archibald was powerless to prevent it, especially after the unfortunate death of Daniel McStevens several months ago. Were the ghosts, for what else could they be, trying to warn him away? Archibald glanced at his assistant. The look of horror on the younger man’s face confirmation he hadn’t imagined it.

Nearby shouts gained his attention. He stomped over the uneven terrain to where the commotion began. Men and women were huddled together around a freshly dug hole. They parted for him as Archibald took in their worried looks and ashen faces.

“Professor! You must see this!” one of the replacement researchers exclaimed upon spying him in the growing crowd.

Archibald halted at the lip of the hole and peered down.

It was a grave. The decomposed wooden casket littered the hole. Shards of bone poked free. He was instantly disappointed. The expedition, his expedition, had traveled across the stars only to discover the remains of an earlier tribe?

He was about to dismiss the others when a hint of green caught his attention. Archibald slid into the grave and reached into the ruined coffin. Hushed gasps circulated behind him. The green glow of the artefact filled the immediate area. His heart fluttered.