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Chapter 1 –
Run
“Prue!”
Everett gasped, unable to disguise the desperation in his voice. His legs were
aching, his lungs burning, and his heart was pounding erratically in his chest
– a reminder that, despite everything, he was still alive.
Maybe not
for much longer.
He wheezed,
attempting to inhale more air, but from the weakness in his legs, he knew he
wouldn’t last much longer.
“Prue! Which
way?” he cried, casting a panicked glance at his sister. He imagined he could
hear them, the cocking of their guns, drawing near. Every flicker of movement
in the streetlight, every sound, felt magnified, as though even the shadows
were poised and ready to pounce.
“Both ways
are blocked,” Prue replied at last, her feet pounding the pavement beside Everett,
faltering only as they approached the junction. She frowned, eyelashes
fluttering, and clenched her fists, her nails leaving angry red indentations in
the palms of her hands. She was very pale.
“What are
you talking about?” Everett gasped, slowing to a canter.
“Nothing is
certain.”
Everett,
while used to his sister’s cryptic remarks, was not in the mood for games. “That’s
not helping!” he cried, skidding to a halt as they reached the turning. He cast
a glance over his shoulder. “Are we going left, or right?”
Prue froze
and her eyes did too, as they often were when she saw things nobody else could.
“I told you,” she said, in a detached tone. “Both ways are blocked.”
Everett
cocked the gun he’d held loosely in his palm, trying to ignore the way it
slipped slightly in his grasp, dampened by his sweat-slick skin. “Does that
mean we’re dead either way?” he asked, with a carelessness he didn’t quite
feel. He checked his ammunition, if only to busy his shaking hands, knowing it
would probably make little difference in the end. Maths had never been his
strong point, but he knew one gun against hundreds were never favourable odds.
“They’re
coming,” Prue informed her brother, although she did not meet his eyes. She was
staring into the blackness at the other end of the street; Everett followed her
gaze, but as always, saw nothing.
“Where—?” he
began, before freezing. He couldn’t see, only hear, the rapid pounding of
footsteps along a cobbled street. Low at first, the sound was growing louder,
clear in the otherwise silent night. The hairs on the back of his neck were
standing up in warning. “Ok, you’re right,” he conceded, in a generous tone, “They’re
coming! No foresight needed for that. Which way do we go?”
Prue shook
her head, dark hair clinging to her bowed face, her eyes crunched in
concentration. She was covered in sweat.
“Wait— wait—”
Everett muttered, in a panicked breath, realising his sister was going to be of
no help. He could see them now, shadows moving in the darkness, emerging at the
end of the street. The Officers of the Occult. He shot three times in quick
succession – one, two, three – and something must have found its mark, from the
strangled cry of pain that followed. They were still alive, then. Good.
Everett had
only a moment to feel relief before the others swarmed. They were closing in on
them. Although in range, they had yet to fire a single shot; as he expected,
their aim was to capture, not to kill.
“Something
is changing,” Prue said from beside Everett. She clutched her head, fisting her
fingers into her hair, as though physically trying to remove something from her
mind. “Another factor is clouding things. His choices are unclear. He’s
conflicted already.”
“Prue!”
Everett cried, trying to pick something of use from her incoherent ramblings.
He pushed her sideways, behind the wall of a garden and out of sight – at least
for the moment. They were running out of time – the Officers would be upon them
in less than a minute, and then there would be no escape. “Pick a way! Which
way has more chance of survival?”
Prue gazed
up at the sky, but she was seeing nothing. “Left,” she replied at last, “Maybe
he will spare us.”
Without taking a second to contemplate what his
sister might mean, Everett grabbed her slippery hand and pulled, turning a
sharp left, the Officers of the Occult temporarily vanishing from view.
The Queen of the
Underworld
The Occult Series Book 2
The Queen of the
Underworld is the second novel in the award-winning The Occult Series
by Lauren Louise Hazel.
Following the fall of The Occult and its Head, Prue receives visions of The
Queen of the Underworld—a powerful Demon who was once overthrown by her allies
and exiled from her homeland—rising in its place.
Prue sees that the Queen is connected to Prue’s best friend, Lily. This leads
Prue and her half-brother, Everett, on their mission across worlds to destroy
the Queen and save their friend. But nothing is what it seems.
The Queen is ready and waiting for them—and she will stop at nothing to secure
her future and wipe out anyone who opposes her.
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Lauren Louise Hazel is a Cyber Security Manager by day and
writes YA fantasy by night. She has one annoying brother and younger sister. As
she was growing up, the only item her dad would buy her without demanding her
pocket money was books. He’s hoping the writing is successful so he can get a
Ferrari!
Some of Lauren’s favourite books and influences include the
classics – like Lord of the Rings and The Hunger Games – and anything by Haruki
Murakami and GRR Martin.
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