Free Specter Rising (Brimstone Network Trilogy) by Thomas E. Sniegoski Page A

calm, simply looking about the large chamber.
    There were no guards charging into the room at their master’s command. There was only silence, except for the screams of the Fthaggua leader.
    “It seems that your security is a bit lax,” the large man said with an ominous chuckle.
    Six demon bodies suddenly flew from the outskirts of the grand chamber, landing on the floor behind him.
    The leader looked terrified, backing up until his legs struck his throne. He sat down heavily.
    “Laying down on the job, so to speak,” Stitch said, moving closer to the leader.
    Stitch could sense the others now, sauntering from the darkness of the room: Emily, Bogey, Dez, and the newest addition to their group . . . What was it she liked to be called? Packman. That was it.
    There was something about her, something that had told him she should be a part of this. Stitchdidn’t like to ignore these feelings, as they were usually something to be listened to.
    Bogey had transported the others here earlier, and they had done their jobs well.
    “You will all suffer for this!” the leader raged, jumping up from his throne. His bare belly began to glow a fiery red. It wouldn’t be long before he exploded, filling the chamber with living fire.
    Stitch wasn’t about to let that happen.
    The big man moved with incredible speed, reaching out and wrapping his hand tightly around the Fthaggua leader’s throat.
    “I’d stop that if I were you,” the patchwork man whispered menacingly, squeezing with all his might.
    The leader struggled in his grasp, his yellow eyes rolling back as he fought to remain conscious. Slowly the fiery glow began to fade, and the swelling in the demon’s stomach began to go down.
    “That’s it,” Stitch said, plopping the demon’s butt back onto its throne. “No need to blow yourself up on our account.”
    “Though I wouldn’t mind seeing it,” Bogey called out from behind him. Stitch was about to turn around and give him a look, but decided, What’s the use?
    The demon’s head lolled as he tried to remain conscious.
    “We’re just going ask you a few questions and then we’ll be on our way.”
    The demon stared defiantly as the others came to stand beside him.
    “Shall we begin?” Stitch asked.
    T hey had made their way into another gigantic chamber.
    The smell inside this particular section was even more disgusting than the others, the ground wet and spongy beneath his feet.
    “It smells horrible in here,” Bram said, bringing a hand to his mouth as he and Lita continued to follow the soldiers loyal to the queen across the soft, unstable surface.
    “What would you expect?” Lita asked offhandedly. “We’re inside his stomach.”
    Bram stopped as thought he’d struck a wall. “Inside what?”
    Lita turned slightly, not slowing down. “His stomach,” she repeated. “We’re inside Ureichuras the Monstrous’s stomach.”
    “Wait a minute . . . we’re inside somebody’s stomach right now?”Bram asked, not really wanting the question confirmed.
    “Yes, now come along. The Shriekhounds are probably already here and attempting to sniff us out. Being inside this decaying corpse actually helps us, but our good fortune won’t last forever.”
    Bram moved his pack to his other shoulder, running to catch up with the girl and the others.
    “I’m walking around inside a giant dead body,” he said, trying to get used to the concept. “Why am I so surprised?”
    “Ureichuras was the last of the species called the Guurand,” Lita started to explain. “The Guurand were at war with the Specter for centuries, but eventually they were all exterminated.”
    “And this is the body of the last one to die?” Bram questioned, looking around the vast chamber with a whole new perspective.
    She nodded. “Many believed that this was the first indication that the ascension was at hand . . . the discovery of your world and the treaty brought by your father were the next.”
    The passage was beginning to