Jace squinted blearily and found only fog and haze surrounding him. A distant thunderous boom shook the very hazy plane all around, yet he knew that sound.

Recognised it.

It was familiar to him, as if he’d heard it just recently. What started as a distant roaring boom, was but a beeping blip of a tone as it reached him.

The sound was a reminder. Yet of what he couldn’t remember.

“Jace?” a voice asked, except it was his voice. His lips and tongue had formed the name. But was it his name?

“Jace?” this time a different voice, and suddenly he felt something. Something loom over him all encompassing. A presence encircling all around.

He felt like a naked flesh-doll in this – entities - smothering embrace.

Stripped down to the very atoms of his being.

Then he was weightless and hurtling across the foggy plane, then falling sideways. Coursing along and not knowing where he was going.

“I’m sorry,” a soft voice apologised across the expanse. Jace didn’t understand why, but he was sure this voice was talking to him.

“For what?” Jace called back and with a lurch his momentum halted.

“You’re conscious?” the voice asked inquisitively. Jace swore the presence of this being, or entity, was examining him now.

Jace spun, fright pounding through his heart. Something moved through the haze. Massive and far more enormous than he could ever hope to comprehend.

He felt like prey. Like he was bleeding and it was shark season in the open waters.

“What the hell is a shark?” he muttered, still spinning, still trying to catch a glimpse of the -things- movement.

“Interesting. None before of those who’ve been summoned here have regained anything of their former selves. Why you then? Why now?”

“What do you mean?” Jace asked concentrating. He caught the edge of movement as something flowed sinuously through the distant fog.

“Has the reclaimer finally decided to involve himself at last?”

He felt the presence grab a hold of him and tighten its grip. He wheezed as its unseen hold began to crush him.

“I- I don’t…k-know what you mean…” he coughed, and spittle flew from his grimacing mouth.

“Then hope for your own sake that you never find out.”

There was edge of finality to the voice this time and the fog grew still like dead water.

With a bursting cacophony numerous spotted limbs shot through the plane. His cry of alarm was cut short. Looming beneath him was a gaping maw filled with a dozen row’s of sharp triangular teeth.

Like a swirling serrated vortex the horrid mouth swallowed Jace whole.

Jace squinted blearily and found only fog and haze surrounding him. A distant thunderous boom shook the very hazy plane all around, yet he knew that sound.

Recognised it.

It was familiar to him, as if he’d heard it just recently. What started as a distant roaring boom, was but a beeping blip of a tone as it reached him.

The sound was a reminder. Yet of what he couldn’t remember.

“Jace?” a voice asked, except it was his voice. His lips and tongue had formed the name. But was it his name?

“Jace?” this time a different voice, and suddenly he felt something. Something loom over him all encompassing. A presence encircling all around.

He felt like a naked flesh-doll in this – entities - smothering embrace.

Stripped down to the very atoms of his being.

Then he was weightless and hurtling across the foggy plane, then falling sideways. Coursing along and not knowing where he was going.

“I’m sorry,” a soft voice apologised across the expanse. Jace didn’t understand why, but he was sure this voice was talking to him.

“For what?” Jace called back and with a lurch his momentum halted.

“You’re conscious?” the voice asked inquisitively. Jace swore the presence of this being, or entity, was examining him now.

Jace spun, fright pounding through his heart. Something moved through the haze. Massive and far more enormous than he could ever hope to comprehend.

He felt like prey. Like he was bleeding and it was shark season in the open waters.

“What the hell is a shark?” he muttered, still spinning, still trying to catch a glimpse of the -things- movement.

“Interesting. None before of those who’ve been summoned here have regained anything of their former selves. Why you then? Why now?”

“What do you mean?” Jace asked concentrating. He caught the edge of movement as something flowed sinuously through the distant fog.

“Has the reclaimer finally decided to involve himself at last?”

He felt the presence grab a hold of him and tighten its grip. He wheezed as its unseen hold began to crush him.

“I- I don’t…k-know what you mean…” he coughed, and spittle flew from his grimacing mouth.

“Then hope for your own sake that you never find out.”

There was edge of finality to the voice this time and the fog grew still like dead water.

With a bursting cacophony numerous spotted limbs shot through the plane. His cry of alarm was cut short. Looming beneath him was a gaping maw filled with a dozen row’s of sharp triangular teeth.

Like a swirling serrated vortex the horrid mouth swallowed Jace whole.

This novel is the work of Rhys Thomas. If you are reading this and it has not been published by Rhys Thomas, then this work has been stolen. Please report this to Amazon and me at email: [email protected]