Blog Tour – Excerpt – Shadow Precinct by Christian Porter

Everett Santeaux is a zealot, a child fiercely trained in all manners of combat and arms recollection. As an adult, he has pushed his physical and mental abilities far past boundaries of the average human.
When a powerful mob boss is found brutally murdered, a series of events begin to unravel that place Everett squarely in the crosshairs of zealots, cops, and criminals alike.
As the mysteries of his covert past collide with his present, he’ll have to use everything that he’s learned to help clear his name, protect his family, and unravel unavowed secrets in order to uncover the answer to the question: What is the Ark?

Enjoy this excerpt from Christian Porter’s upcoming release Shadow Precinct. If you’d like to order an autographed copy, go to the Aziza Publishing site and use coupon code SPCP201209PROMO

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Sitting on the sun…

Sitting in a lava waterfall…

Sitting at the center of the Earth…

Sitting in a dragon’s lair…

Sitting in acid rain…

Mind over body…

Everett was in his second year at the zealot training facilities in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. At this moment, he was participating with other students in a training exercise. They sat just outside of a large cave with torch lined walls, the cold air rushing in through the mouth of the cave making the flames on the torches leap wildly. This grueling task was designed to help them endure extreme pain, a trait that every zealot must develop. Lines of students sat cross-legged in a meditative position, outside in the blistering cold wearing all black cloth training kis. The elevation made drawing each breath difficult. The sub-freezing temperatures made it impossible for many of the potential zealots after the first hour. Overseers and Xi Wang Xi were pacing the lines, removing those that were clearly not going to pass this exercise. Thirteen young boys had already been carried out to the infirmary after going into hypothermic shock, collapsing to the hard, snow covered ground. In the third hour, another boy collapsed dead. Halfway through the fourth hour, two more would die, one with tears frozen to his face. Everett continued to sit. Had he opened his eyes, he would have seen just how many students were failing. As his focus intensified, time became relative. Inside of Everett’s mind, he was meditating in the center of an exploding star. Everett continued to sit, his skin beginning to turn blue, oblivious to the pain. Three shift changes of overseers had come and gone, the only constants were the students and Xi Wang Xi.

Mind over body…

A young overseer walked up to Xi. Like all of the others that were keeping watch of the training exercise, he was actually adequately dressed for the elements. He spoke through a heavy wool facemask.

“Master Xi. This has been the longest that this exercise has ever gone. It is beginning to cut into other areas…”

He was interrupted by the aged voice of Xi, his English accent having faded over the years, “Let it continue. You and the other overseers can return to the main building. I will watch the remaining students.”

“Yes sir.”

“Answer me this overseer, who are these last two students?”

“Master Xi, one is Everett Santeaux. The other is Olufemi Anyogu.”

They both gazed at the two young boys in astonishment, both of them sitting perfectly still unaware that they were the only ones left.

“Master Xi, it is quite amazing that they’ve lasted this long. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Nor have I.”

The young man followed his orders and helped to gather the other students. Some whose extremities had become black with frost bite, requiring amputation and subsequently ending their zealot training. The two students remaining continued to sit for another half an hour. Everett’s focus was finally derailed by the feeling of a large fur blanket being thrown around him. His eyes were frozen shut, and as his mind and body began to rejoin, he started to feel the pain that he had dismissed for an ungodly amount of time.

“Everett is it? Try to breath or you will go into shock. I have overseers here to help you to the infirmary. Move very slowly, your joints have probably locked into position.”

Xi saw that Everett’s mouth was moving, but he could not hear any words. His lips were chapped and turning bluish. He leaned closer and could make out a faint question.

“How…how long?”

Xi chuckled, “five and a half hours.”

The overseers helped Everett up and placed him on a stretcher where they carried him back in doors to the infirmary. He was placed in a bed and administered an IV. As he began to fade into unconsciousness, he could hear the overseers speaking with the onsite doctors.

“No, I don’t think you understand. Both of these boys should have died hours ago. Normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees, a couple of degrees below that is considered extremely dangerous territory. These boys had temperatures hovering around 90 degrees.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Tell me about it. They also don’t exhibit any signs of frost bite, I’ve been a doctor for over 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like this out there. And the fact that they are kids? It’s incredible.”

“Incredible is quite the understatement, doctor.”

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