I tore around the next-to-last corner. Almost there. One final turn, then—BLAM!—right into . . . Dana!

The crash threw her into the wall, and I fell flat on my face.

I leaped up and pulled her to her feet. "Dana! I'm such a klutz! Are you okay?"

She looked into my eyes. Her long brown hair was tangled. Her cheeks were beyond pale. "Owen, I know the real reason my parents went to Iceland. The monsters. They're coming here. But you can't tell a soul, not yet—"

I stepped back. "Monsters? Dana, what are you—"

"Find the book! In my house. It'll tell you everything. It's not like the others."

"Dana—" I thought I heard someone at the far corner. Before I could see who it was, thick black smoke billowed up from the floor under Dana's feet. The air roared like a jet engine. And I heard words—hissing—as if from a million miles away.

The...battle...begins...

Dana's face went white. "HELP!"

She threw something at me. Flames shot up in a ring around her feet, the floor split open, and she fell straight down. I saw eyes, dozens of them. And shiny black stuff. And thrashing shapes. And fire.

"Dana?" I shouted. "Dana!"

But an instant later, the floor sealed up, the fire vanished, and Dana was gone.

---

Excerpted from Underworlds #1: the Battle Begins by Tony Abbott
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.