Thanks again for reading and see you soon!

-Jakob Tanner

A.K.O Book 1 Sample

Arcane Kingdom Online: The Chosen (Book 1) (Preview)

Chapter One

It wasn’t easy waiting to see if you’d live or die.

It was why the old man at the front of the line took his sweet precious time. He waddled forward, lifting his cane then placing it down again. Step by step. The echo of the cane on the terminal floor was like the ticking of a clock, each excruciating beat bringing me one second closer to my turn. My dance with fate.

The soldier managing the line barked through the air purifier tusks of his gas mask: “Hurry up or I’ll throw you into quarantine.”

The man stopped dawdling and stepped into the bioscan. He slouched his shoulders and muttered a quiet prayer to himself. A few seconds passed and a green light appeared above the machine, followed by a single shrill beep.

The passenger was free to go. The old man hurried away towards baggage claim.

The armed soldier yelled, “Next!” and the line shuffled forward.

Four people stood ahead of me. Four more turns until my own.

A little boy in front of me tugged at his mother’s arm.

“I don’t want to go through there mommy,” he said. “Please.”

The woman’s face was pale and she had bags under her eyes. She gripped her son’s hand tightly and said, “Shh. It will be over soon.”

But the little boy was far from comforted: tears forming in his eyes.

I crouched down and smiled at the kid. “Why are you crying little guy?”

The boy sniffled and wiped his eyes. “Cause… I don’t want to walk in there…”

“It’s scary, huh?”

He nodded.

“But think about this: you had to go through the same scan before you got on the plane, didn’t you?”

“Yeah…”

“And you must’ve been cleared—healthy as ever—otherwise you wouldn’t have been allowed to even get on the plane, right?”

The boy nodded his head again.

“So do you really think you would’ve gotten sick between now and the last scan?”

“I don’t know,” said the kid.

“Well, did you eat the veggie option?”

The boy shook his head emphatically. Of course not.

I smiled at him. “Then you’re fine.”

The kid laughed, vindicated for his dislike of vegetables.

“You’re almost through,” I said, “Don’t worry.”

I stood back up and the woman smiled at me. “Your mother must be so proud of you.”

I shrugged awkwardly, not wanting to disappoint her with the truth.

The guard ended our conversation abruptly, yelling, “Next!”

The woman bent down and kissed her son on the forehead. “Wait here and join me on the other side in a minute.”