Feral Empires: First Spark

by Stephen L. Hadley

  Brow furrowing, Liam jerked his head silently toward Kathryn. The girl’s eyes were closed and she seemed intent on napping against his chest.

  Jenn shrugged, then leaned in and kissed him tenderly. The instant their lips met, her fingers arrived at their destination and curled around him.

  “Let her sleep,” Jenn whispered. “I know how we can pass the time.”

  ***

  “Okay, I take it back. This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever felt.”

  Still leaning on Jenn for support, Liam studied his feet. They’d finally returned, though it had been several hours and they had yet to grow beyond half their normal size. He could walk on them without pain, but doing so felt utterly bizarre, like balancing on his heels.

  Noticing his stare, Jenn smiled. “At least the rest of you is normal-sized.”

  “Only normal-sized?”

  “Perfect, then.” Jenn blushed faintly and shoved him with her hip. Then she grew stern. “That’s all you’re getting out of me.”

  “What about getting into you?”

  Several paces behind, Scott groaned loudly enough that they both turned to look. The man’s expression was guarded. His words, however, were not.

  “I swear, if I hear one moan on the road, I will leave the two of you behind.”

  Jenn’s face flushed pink. For a second, her eyes lit up as though she’d found the perfect retort. Then she smirked, shook her head, and kept silent.

  Liam was not so reserved.

  “You mean to tell me you’ve never…?”

  “Never what?” Scott growled.

  “You know…”

  “Of course, I have,” Scott snapped. “I just have the decency to keep it to myself.”

  “Decency?” roared a new, familiar voice.

  Liam whirled, nearly losing his balance in the process, and found Julie stomping toward him. For an instant, her expression filled him with absolute terror and he desperately racked his brain for anything he might have done to upset her so. Then, as she neared, he noticed the woman was glaring, not at him, but at Scott.

  Julie held Morgan in her arms. Adam, silent as always, trailed after her, as did several harried-looking men who Liam took for sentries or functionaries. And, bringing up the rear, Kathryn watched curiously. She’d run off early in the morning to explore the Institute, so for her to have returned now implied she’d followed Julie all the way from the outer gates.

  Which, all things considered, made Julie’s rage that much more intimidating.

  “Where the hell do you get off talking about decency?” Julie demanded. She utterly ignored Liam as she passed, not pausing until her face was inches from Scott’s. “You son of a bitch! You’re the one who didn’t even say goodbye!”

  What Scott did then caught Liam completely off-guard. He’d never even seen the man blink in the face of confrontation. But now, beneath Julie’s withering stare, he looked more like a startled child than a seasoned veteran.

  Eyes widening and face reddening, Scott stepped back. “Julie, I—”

  “I was pregnant, you bastard! And you decided to run off and play soldier again!”

  “You were—?” Scott’s eyes widened further as he glanced down at the child in Julie’s arms. For several seconds, his mouth continued to move, though no sound issued forth.

  Liam risked a glance around. The soldiers who had accompanied Julie so far had drawn back. Their severe, business-like expressions had vanished, and it was obvious they were doing their best to mask their grins. Even Kathryn was grinning, though her attention was more directed at Liam as she skipped to his side.

  “We should give them some privacy,” Jenn whispered in his ear.

  Liam hesitated, a part of him wanting nothing more than to watch Scott endure a scolding. But as Jenn’s arm led him away he did not resist. He did, however, cast a final look back in Scott’s direction as they departed.

  The man was holding Morgan, cradling the girl to his chest with an expression unlike anything Liam had ever seen.

  Stairs proved even more challenging than simply walking, though Liam managed it with Jenn’s help. They made their way down into the common room of the Institute’s barracks, drawing nothing more than the occasional glance from passing soldiers. Once inside, however, they discovered several people waiting.

  The first was Nora. The woman was every bit as breathtaking as Liam remembered, even more so now that she’d managed to find a bath and a change of clothes. She smiled as they approached, but did not speak until he’d shrugged free of Jenn’s arm and collapsed into a large, too-plush chair.

  “You look like you’re feeling better,” Nora said.

  Liam nodded and tapped his knee.

  “Having legs again helps,” he said.

  Nora grimaced and looked away. At her reaction, Liam instantly regretted his words. He was about to apologize, to clarify, but the woman spoke up first.

  “Sorry,” she said. “You know, for blowing them off.”

  Liam laughed. “Don’t be sorry. You saved our lives.”

  “But, if I’d done it sooner—”

  “You couldn’t have,” Liam assured her. “You were perfect. Really. Thank you.”

  Her smile returned then, as did her gaze. “I hear you’re going east? Across the DMZ?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “Do… do you mind if I come with you, then?”

  “You want to?” Liam said, sitting up straighter. “You don’t have, um, family to look for?”

  For a split-second, Nora’s smile seemed to falter. She shook her head.

  “I doubt it,” she said. “It’s been… a while. Ten years, at least. I don’t even know where I’d start looking. If I did, I would’ve gone with the others. But, under the circumstances, I was hoping I could stay with Jenn for a while.”

  Liam nodded slowly. “I know what that’s like.”

  “You do?” Nora said, apparently without thinking, since she blushed immediately after. “Oh. Right. Of course. So, it’s okay, then?”

  “It’s fine with me.” He glanced up as Jenn seated herself on the arm of his chair. “Jenn?”

  The woman smirked down at him.

  “Of course, it’s fine. She’s my friend.” Leaning down, Jenn kissed his cheek. And then, soft as the breeze, she whispered in his ear. “So don’t get any ideas.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Several hours later, Liam found himself standing on the Institute’s grounds, sporting a full pack, a rifle, and freshly claimed pair of normal-sized boots. Beside him, Nora was similarly equipped. The main difference being the cloth-wrapped pack of metal scraps belted tightly around her waist. Liam still wasn’t entirely certain how her ability worked, but the sight was reassuring nevertheless.

  Jenn and Kathryn had declined firearms of their own, preferring instead to reinforce their gifts. Jenn had reluctantly agreed to put on a padded vest and fatigues, though she reinforced the uniform with her usual vines and bark plate. She had, however, claimed with relish a quiver full of repurposed industrial wire, thick enough to serve as javelins.

  Kathryn, on the other hand, demonstrated none of the same attachment to the past. At her request, one of Scott’s men had managed to modify an Occ’s white lab coat into a dress that somewhat resembled her soiled and torn one. The sight of this gift elicited a gleeful shriek and, before anyone could stop her, in full view of dozens, she had stripped down to try it on. Mercifully, it fit, and she rewarded the blushing, would-be tailor with a powerful hug. Her other acquisition had been a pair of small, curved knives. Liam had no idea where she had found the things—nor did anyone else, for that matter—but Kathryn had been only too happy to demonstrate their effectiveness on a nearby wall. The enormous gouges torn in the wood had been enough to silence additional conversation on the matter.

  Both women now stood at Liam’s side, clutching an arm apiece. Though the behavior drew stares from Scott’s men as they beg
an to gather, it was not enough to free him.

  Scott was the last to arrive, trailing after Julie with transparent weariness. From the carried sounds of argument over the last few hours, he’d fought a losing battle. He was smiling though, with eyes for no one but the girl he cradled in his arms. Julie walked before him, leading her son by the hand. Unlike Scott, Adam seemed to have nothing but energy. He tugged at his mother’s arm, eager to pull free and mingle among the militiamen. That too, seemed a losing battle.

  And then, without ceremony or fanfare, the whole company was gathered together. Then, just like that, they departed.

  It was almost surreal as Liam walked among them, down one of the winding dirt roads leading east. He’d expected more discussion, somehow. This was the Institute, the bastion of pain and abuse that he’d dreaded for years. And he was leaving it for the second time, almost by accident.

  Though, not entirely.

  Jenn’s fingers intertwined with his, squeezing tight. At his glance, she smiled and breathed out a deep breath.

  “We did it,” she said. “We destroyed them.”

  “Course we did,” Liam said. He couldn’t help but feel torn in two. Rather than savoring the destruction they’d wrought, he found himself vastly more satisfied by this: The feeling of Jenn’s hand against his. And yet, what else could they do? They’d literally been made for the fight.

  “So, what now?” she asked.

  Liam shrugged and glanced back at the Institute. The sight of the buildings still made his heart race, but it was still… something. For all the pain it had brought him, it was familiar. An awful home, but a home, nonetheless.

  And from the look in Jenn’s eye, she understood. Her fingers tightened.

  “Well then,” she announced, smirking. “I have a few ideas.”

  Leaning in close, she whispered them. And within seconds, Liam could not hold back his blush—among other things.

  They were very, very good ideas.

  To Be Continued

  Thank you!

  Thank you so much for reading Feral Empires: First Spark! It’s only thanks to the support and encouragement of fans like you that I’m able to write books like this. If you enjoyed the story, would you consider leaving a review? Your feedback helps ensure other readers discover my books, helps me improve as an author, and allows me to write novels that people love to read.

  Liam and company will return in Book Two of Feral Empires.

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  The first, Stephen L. Hadley, is for those interested exclusively in my novels. You’ll receive updates when a book is released, including opportunities to become Advance Readers and receive a free copy of new books several weeks before they’re released. That’s it.

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  Or contact me directly at steph@slhadley.com

  About the Author:

  Stephen L. Hadley resides in the American Midwest, where he works as a part-time author and full-time banker. The former he enjoys, the latter… not so much. He also holds a B.S. in Communications, the irony of which is not lost on him.

  In his spare time, he enjoys reading, watching movies and anime, and discussing politics until he vomits from anger.