Tiberius glanced back to find six of the Mutations center in behind them. Unlike the Rastem, these Mutations ran on all fours like animals. Their faces glared hungrily forward, their mouths apparently salivating as they watched the Rastem like lions would watch gazelles. Tiberius’ hood flipped away from his face just a little exposing part of his neck to a ray of sunlight, which brought his mind out of the distraction of their pursuers as the sun burnt him. Never missing a step, he flipped his hood back to protect his skin.
They crossed the first street, and another Mutation leapt from the side of the road, taking one of the Rastem to the ground. Tiberius could not tell who it was, but as the Rastem struggled to fight back, the Mutation simply tore the day travel cloak from his victim. As the sun did its work, Tiberius was horrified to see the Mutation lean in and bite the back of the victim’s neck, which severed the head’s connection with the rest of the body and caused the unfortunate Rastem to go immediately limp. Tiberius turned away without watching what he had learned in the meeting would happen next.
The remaining Rastem crossed the second street and only had the courtyard to get past before they had some measure of relative safety. Unfortunately, the remainder of the Mutations had come around the other direction surrounding them and cutting them off from the church. The group stopped in the courtyard momentarily to assess the threat, but the pause was all their enemies needed.
The Mutations from behind wasted no time in attacking. The first pounced on Kaltesh, who immediately threw the Mutation off, but another came in right behind the first and took down Kaltesh’s hood. Tiberius turned and kicked the second Mutation from Kaltesh’s back. Kaltesh restored his hood, and shared a glance with Tiberius. Tiberius could see that the sun had burned Kaltesh a little, but he would be all right. They needed to get under cover.
“Into the doorway!” Tiberius yelled. “Out of the sun!”
The five Mutations who had cut them off blocked the awning ahead of them while the others attacked from behind. They had no choice though. They needed to fight, or they would be overwhelmed. Tiberius drew his sword and the others quickly followed his lead. The Mutations continued to attack from behind, and although the Rastem moved quickly, the Mutations dodged the blows just as fast.
Without gauntlets or weapons, the Mutations were as formidable as the Elewo. They did not need to block the swords of the Rastem. The Rastem could not land any blows.
One by one, the Mutations took an opening and leapt onto a Rastem, tearing back their hoods and biting into their necks. The Mutations guarding the door suddenly joined the fray to prevent the Rastem from rescuing each other, and to find their own victim in the chaos.
Although the Rastem tried to prevent the Mutations from feasting on the blood of their comrades, in the end, only half of the original contingency of Rastem reached the sanctuary of the awning as the sun’s rays forced them one by one to abandon their fallen brethren. They watched as the Mutations, all of whom were unhurt, were apparently drinking the blood of the dead and burning Rastem. Tiberius, along with everyone else, stared in horror at the impossible sight of Fempiror operating in the sunlight and yet acting like animals. Truly, these things were mutations, for they were not the creation of Voivode Draculya.
Kaltesh stood beside Tiberius, his sword at the ready. “What do we do, Tiberius?” Kaltesh asked desperately. Tiberius glanced at his old friend and saw the encounter had badly burned his face. He looked at the others standing around them and saw various burns on everyone. If they survived this day, the wounds would heal. He looked back to the Mutations and found one looking at his victim curiously. Tiberius watched, wondering what the thing was thinking. Slowly, it turned its head to stare directly at Tiberius, blood staining its chin.
Tiberius understood instantly as it reoriented itself to face the remaining Rastem. The thing acted on pure hunting instinct, and it only saw the living Rastem as a means to satisfy its hunger. If they did not move, they would be next.
“Retreat into the church,” Tiberius said quickly, backing away from the Mutations. “Now! We will try to hold our own as they enter.” The Rastem at the rear of the formation quickly opened the large wooden doors to the church and allowed everyone to pass inside. As he crossed the threshold of the door, Tiberius glanced back and saw the Mutation who had looked at him, charge full speed for the door before the other Rastem slammed the doors behind them.
“Hold the doors,” Tiberius ordered. As soon as the doors closed, the company braced themselves against them. The Mutation hit the outside of the doors hard, and the impact echoed across the expanse of the church behind them. He hit the doors twice more, and then stopped.
A huge, ancient wooden plank stood beside the entrance and probably had been unused in as long as the church has been open. Two of the Rastem brought it across the doors, knowing that despite the thickness of the doors and lock, any Fempiror could eventually get through by way of their own brute strength. It gave them time, though.
He looked at those who remained as they all lowered their hoods. Yori, Kaltesh, and Boltash all made it through along with Tyran, Falta, Portan, James, and Thomas. The group had varying degrees of experience, and Tiberius feared that some of them would not survive if they were unable to find an exit.
Behind them rested the high-ceilinged, cavernous room that served as the sanctuary of the church. Back in the early days of the Fempiror Council, they had built the church for both Fempiror and humans to gather for worship. The walls were white with decorative and functional columns placed evenly along them with ornate stained glass windows allowing the outside light to illuminate the room. The builders had placed the windows so that if a Fempiror were present during a day session, there would be places to sit out of the direct sunlight, though most Fempiror had attended at night. The room could easily hold a thousand in attendance in row after row of pews that stretched almost to the front of the room. The front of the room was raised four steps above the rest for the priest to speak to the congregation at the lectern off to the right, behind which rested the keyboards for the organ, whose pipes stretched to the ceiling and through the room. A large cross served as the centerpiece for the front of the room and put aside any doubt as to the religion practiced here. The Council spared no expense or talent in building this place, and it both grieved and comforted Tiberius that their last stand could be in this place.
“That won’t hold them,” Yori said, bringing Tiberius out of his thoughts.
“No,” Tiberius agreed, “but it’ll take a few moments for them to break it down. Do we hold any advantages in here?”
“Not even a narrow entry,” Kaltesh said. “The pews might provide some obstacles, but those would affect us as much as them.”
“This may be it for us, then,” Tiberius said without much hope at all. “Yori, find out if there’s a way out through the catacombs back there.” He pointed to the far end of the sanctuary.
“Yes sir,” Yori said. “Tyran, Boltash, come with me!”
Yori ran to the front of the church along with Tyran (one of the youngest of their number who was even younger than David was when he was transmutated with a shock of red hair, green eyes, and an appropriately timid look about him) and Boltash carefully avoiding the sunlight streaming in through the stained glass windows. They disappeared through a door on the front, left side of the sanctuary, which lead to the tombs.
The footfalls of Yori and her team echoed through the enormous, empty room until they died out as she made her way further and further down the passage. Then, all was silent. They heard no sound from outside. Even the sound of their breathing was nearly inaudible. It was a deafening silence that Tiberius knew would be the calm before the storm. Yet, the degree of silence was more than unnerving.
“Why aren’t they doing anything?” Kaltesh asked, breaking the silence. His voice echoed loudly through the room, even though he spoke quietly.
“I fear what they are doing as opposed to what they aren’t,” Tiberius said. �
��I find it unlikely that they just let us go.”
Suddenly, a soft patter of footfalls sounded through the room. Tiberius looked around the room and saw nothing. No one. The room was empty except for the six Rastem who waited patiently for the return of Yori and her team. Tiberius looked toward the door out of the sanctuary, but Yori had not yet returned. He considered that perhaps they should have all gone together to explore the back of the church, but there was no way to be certain of what they would find or if the position back there would be any better than the one they had now. He knew they would have plenty of warning before the Mutations broke through the door or even came in the windows in case they need to retreat, yet nothing had happened. The sound grew louder. They each circled, looking for the source of the sound.
“What is that?” Falta asked. Falta was a woman appearing to be around twenty-three with jet-black hair, deep brown eyes and shorter than average height. Tiberius looked at the floor, wondering if perhaps they had found a way in through a lower level. But if they had, they would not be able to hear them yet. Still the sound grew louder, as if an Army were slowly making its way inside.
Then an impossible thought hit him. As the number of footfalls continued to increase, Tiberius slowly turned his eyes to the ceiling. He felt his stomach rise into his throat as his mouth gaped in utter shock.
“God in heaven,” Tiberius said, unable to find any other words. The others glanced at him, and then turned their gaze to the ceiling as well.
The Mutations scurried upside on the ceiling as if it were a floor. All eleven of them. Their hands and feet stuck to the surface like insects and they moved very fast.
“What devilry is this?” Kaltesh asked in surprise. There was no time to think, however. The Mutations were upon them.
“Stand ready!” Tiberius exclaimed.
The Mutations dropped to the floor, just out of range of the Rastem swords. James was the first to attempt an attack. The Mutation ducked and delivered a swing to him, tossing James out the window. The Mutation followed right behind him, and a scream issued from outside as the Mutation fed on his blood and the sun scorched his skin.
The remaining five Rastem formed a small circle to help defend themselves against the onslaught of Mutations, but at ten to five, they were overwhelmed. With every swing they made at the Mutations, the creatures avoided the blow. No one was able to get a single hit on any one of them. The only positive was that as long as they kept the Mutations busy avoiding their strikes, they were unable to attack. This position was lost quickly, however.
Tiberius saw what was happening an instant before it happened. Portan swung his sword wide at one Mutation, and another took its place before Portan could recover. It grabbed Portan’s tunic with its teeth and tossed him directly into the sunlight of one of the windows. Before Portan could move, the Mutation jumped across the room and set its teeth into Portan’s neck. Portan screamed in pain, but his screams ended quickly. Tiberius watched powerlessly as other Mutations approached those who feasted on his Rastem and engaged in a minor scuffle over who would drink the blood of his warriors.
The disgusting sight distracted Tiberius just long enough for a Mutation to work its way past his defense and kick Tiberius into the sun as well. The Mutation attempted to jump on Tiberius as the sun burned him, but he rolled out of the way before the Mutation could land. Tiberius jumped to his feet and ran the Mutation through. The Mutation collapsed, dead.
“So, you still die like the rest of us,” Tiberius commented upon seeing his small victory.
But there was no time to rejoice. Another Mutation set upon Tiberius instantly, and he defended himself once more. He also found that at some point after he was thrown into the sun, Thomas had lost against a Mutation and lay dead near Portan. Tiberius worked his way back to Kaltesh and Falta to try to hold off the Mutations. Suddenly, a welcome voice heralded across the room.
“Come on!” Yori screamed. The three remaining fighters broke their defense and ran full speed across the room to Yori and her group who lead them quickly through the left door. The Mutations apparently had not expected this, since they stood dumbfounded just long enough for the three remaining fighters to get away. They did not pause for long, however, and Tiberius glanced back to find their opponents close behind them. Yori immediately turned again once they passed through the door to the right and down a flight of carved stone steps.
Yori pulled out a self-lighting torch and led them through the dirt-encrusted catacombs beneath the church. Tiberius did not care where they were going. He only hoped that the maze of tunnels would slow down their pursuers just enough for them to find some kind of exit down here. With two-thirds of their original group now dead, retreat was their only option, and he prayed that survival was possible.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Entombed
David sat on the bed in Room 202 with his ear against the wall, listening intently to the room next door where their escort and spy, Frinyar, slept like a baby. Beth reclined on her side with her head propped on one elbow, watching him. He turned and smiled at Beth, now satisfied that they could speak freely for a moment. Whoever Frinyar was, he did not seem very interested in actually spying on them.
“He’s asleep,” David told her in a whisper.
“How can you tell?” Beth asked.
“He snores,” David said, “loudly.” Beth chuckled and shook her head.
David lay down next to Beth who cuddled up to him. He put his arm around her and held her close. Ten years of regret melted away as they finally shared some measure of the life they had once desired. Even though they had gone through so much since Hauginstown, their hearts had hardly changed.
“So,” David began, turning to the other reason they had come to Kelïrum, “who do you think they had behind that window?”
“I’m sure the one we saw was the same person I saw when I took a sample of their newest poison in Erim,” Beth answered directly. “He was a recipient of it and was unconscious at that time. I guess they transported him here after that. I don’t know about the other one.”
David nodded. “So, the Tepish are involved.”
“Apparently,” Beth agreed. “What do you think they want with this town?”
“I would guess either an out of the way test area,” David suggested, “or a fair supply of victims.”
“The Tepish don’t just leave people in peace,” Beth pointed out. “There are regular humans here. Maybe we should try to get them out.”
David shook his head. “We should advise our chain of command what we’ve discovered, and they’ll let us know what to do next,” he said. “Tonight, we meet whoever is in charge of Obadiah.”
“We can’t trust him,” Beth noted.
“Of course not,” David agreed, “but as long as we continue in our naivety, we’ll be fine until we report. I think we may have all the information we need, but I’d like to know what the Tepish want with these people.”
“Agreed,” Beth said.
There lay the one unanswered question, or they would just leave at sunset. The Tepish had chosen Kelïrum for an unknown reason, and they needed to try to find out what that reason was. Could it be as simple as being far away from Erim, or did this town possess something the Tepish wanted? And then there was the question of this “other Fempiror in charge.” David was certain this person was a Tepish, and while David knew that there was a chance that either Vladimir or the Elrod Malnak, Karian, might remember him, there was very little chance this Tepish so far from Erim would be either of them. He needed to be ready for anything, but the chances of this other Fempiror knowing him or Beth was so remote, it was not worth considering.
Beth turned and wrapped her arm around David’s chest, snapping him from his thought. He pulled her closer and clasped his hands around her in a tight embrace. It had been a very long and eventful day. He was astounded that when they woke up at the beginning of the evening, they were still at odds with each other, and now, they were deeply in love
again. Holding her close to him, he felt complete. For the first time since this life had ripped him from Hauginstown, David felt like everything was going to be all right.
* * * * * * * * * *
Vladimir strolled along the path taken by the Mutations he had unleashed on the unsuspecting Rastem who dared to make their way through Erim during the day. He suspected that once they had found their fallen comrade, they would move as soon as possible. He was so certain of it that he had only posted a few guards near their outpost to make sure they actually left, and Tiberius being Tiberius, they did exactly as predicted. He had given those Tepish strict orders not to attack, but to allow them to leave their hole and begin whatever trek they had planned.
The Tepish had long been aware that the Rastem tended to change locations during the day, because the Rastem correctly surmised that the Tepish would be largely unwilling to risk any of their dwindling forces on a day assault. On this day, the Rastem had inflicted some heavy casualties, but as evidenced by the carnage on the path he and his contingency of Tepish, all protected by day travel cloaks, followed through Erim, the Rastem had not anticipated their newest weapon.
The dead Rastem led him to the large, ancient church that dominated the Southwestern quarter of Erim. The shattered window and a Mutation feasting on a nearby corpse told more of the story of Rastem defeat. He heard mutterings from the Tepish behind him, and he knew they were unprepared for this sight. It mattered little to him, though. These Mutations were behaving exactly as he had hoped. The Mutation glanced up briefly at the passing Tepish line, but he only cared for his meal and did not bother them.
Mutation Genesis (The Fempiror Chronicles Book 2) Page 14
