The Awakened World Boxed Set

by William Stacey

  Angie drew back a portion of the cloth, revealing Nightfall's hilt, and then drew the sword out several inches, exposing the gleaming blue blade and occult markings.

  Rowan nodded. "I suppose if this were a trap, there'd be no need to entice you with your sword. We'd have taken the bait even without it."

  "Doesn't mean it ain't no trap," Casey said.

  "I don't even know where to begin with that double-negative nonsense," Erin said, her lips curled into a slight smile. Casey harrumphed, but his eyes twinkled with amusement.

  The huge walking ape is having fun, Angie realized, shaking her head. Werewolves.

  Erin plopped down on the bed next to Angie and touched her hand. "What do you think?"

  "I think…" She paused, glancing at all of them as they waited. "I think Tavi's legit and she wants to keep her boss's promise. She's taking a hell of a chance doing this. I say we go for it."

  "Supplies and horses?" said Jay. "I like the sound of that."

  "And an unguarded gate," Rowan added. "Seems almost too good to be true. I just don't like doing this without gats."

  "Without what?" Angie frowned.

  He snorted, smiling and shaking his head. "Gats, Angie. Rods, pieces, irons—guns. Jesus, what do you kids learn in these new schools?"

  "Mostly farming and survival, you know, useful stuff," Angie said wearily.

  Casey grunted. "Trust me, Angie-baby, guns are plenty useful." He looked to Rowan. "We can still grab some weapons. Just knock a few guards over the head and borrow theirs."

  "Nuh-uh," Angie snapped, her posture stiffening. "I promised Tavi we wouldn't hurt anyone."

  "I didn't," Casey said bluntly.

  "No, Angie's right," Erin said. "If we just slip away, maybe they let us go. If we hurt someone, they'll have more reason to come after us. Besides, if Tavi is risking her own neck to help us, I think we should keep our word."

  Casey rolled his eyes. "Like I said, we didn't give our word."

  "Angie did," Rowan said. "She may not be family, but she’s one of us now." He used his thumb and forefinger to smooth out the edges of his mustache, a gesture she was beginning to recognize he did whenever he was feeling thoughtful. "If we're moving on to greener pastures, then we're doing it together. All of us."

  Heat colored Angie's cheeks, and she looked down at her hands, grateful.

  Casey sighed, shaking his head. "Fine," he mumbled. "But don't say I didn't warn you when you become a Feral's bowel movement."

  Rowan glanced disdainfully at Casey. "Any Feral eats you is gonna be shitting rocks for a month."

  "What if I said we could do both?" Jay asked softly, staring at his fingernails as if the conversation bored him.

  "What you talkin' 'bout?" Casey asked.

  "Just that I can get into their precious armory. That's all."

  Rowan's eyes narrowed. "Oh, please. Let's hear this."

  Jay looked up, smiling with his eyes. "Armory's on the fourth floor, right?"

  "The same floor that's off limits to us? The one with the armed guards? Yeah, that's right," Rowan said.

  "I can climb to the roof from my room easily enough," Jay said. "We cross the roof then slip into the armory window from the other side. There are no bars or anything on the window, and if you were to walk around the compound right now, you'd see they leave the window ajar, probably 'cause it's so freaking hot."

  "Wait," said Casey, his eyes narrowed. "What makes you so sure you can climb to the roof from your room?"

  "Because I did it last night when you guys took off to go play with the elves."

  Rowan stared at the young man, his expression granite. "You did what?"

  Jay winked. "Easy-peasy lemon squeezy."

  "What does that even mean?" Angie asked.

  Jay shrugged. "Heard it as a kid, thought it was cool."

  Rowan groaned, rubbing his palms over his face.

  "What?" Jay asked in bewilderment.

  Casey snorted and then snaked an arm around his younger brother's neck more quickly than Angie would have thought possible, pulling him in tightly against his chest before using his knuckles to rub the top of Jay's head. "Aren't you the little monkey?" he said, a grin lighting up his face.

  "Oh, knock it off!" Jay said angrily, yanking his head out from under Casey's arm.

  "All right, then," Rowan said. "New plan. Everybody, listen up."

  The decision to escape made, Angie joined the Seagraves in Jay's cramped room. Unlike Angie, all four Seagraves were now barefoot, their boots hanging around their necks by the laces. Jay's room was dark. The window was open, but clouds obscured the stars.

  One of the Seagraves—Rowan, she realized a moment later—bent over and whispered into her ear: "Once we leave this room, no more talking. Not even a whisper."

  "Got it."

  Rowan wrapped something around her neck, securing it in place with a button—one of the same short capes the Brujas mages wore. With Nightfall on her hip, she'd pass for a Brujas mage, at least from a distance. She adjusted the collar and made sure the odd cape didn't get in her way, especially if she had to fight. Seriously, who wears a cape in 2053?

  Another of the Seagraves—Jay, she thought—moved into the open window, climbing through it in a moment. Jay gripped the bricks on the side of the building with fingers and toes and quickly climbed out of sight, as easily as if he were taking a stroll. Her heart thudded wildly as Erin went next, just as quickly climbing out of sight. Angie had imagined they’d use a rope made of twisted sheets or something, but they didn’t need things like that. With their enhanced strength, they could grip and climb just about anything.

  But as fit as Angie was from sword drills, she wasn’t a werewolf. There was no way she'd be able to scale the side of a building in the dark. Didn't they realize that?

  Turned out they did.

  Rowan took her hand and led her to the window. "Need you to trust me, Angie. No matter what, I have you."

  "What? Have me how?"

  Rowan climbed through the open window, hanging on to the frame and turning so she could reach around his neck and hang on to his back. "Try not to choke me, okay? Wrap your legs around my waist."

  "Oh, hell no," she whispered. Her panic swelled as she realized what he wanted. She had never particularly liked heights, but this was crazy. If she fell...

  "I can carry you if you'd prefer," Casey said from behind her. "You're just an itty-bitty little thing anyway. Shit, I can probably toss you up to Jay with one hand."

  "I got her," Rowan said, a hard edge to his tone, and Casey shrugged. In the darkness, Rowan’s eyes flashed silver, just like a wolf’s did when the light reflected from its retinas. It was both reassuring and creepy.

  "I … isn’t there another way?"

  "If it helps, close your eyes."

  She inhaled deeply, filling her chest with air, and nodded. Casey cupped his hands for her, and she climbed out the window, gripping Rowan’s shoulders, neck, and head. He bore the indignity with considerable stoicism. Then she was hanging on to his neck, her boots wrapped around his midsection. She was certain they’d fall.

  Before she could say she was ready, he was scaling the building’s side. Faster than she could have imagined possible, Rowan climbed over the lip of the roof, where Jay and Erin waited. Erin grabbed her shoulder, and Angie’s boots dropped down onto the soft insulated surface of the roof. We made it!

  A generator hummed noisily in the center of the roof, next to a shed that must have led to the top floor. Rowan squeezed her shoulder and then led them over the roof, past old piping and air vents, toward the running generator.

  They were only about ten paces from the generator when bright light flared from the shed's door and it swung open, highlighting a Norteno soldier holding aloft a lantern. Everyone froze, and Erin, standing just behind Angie, gripped her arm, holding her upright. Angie's heart leaped into her throat, and her instincts screamed at her to duck and hide, but a smaller part of her understood what Erin
and the Seagraves were doing. At night, it was sudden movement that drew the eye, and the soldier, even though he was so close, was blinded by his lantern and likely only saw what he expected to see: a generator. A rifle hung over his back, but he turned away from the Seagraves and placed the lantern next to the generator.

  The moment his back was to them, Rowan and the others slowly dropped onto a knee, with Erin gently pulling Angie down as well. The soldier, a thin young man, turned off the generator, and the sudden silence was startling. Angie’s own heartbeat throbbed in her skull, and she was certain the soldier could hear it as well. But he kept his back to them as he checked the generator's oil level, wiping the dipstick on a rag. Then he picked up a sloshing metal jerry can that had been sitting nearby and refueled the generator. His gaze had gone right over Angie and the Seagraves, where they knelt only paces away.

  The sharp tang of diesel fuel wafted through the air. It seemed to take forever for the soldier to refuel the generator, but when he was finally done, he put the can back and restarted the engine. The noise was so loud Angie almost startled in surprise. The soldier whistled as he retrieved his lantern and went back into the shed, illuminating the stairs just before the door closed behind him. Erin released Angie’s arm.

  Rowan rose and motioned the others to follow him. The armory was next to the Brujas TOC on the far side of the large hacienda, but they crossed the roof without further incident. Then they knelt behind the waist-high lip. Angie could just make out the bushes and small trees in the garden below. Rowan tapped Jay's shoulder, and the young man slid over the lip, climbing down to the open window of the arsenal just below. Angie couldn't help with this part, so she knelt silently, her heart pounding, and waited for what felt like an eternity. Then she heard a soft screech of metal from the armory window, and her breath caught in her throat. But there was no further noise. Whatever had just happened, no one else had heard it. She let out her breath, the tension killing her.

  She had always helped plan the missions, never executed them.

  Angie heard a soft hiss come from the window below. Rowan leaned over the side of the building with Casey holding on to his waist. Erin leaned over the building as well, holding on to Rowan’s back and coming up again a moment later with an assault rifle in her hand, which she silently laid on the roof behind her before climbing over Rowan once again. Angie leaned over the side of the building just in time to see Jay, in the open window, hand another rifle to Rowan, who handed it to Erin. Jay waved at her, his lupine eyes flashing.

  In less than a minute, five scoped assault rifles lay together, along with a pillowcase Jay must have taken from his room and then stuffed with magazines and other doodads he felt were worth stealing. Jay climbed back up, dropping down beside them.

  Rowan patted Jay's shoulder as Casey and Erin divided the weapons and ammunition. Everyone took a rifle, including Angie, as well as four magazines each, which they stuffed into their pockets. The weapons already had tactical slings attached, and Angie adjusted hers over her neck and shoulder so that the weapon hung near her hip.

  Then Rowan silently led them back over the roof to the side of the hacienda facing the large stables and rear gate of the compound’s wall. Angie saw no one, but she knew there'd be guards patrolling below.

  Without a word, the Seagraves slid over the roof and began to scale the wall once more. Angie inhaled deeply as Rowan beckoned her closer, knowing what to expect this time. She hung on to his back, her eyes closed, as he climbed out over the roof. He descended so quickly her stomach lurched into her throat. In seconds, he reached the ground, landing softly. She let go and readjusted her rifle and sword as the Seagraves pulled their boots on. She closed her eyes and used her life-sense ability to scan their immediate surroundings. Nothing moved other than small rodents.

  Rowan led them through the hacienda grounds, heading for the stables. As they approached, the smell of horses and manure grew strong, and they heard the soft whinnying of dozens of mounts inside the stables. The Brujas kept more than enough horses here for multiple patrols, she knew. They had watched them departing and returning earlier.

  Rowan reached the large stable doors and slipped inside, and the others followed. Rows of stalls held the horses. While many of the stalls were empty—the animals out on patrols—at least half contained horses. The horses woke and noticed their presence immediately, with several shuffling about and poking their heads out past their stable doors. Others neighed in happy greeting, with more rustling around within their stables. The animals were used to soldiers coming in at all hours of the night, Angie realized. It had been the same at the Home Guard's base. And like the Home Guards' mounts, most of these horses were patrol mounts, accustomed to new riders and long travel, trained to remain calm in the presence of gunfire.

  They checked stall 14 first, and true to Tavi's word, five sets of full saddlebags were hidden under a tarp. They took the horses in the stalls Tavi had recommended, finding saddles and riding gear hanging nearby. The Norties ran a tight military operation, Angie mused approvingly as she approached one of the horses, a mid-sized sorrel mare whose nameplate on her stall identified her as Cobble.

  "Hello, girl," she whispered into the horse's ear, breaking Rowan's instructions this one time. Animals reacted better to soft words, even those trained to accept new riders. Angie threw a blanket over the horse’s back and then lifted Cobble's saddle from its hook, grunting as she hoisted it in place. Cobble stood placidly as Angie secured it.

  As she pulled the billet strap tight, making sure the stirrups were at the right height, Jay swept by, bringing her one of the full saddlebags. She mouthed, "Thank you," and he sped away to tend to his own horse.

  Once they were ready, they led their horses by the reins, walking softly alongside them out of the stables. They skirted the side of the large building, moving around it to the rear, where they’d find the small gate Tavi had promised would be open. Angie came second to last, following Rowan, Jay, and Erin, with Casey bringing up the rear. The animals' hooves thudded noisily, and their harnesses jostled, but patrols likely left at all hours of the night, and the guards must have become accustomed to the noise. Just the same, they moved slowly, stopping often and listening.

  No one challenged them.

  They reached the rear gate, a pair of wide wooden doors trimmed in metal with a padlock holding them closed. Angie found herself holding her breath as Rowan approached and examined the padlock. Then he opened it and lifted it out of place. Tavi might have been a bitch, but she had kept her word. Still, Angie couldn’t help but think she was taking a hell of a chance; someone was going to wonder why the lock hadn't been closed.

  Rowan must have come to the same conclusion, because he snapped the padlock shut in his hand, locking it, and then slipped the first two fingers of his right hand through the lock's U-shaped loop of metal and began pulling on it. You've got to be kidding me, she thought. A moment later, the metal loop snapped open, leaving part of it still wedged in the lock. Rowan tossed it to the ground, where it would easily be found.

  Angie shook her head in amazement, but the others seemed to give the act no mind. Rowan eased the double doors open just wide enough for the horses, and they all went through the gates, leaving the dark and silent compound behind as they slipped out into the sleeping city. Now they just needed to avoid all the patrols and break out of a walled settlement.

  Angie smiled. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy.

  Chapter 16

  Canyon City's streets were dark and empty as Angie and the others made their way toward the city’s wall. As much as possible, they kept to the back alleys and side streets, trying to remain silent and out of sight, but their horses' hooves echoed in the night. On the other hand, from a distance, they’d look like another Norteno patrol, complete with their own Brujas mage.

  Of course, if they ran into a real patrol…

  Erin had taken the lead from Rowan, and Angie rode beside Jay, speaking in a whisper: "Why is Erin in front
?"

  "Better eyesight. Hearing, too. Girl thing, I guess."

  Rowan turned and glared at them, his eyes shining. Got it, Angie thought, looking away. No more talking.

  Rowan's plan was to make their way to the southern maintenance gates that led to the city's pumping station on the nearby river tributary. It would be guarded, of course, but offered their best chance of escape. He was positive they could get over the wall anywhere if they had to—and after watching them scale the Brujas villa, she was certain he was right—but Rowan wanted the horses, which meant they needed to get through a gate.

  Other than cats and a pair of stray dogs, the streets were deserted, but after about ten minutes of slow, cautious travel, Erin had hurriedly motioned them to bring their mounts into an alley and hide. At first, Angie heard nothing, but then a Norteno patrol on horseback clomped down the street they had been on a minute earlier. Angie and the others remained in hiding for long minutes after the patrol passed before coming out again and resuming their passage through the dark city.

  They must have entered an industrial area, because the stench of garbage and sewage became like thick soup. Just inside another alley, Erin dismounted, followed by Rowan. They handed their reins to Casey before slipping down the alley and disappearing. Minutes passed in silence until an alley cat hissed angrily at Angie. Jay bared his teeth and snarled, and the cat bolted.

  Angie's nerves were stretched unbelievably taut. They had been lucky so far, but to slip past the gates with horses seemed impossible. But if they didn’t get out soon, when the sun rose in a few hours, they’d be caught for sure. Maybe Rowan would change his mind and they’d abandon the horses, but somehow, she doubted that would happen. Rowan wasn’t that kind of guy.

  Erin reappeared from the alley and spoke softly to Casey before approaching Angie and Jay. She touched Angie's knee. "Come with me. Leave the horse."

  Angie handed her reins to Jay and dismounted, following Erin. It was too dark to see anything, but Erin reached out and took Angie’s hand, leading her. At the far end of the alley, soft moonlight glinted off a chain-link fence that blocked access to a large open compound—a warehouse, Angie realized.