* * * * * * * * * *
The distance from the old mill to the Urufdiam Plateau passed by in an instant. David could think of nothing besides his two passengers, and he knew that he was responsible for this entire situation. If he had only listened, Beth would be safely asleep along with the rest of the town, and Zechariah would be enjoying a victory celebration with the other Rastem and the Elewo of the Dark West. Now, Beth lay unconscious as a Fempiror, and Zechariah was slowly dying. He would be lucky if they let him live upon his arrival.
He approached the Urufdiam Plateau and quickly scanned the walls of caves and openings until he found the one in which they had originally stopped not twenty-four hours ago. This cave was especially significant because the rear of it held a door that opened into the hold that David had taken the Chaser from earlier this evening. He pulled the Cart into the cave and stopped it only inches from the rear wall. He jumped out of the Cart and stood at the rock wall he had opened himself only a few hours earlier.
“Can you hear me?” David called out to the wall. “Please! Tiberius! Ulrich! Anyone!”
The wall opened inward, and David did not pause to see who opened it. He jumped back in the Levi-Cart and flew into the Levi-Cart chamber. A glance behind him revealed that Yori had opened the door. She looked at his passengers for only an instant and then immediately ran out of the room. As David stopped the Cart, he could hear her calling out to Tiberius in the cave. David could feel his stomach leap into his throat as he imagined how badly this would go for him. He lowered the short legs of the Cart and turned off the power, lowering the Cart to the ground.
Seconds later, Tiberius and Ulrich ran into the room. Tiberius looked at Zechariah, and then Beth. David could see Tiberius piecing the situation together before his gaze darkened, and he looked to David. Anger welled behind Tiberius’ eyes such as David had never seen in his life. Tiberius drew his sword and held it before him facing David.
“Get out,” Tiberius said shortly. Fearful for his life, David climbed out of the Cart and stood sheepishly before Tiberius. David glanced back to Ulrich who stood expressionless watching the exchange. Tiberius’ breathing had shallowed considerably as he struggled for words. “I… You had… This…” he said.
“Tiberius—” David began.
“What do you think you can say?” Tiberius exclaimed. “What can possibly explain this?”
“Tiberius…” Zechariah said weakly from the back of the Cart. Tiberius’ gaze shot to Zechariah. He rushed to Zechariah’s side, dropped his sword next to the Cart, took Zechariah’s hand, and looked into his face.
“Old friend…” Tiberius said, sorrow breaking through.
Zechariah opened his eyes and looked at Tiberius. “It was Vladimir,” he said. “He betrayed us.”
David stepped away from the Cart and stood behind Tiberius. Tiberius nodded to David as he moved. “Did he lead you into a trap?”
Zechariah shook his head and chuckled. “No, he is naïve,” Zechariah said. “He changed the girl by coupling with her. I hope you will be able to break him of his insolence.”
Ulrich glanced at David, his expression never changing. At the mention of David having changed Beth, he wondered what thoughts lurked behind those old eyes, but Ulrich revealed nothing. He solemnly walked past David around the front of the Cart to look over Beth, resting in the left side of the front seat of the Cart.
“What about you?” Tiberius asked Zechariah.
“I will not survive,” Zechariah said. “If I had not heard David’s voice, I would have stayed to burn, so no accidents would occur.”
“You’re certain there is nothing we can do?” Tiberius asked.
“I am,” Zechariah said. He smiled at Tiberius. “It’s finally my time.” For the first time since David met him, Tiberius looked to be on the verge of tears.
“Good-bye, Tiberius,” Zechariah said. “Be to him what you were to me. My sword is his.”
“Rest in peace, Zechariah,” Tiberius said gently.
“I finally will,” Zechariah said with a smile and closed his eyes for the last time.
Tiberius continued to hold Zechariah’s hand. He closed his eyes and a tear fell down his cheek. Gently, he lowered Zechariah’s hand, resting it on his late friend’s chest. He rose to his feet and stood next to the Levi-Cart for what felt like a very long time looking at his lost friend.
“Four hundred years we stood together,” Tiberius said, unmoving. “Through everything we had lost, he was the one I was certain would outlive us all. Never was there a Rastem more devoted to the code he helped to create. Never was there a swordsman who could match him. Never was there a heart more selfless than the one that has stopped beating today. Even after he left Erim, I knew we all were a little safer because Zechariah was out there. Never has the Fempiror world experienced a greater loss than this. He was unique. May he be forever remembered.”
The room was silent. Slowly, Tiberius bent down and picked up his sword. He held it without turning for a moment before he sheathed it. He slowly turned to David, who took a step back from Tiberius’ hurt and angry stare. Tiberius took a deep breath to contain his grief before speaking.
“Whatever he saw in you,” Tiberius said, struggling behind his emotion, “it has saved you from me. You are lucky I am sane, and that I honor his memory. I should cut you down where you stand.”
“Yes, sir,” David responded. He could say little else. Tiberius should take his life now, but instead Zechariah had lived long enough to give David into Tiberius’ care. Then to solidify David’s passage into the Rastem way, Zechariah had given David his sword. David knew it would be something he would treasure for as long as he lived, for it was a possession bought at the cost of another’s life. It would be a reminder of what he did wrong these first few days and ensure that he followed the code unfailingly going forward.
“Where am I?” Beth said suddenly in a panic. “Who are you? David!”
In the passing of Zechariah, David had momentarily forgotten his other mistake of the evening. He had taken two lives. He ran to Beth’s side, and Ulrich took a step back to allow David to take Beth’s hand.
“I’m here,” David said gently. She turned to him, fear set deep in her eyes.
“What happened?” she asked. “Where am I? What is going on?”
The older Fempiror stood around silently. It was something else he had to explain, and they were leaving the explaining to him. He was uncertain how to begin. He knew she only barely believed him earlier that evening, and now she had to accept it regardless of what she thought of his story. He knew this would end badly.
“It was an accident,” he said apologetically. “A terrible accident.”
“What was?” she asked, still panicking. “What do you mean? Who are these people?”
“You remember how I told you I couldn’t come home because I changed?” David reminded her. Her expression changed to one of shock and disbelief.
“Yes...” she said hesitantly.
“What we did in the mill changed you,” he said. “I didn’t know it would.”
“What?” she asked, confusion stretching across her face. David closed his eyes, and decided to spout it all out at once.
“You can’t go home,” he said. “You can’t go out into the sun. You are no longer like our family and friends. You are a Fempiror.”
He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was still looking at him, but now her expression had gone completely blank – as if he had told her that her entire family was lost in a terrible accident. Truly, this was not much different. Like a specter, she rose to her feet and walked away from him. She held her hands out as if she were trying to search for the words to say.
“Never go home?” she asked.
“Never,” he responded.
She stood motionless, silently staring at the rock door they had come in and had since been shut. He was not sure whether he should say anything else or not. He glanced around him and the other Fempiror remained
where they had been since Beth awakened. No one offered any assistance or words. They had collectively decided to leave this process entirely to him. Considering how badly he had handled this evening so far, he would have welcomed any ideas they might have to make this easier. He looked at Tiberius specifically, but the old Fempiror did not meet his gaze at all. He looked back to Beth and thought he might offer the positive side of the problem.
“We can be together now, though...” he began, but apparently, this was not what she wanted to hear. She spun around, anger etched on her face.
“Oh, we can?” she said. “Was that the plan? Is that why you came back? I can never see my family, who I cherish above all other things on this earth, but I get you as a consolation prize? What makes you think I want to have you now? You took away everything from me. Everything!”
“Beth, it was an accident!” he said desperately.
“Convenient accident, David!” she yelled. “Oh, I was a fool to pity you and think that we were saying good-bye when the whole time, you were taking me into your net.”
“No, Beth, it isn’t like that,” he said, walking toward her. “I didn’t know. I would never—”
“Get away from me!” she shouted. She turned around and punched David using her newfound strength. It was the last thing David expected, so he took the hit full on, flew across the chamber, hit the opposite wall, and then crashed to the floor. Even still, none of the other Fempiror in the room moved.
Beth watched him for a moment, her hand shaking. Her mouth hung open in disbelief. Finally, she dropped to her knees and bawled into her hands. David rose uneasily to his feet and looked at her. As if sensing that their conversation was over, the room came back to life.
Ulrich moved toward Beth and looked to Tiberius as he knelt beside her. “You are pledged to that one,” he said. “I will care for this one.”
Tiberius nodded. Ulrich gently wrapped his arms around Beth and lifted her easily off the ground. Her tears continued, and she never once glanced at David as Ulrich carried her out of the room and out of David’s sight. David could only watch her go, powerless to prevent Ulrich from taking her. Tiberius walked up behind him.
“We leave tomorrow,” Tiberius said simply, his voice indicating his reluctance to bring David at all.
“What about Beth?” David asked.
“She is in good hands,” Tiberius clipped, and then walked past David into the main cave. David dropped to his knees beside Zechariah’s Cart as everyone else left the room, leaving him completely alone. He knew how it had come to this, and he did not want to believe it. Before he had learned the truth, he had wanted to change Beth so they could be together, and now when he had done it accidentally, he lost her anyway. He closed his eyes, and somewhere through his tears in the lonely air of that room, he had fallen asleep.
* * * * * * * * * *
David stared at the ceiling, still lying on his cot. Tiberius had taken David in and trained him as a Rastem, just as he had promised Zechariah on that night. Once they had left Urufdiam, David had embraced his new life and become one of the best fighters of the Order. Through many, many battles, he had earned the respect and trust of Tiberius as well as the other Rastem who witnessed his mistake ten years ago.
With his head flooded with those memories, David sat up. “I thought that I had forgotten about her,” he said, “but instead, I find that my feelings remain. How is that possible?”
“There are some people you never forget,” Tiberius said. “And some feelings that never change. You haven’t spoken of her since then, and without something to change how you feel, there is no reason to believe your feelings would change. Much like marking your place in a book. You open it up years later, and the story remains the same. You haven’t turned any pages.”
“Is it possible to see her again?” David asked.
“That is not my decision,” Tiberius said with a shrug. “The Elewo keep their positions secret, just as we keep ours. Since the Tepish drove them out of Urufdiam eight years ago, they do not stay in any one place for long. If Ulrich and I had not been meeting, you might have found yourself in a tight spot earlier.”
“But surely you have some way of contacting them,” David insisted.
“We have preset meeting times for which messengers of both disciplines exchange messages.”
“Then I may send a message to her by this route!”
“Now is not the time, David,” Tiberius said, trying to settle David down. “The Tepish are up to something, and our next meeting will determine our course of action. I need you to be there. If you have anything to say, you may do so at that time, though you may find that the time for sending messages has past.”
“I’m supposed to be there?” David asked, surprised.
“Yes,” Tiberius said.
“Why?” David asked. This was very strange indeed. Tiberius had never asked David to attend any of these meetings with Ulrich. With the Tepish attempting to watch their every move, they kept their groups to a bare minimum. Ulrich and Tiberius only kept in touch to share what their groups had learned and then pass that information down into their ranks. In addition, even though David was under the tutelage of Tiberius, it was the place of others considered higher in the Order to accompany Tiberius to the Rastem-Elewo meetings when the need arose.
“Ulrich and I think you may be able to help with this new Tepish problem,” Tiberius said.
“How?” David asked.
“If I tell you now, we wouldn’t need the meeting,” Tiberius responded with a smile. David was not sure how to respond since this type of humor was not Tiberius’ normal method of communication. He was certain something was going on, but he could not begin to fathom what that would be.
“I don’t mean to seem rude, David,” Tiberius said noticing David’s confusion, “but there are some details about this operation that we’ll need to discuss in the meeting this next evening. Ulrich and I have been going over this together for quite some time, and it would be better to be patient and allow us to explain everything when we get there.”
David nodded. What else could he do? Tiberius was not going to tell him any more about it, so all he could do was practice the patience that had never been his friend.
CHAPTER THREE
Test Results
David followed Tiberius through the ruined streets of Erim. Though Tiberius had assured him that the path they were to follow should be safe from Tepish intrusions based on reports from their scouts, they still had to be careful to stay as out of sight as much as possible among the buildings. The effect of the Tepish on the Erim nightlife was painfully clear from this level. Shops that had thrived in Erim for over a century were closed and abandoned.
Tiberius led the way to a shop formerly specializing in Levi-Cart parts that rested quietly in a line of other abandoned shops some distance from the Tepish fortress. The glass in the door to this building, just as with many of the others, was broken, but the Tepish were careful enough to prevent the town from looking entirely abandoned so there was no glass either on the ground outside or on the store’s floor inside. They had even removed most of the actual glass pane with only a few shards showing the window’s fate. Tiberius always insisted on being civilized while entering any of the abandoned businesses, so he opened the front door, and they stepped inside.
All around this shop were empty shelves, long since robbed of its spare parts for the Fempiror’s most prevalent mode of long-range transportation, the Levi-Cart. With Cart specialists either run out of Erim or kept in the Tepish fortress to assist the Tepish alone (whether this be by choice or coercion), normal Fempiror found it difficult to maintain their Levi-Carts, forcing them to resort to horses or just walking.
Tiberius and David walked through the dark, quiet store to the back. Tiberius had told him how to reach this meeting place with the Elewo. It was not elaborate, but David recognized that if he were unaware of how it worked, he would find himself in a tight spot. Tiberius glanced back to the
open storefront, and having confirmed that their presence went undetected, Tiberius put his finger into a small hole in the wooden wall. Suddenly, one of the floor-to-ceiling panels popped loose next to the hole and opened like a door.
The plan was for David to enter first, so he walked around Tiberius toward the darkened hole in the wall. This very narrow opening, only wide enough to accommodate a single Fempiror, held a small ladder that led down to the underbelly of the city. He reached blindly into the darkness and grasped the ladder on the back wall. He stepped across the short gap and climbed down into the darkness below.
Tiberius waited until David was far enough down the ladder, and then stepped onto the ladder as well before closing the panel behind him. What was dark before became black as pitch with the only source of light gone. David continued down the ladder blindly into the darkness hoping every step would touch the ground. Tiberius had said it was not a long climb, but as dark as it was, it seemed like forever.
Finally, David’s foot touched the ground at the base of the ladder. He felt along the wall for the handle Tiberius had described. The area at the base of the ladder was still the claustrophobic tube only large enough for the ladder and a Fempiror. David had heard Tiberius’ footfalls on the ladder cease once David had touched the floor, but David was having trouble locating the handle. Given their situation, he could not communicate with Tiberius, and Tiberius was patiently waiting. The walls were nothing but wood and none of it felt like a door of any kind. He continued to feel up and down the walls and then discovered the door handle behind the ladder. He twisted the handle and the door opened wide beside the ladder into a hallway that was not bright by any measure, but after the darkness of the passage, even the low light blinded him.
“State your purpose,” a voice said as David’s eyes adjusted. “And if you reach for your sword, you will fall before you can draw it.” David kept his hands in front of him, and made no move for his weapon.
Mutation Genesis Page 3
