The Awakening (The Fempiror Chronicles Book 1)

by George Willson

  But there was little time to marvel at his newfound skills. The other two Chasers were just as capable of maneuvering through the trees, and they proved it as one of them settled directly behind the Cart.

  Something clanged against the rear of the Cart, and its speed lurched slightly. David looked quickly behind them to find that the Chaser had a hook attached to the rear of the Cart, and the rider was pulling himself closer. The rope was attached to the Chaser just below the handles in the front where there appeared to be a small compartment large enough for the rope and hook assembly and the compartment blended with the body of the Chaser when closed. Zechariah was already watching the unwelcome visitor closely, waiting for him to close in on them.

  Suddenly, Zechariah leaped from the back of the Levi-Cart and landed on the Chaser, sitting face to face with its rider. The rider was momentarily stunned and provided very little struggle against Zechariah who threw the rider off his Chaser in short order. Zechariah turned himself around, detached the rope from his Chaser, and flew through the trees after the other Chaser, who had been keeping pace off to one side waiting for his partner to capture the Levi-Cart.

  Zechariah drew his sword and settled near the other Chaser on his right. The rider switched his sword to his left hand and was able to fend off the few blows that Zechariah was able to make between the trees.

  Zechariah slowed the Chaser slightly, much to the surprise of the rider, and resheathed his sword. He whipped the Chaser between the trees and settled behind the rider. With a burst of speed, he rammed the Chaser from behind. The rider swerved, but Zechariah stayed tight on his tail. He held his sword at the ready, watching for Zechariah to come again.

  Zechariah sped up and rammed the other Chaser again, but as he hit, he turned to the right, causing the rear of the other Chaser to follow. Through a combination of one hand holding a sword, and the tight concentration of trees, the rider had no chance of recovery. His Chaser spun uncontrollably, crumpling the rider and the Chaser into a tree.

  Zechariah flew to David and signaled for him to slow down. David gratefully complied. Zechariah stopped next to him and stepped off the Chaser. He regarded it for a long moment. David stared at his thoughtful face.

  “What is it?” David asked. “What are you thinking?”

  “I was just considering how useful an extra vehicle might be for us,” Zechariah replied.

  “What’re you going to do with it?”

  Zechariah shrugged. “You never know,” he said. He used the rope and hook that the Chaser’s former rider had used to grab the back of the Cart, and tied the Chaser to the rear of the Levi-Cart.

  When it was secure, Zechariah re-took his place at the controls, turned them around, and flew out of the wood back into the open fields again. Once free of the trees, Zechariah pushed the acceleration to its limit again and steered them west.

  “Cerebdim?” David asked.

  “That’s the plan,” Zechariah answered matter of factly.

  He reached behind the seat and picked up the newly acquired sword. He looked at it for a moment and sighed. Finally, he handed it to David who took it impulsively.

  “This will be yours,” he said. “Tiberius or I will teach you to use it. Traditionally, you would make your own, but we don't have time.”

  David looked at the sheathed sword. He had never seen a fight like this before today, and unlike the non-threatening environment of Tiberius’ padded floor, this was far too real for him. He did not move to remove the sword from its scabbard and looked to Zechariah. “I don't know if I want this,” he said.

  “I know,” said Zechariah. David placed the sword back behind the seat. Zechariah sighed. “If you had not been attacked, you would be at home - safe and ignorant of everything you know now. You are now a part of a different society, and in this time and circumstance, no one has a choice.”

  “It’s not that I don’t appreciate it,” David said. “You have been good to me, but … you have to understand that where I grew up, we had no conflict. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s too much. I didn’t think… I’m a tailor. That’s how I grew up. It was never within my future to kill.”

  “Taking a life is not part of anyone’s future,” Zechariah reassured. “I did not go to Erim to kill. I went to talk. I did not want to do what I had to do. If they had not pursued us, I would not have pursued them. If they had not threatened our lives, I would not have taken theirs. If there was any other path, I would have followed it, but if I had not killed them, they would have killed us.”

  David nodded. Of course, Zechariah was right, but accepting that sword would be accepting something foreign to him. Maybe it took a younger Zechariah time to adjust to the idea of death, but David just could not do it. He had been forced to accept so much in the last couple of days that for the sake of his sanity, he could not deal with this right now. The day might come when he had no choice, and he would accept the life that Zechariah proposed, but at this time, he could not do it.

  Besides, the trip through the trees had been a real eye opener for him. He knew that only a few days ago if someone had placed him at the controls of the Levi-Cart and asked to fly through a grove of trees at that speed, he would have crashed. The thought continued to boggle David’s mind when he considered that only a few days ago, he was completely unaware that something like a Levi-Cart existed.

  The fastest mode of transportation he was aware of before meeting Zechariah was riding on horseback, and horses were a rare occurrence in Hauginstown. No one needed them for anything. There were some farmers on the edges of town who used them occasionally, but more for hitching a cart to them and moving their wares into town. Speed was something unnecessary in his former world.

  He looked back at the land rushing past them. Now speed was a part of his life. A part of a life he was stuck in, but really wanted no part of. A life he was constantly searching for any way to get out of. He knew he could go home, ready by Fempiror standards or not. He was sure they would accept him. He was sure it wasn’t all lost to him forever. He did not want to wait.

  However, looking at the horizon and seeing the first rays of sunlight show themselves, he felt a twinge of panic and really wondered if he could go home with this sort of a problem. He was already learning what it was like to be a Fempiror – to be afraid of the sun. And he began to second-guess himself for the first time.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Fertid

  Zechariah and David walked through the streets of Cerebdim, which were already beginning to show signs of the human populace stirring to do their daily duties. They wore the day travel cloaks, and they had again covered the Levi-Cart to make it look like a covered wagon of goods. So much had happened since they had left Cerebdim, it felt like more than just an evening had passed.

  The people who walked past them gave them hardly a glance despite what David considered to be their odd appearance, but as a point of fact, they looked just like everyone else. Besides the strange floating vehicle they pulled behind them, Zechariah and David could be anyone in their dark cloaks, and these people were probably used to seeing Fempiror come into their town to the safe house run by the Fempiror, Ildritch, whether they realized it or not. As another point of fact, regular people probably stayed there with remarkable regularity and thought nothing of the covered windows.

  He wondered if there was a family in Cerebdim who knew the loss his family must be feeling at this time. Had that son ever returned to tell his family the truth? Do they still wonder if he’s out there somewhere? Or was that son taken by the Tepish that Zechariah so worried about, never to return? Was he truly dead? Did Zechariah kill him last night?

  Zechariah did not kill Tepish last night, though. He had killed members of the police force in Erim: just simple people doing their job to protect a town from the lunatic ravings of a madman. Zechariah was fully convinced that this was all the work of a faction called the Tepish – a faction deemed dead and gone by nearly everyone except Zechariah and his sm
all circle of friends. David wondered if he was on the right side or not.

  The pair walked into the alley that concealed the large door to the side of the Rastem Safe House. Zechariah walked directly to the well-worn spot on the wall and knocked. As before, the door opened to admit them and the Levi-Cart. Zechariah stowed the Cart, and then he and David removed their day travel cloaks and stored them in the Levi-Cart before moving quickly into the common room.

  Ildritch looked up at them and then directed their gaze to Tiberius, waiting for them at a table. Tiberius looked amused more than anything else, which David found surprising considering the mess that Zechariah had created. He wondered if this would affect Tiberius and his Art of Jijunga business that rested in the heart of Erim.

  They sat with Tiberius, and Zechariah briefly explained everything that had transpired since they left the council room. Tiberius said nothing but only nodded thoughtfully. As Zechariah spoke, Ildritch brought them all food and drink. Finally, when Zechariah finished with the chase through the trees, Tiberius smiled.

  “Well, it looks like you really stirred them up last night. Good show.”

  Zechariah shook his head in frustration. “I cannot believe how thick they are to sit there so blindly,” he said, trailing off.

  Tiberius shrugged. “It is a worthless venture to ponder their motives anymore,” he said. “I often wonder who they work for.”

  “What does Vladimir think?” Zechariah asked.

  “Ask him when he arrives,” Tiberius said, chasing his words with a drink.

  The door from the Levi-Cart storage opened and Vladimir entered, dressed in his day-travel cloak over blue breeches and waistcoat with white stockings and shirt.

  “Zechariah, you crazy malklek!” he exclaimed, not even waiting for a greeting. “Do you have any idea what the Council went through after your little display?”

  “Ask me if I care,” Zechariah said shortly.

  “You killed several of Erim's security force,” Vladimir went on. “You know how serious a crime that is. How can I protect you when you’re doing things like this?”

  “Do you know how infuriating it is to be wanted for upholding the Code we've used for over three hundred fifty years?” Zechariah asked in return, not even bothering to stand in welcome. Vladimir did not break his anger or his gaze with Zechariah.

  “I could lose my position for just talking to you,” Vladimir said walking to the table.

  “I hope you do. It's certainly not worth keeping. The Council no longer desires peace, despite its lofty claims.”

  “You cannot achieve peace by inciting war.”

  “You can, however, find yourself in a war by claiming peace. You can't reason with the Tepish. You can't sign a treaty. They will see your indecision and docility and take over. You don't get peace when you take no action. You get annihilation.”

  “That's a rather cold outlook.”

  “It's reality. I won't feign peace when it does not exist.”

  Silence enveloped the company. Vladimir still stood near them, holding Zechariah’s stare, as if they were trying to stare each other down.

  Finally, Tiberius cleared his throat. “Well, Vladimir,” he said uncomfortably, “welcome. We appreciate your presence.”

  “We need to find their home area,” Zechariah said, not acknowledging Tiberius at all.

  Suddenly, the main entry door to the common room slammed open. The door appeared to lead to the outside, though there was a small foyer of some kind to separate the outside door from this inner room. In the doorway stood a Fempiror in a day-travel cloak, but the cloak was torn and cut in several places, and David could see where the sun had burned the Fempiror’s skin. The newcomer’s face was dirty and burned as well, but he did not appear to be much older than David’s oldest brother was, unlike the majority of the Fempiror David had met to this point.

  The Fempiror took a few deep breaths as he looked around the room at the surprised faces that beheld his appearance and then collapsed onto the floor. Ildritch was at the stranger’s side in an instant along with Tiberius, Zechariah and several of the other patrons from the common room.

  “Zechariah, would you carry him for me?” Ildritch asked. “I’ll get a room key.”

  Zechariah nodded and effortlessly lifted the stranger from the ground as Ildritch ran behind the counter and took a key from his rack of room keys.

  “Follow me,” Ildritch said moving ahead of Zechariah.

  They entered the hall of rooms, and Ildritch opened the first one. Zechariah carried the stranger in and set him down on the bed. Ildritch was already out of the room when David, Tiberius, and Vladimir entered. Zechariah tore the day-travel cloak from the stranger and set it off to one side.

  The stranger had blonde hair that ran just past his shoulders, and he was dressed in black clothing similar to Zechariah’s that had been sliced even worse than his cloak exposing the skin underneath which seemed to be equal parts burned and cut. On his wrists and ankles were dark metal gauntlets that had many fresh grooves in them from whatever he had experienced before getting to Cerebdim.

  Ildritch returned carrying water and bandages. Zechariah stood back to allow Ildritch to work, ready in case Ildritch needed any help.

  “What do you think?” Tiberius asked Zechariah.

  “He looks like an Elewo,” Zechariah said with a considerable amount of surprise in his voice while never taking his eyes from the stranger.

  Ildritch looked up in surprise. “Really?” he asked. “They haven't been seen since the Tepish came about.”

  “I know,” Zechariah said, “but look at him.”

  Vladimir nodded thoughtfully. “His garb does resemble the old order,” he said.

  “…and he doesn't have a weapon,” Zechariah pointed out.

  “He might have lost it,” Tiberius suggested.

  “Or it was taken from him,” Ildritch added. Zechariah seemed unmoved by the suggestions.

  “Tiberius,” Zechariah said, “do you know where the Elewo are supposed to be these days?”

  “No,” Tiberius replied. “When they left, I heard they settled in some caves in the mountains out west.”

  “The mountains out west near Hauginstown?” Vladimir asked in surprise. “Isn’t that where—“

  “It's near where I suspected the buildup of Tepish forces twenty-five years ago,” Zechariah finished.

  “Perhaps he escaped,” Ildritch suggested.

  “We need to go there,” Zechariah said with that sense of urgency he always seemed to have in his voice.

  Tiberius shook his head. “Zechariah, we can't assume every attack is Tepish related,” he said. “We also can't assume this Fempiror is an Elewo. It's a full night's journey to those mountains, and we don't even know which one the Elewo are supposed to be in.”

  Zechariah could not be dissuaded “Then we wake him up and find out,” he said, turning to the sleeping stranger.

  Ildritch suddenly stood in his way. “This Fempiror is my guest,” Ildritch said with no humor in his voice, “and he needs to sleep. I will not have you disturbing him.”

  Vladimir put his hand on Zechariah’s shoulder. “We'll wait,” Vladimir said to Ildritch.

  “Get some rest,” Ildritch said. “All of you. I'll let you know if he says anything.”

  “Agreed,” Tiberius said, nodding. “If our destination is beyond Hauginstown, then we'll need our energy. The last part of a journey like that will be in day-travel cloaks. There are no safe houses out there.”

  * * * * * * * * * *

  The stranger woke up some time later. They had elected to sleep in a room with several single beds in it, so Ildritch could inform them all at the same time. When Ildritch had let them know, it seemed as if no one had slept. David followed the three old Rastem as Ildritch led them back to the stranger’s room.

  “He’s still very weak,” Ildritch explained, “but he insisted on telling someone what had happened.”

  “Is he from the mountai
ns?” Zechariah asked.

  Ildritch shrugged. “He mentioned a plateau, but I don’t know for sure,” he said. “I’ve been here for so long; I don’t rightly know where anything is anymore. You can judge for yourself when you speak to him.”

  Ildritch had told the truth about the stranger’s state. He was awake, and he was sitting up, but he did not look the least bit recovered from his ordeal. As they all entered his room, he regarded each of them with the utmost seriousness. His face betrayed no emotion, bad or good, at the Fempiror who gathered to hear his story.

  Ildritch had placed four chairs in the room. Zechariah, Tiberius, and Vladimir sat down immediately. David glanced at Ildritch who gestured for him to sit. He did and the stranger seemed to regard him the most seriously of all. He looked away from David across each of their faces.

  “My name is Fertid,” he said. “I am of the Dark West Fempiror who reside in the Urufdiam Plateau. Do you know where this is?” The three Rastem nodded solemnly. David only listened.

  “The numbers of our guests are now overwhelming, and though they profess peace, we have learned differently. Five there were that the Deldral of the Dark West charged to find those who can help us, but they learned of our plan, and only I escaped in one of their Levi-Carts.

  “Wounded as I was, they did not give up the chase. Four of their warriors chased me on their own Cart, so I locked my controls to continue my forward momentum and face them.

  “Their first warrior leaped across the gap to my Cart, and though he was armed with a sword, I defeated him easily. He fell from the back of my Cart to the ground, but the next two followed quickly in his stead.

  “Two against one was a more difficult battle, but my superior training shone through. I threw the second warrior from my Cart, but the third was more difficult. It was during this battle that I discovered we were on a course for a series of rocks bordering the side of the mountain.