The Awakening (The Fempiror Chronicles Book 1)

by George Willson

  “But that’s what you said,” she said and then turned away from him to focus on their path again before he could respond. The light changed ahead of them; the passage was coming to an end.

  They emerged into a room identical to the one they had left complete with the bed and nightstand. They looked around for a moment, disoriented. Zechariah did not believe that they had circled around, and he was certain Yori would have noticed a significant curve in their path.

  “This looks familiar,” Yori said, stating what they were all thinking.

  “Illusionary trick,” Zechariah said. “It would have been more successful without the dead soldiers left behind.”

  “I see,” Kaltesh said.

  “Let’s go,” commanded Tiberius.

  They exited the room into another plain rock hall. A large boulder, which barely fit inside the passage, blocked one end of the hall. They walked cautiously to the open end of the hall and found that of the three directions normally open, more boulders blocked two of them leaving them with only one direction.

  Tiberius chuckled. “I'll have to say this is the most blatant trap I've ever seen,” he said as they walked past the blocked halls towards their unknown destination.

  “You know, if,” Kaltesh began, and then changed his mind, “when we get ambushed, there's nowhere to go.”

  “If you don’t stop observing the obvious,” Yori told him, “you won’t get your first live battle experience.”

  “I’m just saying,” Kaltesh replied.

  “Focus,” Tiberius said. “we don’t know yet what we’re walking into.” Zechariah was certain that Tiberius would have chosen Kaltesh and Yori well, but having heard that what lay ahead of them could be their first live battle, he was concerned. An assault in a practice room was quite different from a battlefield attack.

  They came to the end of their predetermined path, stopping about fifteen feet from a doorway and looked across the massive room they’d seen while entering at floor level, but this time, the room was fully lit showing off its sheer immensity.

  The room was easily two hundred feet from one wall to another and almost a perfect circle. Exits rested along the walls at roughly ten-foot intervals providing more avenues of entrance and escape than Zechariah cared to consider. From their vantage point, Zechariah was unable to see what surprises the upper level afforded, but he was unwilling to move any closer or he would risk being seen by whatever awaited them.

  David sat in an oversized chair in the dead center of the room, held in place by what appeared to be japrinsa: a light, thin rope strong enough to hold a Fempiror. David did not appear to be injured, but instead of looking for help, he stared at the ceiling with a gag in his mouth. Zechariah turned to the others, also assessing the situation.

  “I’m open to suggestions,” Tiberius said quietly, not taking his eyes from David or the room ahead.

  Zechariah shook his head. “I have none,” he said.

  “What are we up against?” Yori asked, trying to see beyond what sightlines they had.

  “David looks alone in there,” Tiberius said, “but he's probably surrounded by every Tepish in the place.”

  Zechariah nodded. “What are they expecting?” he asked, truly wondering if anyone else had seen something like this before. “This is an unusual enough setup,” he continued. “Based on the warriors I came up against back at the room, they’re pitting inexperience against us, and I imagine they know that.”

  “That would mean we’re against numbers enough to overwhelm us if we’re not careful,” Tiberius said.

  “Do you think they will expect us to try and sneak around?” Zechariah asked.

  “That's fair to assume,” Tiberius agreed.

  “But what if they assume that we assume they assume we'll sneak around,” Kaltesh began, drawing Tiberius’ and Zechariah’s attention, “and assume we won't sneak around because we assume they're ready for us to sneak around. Should we sneak around anyway like they may assume we won't or come in behind them like they assume we will?” Tiberius and Zechariah stared at Kaltesh for a long moment and then looked at each other, assessing what Kaltesh said.

  “He makes a good point too,” Zechariah said with a shrug.

  “What if we just run in there, grab him, and run out,” Yori finally suggested. She sounded frustrated, but interestingly, this suggestion was the best yet. They would expect the old warriors to overthink the situation, making the impulsive action the best suggestion.

  He looked across at David’s tiny prison, their young captive left alive to give them a glimmer of hope when none was intended. They could cross the distance in an instant and have David free before the Tepish realized their presence. But they were facing off against Fempiror, so once the Tepish saw them, it would be a battle to get out the way they came, which was the safest route since they knew it.

  Tiberius stepped up behind Zechariah. “Let’s go.” Zechariah nodded.

  The four Rastem ran full speed into the wide-open room. The distance felt like a mile as they ran, waiting for the pendulum to drop and crush them. They reached David without a soul entering the room. Tiberius worked on untying the japrinsa as Zechariah, Yori, and Kaltesh stood around him, watching the room. They could see now that the path they had followed earlier around the upper level did not circle the entire room. The far side of that level also contained exits and a ledge around which many warriors could stand.

  Zechariah saw the entire scenario in his mind: swordsmen on the floor ... archers in the balconies. He prayed they would be fast enough to deflect the onslaught. He glanced back to Tiberius as Tiberius released David’s bonds and removed the gag.

  “It’s a trap!” David exclaimed.

  “Of course it is,” Tiberius said with a smile.

  And then, Zechariah’s scenario began. Swordsmen emerged from the myriad of entrances around the chamber dressed in the signature red and black armor, their thin, light swords at the ready before them as they charged their prey.

  On the upper-level archers appeared, each nocking an arrow as they stepped forward. With David released, the five of them ran for the way they had come before the way was blocked by a multitude of swordsmen. An arrow sailed past them. They looked to the balcony.

  The archers released a swarm of arrows on them. With lightning speed and accuracy, they blocked every one that was marked for them with their swords and gauntlets as David hid among them. Several went astray and hit the Red and Black warriors, who had not made their armor to deflect the projectiles.

  The swordsmen rushed in to attack the Rastem following the barrage of arrows. A fierce battle ensued between the four experienced fighters and the Red and Black Fempiror. The fighting was unbelievably fast. Swords clashed and the speed and accuracy of the gauntlets on the four fighters' arms and legs blocked the blows that tried to break through their swords.

  The archers fired again. Parrying blows with one hand, the four fighters split their concentration and blocked the incoming arrows with their gauntlets and dodging.

  An arrow found its mark in Yori's arm. She yelled and feinted to one side, a sword just missing her. She recovered quickly, and with the arrow sticking out, she carried on.

  Zechariah glanced to the upper level. As the archers prepared another volley, several warriors emerged and took them down. The new fighters were all clad in a soft black material with gauntlets on their wrists and ankles. Dark masks obscured their faces. Zechariah called to Tiberius who spared a glance to the upper level where the archers had turned their attention to the new warriors that invaded their lines.

  “Could it be...?” Tiberius asked rhetorically.

  Several of the warriors, armed with nothing except their hands and feet, jumped down to the lower level and assisted the four Rastem in dispatching the red and black warriors that continued to pour into the gathering chamber in almost endless numbers.

  More of the black clad warriors joined the fray, which allowed the Rastem and David to make their way back
to the hallway that led them into the trap. A larger dark warrior took the lead running down the hall while another smaller one took the rear guard with Kaltesh. The red and black warriors swarmed out of the chamber behind them while others were detained by the influx of other dark clad warriors from the upper level jumping down to greet them before they could leave the room.

  The small detachment moved quickly down the hall and passed the room with the passage that had brought the Rastem to David. Tiberius called out to their leader as he reached the boulder that blocked the passage beyond the rooms.

  “We're not going back through here?” Tiberius asked, pointing to the room.

  “Too obvious,” the dark warrior replied in a deep voice. “We must choose another path.”

  “We don’t have a lot of options,” Kaltesh pointed out. The Dark Warrior approached the boulder blocking the hallway, put his hands together, and dropped his head in rapt concentration. Sounds from the pursuing Red and Black warriors filled the hall. Zechariah, Kaltesh, and Yori stood with their swords at the ready at the back of the line.

  With a shout, the Dark Warrior slammed his fist through the boulder, smashing it into pieces. He regained his calm stance. The others looked on in awe.

  “Only an Elewo could,” Tiberius began, but the Dark Warrior held up a hand.

  “We must continue,” he said simply and ran forward. The group ran behind him through the maze of corridors. The Dark Warrior took lefts and rights seemingly at random, and it was doubtful that even Yori could keep up with the rapid rate he was selecting directions to find any pattern to it.

  Zechariah could hear the force now. A large part was following them, but he could hear them through the walls all around them. They had roused the Tepish within Urufdiam, and the Tepish were coming for the Rastem and their mysterious helpers. The Dark Warrior finally stopped in the middle of a long hallway with no apparent doors or openings.

  “What are we doing?” Yori asked desperately. She, Kaltesh, and Zechariah fanned out again to defend both sides of the group along with the other black-clad warrior who remained silent. Zechariah hoped that whatever this Dark Warrior had planned, he would do it quickly.

  The Dark Warrior looked both ways and then opened a hidden door. The group filed in and the Dark Warrior closed the door behind them.

  Inside the room, everyone held still and silent. They heard the sounds of feet shuffling by outside the invisible door, and then it was silent again. The room they had come into was a wide chamber that led to another hallway beyond. David slumped to the floor, exhausted. Fempiror or not, this was undoubtedly more activity than he was used to in a day. But then, this was more activity than Zechariah was used to as well, and the battle winded him along with everyone else. It did not help that no one had gotten much, if any, sleep before the Tepish took David.

  “I was beginning to think this place was all halls,” David gasped.

  “I have a lot of questions,” Tiberius said.

  “I know you do, but we are not free yet,” the Dark Warrior said.

  “Can you give us an idea as to what’s going on?” Tiberius asked him.

  “I had hoped to tell you when we spoke,” the Dark Warrior said and removed his mask.

  Behind the dark mask was the wisdom-lined face of Ulrich, the Deldral of the Dark West. Zechariah finally recognized him from the Elewo so many years ago. He was not the leader of the Elewo army, but one of its soldiers such as Zechariah was. They had both been present at the meeting of the Rastem and Elewo back then, and he remembered Ulrich being not much older than he was. Zechariah looked to Tiberius, who apparently recognized him as well.

  “So the Elewo have not forgotten their style,” Tiberius said with a smile. “I thought I recognized your face.”

  “And I yours, Tiberius of the Rastem,” Ulrich replied. “No, we have not forgotten. We are what we always have been. However, I must explain later. The Tepish have overrun this place, and we must leave. Follow me.” Ulrich ran down the passage. David groaned as he got up, and Zechariah could feel his pain, but they ran together behind Ulrich with the others down the passage.

  Ulrich moved quickly through the passages. The Rastem and even his fellow Elewo had to maintain quite a pace to keep up with him. Tiberius and Zechariah came up right behind Ulrich, and Ulrich glanced over to them.

  “So Fertid got through,” Ulrich said.

  “He did,” said Zechariah. “He recovered enough to tell of his escape, but we didn't get much else out of him. Only that he came from here.”

  “How do you propose to escape this?” Tiberius asked.

  “Are there just the five of you?” Ulrich asked.

  “We had six,” Tiberius said. “One of our number is missing. The youngest is unskilled.”

  “Then it is plain to me that this battle must be left for another day,” Ulrich said. “The Tepish have been bringing in many warriors, and I do not feel we can stand against their numbers.”

  “Where did they all come from?” Zechariah asked.

  “Everywhere,” Ulrich replied. “They solicited us after you drove them from their base twenty-five years ago. We gave them refuge and left them alone. They have been building their numbers ever since, and only after they took over our home did we take notice. Before then, we paid them no mind, nor did they pay any to us.”

  Ulrich stopped at a dead end. He pressed a part of the wall, and a door opened into another corridor. He ran in and his accompanying Elewo closed the passage behind them leaving no trace of a doorway.

  “We can walk for now,” Ulrich said. “I’m sure you must be tired. This passage is unknown to the Tepish as far as my knowledge goes. It should be safe.” He walked onward down the passage.

  “Where are we going?” David asked.

  “Can I assume you left your transportation in the cave near the entrance?” Ulrich asked.

  “We did,” replied Tiberius.

  “We are going there,” Ulrich said. “This mountain is littered with passageways, most of them we carved during our stay here over the last four hundred years.”

  They walked for a few minutes before the hall opened into a massive natural cave. Sunlight streamed in through minuscule openings across one of the walls and reflected through a series of crystal formations on the ceiling, which served to illuminate the cave brilliantly and beautifully. Even Zechariah, through all his years, was mesmerized by the beauty that met his eyes.

  Ulrich led them on a path leading through the cave that contained a large number of dark clad warriors, some of which showed injuries from the recent fight.

  “The Tepish do not know of this area,” Ulrich said. “We were careful to keep some things secret from them. They know of passages between the rooms, but not of any others. There are many ways into this cave, and my Elewo will find their way here.”

  They reached the far end of the chamber where several Elewo were waiting.

  Ulrich turned to Yori. “You'd best have that wound mended,” Ulrich said. “See Ghasta over there; he's one of our medics. He'll take care of you.”

  Yori bowed to him. “Thank you,” she said and walked over to an Elewo who had approached them as soon as they had stopped.

  Ulrich turned back to the other four. “Your transports have been brought into our own hold which is behind the cave,” he said. “Another doorway you did not see in the cave leads into here.”

  Zechariah nodded. He could not help but wonder how many different passages they had passed since they had arrived. Ulrich pointed to a smaller chamber just off the main cave in which they could see a series of beds.

  “Please accept our true hospitality,” Ulrich said. “Rest. Take some food and drink. You will need your strength before another day and night are passed.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Before The Storm

  Zechariah rested on one of the beds, his eyes open as he stared at the cave ceiling. David was one of the first people to go to sleep, which came as no surprise to anyone. He had
not been a Fempiror but for a few days, and Zechariah had forgotten that the body continues its transmutation for several days after the initial change causing the new Fempiror to be more tired than he might normally be.

  Yori had also fallen asleep quickly to allow her body to heal. The wound did not cut deep, and she said she could fight later if needed, but he knew they would wait and see about that. He, Tiberius, and Kaltesh had followed suit soon after.

  Zechariah had not rested long, but then, he never really did. Even when he was human, he did not require a great deal of sleep, no matter how long he stayed awake, and this habit had followed him after his transmutation. He was awake, and sleep was not going to take him again for some time.

  What he was considering was David’s tale of what happened to him after the two Tepish had taken him from his room. They had pressed David for this before they allowed him to sleep, and he had been more than willing to tell what he knew.

  “Four of them were standing around my bed when I woke up,” David had said, “but two of them stayed behind when you came in. The other two carried me through a long hall, out through another room that looked like mine, and into that big room where you found me. You saw how they tied me up in the middle of that room.”

  They had nodded to this, and David continued. “Waiting for me in that room was the man that was with Ulrich in his throne room,” David said, and Tiberius recalled his name as Nikolai. “Yes, Nikolai walked up to me and said, ‘Welcome to my world.’ Since I couldn’t move or speak, I just looked at him as he walked around me.

  “‘Oh don’t bother to struggle,’ he said. ‘Your life will end soon enough.’ I tried to break the ropes, but I guess I’m not as strong as you said I was.” At this point, Zechariah had pointed out that their strength has a limit, and the Fempiror had fashioned japrinsa in the early days to hold Fempiror prisoners captive. Fortunately, japrinsa was only made to hold prisoners, so it is easy enough for captors to untie it, which is how Tiberius was able to free him so easily.