The Awakening (The Fempiror Chronicles Book 1)

by George Willson

  “David?” a voice said from beside the statue. David froze and looked to the source of the voice, which he recognized at once. Abraham Barber stood in the rising moonlight staring at David through shocked eyes. Abraham looked frightened more than any other expression, which surprised David since his reappearance after having simply disappeared should have elicited a more positive response. David smiled at the sight of his friend, though, since this allowed him to see both of his dearest friends before he would leave them forever.

  “Abraham,” David said. They ran towards each other and embraced, laughing with joy at seeing each other again. Abraham broke first and took a step back, suddenly concerned.

  “My God, you are cold,” he said. The observation came as no surprise to David, but he did not know how he felt to other people. He knew he was colder, and he felt how warm Abraham was compared to him.

  David finally just nodded. “It’s a long story,” he said.

  “What happened to you?” Abraham asked excitedly. “Where have you been?”

  “I’ve been changed,” David replied. “I can’t explain everything. It’s too much.”

  Abraham looked confused. “Changed?” he said. “I don’t understand.” David did not want to spend a lot of time explaining this to Abraham when his time was so limited.

  “Physically, I’m different,” he said, and hastily added when Abraham continued to look concerned, “but I’m still the same person you’ve always known.”

  “Physically different?” Abraham asked, locking on to the point of David’s change. David saw no point in hiding the bottom line from his friend.

  “I'm a Fempiror,” David said, knowing Abraham would never have heard the word before and would not know what it meant either. “We're stronger, faster, and live much longer than regular humans.” He considered that he should not have referred to non-Fempiror as regular humans since that really separated him from Abraham and the rest of the town, and Abraham would not understand this at all. Yet, maybe it would help his imminent departure if he emphasized how different he was.

  “Regular humans? You mean me?” Abraham clarified, hitting the point dead on.

  “Yes,” David said. “I'm not like you. Not anymore.” Abraham’s stance changed noticeably. He no longer had the openness he had shown when he had first seen David. Now, he looked like someone confronting a stranger.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, and again, David had no reason to hide his purpose.

  “I want to talk to Beth,” he said.

  “Why?” Abraham asked as he moved to block David’s path toward Beth’s house. David considered that this might be more difficult than he originally thought, but he also did not plan on meeting anyone, especially Abraham.

  “It’s personal,” David said. David saw that Abraham was not going to be receptive to him, just as Zechariah had said. He had told the truth to his closest friend, and Abraham's reaction proved that Zechariah was right. He needed to talk to Beth and leave Hauginstown forever.

  “You need to tell me why,” Abraham insisted.

  “It doesn't concern you,” David replied.

  “Pardon me, David,” Abraham said, “but we buried you yesterday, and I would like to know why you want to see Beth... especially if you're no longer ‘like me.’ What are your intentions?”

  David blinked. Buried him yesterday? That would explain Abraham’s surprise at his return, but whom did they bury? There was only one explanation: the Tepish. They had found what remained of the Tepish at sunrise and assumed it was David. He looked back at Abraham.

  “I know this is a surprise, and I’m not going to stay. I just want to talk to her,” David said.

  “You don't belong here anymore,” Abraham clarified. “You're now what this town has been hunting for to atone for your death and that of old Ben, aren’t you? Who is buried in your grave?”

  “The one who changed me, I suppose,” David said with a shrug.

  “How do I know you didn't kill him?” Abraham asked. This was a confusing point. After all, Zechariah had killed that Tepish because of him, but now Abraham was going to try David for the punishment of a capital crime in another society? It was all too much to consider at the moment, especially when he was bound to have some angry Fempiror on his own tail at any moment.

  “I have killed no one. Why would I?” David said.

  “But I can't trust you,” Abraham declared.

  “Abraham,” David pleaded, “I am the same David you've known all your life.”

  “No, you're not,” Abraham insisted. “You're cold. You disappeared, and now you come back and say you're different. How can you be the same and different?”

  “I don't have time for this right now,” David said and walked around Abraham towards Beth’s house. Abraham reached out and grabbed David by the arm. David stopped and looked at him.

  “I'm not letting you get close to her,” Abraham said.

  David looked at Abraham with as much compassion as he had within him. “I don't want to hurt you,” David said.

  Abraham tried to throw a punch at David, but David dodged the blow more easily than he ever thought possible. He pushed Abraham down.

  David walked toward Beth’s house again, but Abraham jumped in his way, trying to hold him back. David lifted Abraham off the ground and tossed him against the base of the statue. Abraham remained unmoving where he had landed. David never intended that.

  He ran to his friend’s side and knelt beside him. Abraham was still breathing, so David did not kill him. He saw a tear run down Abraham’s face to the ground. David touched his face gently, a great sadness filling him from within.

  “Forgive me ... old friend,” David said softly. He rose to his feet and walked swiftly toward Beth’s house again, hoping the rest of the night would go more smoothly.

  He approached her house and walked around to the north side where her room was. The house was dark, but her window was open. He considered whether he should knock first, but his appearance would be enough of a shock, especially since they think he is dead and buried. He climbed in through her window.

  He looked around her bedroom to the collection of family items she had from clothes to the painting she had started earlier this year. She said she had to leave his face off until they announced themselves, and at the time, they had not made any plans. He had only been here once before and had also entered through the window since a boy’s presence in a girl’s bedroom was very much frowned upon. Looking at the painting again, she had finished it with his face. Had she done it that night? Perhaps she had done it after he died to make sure she remembered him. It was perfect.

  He looked to her bed and saw her sleeping on her side on top of the bedclothes. She was not dressed in nightclothes, however, and he wondered if that was part of her mourning. She wore the dress that she had worn the night he was changed. It was a simple work of her own design for the summer in soft shades of blue and white. She had shown it off to his father and mother, and they declared she had all the skills of a Taylor. It was to be ironic she was going to join their family one day, but those dreams were now in the past.

  He looked at her sleeping face in the dim light coming in through the window. Her eyes were red and puffy; it looked like she had cried herself to sleep. He touched her pillow, and it was wet to the touch proving his idea correctly. It broke his heart to see her this way, and he almost left immediately. Would this meeting really help her, or would it set her back again?

  Perhaps it would be a comfort to her that he was alive, he thought. That thought was enough to drive him forward to what he came here to do.

  “Beth,” he said softly, maintaining his stance near her. Her eyes shot open and looked up at him. She looked frightened.

  “Who are you?” she said in a whisper more of fright than secrecy. He leaned in closer to her. She studied his face. Recognition slowly came into her eyes. She touched his face with her hands. Her breathing quickened. Tears came to her eyes. A smile broke
on her face.

  “David?” she said softly. With a joyful gasp, she leaped out of bed into his arms. He held her weight easily as she buried her face into his. They kissed more passionately than they had ever done before. All the fears he had harbored were gone in an instant, and all the words and cautions of Zechariah melted away in the gentle moonlight and the warmth of her lips against his.

  “David,” she said before kissing him again, “my dear David, what happened to you?” Then concern pierced her brow as she noticed she was still off the ground in his arms, and he was not struggling at all. She lowered her feet, and he released her gently to the floor. “Why are you so cold?” she asked.

  “It's a long story,” David said. A snore echoed through the house from her parents’ bedroom. “Will you come with me?” he asked. “We can talk elsewhere.”

  She looked at him sidelong. “Is it safe?” she asked, and David said the one thing he knew he could promise.

  “I'll protect you.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Discoveries

  Zechariah moved through the halls of the Urufdiam Plateau with the other Rastem, Ulrich, and the Elewo clearing the last remaining Tepish after they had gotten rid of Nikolai. Most of the Tepish fled freely before their onslaught, and since they were victims more than they were fighters, the Elewo allowed them to go. Some surrendered, and the Elewo accepted their surrender.

  Most of the Tepish they encountered after the power chamber had been changed so recently, they did not even wish to fight. It served to prove their fears of a fierce battle groundless. They learned that surrender was a common theme once the young Tepish found out what kind of force they were up against, and that Nikolai had lied to them about the evil of their home’s current inhabitants.

  Their stories were all very similar. Like David, they had all been out at night, and someone had attacked them. Their attackers had removed them from their home and forced into the Tepish way for a few days until they got homesick. At that time, the Tepish allowed them to return home. This was a variation on the Tepish way as historically, they just left their victims where they were or placed them in a safe place to allow their own people to find them. It was only after their people rejected them that the Tepish had taken them for it was common among humans to despise what they do not understand. This time, they had given them a place to return to, and the majority of them returned angry for being misunderstood. The Tepish cared little for those that failed to return, but some of the new Fempiror had seen them die in the sunlight or killed by their own town who felt they were demons or similar.

  With those images to go on, the new Fempiror were angry and willing to help the Tepish in whatever they wished to do. After all, they were outcasts with nothing else to live for but this new way of life. However, since they were so new, they were more than willing to listen to the Elewo and wished to change sides to something more peaceable. To the Elewo, it was encouraging to hear how unfounded their fears turned out to be, though they did hear reports of some Elewo being killed.

  After their arrival back in the crystal caves, the Elewo assembled again as they had done before with Kaltesh, Yori, and Zechariah standing before the only slightly diminished Elewo warriors. Joining them were a large number of Fempiror still in Tepish gear who had pledged their allegiance to the ideals of peace and creation. Ulrich, again, stood before the assembly with Tiberius at his side. His voice was clear and loud.

  “My fellow Elewo, Rastem, and new Fempiror, we have fought a great battle today and have taken back our home. However, the Tepish are still out there. This leader is gone and their numbers are damaged, but others will follow.

  “We must finally choose sides in a war we don't want. To be the last Fempiror, we must adopt the pledge of our Rastem brothers: to protect humanity against the Tepish threat. You have always trusted me to lead you in the paths we should go, and should you desire not to follow this and retain the solitude that we have always enjoyed, that is your decision. To those who were formerly our enemies, you are free to stay or to go. You are under no compulsion to do either. But I encourage you all to join me now. To be the last of the Fempiror!”

  The Elewo army responded as one, “The last Fempiror!” They beat their chest twice in quick succession. Even the former Tepish followed their lead as they discovered freedom from their own oppressors.

  The meeting broke with a cheer from the assembly as they celebrated their victory. A group of Elewo drew Ulrich away, and Kaltesh, Yori, and Zechariah walked to Tiberius. Tiberius was smiling at their approach.

  “Before anyone says anything else,” Tiberius said, “I just want to say, ‘yes, you were right.’”

  “Which one of us?” Kaltesh asked.

  “It was your idea, Kaltesh,” Zechariah said. “I just backed you up on it.”

  “Yes,” said Tiberius, “but it could have gone poorly if we weren’t dealing with Fempiror changed within the last few years. They all but surrendered to us. Only Nikolai put up any kind of fight.”

  “So I guess all of our fights won’t be like this one,” Yori asked.

  Tiberius shook his head. “That would be a comfort if it were true,” he said, “but I fear this was only the light drizzle before the true storm. There are Tepish older than Nikolai who could give the best of us a test of our abilities.”

  Ghasta, the medic who had helped Yori, approached them. “Excuse me,” he said, “but your missing friend has turned up.” Tiberius nodded, and Ghasta led them through the mix until they came upon Vladimir lying on a cot in one of the caves that contained other injured warriors. The Elewo medics had removed his tunic, and the bruises on his face and arms showed he had taken quite a beating.

  Tiberius knelt beside him and took his hand. “Vladimir,” he said, “what happened?”

  “When the rest of you had gone to your rooms,” Vladimir said, “I decided to have a look around anyway. I walked through several halls making sure I kept track of the way I’d come but didn’t find anything of consequence.

  “I heard some voices just off of one of the junctions, so I thought I’d check it out since we hadn’t heard anyone since we’d arrived. My mistake was not assuming the worst and moving silently. I passed around a couple turns, and when I walked around that last corner, about twenty of them attacked me. When I woke up, these Elewo were carrying me here.”

  Tiberius nodded solemnly. Ulrich had walked up behind them during Vladimir’s story and stood silently while Vladimir had finished. Ulrich clearly wanted to speak to Zechariah, but Zechariah was curious as to Tiberius’ take on Vladimir.

  “Rest, old friend,” Tiberius said to Vladimir placing his hand gently on his head. Vladimir nodded and closed his eyes. Tiberius stood, and led Zechariah away from Vladimir. Ulrich stayed with them.

  “Do you believe him?” Tiberius asked.

  “Considering how easily we beat their forces,” Zechariah replied, “it seems strange he would lose.”

  Tiberius stole a glance back at Vladimir, lying peacefully on the cot. He looked back at Zechariah. “In an overwhelming number, though?” he asked.

  “It's possible,” Zechariah said. “He’s one of my oldest friends, though. I don’t have a reason to distrust him.”

  Tiberius nodded, but something nagged in the back of Zechariah’s mind. Vladimir said they had attacked him, but they did not kill him. He was hurt; there was no disputing that, but there was something about it that did not fully add up. Maybe the Tepish had just left him for dead when the battle began and did not have the chance to finish the job.

  Like he said, he had no reason to distrust Vladimir, but there was a piece of his story that was missing. He had little time to consider this further, though, as Ulrich was waiting for his attention. Zechariah turned to him.

  “Zechariah,” Ulrich said, “I have just received a rather disturbing message about your protégé.” Zechariah was suddenly very attentive.

  “Is something wrong with David?” Zechariah asked. Had he dec
ided to join the battle and gotten himself hurt?

  “Unknown,” Ulrich said. “He left.”

  “Left?” Zechariah asked in surprise.

  Ulrich nodded in that cool demeanor he always seemed to keep in place. “A medic advised me that he took the Chaser from your Levi-Cart, along with a day-travel cloak, and left right after we went into battle.”

  Zechariah was incensed. Vladimir’s tale would have to wait. “The fool!” he cried in anger and disgust. In truth, he was more than a little hurt by David’s clear betrayal of the trust he had placed in him as of late. He thought David had begun to understand. He thought that he was becoming a part of the team, but in reality, he was simply biding his time waiting for a chance to run. He found his chance, and he took it.

  “Where is he going?” Tiberius asked as Zechariah took off in a fast-paced walk toward the Levi-Cart chamber.

  “Hauginstown,” Zechariah replied. There was no question about it. He had talked about the question of returning non-stop since he was changed. It was understandable. He had forgiven every harsh word David had spoken since they had met because David had every right to be angry about his circumstances. David also had every reason to want to go back, but he did not understand what he was getting into.

  “Open the door,” Zechariah said coldly to Tiberius who was still following him. Tiberius ran to the door.

  “Be understanding, Zechariah,” Tiberius said.

  “It depends on what I find when I get there,” Zechariah said.

  Tiberius nodded and opened the door.

  Night had fallen some time ago, so it was quite dark, but that was no matter to him. He knew exactly where Hauginstown was from here, and he knew David would have remembered it as well. He switched the Levi-Cart on. It hovered off its landing legs, which Zechariah immediately retracted into the base of the Cart.