The Awakening (The Fempiror Chronicles Book 1)

by George Willson

  While they continued their battle, with neither gaining nor losing ground, Zechariah became aware of the crowd talking again outside through the open door. They were growing restless and talking amongst themselves. Suddenly, a chant rose within them. Between the strikes, Zechariah strained to listen to it. The chant slowly merged into three clear words: “Burn it down!”

  Then Zechariah became aware of Vladimir backing him into a corner. His mind had wandered too far from the battle, and he could not allow himself to be beaten. Then he noticed the roof burning above them. This time, even Vladimir paused to look as they held each other in a block.

  “It looks like your friends abandoned you,” Zechariah said. “Ironic, really.”

  Vladimir growled and pulled his sword back from Zechariah and thrust towards him, but Zechariah blocked again. Zechariah found Vladimir easy enough to block, and while his earlier trick of twirling his sword made his defenses difficult to penetrate, Vladimir was becoming more desperate with his blows, and Zechariah knew an opening would present itself soon.

  Zechariah took a swing, and Vladimir narrowly sidestepped the blow as he blocked Zechariah. He twisted his body around Zechariah’s block and brought his sword back around in a single move. It was quick, but Zechariah stopped it as well.

  The fire had reached the wooden mill workings, causing them to lose their structural integrity. The wooden beams that led from the wheel to the wind blades broke loose and crashed down around them. Zechariah narrowly sidestepped the collapsing structure and then felt the steel pierce his gut. He cursed himself. The debris had caused him to lose his focus, and Vladimir had taken advantage of the moment.

  He looked at Vladimir who had a triumphant look on his face as he held his sword in Zechariah. Zechariah’s blood seeped out around the wound. He still had strength within him. He tried to raise his sword, but his strength failed too quickly. The sword dropped. Vladimir leaned in close.

  “The Tepish will rule forever!” Vladimir declared.

  Zechariah breathed in and spit into Vladimir’s face. Vladimir snarled, pushed the sword in further, and gave it a twist. Zechariah cringed in pain.

  Vladimir withdrew his sword. Zechariah collapsed to the ground.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The Final Beginning

  David landed softly on the ground under the mill, holding Beth’s unconscious body in his arms. He looked around the cave to where he had left the Chaser, the day travel cloak still on its seat. Zechariah’s Levi-Cart rested next to the Chaser on its short landing legs facing the exit. David carried Beth to the Levi-Cart and gently laid her in the rear seat.

  He looked at her for a long moment wishing that he had listened to Zechariah and stayed away. She would have moved on and aged normally from this point forward without him. She would have enjoyed her life with anyone she chose. Now, she lay before him – her body growing cold and changing into the thing that he was. He regretted coming here. He regretted seeing her. He regretted what they had done.

  No, he did not regret what they had done, but he regretted the consequences. He reflected on the bad decisions that led him here, and he found that he laid his own path by not listening to those around him. The elders of the town told him not to go out after dark; he did anyway. Beth begged him not to go into the cave; he did anyway. Zechariah commanded him not to return to Hauginstown; he did anyway. No one dragged him to this end; he led himself to it.

  He glanced to one side of Beth and spotted the sword that Zechariah had tried to give him back at Urufdiam. It was a broad sword previously owned by a guard of Erim who had given his life in the service of another. He probably did not choose this life any more than David did, and David wondered if that guard had chosen the service he was in – the service that led to his death.

  David now had a choice before him. He picked up the sheath containing the sword and looked at it for a long moment. The sheath was unadorned – produced by someone other than its bearer, no doubt, and perhaps even given to this guard when he arrived to perform his duty that day. David saw his fate before him. He had chosen this path before he had known it when he defied those around him and went his own way. Now his way led into the service of humanity to protect them from his fate. Beth would be his only victim and his greatest regret.

  He strapped the sword to his back and tightened the belt to hold it in place. He reached behind him as he had seen the other Rastem do before him, and pulled the sword from its home. The other Rastem, he thought. They were “others” because this day he would put his tailor life behind him and become a Rastem as well. He was as rejected as any Tepish, but he would not choose that path. His choices led him here, but from here, he would make the right choice, though he knew it would come with a burden.

  He stared at the sword he now held before him in a sign of commitment to his new life. It had come awkwardly from its sheath as if the two were not quite made for each other, but Zechariah could show him how to fix that. The sword appeared well worn, but he would ask how to correct that too, and if he could not correct it, he would do as Zechariah said they used to do and make his own. He had time and only time before him.

  A shape moved at the entrance to the cave. David turned to find Abraham walking toward him across the thirty yards or so that spanned the distance from the hole under the mill to the cave entrance.

  “What are you doing?” Abraham asked. David looked at him long and hard. Abraham had tried to stop him from seeing Beth, and that was yet another poorly handled choice. He should have listened and gone, but he had attacked Abraham, and now Abraham would see he was right. This would not go well.

  David resheathed the sword. Abraham was close enough to look into the Cart and see Beth.

  “You think you own her?” Abraham asked. “You think you can just show back up after being dead, and take what you want?”

  David shook his head. “Abraham, it's not like that.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “She has to come with me.”

  “Why? What did you do to her?”

  David looked at Abraham for another long moment. Abraham was waiting for his answer, and David had little choice but to tell him the truth. “It was an accident. She got changed into a Fempiror like me.” He paused as he looked at her and just said it. “I changed her.”

  Abraham stared at David. His eyes grew wide as he comprehended what David told him. His mouth dropped open just a little, and he dropped his eyes. His breathing quickened as the anger welled up inside of him.

  “I didn't mean for it to happen,” David tried to explain, though he knew it would not help. “We just... I really messed up.”

  David looked at Beth. She looked peaceful – like she was just asleep – and when she woke up, everything would be back to normal. Maybe all this was a dream, and tomorrow, they would all wake up and wonder about it all. David looked back at Abraham in time to see Abraham’s fist connect with his face.

  David flew back several feet from Abraham’s blow. Strong as he was, he could still take an injury like any human, and he was in pain. He looked back at Abraham, whose eyes were bulging and even in the dark, David could see how red his face was and just how heavily he was breathing. He reminded David of Zechariah not so long ago, but then he saw that Abraham had tears running down his face.

  “You bastard!” screamed Abraham. “How could you do this to her?! She did nothing but love you...” He paused as he took a breath and raised his voice a little more, “...and you ruin her life!”

  Abraham’s strength gave out on him. He collapsed to his knees, the tears flowing freely as he cried openly. David climbed to his feet and walked over to Abraham, stopping next to him. Abraham whipped his head up. He jumped up and pushed David away.

  “Get away from me!” he yelled, stumbling in the other direction towards the cave entrance. “Don't touch me...”

  David could not blame Abraham for his reaction. David would have done the same; David wanted to do the same.

  �
��Forgive me,” David said.

  “Don't talk to me,” Abraham replied.

  David looked at Abraham for a long moment, and he could see that this friendship would never heal. David knew it was time for him to leave and take his unfortunate passenger with him. If Beth were not with him, he might have let Abraham kill him so they both felt better about it. However, Zechariah had asked David to take Beth and go, since Zechariah was not sure how his own fight would end, and David was finally committed to doing what he was told

  He stood next to the Levi-Cart and glanced back to Abraham. Abraham was standing at the entrance to the cave. The cave was very narrow and it would take almost the entire width of the passage for the Levi-Cart to fly out. He noted grimly that Abraham had not even cared about the strange vehicle that David had placed Beth in, but there were more important matters for the moment.

  “Abraham,” David called out, “stand aside.”

  Abraham did not move or respond. He only stood there, staring at the ground. Was Abraham going to make David force his way out? Surely, he knew he would not win. But perhaps he also knew David would not hurt him.

  “Abraham,” he said again, “stand aside.”

  “No,” Abraham said.

  David took a step toward him. “We need to go,” David insisted.

  “I have decided you do not need to go,” Abraham responded. “You don't need to go anywhere.” Abraham looked up, his eyes filled with blind anger and tears. “You need to die.”

  David looked at Abraham with shock and surprise. Did he really intend to kill David? David stepped back to the Levi-Cart. Abraham ran at him full speed across the passage. He pulled his arm back to strike David again, but David was ready this time. He sidestepped Abraham’s run and pushed him to the ground.

  Abraham was not going to stay down, however, so David quickly jumped into the Levi-Cart, switched it on, and pressed the levers forward as quickly as possible. The Cart faltered for a moment as it powered up, apparently not ready to move forward just yet.

  David heard Abraham grab the back of the Cart as it fully powered and shot out of the cave. David glanced back and saw Abraham holding on with both hands, his legs trailing out behind the Cart. He was not giving up so easily.

  * * * * * * * * * *

  Vladimir had heard much of the conversation between Abraham and David under the mill, which continued to burn around him but was in no danger of collapsing just yet. At least the fire would keep the idiots outside away from him while he listened. He caught the sound of a Levi-Cart powering up and moving away.

  He dropped through the hole and landed on the cave floor. He spotted the Chaser, sitting idly on the ground, but nothing and no one else. He looked out across the landscape outside the cave and spotted the Levi-Cart flying swiftly away with Abraham clinging to the rear of it. The kid was good. He might be useful.

  He walked over to the waiting Chaser and pressed a small panel on the side of it. He smiled as he saw a clean nilrof untouched in its small storage compartment. He doubted anyone would have found it as none of the Rastem had mentioned it.

  He closed the compartment, tossed the day travel cloak to one side, and powered up the Chaser.

  * * * * * * * * * *

  Abraham held onto the back of the flying machine for dear life. He did not know what this strange thing was that David was using, but it moved so fast, his body stretched out over the ground rushing by beneath him. He had to get onto it though and try to prevent David from taking Beth away.

  He spotted some straps further in on the back of the machine and took hold of them. They were far enough in that he was able to pull himself onto the machine and face David. The wind was blowing so hard against him that it was difficult to hold his balance, so he remained on his knees.

  “I can't allow you to poison the world,” he said. David had turned around a couple of times to see him as he was climbing up. The machine slowed down perceptibly but still moved at more than a run.

  David finally turned fully to him. “She was an accident,” he insisted.

  Abraham doubted this very much. David had come back for only one reason, and that was to take her away. He had her when he was alive, and now that he was dead, he wanted to take her with him. It was wrong. And if it was an accident, then all the more reason to end it.

  “No more accidents, then!” Abraham said. He leaned over and grappled for David’s neck. David reached out and held Abraham’s arms in place. He never remembered his friend having such an iron grip, but that Vladimir fellow had said that David would be stronger. He found this to be no understatement.

  David held Abraham off the machine and carried him to its brink, the ground racing below them. Abraham looked into David’s eyes with all the hate he could muster. Whatever their friendship was, it dissolved now. David, however, did not appear to hold anything against Abraham, but he was not going to bring Abraham with them.

  “Forgive me, old friend,” David said.

  “I am not your friend,” Abraham said. “I will hunt you till the day I die.”

  “I know,” David said. “Take care.”

  With that, David tossed Abraham off the Cart. Abraham crashed to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop, face down in the grass. He raised his head to see the strange machine race off into the distance. It suddenly picked up speed and nearly disappeared. David had resumed his previous breakneck pace.

  His joints aching, Abraham rose to his feet. “No,” Abraham muttered, discouragement racing through him as his David raced away. “No, no, no…” He raised his voice to as loud as he could shout, praying it would carry to David, now a speck across the field, turning towards the north.

  “No! Damn you! Run, David, but I will follow you! Wherever you go, I will find you!” He dropped to his knees, unable to stand again, the tears returning to his eyes. His voice dropped. “Damn you... Beth, how could he do this to you...?” The tears came freely now, mingling with the dirt on his face and creating dark, muddy streaks down his cheeks.

  A soft hum grew from behind him. It was very similar to the hum of David’s machine. It stopped and footfalls walked toward him. He knew it could not be David since David had run, and would know better than to return.

  Abraham whipped around to see Vladimir walking towards him. He must have triumphed over the other whatever-you-call-them, but now he was here. Why?

  Abraham reflexively backed away from him. “What do you want?” he asked.

  “Idle words, I heard, my friend,” Vladimir said. “You cannot follow him.”

  “Leave me alone,” Abraham said. He was not interested in anything Vladimir would have to say, and he wanted to start looking for David. He walked after where he had last seen the machine fly.

  “But you'll never be able to compete with him as you are,” Vladimir insisted.

  “Why?” Abraham asked. He had laid one good punch on David, which showed that he did, in fact, stand a chance if he were able to get an advantage on David.

  “He is stronger, faster, and will live ten times longer,” Vladimir said. “You need my help.”

  Abraham considered this as he walked. While the old man could certainly be useful, he wanted to do this on his own. No one would truly understand why he needed to find David.

  “I'll be fine,” Abraham said.

  “I insist,” Vladimir said.

  Abraham felt something cold stab into his neck. Suddenly the blood in his neck felt cold and then hot – burning. He turned and saw Vladimir holding something in his hand that looked like a silver tube with two fangs on the end of it.

  The burning sensation moved through his arms and legs. He dropped to his knees. It was painful. He shook all over. His head dropped back and he saw the moon shining overhead as a scream broke from his lips and echoed across the night.

  The Fempiror Chronicles

  continues in

  Mutation

  Genesis

  Appendix

  Pronunciation of the Fellet
terusk Language

  Felletterusk was the common language of the Fempiror. Use this guide to assist in pronouncing the language.

  a = father

  b = baby

  c = cat, but never sit

  d = dog

  e = felt, unless at the end of a word, then = the ay in may

  f = felt

  g = grand

  h = hi

  i = police

  j = Jacques like the French j (zh sound)

  k = kit

  l = land

  m = maybe

  n = never

  o = hope

  p = person

  r = a cross between r & d, such as the British pronunciation of very (veddy), or the Spanish pronunciation of r in cara (face). It has a very slight trill to it.

  s = simple

  t = type

  u = boo

  v = visual

  w = wish

  y = yankee

  z = zebra

  ä = date

  ö = person, but with the lips brought in to a sort of oo shape.

  ü = like u, but with the lips tightened considerably.

  Diphthongs