The Awakened Book Two (2 page)

That must be the rudder control!

Without warning, the boat lurched into motion and Adair fell to the deck. When he adjusted to the motion and regained his footing, the two men guarding him looked suddenly tense.

It should have worried Adair, but instead, it comforted him. He had seen the same thing, time and time again, with inexperienced soldiers who guarded prisoners. Any sudden movement brought them face to face, in an instant, with the prospect of having to kill a man. Most of them just froze with a look of intensity on their faces.

…
just like these men.

Adair couldn’t suppress the smile that came to his face.

But this only angered one of the guards, who started cursing at him.

Adair turned away and looked out across the water. It seemed as though they were skimming over the surface of the ocean, faster than any horse could run. The constant growling from the back of the boat told Adair that it was somehow linked to their movement. He had no idea where he was or what he had gotten himself into. These men were not the same as the ones he encountered off the coast of
Bastul
. As he looked around, everything was foreign. He didn’t recognize a single feature of the landscape.

He retraced the events in his mind, running from the enemy soldiers and ending up in that large cavern. He ran across the bridge over the moat and onto the circular stone area. That’s when he started to feel a great pressure upon his body. Then he was in water.

What happened? Am I dead?

Then he looked down. His sandal hung uselessly from his right foot. He raised his foot slowly and looked underneath, seeing the deep gash that was still bleeding. His two small toes were numb and unmoving.

Well at least I haven’t gone insane!

They reached the shore in only a few minutes. The growling sound lowered to a whisper and the boat coasted in the shallow water, coming to an abrupt stop on the dark sand. One of the men jumped into the water and moved around to cover Adair’s flank, aiming with his weapon. The other man, also pointing his weapon, nodded for Adair to get out of the boat.

Adair stepped cautiously over the prow and onto the sand.

One of the guards walked up on to the bank and started toward the forest.

Adair followed, with the second man behind him, aiming at his back.

The third man turned the boat and headed back out to the middle of the bay.

A few yards ahead was another strange sight—an iron chariot with thick, black wheels. It too, was green, just like the guards’ clothes. Adair couldn’t tell which end was the front; there were no reins and no horses. One end of the chariot had a large flat area that looked like it was made to carry cargo. This was where the men herded him, pushing him forward while keeping a tight grip on their weapons.

Adair climbed into the chariot and sat down on the deck.

One man followed him into the cargo deck and sat against the railing.

The other man climbed into another tight compartment where there was a chair of some sort. Reaching down, he touched something in front of him and the chariot barked like a dog, then proceeded to growl in a similar manner as the boat, though the pitch was lower and sounded more powerful.

Adair stared in fascination. Was there an animal inside of this chariot? Or was it something worse? Perhaps these men were sorcerers and moved about by demons. As it jolted into motion, Adair lost his balance again, but quickly realized that he was at the back of the chariot. After only a few seconds he was amazed. The ground would have been impassable to any other chariot he had ridden in. But somehow, this one rode over the ditches and holes in the road as if they were sitting on a cushion.

As they ascended the shore of the beach, Adair took note of his surroundings. Trees were down all along the shore and the low vegetation was covered in mud. In fact, it looked like this shoreline hadn’t been a shoreline for very long. Looking back at the bay, Adair could see that the vegetation ran all the way to the water, and even into the water in some areas.

Flood
, he concluded.
This water hasn’t been here for very long.

Moving uphill away from the water, the muddy terrain gave way to a wide, smooth road. Adair looked down and noted the black surface that spread for perhaps twenty feet on either side of them. There were no cobblestones. The chariot picked up speed on the smooth terrain and Adair scooted closer to the deck as he began to feel unsafe.

Shades of green flashed by as they nearly flew through the forest, made up of trees with leaves bigger than a man’s torso. Occasionally, they passed an open meadow with grass taller than a man. The air was incredibly humid. He remembered his first such experience when being stationed in
Bastul
. He and Maeryn had moved to the coast from the mountainous inland terrain in the north and noticed a difference in the air. But this was different. It was as if the air was actually wet. Adair wondered if it rained in this foreign place, for it seemed that the ground would always be full of water. And that explained why the trees and other plants were as big as they were.

They rode for nearly an hour, winding through the forest, all the while climbing. Adair became mesmerized by the rhythm of the chariot and the passing trees. He was exhausted and could have fallen asleep in an instant. But a sharp popping sound brought Adair out of his trance as he instinctively flinched. The popping was immediately proceeded by a horrendous squealing as the chariot skidded to a stop on the road.

Adair grabbed hold of the railing to keep from being thrown to the side. Out of the corner of his sight, he sensed movement. Before he could react, the guard at the head of the chariot seemed to flinch as one side of his head exploded in a shower of blood. His body slumped sideways in the seat.

Adair turned to his right and looked at the thick treeline on the side of the road. There was nothing but a tangle of vines and thick leaves.

The guard next to him pointed his weapon into the trees. It flashed with fire and jolted in the soldier’s hands as he waved it back and forth.

Adair covered his ears and lowered himself below the railing.

As he watched the guard, plumes of blood sprouted from the man’s back as his body convulsed. The life left his eyes and his body dropped to the deck. Adair could see small wounds on the man’s chest and wondered how something so small could kill instantly.

Adair’s heart beat quickly in his chest and the fear of being chased returned. He peered carefully over the railing and was shocked by what he saw.

Man-shaped objects were moving slowly out of the trees. But it was as if they were partially invisible. Adair squinted, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. As they spread out, he could see that they were men wearing multi-colored clothing that made them blend in with the forest. He counted five of them and they had now formed a semi-circle only twenty feet from the chariot.

Adair ducked down below the railing and tried to think of how to get out of this situation. After only a few seconds, one of them yelled something. Adair stayed where he was, listening.

Again, the man yelled something.

The language was foreign to Adair, but sounded different than his former guards. There was also no hint of anger in the voice, which was again different than the guards. Nevertheless, Adair stayed where he was.

A few seconds later, a face peered over the rear of the chariot. It was a man, but like none he’d ever seen before. He wore a hat with a brim that was curled upward on one side. His skin was smooth and multicolored, like his clothes, with patches of brown and various shades of green. But his eyes looked normal and despite the strange situation, Adair didn’t detect any danger.

The man spoke again, quieter this time, and waved for Adair to come out of the chariot.

Adair rose to a crouching position, looking around the chariot. The other four men were standing at ease. They also had the strange looking weapons hanging from straps around their shoulders and necks. They were pointed at the ground and only being held casually.

Again, the man at the rear of the chariot waved for him to get out.

Adair stood up and made his way to the man, who backed up and waited.

When he reached the ground, the man said something to him, but Adair didn’t understand.

Then the man pointed over Adair’s shoulder at the other men who had started walking along the road. Adair understood and followed as the group leader walked behind him. After several minutes, a low thrumming sound could be heard. When they rounded a bend in the road, Adair stopped, frozen with fear.

The low thrumming sound was now like a hundred chariots, coming from a giant beast that hovered over the ground in a nearby clearing. It was like an enormous green locust, with buzzing wings that lifted it off the ground.

The group leader pointed at it and said something.

Adair shook his head in protest, but four of the other men were already starting to walk in that direction. Again, the leader pointed.

Against his better judgment, Adair obeyed. Perhaps it was because he knew that he really didn’t have a choice. Whoever these men were, they were able to kill quickly and efficiently, and that was something Adair could respect.

The men moved without hesitation, only the leader hung back with Adair. As they neared the beast, still exuding the deep pulsing sound, it became more difficult for Adair. Then, a door opened in the side of the locust, and another man in a helmet reached out his hand from the inside.

Adair realized that like the boat and the chariot, this was another method of transportation. He watched in fascination as the first four men climbed into it.

The fifth man now stood behind him, waiting.

Adair swallowed the lump in his throat and walked forward, taking the man’s hand and climbing into the belly of the beast.

The fifth man quickly followed.

Adair followed the example of the others and sat on the padded benches that lined the interior. Suddenly, the locust rose into the air and Adair felt his stomach began to twist. They were already thirty feet in the air before the man in the helmet shut the door.

Adair leaned his head back and closed his eyes, trying to fight the nausea in his gut.

Someone touched his leg.

Adair opened his eyes and the group leader was looking straight at him and shaking his head from side to side. The man pointed two fingers at his own eyes and then pointed out the window of the beast as he spoke in his foreign tongue.

Adair understood, and kept his eyes open, looking out the window. After only a few seconds, he felt better. Then he realized that the feeling was something like sea sickness. It was better to be above deck than below where you couldn’t see anything.

Adair watched the trees fly by below them.

We’re flying
, he realized!

The group leader said something and Adair turned.

The man repeated the phrase and Adair thought he heard something recognizable. One of the four words sounded like a greeting in an ancient tongue, before the establishment of the Orud Empire. It was the word for
welcome
.

Again, the man repeated the phrase.

“Welcome Soth Am…” Adair attempted, mimicking the sounds.

The man smiled, then repeated the phrase.

Adair listened carefully, then imitated the words. “Welcome to South America.”

All the soldiers laughed. Adair had no idea where South America was, but he knew that it was nowhere near
Bastul
. Somehow, he knew he was in a different world altogether.

Chapter 2

The streets of the market district in
Bastul
were teeming with merchants and their customers. Hundreds of people clamored to find the best deal or offer the best service, screaming over one another’s voices. Maeryn and Aelia stood under a yellow silk shade, searching through piles of rich fabrics. Silk, satin, wool, and linen were all arranged neatly in stacks, organized by color. Aelia, now sixteen years of age, pulled a roll of ocean blue satin from the stack in front of her.

“What about this?” she asked her mother.

Maeryn looked up and examined the fabric, reaching out a hand to feel the quality. “That’s perfect,” she replied. “Even the pattern would go well with this,” she said, lifting her arm which was draped with pure white linen. “Hang on to that, but keep looking.”

“Alright,” Aelia replied, tucking the roll under her arm.

As Aelia turned around to continue the search for the makings of her coming-of-age dress, Maeryn was struck by how beautiful her daughter was. Her wavy chocolate colored hair fell to the middle of her back. Aelia preferred not to braid it or wear it gathered on the top of her head, as was the current trend. She always kept it loose and the look was even starting to catch on with a few of her friends. She had brown eyes just like her father and some of his other facial features as well. And like Kael, Aelia had inherited her mother’s lean frame.