by Jason Tesar
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 had climbed out of the chariot, 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 pulsing sound was now louder than 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 leader of the group was looking straight at him and shaking his head. Then he pointed two fingers at his own eyes before pointing out the window of the beast and speaking.
Adair understood. He kept his eyes open and looked out the window. After only a few seconds, he felt better. Then he realized that the feeling was something like seasickness. It was better to be above deck than below, where you couldn’t see anything.
As the trees passed by beneath them, Adair realized that they were flying.
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 it was obviously nowhere near Bastul. He was in a different world altogether.
__________
BOOKS BY JASON TESAR
THE AWAKENED
Awaken His Eyes | Book 1
Paths of Destruction | Book 2
Hands to Make War | Book 3
Combined Edition | Books 1-3
Seeds of Corruption | Book 4
Hidden from Men | Book 5
Foundations of the World | Book 6
Combined Edition | Books 4-6
WANDERING STARS
Incarnation | Volume 1
Manifestation | Volume 2
Inhabitation | Volume 3
Regeneration | Volume 4
The Making of Incarnation | A Reader’s Companion
OTHER STORIES
Emit (a psychological techno thriller short story)
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Word-of-mouth is crucial for any author to succeed. If you enjoyed this story, please consider telling others about it and leaving a review with the online retailer where you purchased it. Your help is greatly appreciated!
HOW YOU CAN CONNECT
Visit www.jasontesar.com and sign up for Jason’s email list to receive free stuff, behind-the-scenes info on his fictional worlds and characters, exclusive content on his writing and publishing adventures, and book release notifications.
If you’d like to connect with Jason, you can do so at any of the following locations, or send him an email at [email protected].
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason used to work in the microelectronics industry, developing and improving processes and writing technical documentation. He is now a full-time author, living in Colorado with his beautiful wife and two children. Visit www.jasontesar.com to read a full bio.
MAP OF THE ORUDAN EMPIRE
DIAGRAM OF THE HIGH TEMPLE – PROFILE VIEW
DIAGRAM OF THE HIGH TEMPLE – AERIAL VIEW
GLOSSARY AND PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
The following is a glossary of characters, terms, and locations mentioned throughout this and subsequent books of the Awakened series.
The vowels section below contains characters, or arrangements of characters, which are used in the pronunciation section of glossary entries. Each vowel sound is followed by an example of common words using the same sound.
The additional consonants section also contains characters, or arrangements of characters, which are used in the pronunciation section of glossary entries. These sounds are not used in the English language, but examples are found in other languages and are listed for reference.
Glossary entries contain the word or phrase, its correct pronunciation (including syllables and emphasis) if needed, and a description. The format for each entry is as follows:
Word or phrase pro-nun-see-ey-shuhn Description
VOWELS
[a] apple, sad
[ey] hate, day
[ah] arm, father
[air] dare, careful
[e] empty, get
[ee] eat, see
[eer] ear, hero
[er] early, word
[i] it, finish
[ahy] sight, blind
[o] odd, frost
[oh] open, road
[ew] food, shrewd
[oo] good, book
[oi] oil, choice
[ou] loud, how
[uh] under, tug
ADDITIONAL CONSONANTS
[r] rojo (Spanish)
[zh] joie de vivre (French)
[kh] loch (Scots)
GLOSSARY
Adair Lorus uh-dair lohr-uhs Colonel and governor of Bastul. Husband of Maeryn. Father of Kael.
Adussk a-duhsk The female Orudan god of healing. In Bastul, the temple erected in her name is located on an island in the center of the Nescus River.
Aelia ey-lee-uh The daughter of Adair and Maeryn Lorus, Sibling of Kael.
Ajani ah-jah-nee The youngest male slave in the household of Adair. Childhood friend of Kael.
Ampur ahm-pewr A city in the Southern Territory of the Orudan Empire, located west of Leoran.
Anod-Kem a-nod kem The mountain range that runs southwest from Orud through the Southern Territory of the Orudan Empire.
Arden ahr-den Childhood friend and fellow monastery student with Kael.
Bahari bah-hahr-ee Former criminal, who became an informant for Adair after being caught. Later became captain of a merchant ship.
Bastul ba-stewl Southern-most city in the Orudan Empire, located at the tip of the Southern
Territory. Referred to by many as the “Southern Jewel” for its glittering beauty in the way that its waters reflect both sunrises and sunsets.
Berit bair-it Childhood friend and fellow monastery student with Kael.
Cerrar sair-ahr Capital city of the Eastern Territory of the Orudan Empire, located south of Nortuk.
Coen koh-en Childhood friend and fellow monastery student with Kael.
Donagh dohn-ag Childhood friend and fellow monastery student with Kael.
Gursha ger-shuh Proprietor of the Dockside, a tavern in the shipping district of Bastul. Informant for Adair.
Horace hohr-uhs Childhood friend and fellow monastery student with Kael.
Jorn yohrn Childhood friend and fellow monastery student with Kael.
Kael keyl Son of Adair and Maeryn Lorus. Sibling of Aelia.
Lemus lee-muhs Colonel and governor of Bastul, appointed as Adair’s replacement after the former governor’s disappearance.
Leoran ley-ohr-uhn Capital city of the Southern Territory of the Orudan Empire, located southwest of Orud.
Maeryn mair-en Governess of Bastul. Wife of Adair. Mother of Kael and Aelia.
Narian nair-ee-uhn Childhood friend and fellow monastery student with Kael.
Nelhut nel-hoot A city in the Northern Territory of the Orudan Empire, located northeast of Leoran.
Nescus nes-kuhs The river that flows from the mountains north of Bastul through the city and into the bay.
Nijambu ni-jam-bew An ancient and primitive trade port, far to the south and beyond the reach of the Orudan Empire. One of the last functional pieces of infrastructure of a civilization that began its decline before the Orudan Empire was founded.
Nortuk nohr-tuhk City in the Northern Territory of the Orudan Empire, located South of Orlek.
Nucotu new-coh-tew City in the Southern Territory of the Orudan Empire, located north of Bastul.
Orlek ohr-lek Capital city of the Northern Territory of the Orudan Empire, located on the northern border of Empire, near the uncharted territory of the Korgan.
Orud oh-rewd Capital city of the Orudan Empire, located in the center of the land bridge which connects the two main landmasses of the Empire.
Orudan oh-rew-dan The people of the Empire of Orud.
Quartus kwohr-tuhs Financier of Bahari’s trade business.
Rainer rey-ner Childhood friend and fellow monastery student with Kael.
Saba sah-buh Childhood mentor and friend of Kael. Also known as Sariel.
Soren sohr-en Childhood friend and fellow monastery student with Kael.
Suppard suh-pahrd Coastal city in the Northern Territory of the Orudan Empire, located west of Orlek.
Thaddius tha-dee-uhs Commissioner of Bastul who serves beside the governor and handles civilian matters.
Tim Matthews tim math-yewz Senior analyst for the mysterious organization helping Adair.
Trenus tren-uhs Friend of Saba. Lives in the farmlands northwest of Bastul.
Tur'cen ter-sen The largest island in the Eastern Territory of the Orudan Empire, located southwest of Cerrar.
Ukiru ew-keer-ew Teacher and mentor to Kael while he lived at the Monastery.
Zula zew-luh Head female slave in the household of Adair. Friend of Maeryn.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Carly Tesar for her creative energy in helping to develop the cover art concept for the Awakened series.
I would also like to thank Carly Tesar, Cindy Tesar, Matt Gaw, Chris Walters, Marcia Fry, Ronda Swolley, and Claudette Cruz, for their precious time and expertise in critiquing, editing, and proofreading.