They walked into the concealed back half, which the Tepish had completely gutted right back to the stone walls. Nothing that Tiberius possessed remained, and he had not expected to find anything either. Life was far more important than possessions, so he had let it all go in order to preserve his life and lead the Rastem against the growing threat of the Tepish. At the moment, however, the former Lost Art of Jijunga would serve admirably as a resting place to give them a chance to regroup. The first thing Tiberius noticed when they entered was that there were only a handful of Elewo waiting for them.
“Is this it?” Tiberius asked Ulrich, surprised.
Ulrich shook his head. “Like you, we never keep all our forces in one location,” Ulrich replied. “We can not risk being overrun. These are the survivors from the Tepish raid on my location. To my knowledge, they have found only two of our other outposts.”
Tiberius nodded. He gestured to his Rastem to relax. After the suffocating day they had in the catacombs, Tiberius knew they would be more than grateful to rest in a place where they could breathe. Tiberius, however, could not rest. Ulrich only watched him as he paced. His mind reeled with the day’s events.
“Tiberius,” Ulrich said. Tiberius’ gaze snapped to him. “You should rest. If you were indeed the prey of the Tepish for a full day, then you are very likely exhausted.”
“Ulrich, these creatures of the Tepish are unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Tiberius rattled out, ignoring Ulrich’s comment. “They were fast and nearly unstoppable. They seemed faster than we are, and they moved like animals.”
“If they were acting on instinct,” Ulrich suggested, “then that may give them their extra speed. They would not think about their actions. Though your fighting skill is second nature to you, you still consider your next move, no matter how quickly you execute it. They are using that split second of thought to attack in any way they can. Sometimes, a battle against someone untrained can be more difficult than against one with years of experience.”
Tiberius nodded in agreement. “It’s bad enough that the Tepish persist in continuing our race, which is already a perversion of humanity, but this new creation is intolerable. We have to stop this outrage, Ulrich. We cannot allow the Tepish to further pervert humanity like this.”
“And yet, our previous run on the Tepish fortress met with disastrous results,” Ulrich pointed out.
Tiberius nodded. He remembered this attack. Four years ago, they had rallied the Rastem and Elewo for an attack. The Tepish were far stronger than they had anticipated, and the Rastem and Elewo lost more than half of their forces. Since neither the Rastem nor the Elewo actively transmutate Fempiror into their cause, rebuilding their forces takes a long time. They had resorted to attempting to undermine the Tepish, but it was slow work. It was only recently that they had increased to the point that an attack might have had a chance. Now, with the Tepish routing them out of their outposts, their numbers were down again. They needed to do something.
“If at the cost of my life, we may stop the spread of these things,” Tiberius said, “then I willingly sacrifice it.”
“We cannot ask our people to do this,” Ulrich said.
“Of course we can’t,” Tiberius said. “They’ve been through enough, but if we don’t stop this thing now, it will spread. We couldn’t fight them. What chance would humans have? None. I volunteer, and we shall take volunteers. I’ll go alone if I must.”
“I am sure that will not be necessary,” Ulrich assured him. “We shall make it known what we intend to do, and when we mean to do it. That way, no one is compelled to follow, and they need not turn from our face if they wish to preserve their lives. If they desire to come, they only need show up at the appointed place and time.”
Tiberius nodded. This was far better than lining everyone up and telling them to go if they wished. No one leaves in such a circumstance. But simply spreading the word allows those who want to fight to come, and those who cannot to stay in safety, hopefully to mount a new attack if, or when, theirs fails. For his part, Tiberius hoped he had more than five Rastem to offer.
“Have you heard from any of my other Rastem?” Tiberius asked, unable to prevent the concern from coming through his voice. “Those who were not in my party when we moved.”
“Fifteen Rastem were found at your new quarters,” Ulrich said. “We brought them to one of our other locations.”
Tiberius closed his eyes and breathed out a rush of air in frustration. He knew how many should have arrived.
“Less than half of that party,” Tiberius said. “These Mutations must be stopped.”
“Do you have any others?” Ulrich asked.
Tiberius nodded. There was a fair contingent of Rastem in hiding outside of Erim. Tiberius would never have kept every Rastem inside Erim. Part of the Rastem responsibility was watching humanity to prevent the Tepish transmutations, and though the bulk of the Tepish forces stayed in Erim, they still ran across the occasional Redäl Kötz working to bring more troops into the Tepish fold.
“Then I shall spread the word among my people,” Ulrich said, interrupting Tiberius’ thoughts, “and allow you to do the same with yours.”
“We leave as soon as possible,” Tiberius said.
Ulrich nodded, and as soon as they had worked out a time and location, Ulrich slipped out of the Lost Art of Jijunga with several of his Elewo to spread the word. Tiberius needed to get word to the Rastem outside of Erim, but glancing at the Rastem who had just escaped death, he could hardly ask them to run out of town.
“I know we’re all tired from the events of the past day and night,” Tiberius said as he walked up to them. “But I need a volunteer to go to the Rastem contact at Hoffenstadt.”
“I’ll go,” Yori piped up first.
“I hate to ask this of you, but we need the help,” Tiberius said apologetically.
“It’s all right,” Yori said. “I did get some rest when we waited in the crypts. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll go with her,” Tyran said.
Tiberius nodded and reiterated the details he and Ulrich had discussed. It was a fairly simple plan. The armies would mass on a side street near the main road that led to the fortress in two hours. There, he would tell them of their intent and about the Mutation.
As Tiberius stood at the doorway to the back of his former training center, his mind went to David. He was supposed to have met David this evening to get an update on Kelïrum. He wondered what David and Beth would do when no one from the Rastem or Elewo showed up at the cave. He wondered how they were doing together. It was the sincere hope of him and Ulrich that they could find happiness together, as neither seemed satisfied in their lives. They were well trained, however, and Tiberius could only hope they would be able to handle whatever came their way.
* * * * * * * * * *
An hour passed before Yori and Tyran returned having spoken to a group of Rastem who promised to spread the word among their ranks. Due to the short time frame, those Rastem had expressed regret that they might not be able to inform as many as they would have liked, but they would tell as many as they could. The second hour passed too slowly for Tiberius as he waited and wondered how many would come. He felt that if their forces were large enough, they would have a chance to defeat the Mutations if they could team up against them. He glanced to the other Rastem. They reclined and rested. No one spoke a word during the entire time. It was just as well. Tiberius wanted them to rest in case they desired to follow him once more.
When the time came to go to the meeting place, Tiberius left without a word to the other Rastem. He did not want to give them the impression that he expected any of them to fight after the evening they had. He was aware, however, that all of them followed him, as he expected they would. Their unwavering loyalty was unfortunate in that they probably would follow him unceasingly to their deaths, which is where this path was most likely to lead.
He walked quickly through the streets to the side street where he and Ulrich
had agreed to mass. The route carefully avoided crossing in front of the fortress, just in case someone was watching on this night. As they turned the last corner, Tiberius stopped. His mouth opened in awe. The sight was staggering.
With his five survivors, there were close to forty Rastem and at least that many Elewo packing the small side street. Ulrich spared a rare smile to Tiberius as he approached.
“I trust this meets with your approval,” Ulrich said.
Tiberius nodded silently. Ulrich stepped back and allowed Tiberius to come forward to address the group. Tiberius stood before them, and they gave him their silent attention. Somewhere inside of him, a hope arose, and he felt like they had a chance now.
“Loyal Fempiror,” Tiberius called out, unconcerned over any Tepish overhearing him, “we stand at the edge of our doom. The Tepish have committed an act against nature by creating what can only be determined as true vampires. They are faster than we are, but just as strong. They walk in sunlight. But worst of all, they drink blood. We must stop this perversion at any cost, even our lives. You have all volunteered for this mission with the knowledge that you may not return. We go against the Fortress of the Tepish, where it began. We must stop this nightmare before it spreads. If we don’t, we might not be able to. We give our lives for the generations to follow. We will not allow this blight on the Earth to continue. If we die, we die for those who will live. Tonight, we fight!”
A cheer erupted across the rough formation. These Fempiror came for this cause and this alone. They needed no convincing. No rallying. They only needed the word to march.
Tiberius walked to Ulrich, who waited patiently. They shook hands for luck before the battle.
“To death, old friend,” Tiberius said.
“To death,” Ulrich replied.
Tiberius and Ulrich walked to the head of the formation and without a word, they proceeded around the corner in full view of the Tepish Fortress. Ulrich pulled his hood over his face. The Elewo behind them did the same.
Two guards stood at the entrance to the Fortress, but curiously, no one emerged from its doors. The guards threw their helmets to the ground and snarled at their approach. It was then that Tiberius saw their teeth. Mutations guarded the Fortress.
He exchanged a glance with Ulrich who nodded in return. Tiberius drew his sword. In response, a resounding rush of metal on metal rippled across the formation as the Rastem followed Tiberius’ lead. Tiberius raised his sword high above his head. The guards hunched down, ready to spring.
Tiberius let out a guttural roar as he ran toward the guards. His army charged behind him. The Mutations sprang for them, but they stood no chance against the combined force. The group knocked the Mutations down and trampled them as they reached the doors of the fortress and tore through them into the huge foyer of the fortress.
The ceiling of the foyer stretched up for three floors with balconies of the second and third floors overlooking the entrance. The army gathered in the entryway and gazed upwards, and again, the horrific ingenuity of the Tepish took Tiberius’ breath away as he saw dozens of Mutations scurry across the ceiling and out of the balconies making their way toward the waiting group.
Tiberius was dumbfounded. He had believed they would be fighting against Tepish and only a few Mutations. It appeared that they were against only Mutations as no Tepish emerged from the ground floor. As he looked at the Mutations quickly approaching, he saw several of them wearing remnants of the Tepish armor, and like the Mutations they fought earlier, these wore no shoes or stockings, and Tiberius suspected they would be unable to cling to the walls if they wore any footwear. He wondered if the Tepish had purposely changed their people into Mutations, or if the Mutations had invaded the fortress and turned on their creators. It would be rather poetic justice, Tiberius thought, considering that the Tepish had originally turned on Voivode.
It made no difference at this time, however. His eyes followed the Mutations as they ran on all fours across the floors and walls, only moments away from their attack.
“Prepare yourselves,” Tiberius called out, raising his sword.
The Mutations reached the floor. They leapt for the army without abandon. The battle was on.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
In the Tepish Fortress
Tepish guards braced themselves against the impacts of the Mutations outside the Elrod Malnak’s heavy chamber door in the pinnacle of the Tepish Fortress. Almost two dozen Tepish guards stood facing the door with their swords at the ready, waiting for the inevitable impact that would flood the room with the enemies they created. Karian and the remainder of the Tepish Hierarchy stood behind them, unarmed, along with David, Vladimir, and Abraham.
David’s attention stayed on the door. With every hit, the door rattled on its hinges and pushed against the internal locks. Clearly, the Tepish had constructed this door to stand against Fempiror, or it would have fallen long ago. It would not hold forever, though, since the Mutations wore it down little by little. He found the Mutations extremely dangerous when he was armed, but since the Tepish still had his sword, he felt nearly powerless against them.
He glanced to Karian and saw the fear behind his normally calm demeanor. David had to admire the brave face he was putting on for everyone. Without a doubt, Karian was a solid leader for the Tepish, but the decision to create these Mutations would be his downfall along with everyone else in the room. If they survived, they would become like their attackers. Given what they had seen in the rest of the Fortress, the Mutations had learned how to do this. All it took was for a little blood to cross, and that would be their end.
“Vladimir,” Karian said. David turned to see Vladimir look at Karian.
“My lord,” Vladimir replied.
“Give David his sword,” Karian said. Vladimir’s face betrayed his surprise at the order. He looked at David warily and then back to Karian.
“You’re certain?” Vladimir asked.
“We fight and die together,” Karian replied, never changing his level gaze. “Die or become like them. He will have no motivation to kill us.” Vladimir looked at David again. David could see that Vladimir would have preferred to toss David to the front for the Mutations to wipe him out first, but as his leader had given an order, he was compelled to obey.
“Very well,” Vladimir said, begrudgingly. He turned to David and held out David’s sword. David took his precious blade and nodded.
“Thank you, Vladimir,” David said.
“Let us pray you can wield it with half the skill of its former master,” Vladimir said grimly.
David smiled. Vladimir had recognized Zechariah’s sword. But if anyone in this world would have, it would make sense that one of Zechariah’s oldest friends would know it. “I assure you I have at least half,” David said with a smirk. Vladimir did not respond.
David strapped the scabbard to his back and drew the thin, curved blade. Vladimir stared at it for a very long moment, but David paid him little attention. He was curious as to what Vladimir thought in that moment of seeing that sword drawn once more in his presence, but David needed to focus on the coming battle.
He stood beside Abraham, who appeared as nervous as David had been the first time he had seen this sword drawn back in the council meeting several stories below this very spot.
“Is there another way out of this room?” David asked Abraham quietly.
“If there is, I’ve never heard of it,” Abraham replied with a shrug. “If there were windows, we’d be overrun already.”
“Good point,” David said with a nod.
Cracks appeared in the woodwork of the door. Dust and splinters fell to the ground. David saw Vladimir draw his sword and watch the door intently, ready for the onslaught. David stared closely at Vladimir’s sword and found that it was nearly identical to Zechariah’s right down to the Felletterusk lettering that spelled out the word “Rastem” on the blade. David found it oddly disconcerting that one of the most notorious Rastem traitors continued to use his Ra
stem sword, unchanged.
Part of him wanted to ask why Vladimir never changed his sword, but he doubted that Vladimir would tell him anything. Where Zechariah was one of the noblest of Fempiror, Vladimir would be the most indecipherable. No one had any idea he was not a Rastem until he turned. If Zechariah had not survived, Vladimir could have returned and told them anything, and Tiberius would have believed him. Vladimir’s unchanged sword simply represented how fickle Vladimir’s loyalty really was to any faction. He had no doubt that Vladimir would turn on Karian if the opportunity ever arose.
He shook his head and looked back to the door. “Here we go,” David said to Abraham.
Abraham gulped noticeably as he drew his dagger. “Yes,” he said through a shaky voice. “Here we go.”
Another pound at the door and lines appeared around the locking mechanism. Another pound and splinters flew into the room. Another pound and the door buckled with a sickening snap piling more dust and debris on the floor just in front of it. One more hit, and the Mutations would be on them.
Suddenly, it was silent. The pounding ceased. David thought for sure they were simply building their forces for one more blow to tear into the room and destroy them all, but the hit never came. David looked at the others in the room, but they appeared as confused by this as he was.
“What happened?” Vladimir called out to the guards standing against the door. One of them relaxed and peered out of one of the holes the Mutations had made in the door.
“Unknown, my lord,” the guard replied, still looking through the hole.
“Do you see anything?” Vladimir asked.
The guard continued looking through the hole for a long moment. Finally, he turned to them. “I see nothing,” he said. “I don’t know what happened.”
“Open the doors,” Karian said.
The guards exchanged worried glances, but unbolted the doors. They swung the doors inwards, and everyone looked out to find an empty hall. The guards walked out into the hall and looked both directions. Finally, they looked back to Karian.
Mutation Genesis (The Fempiror Chronicles Book 2) Page 20