Awakenings
Page 9
“I’m Raevyn Grimstad,” Rae said, shaking her hands and smiling at her.
“You’re why he’s here, aren’t you?” Stacey asked and smiled. Then before Rae could answer, she headed into the house. “Come inside, all of you.”
Once inside they were led to the kitchen. The house was cool, and comfortable looking. There was a large glass jug on the counter with a spigot.
“Lemonade,” Stacey said. “Please, help yourselves.”
“How long have you been out here?” Rae asked, sipping her drink and very happy for just how good it was.
“How long Wendell?” Stacey asked. “Ten years?” She pulled a long stem white ceramic pipe off the wall, shoved some tobacco from a glass jar into it, and then lit it. “And then we tooled around for about two years before that.”
“Wait!” Rae said. She levelled a glare at Wendell. “You told me you’d only been here a few years.”
“Well,” Wendell smiled. “A few can be twelve.”
“No,” she said, angrily. “No, it can’t. Why’d you lie to me?”
“To keep you from freaking out,” Wendell said. “I didn’t know you then, and I didn’t know how you’d react to knowing how long some of us have been here.”
“Don’t blame him, hon,” Stacey said. “You need to be careful with the FW’s.”
“FW?” Rae asked.
“Freshly Woken,” Erin said. “It’s like ‘fresh off the boat’ or some other insulting term.”
“Now, now,” Stacey smiled. “It’s not intended that way, only you sensitive folks take it like that.”
“You always did rile people,” Wendell said, smiling.
“Well, yeah,” Stacey smiled. “Women that speak their mind tend to do that. But that’s not why you’re here.” She looked to Rae. “Wendell only comes when he needs help.”
“We are why we’re here,” Rae said. “We need to get to Aken’Bar to get out of the Wasteland.”
“Who is waiting for you?” Stacey asked.
“My husband. He’s trying to clear the way to wake up our kids. And I need to help him.” Her voice grew soft. “So, he’s not doing it alone.”
Stacey’s face changed. Her demeanor changed. She walked to Rae and gave her a hug. “I’ll help any way I can,” she said.
“Thank you,” Rae said.
————
The giant doors closed locking the earthborn on the outside. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Grand Master Quan stood straight, no longer looking like the frail elder he once did.
“Return to your practices,” he said, turning to make his way to the central courtyard. He walked quickly, with purposeful intent. He had to be there.
The courtyard was an open garden within the giant structure. There was no floor above them, instead is stretched quite far to the glass ceiling and beyond that, the sky. In the center was the oversize conch shell made from marble, the exact same shrine that was everywhere in Quan’s world. Quan stood, leaning against his staff, waiting patiently for what was to come.
Slowly, a female form emerged timidly from the shrine. She was naked, and came to the edge, crouched, covering herself.
“What is this?” she asked.
“You are awoken,” Quan said. “At a time and place based your suitability and desire.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” She growled.
Quan smiled. “I am here to help you.” He held out a robe and averted his eyes.
She was careful, looking about her to make sure it was safe. She looked over the old man. Quan could tell she identified him as a danger. That ability was rare, the vast majority of the earthborn he had met failed to assess that simple fact correctly.
Some agreement came to her in her mind and she stepped out, standing fully, as if showing off. She was six feet tall, with ample breasts and hips, a trim waist, and fit, hard definition with muscles purpose trained for function. Her arms were covered in tattoos, as was her belly.
“This will fit you,” Quan said.
She approached, grabbed it and wrapped the robe about her.
“Why am I here?” She demanded.
“In time,” Quan said.
“Not good enough,” she said.
Quan smiled again. This will be his challenge. She was her father’s daughter, and she was her mother’s daughter. That combination was danger.
“You, m’lady,” he said. “Are here by your own desire. You don’t remember it, I know. But this is where you felt you needed to be.”
“Fuck that,” she said and stepped toward Quan threateningly. But she stopped. She knew, or suspected, he wasn’t just an old man.
“Your ink,” Quan said, pointing to the Norse symbols and runes on both her arms. “What does it represent?”
She looked at her arms. “They are my magic,” she said. “To remind me who I really am when I need them.”
“Shame your father doesn’t have them,” he said.
“You don’t know shit about my father,” she said, her eyes burning with rage.
“I do,” Quan said. “And your mother.”
She stood there, staring at him, defiantly.
“You don’t remember, but you are here, with me, at this place, because it is where you felt you needed to be,” he said.
She stood as if she would attack him.
“If you wish to stay, we will begin your training. If not, you are free to go.”
“Training for what?”
“You say your ink is your magic. I can teach you real magic. If you stay to learn.”
She was next to him quickly. So fast that were he not Master Quan he may have reacted violently. He smiled knowing that in the life she led that simple move was one of her magical powers that kept her safe.
“I agree, until it doesn’t work for me, and then I’m gone.”
“I’d expect nothing less from the daughter of Lord Urto the Strong and his lady Raevyn, Mistress of the Dark.”
This concludes ~ Awakenings
Book 2 in the Earthborn Saga
Keep an eye out for Book 3
truth
BONUS CONTENT
As a bonus I’ve included a small snippet from Chapter 1 of from book 3 in the Earthborn Saga, “Truth”.
CHAPTER 1
I had no pictures of my kids. I had the picture of Rae in the locket, and that I carried with me. I would look at it, touch her face. Our home had pictures everywhere. The dining room had all the kids, cousins, parents, our family at all their ages spread across the walls. Rae joked and called it her grandma wall. But I liked it. I’d often sit there late at night while I drank and just stare at them. To me, they meant roots, connections, history, family. I know she created the wall because with her mom the way she was, she didn’t have that connection. I didn’t have that either. We were both lost and broken children when we found each other. I missed that wall.
If what they were saying was true, then the kids knew nothing about the wait. To them, when they woke up, it would have been just like it was for me showing up on the gravel road. Logically, I knew they weren’t alone, they weren’t in fear, wondering where mommy and daddy where. But that didn’t change how I felt. With every fiber of who I was I needed to pull them to me to make sure they were safe, not afraid. To beat the fear and the demons back so they were happy and laughing and finding good dreams.
Good dreams. Those would be nice to have again.
The Cast
The Grimstad Family
Urto Grimstad, father and husband
Raevyn (aka Rae) Grimstad, mother and wife
Kissiah, their only daughter and first born child
Nashoba, the second born
Bohdan, the third child
Ray, their fourth child
Lil’Urto, their youngest and fifth child
Raevyn’s Group
Brandon McCready
Erin Fagley
Martin Heald
Wendell Watts.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Timothy Manley is a writer of fiction and goes way back in geekdom before the internet existed, which what fed his early fascination in science fiction, fantasy, horror and the macabre. Timothy currently lives at home with his wife and the youngest two of his five kids.
If you want to see what Tim has in print feel free to check out his Amazon Author page.
https://www.amazon.com/Timothy-Manley/e/B00MP5KEPY
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https://www.facebook.com/SciFiWriterMan
Here’s a hint, he has been known to recruit BETA readers from those following him on his Facebook Author’s page.