Thirteen Forgotten Worlds (Seam Wardens Book 1)

by Brant Williams

  These huge creatures typically have bright red skin, horns, and glowing, red eyes. Some are humanoid with various mixtures of animal parts thrown in, and others are more bestial in nature. Some are the size of humans, but others are the size of buildings.

  The worst part is that these creatures are hyper-intelligent – often more so than humans. But despite their intellectual capability to communicate, there is no negotiating any kind of treaty with them. They simply eat any representative we send to them as if it were a food package, rather than an attempt to work together.

  Fortunately for all of humanity, they find our world to be uncomfortably cold and only ever venture into our world for short periods of time to graze for snacks.

  They are the closest thing I had seen to pure evil in my life. Breaches that occurred from Hell were responsible for some of the worst disasters in history. Because normals can’t remember what happened, the damage done by demons typically gets attributed to forest fires or some other destructive natural force like an earthquake.

  There are only two things that keep these monsters from wiping out humanity: One, most of the breaches are small enough in size that the truly terrifying, building-sized demons can’t fit through, and two, Rund.

  The Seam Wardens use Rund to imprison the demons we can’t force to go back into Hell, as well as other nasty monsters from other worlds that are too dangerous to be let loose in our world. It was a wise acquisition on our part and has saved thousands if not millions of lives.

  The next world was another one that the Seam Warden’s know very little about. They call it the Silent World. Walking through the seam puts you in the middle of a city in which you are invisible and intangible. You can enter into it, but no one can see you, and you can’t interact with anyone. People and objects go right through you as if you were not there. There is no sound in that world at all. It is complete, dead, silence. The inhabitants of the city appear to be human, although their manner of dress and technology is very different from our own.

  The lack of substance and sound leads the majority of Seam Wardens to think that this world is somehow out of phase with our own. It’s connected by the Seams, but only partially. When you go in, you aren’t completely in their world, but you certainly aren’t in our world anymore. So, where are you then?

  After initial explorations didn’t reveal much of interest there, the Seam Wardens have mostly left the Silent World alone as something inherently unknowable, and even potentially unstable and dangerous.

  Finally, we came to the last world – Uchima. This is the world that houses the druids that give us the enhancers. It is also the world from which the Sorlith had come and killed my family.

  The one that left me with a scar on my shoulder.

  This seam was not jagged like Primor, nor was it made of neat, straight lines like Parse. The portal for Uchima looked like a star with a hundred points but asymmetrical and uneven. I could make out vague, large shapes through the portal, but not enough to give me any insight as to what might be waiting for me in there.

  I jumped as I felt a hand touch my arm.

  Alexa.

  She gave me an apologetic smile and stood very close to me. It suddenly became very difficult to think about anything else as I felt her brush up against me and I smelled her – it was a clean smell. Alexa didn’t like to wear scented lotion or perfume because there were a number of creatures that used scent as a primary way of tracking prey. But even without that, she somehow always smelled amazing.

  Elias stood in front of the door to Uchima. “This is Elias Underwood accompanied by Abby and Reid Brewster. We are requesting entrance to Uchima for the current cadet class.”

  The same female voice that had answered Reid when he had gone through in a second skin spoke. “Copy that Elias. Your request is being relayed to command. Please stand by.”

  After a moment of awkward silence, the semi-transparent barrier flickered and then disappeared.

  “Elias Underwood, this is command. You are cleared for entry."

  Without hesitation, Elias stepped forward and disappeared through the seam.

  It was about to get real.

  11

  Black Worms and Hooded People

  I stepped through the portal and into another world.

  Another world! How amazing was that?

  I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light. The low light of the enclosed Seams had been instantly replaced with bright sunlight filtering through the tall trees of Uchima. A fresh scent, unlike anything I had ever smelled before, permeated the air. It was like a cross between pine and lavender. I breathed it in deeply and felt my body instantly relax. I should have been scared out of my mind, or at least nervous, but for some reason, I felt at complete peace here in this strange world I had never been to before.

  Elias seemed to feel the same way. I watched him stretch and take in several deep breaths, clearly enjoying being back in Uchima.

  Reid and Abby, however, seemed to feel completely different. They both looked tense and anxious. Reid kept looking around as if expecting to be attacked at any minute. Abby had her Boom Sticks out and looked ready to blast the first living thing she didn’t recognize.

  The other cadets also seemed unsettled. They huddled together and looked around nervously. And why shouldn’t they? This wasn’t our world. We were strangers here. Out of place, out of our element, and on our own.

  But for some reason, I didn’t feel that way.

  “Welcome to Uchima,” said Elias. He spread his arms wide as if inviting us all to take in the glory around us. We were in a large clearing, surrounded by tall trees. A dirt path led away from the clearing and farther into the woods.

  I picked up a leaf from the ground, but I didn’t recognize its shape. It didn’t match any known species of trees I had ever seen before. It was thicker and softer than any leaf I had encountered before. I pressed it between my fingers and felt it compress and then expand as I released the pressure. It was almost as if it were made of foam rubber instead of cellulose, like most plants.

  “Before we continue any farther, there are some basic rules that you all must follow. We are guests here, and I expect you to act like it," Elias said. "The first, and most important rule is that you do not go into the woods alone. The paths we walk on and the places I will take you are safe, but if you venture into the woods, you face very high odds of experiencing a gruesome death. Am I understood?"

  We all nodded and murmured our assent. I glanced over at Logan and Kevin and saw that for once they were actually paying attention. They both appeared somewhat nervous rather than wearing their standard angry-at-the-world expressions. At least they were taking something about being a Seam Warden seriously.

  "The second rule is that you do not harm any plant, insect, animal, or any life you see. This is a sacred place for the Druids of Uchima, and it is a great honor that they are allowing us here. Do not desecrate it by killing any living thing or you will ruin this opportunity to take an enhancer for yourself and possibly for future generations of Seam Wardens as well."

  Elias stopped and surveyed our grim expressions. "The third, and final rule is possibly the most important. Do not feed any of the creatures after midnight." He looked at us expectantly.

  Reid shook his head. “Trust me, Elias, classic movie quotes are lost on this bunch. I think you and I need to update our repertoire of jokes.”

  Sierra raised her hand. “What’s the time change in Uchima? Is it close to midnight?”

  Elias sighed and looked deflated. “No, Sierra, it is not even remotely close to midnight. That part about not feeding creatures after midnight was just a joke from an old movie.”

  “Were the other two rules real,” asked Gabriel, “or were they obscure movie quotes from the olden days that we don’t get?”

  Reid laughed and clapped Elias on the back. “Come on Elias, let’s hear more quotes from the ‘olden days!’”

  “No, Gabriel,” Elias said
. “Those other two are the actual legitimate rules: Stay on the path and approved areas and don’t kill any living things.”

  I had watched Gremlins and knew the quote Elias was referring to. I decided to let him know that at least I got the joke.

  I raised my hand. “Are we allowed to get any of the creatures wet, or is that forbidden, too?”

  Elias grinned so wide it looked like it hurt his face. He and Reid started laughing.

  “See,” Elias said to Reid, “at least one of them got the reference. I’m going to call that a victory.”

  The other cadets looked at me with blank stares. "It's from the movie Gremlins," I said. "If you feed the cute, fuzzy creatures after midnight they turn into evil monsters. If you get them wet, they multiply."

  Alexa smiled and mouthed the word “nerd” at me.

  I gave a mock-disgusted sniff and looked away.

  “No, Pierce, I wouldn’t recommend getting any of the creatures here wet,” said Elias. “Not because they would multiply, but because they might rip out your spleen if you upset them.”

  “Warning duly noted,” I said. “No water.”

  “Movie quotes aside, this is a dangerous place,” said Elias. “We’ve taken many precautions to safeguard you from those dangers, and we haven’t had any problems in all the years we’ve been doing this. I just don’t want to start today.”

  We walked out of the clearing and down a twisting dirt path. Roots and sharp rocks jutted out making it difficult to walk, and I had to pay attention to where I was placing my feet after tripping several times.

  After ten minutes of walking in relative silence, we reached another clearing. Two stones, each ten feet tall and five feet wide, marked the entrance to the clearing. The stones were made up of all different colors and had bits of reflective minerals in them. Unfamiliar markings were carved directly into the rock. I got the impression it was writing, but it wasn't a language I had ever seen.

  We passed between the stones, and I got a sudden chill, as if a cold breeze had washed over me. I looked at the other cadets, but none of them seemed to be affected – just me.

  Always the lucky one.

  What looked like a small house stood in the middle of the clearing. I guess “house” was a bit of an overstatement. It was a wooden structure, but it lacked any walls. It had an ornate roof that looked like something you might see in Japan, but instead of walls, it was held up with a bunch of carved pillars. I counted thirteen in all. Three steps led up to a wooden floor where a stone altar stood in the middle of the structure.

  Elias led us up the stairs and motioned for us to encircle the altar. On the altar was a wooden bowl filled with a dark substance. At first, I thought it was polished stone since it was completely still and reflective, but after a moment I realized it was filled with a dark liquid.

  Standing in front of the wooden bowl, Elias surveyed us slowly. “This is where you will receive your enhancers,” he said. ”This is a sacred ritual for the Monks of Uchima. They have agreed to allow Seam Wardens to participate as long as they respect the ritual and keep it sacred. You must all take an oath to never reveal the details of the ritual to anyone outside of the Seam Wardens. Each of you must take this oath to proceed. If you choose not to, you are invited to go back to where we started and wait for us to return. You will not be granted any enhancers.”

  Seriously? An oath of secrecy? That seemed rather odd and a bit ominous. And why was this the first time we had heard of this? What if we were asked to do something horrible? I had just assumed that the reason we hadn’t heard more details was that it was too complicated to explain. I didn’t realize that it had been deliberately kept secret.

  “If you agree to these terms, step forward, place a hand on the altar, and say ‘I swear.’”

  We all looked around at each other nervously. Were we prepared to do this? What were the consequences if we broke the oath?

  For an awkward moment, no one moved at all. We were all waiting for someone else to make the first move. This was an unknown situation, and no one wanted to go first. When I realized that no one else was going to go first, I took a deep breath, stepped forward, placed my hand on the stone altar, and spoke the words:

  “I swear.”

  It could have been my imagination, but I thought I felt the stone beneath my hand heat up when I spoke the oath.

  I stepped back from the altar and realized the other cadets had lined up behind me. Once I had done it, the barrier had been broken, and everyone else was ready to follow suit.

  It took less than two minutes for all the cadets to line up and speak the oath. When we were done, Elias took his place in front of the altar and spoke again.

  "You are now ready to receive your enhancements. When it is your turn, you will cup your left hand and reach into the bowl. When you pull it out, there will be a single Sesha there. The Sesha are symbiotic organisms that will grant you the enhancement. They are sacred to the monks of Uchima and are the source of their culture, religion, and power.

  “When you pull out a Sesha, you will hold it up to your mouth where it will enter your body and join with you, forming a life-bond that will grant you the extra power. If, after taking one, you can remain standing, you may attempt to take a second one. If, however, you take a Sesha and feel dizzy or fall unconscious, you will know you have reached your limit.”

  We arranged ourselves in a line to get our Sesha. I was third in line, but Elias pulled me aside.

  “Pierce, I ask that you go last.”

  I was torn between being confused and being hurt. Did I do something wrong?

  “But why?”

  Elias smiled at me, reassuringly. “Just a feeling,” he said.

  So, I stood in the back of the line and watched as the other cadets took their enhancers. Kathryn was first. She reached her hand into the bowl, and when she pulled it back, a black, worm-like thing wriggled in the palm of her hand. She looked at it with a mixture of fascination and disgust. That was a Sesha? That black worm was sacred to the monks of Uchima?

  Hesitantly, Kathryn held her hand up to her mouth. The Sesha lifted one end, and in a motion too quick for me to follow, it jumped down her throat. Kathryn's eyes opened wide in surprise, and then her expression changed to one of euphoria. She wobbled a bit, and her eyes rolled up in her head. Her knees buckled, and she started to collapse to the ground. Reid and Abby reached her before she could fall and pulled her limp body to the side and laid her down.

  “Don’t worry,” Abby said. “She’s fine. This is perfectly normal. She has reached her enhancement limit. Each of you will do the same thing when you have reached your limit as well.”

  Next to go was Gabriel. After he had taken his first one, he remained standing and was able to take a second one before passing out.

  Sierra took two, as did Caleb and Zachary. Kevin and Mariah each took one. Logan was able to take two and seemed surprisingly excited about it. He probably thought it would help him play the guitar better.

  Each time one of the cadets took an enhancer, a look of pure bliss came over them. From the outsider’s perspective, it looked totally gross to eat a black worm like that, but no one gagged or said anything about it tasting gross. I guessed it either tasted awesome or it just went down so quickly they didn’t have a chance to taste it.

  When it was Alexa's turn, we all got a big surprise. She ended up taking three enhancers making her just one of six living Seam Wardens with more than two.

  Elias looked beyond pleased when she took the third enhancer. I could only imagine how happy Alexa was going to be when she woke up and the reality of what happened dawned on her.

  Then, it was my turn.

  I hesitantly stepped up to the bowl. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm myself. Up until now, I hadn't been nervous at all. Now that my time was here, I was starting to feel like my stomach was being hit by sledgehammers wielded by steroid-using bodybuilders.

  I reached down and dipped my cupped han
d into the bowl. I felt dozens of the Sesha touch my skin as my hand moved through the water. When I pulled it back, there was not a single Sesha in my palm – my hand was covered in them.

  Dozens of the Sesha wriggled in my cupped hand, and many others somehow clung to every free inch of the outside of my hand like wiggly, black tentacles.

  What was happening here? Something had gone horribly wrong. How had I messed this up?

  I turned to Elias for help, but instead of the anger or fear I thought I would see on his face for messing up the ritual, I saw a completely unexpected emotion: awe.

  From out of the woods, dozens of hooded figures stepped into the clearing and slowly walked onto the wooden platform where all the cadets lay unconscious. Reid and Abby pulled out their Boom Sticks and stood protectively over the cadets.

  The hooded figures ignored the Cadets as they approached. They kept their faces hidden with their wide hoods and chanted in a language I had never heard before. They encircled me, and then each of them dropped to their knees and bowed their heads.

  I looked at Elias for help knowing what to do, but he seemed just as confused and puzzled as I was.

  “What’s going on, Elias?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure myself,” he replied. “I’ve never heard of the monks assembling when someone takes an enhancer, but I’ve also never seen so many of the Sesha cling to anyone before – not even myself. I suspected there was something special about you, but I had no idea it would be something of this magnitude.”

  The chanting continued, growing in volume and the words began to speed up. As it increased in the speed, the chanting turned from slowly melodious to a guttural staccato.

  “What are they saying?” I asked.