Thirteen Forgotten Worlds (Seam Wardens Book 1)

by Brant Williams

  We immediately snapped to full attention.

  I had seen pictures of him before and had even seen him from a distance when Reid and Abby had taken us through the Command Center during one of our lessons, but this was the first time I had ever seen him in person.

  He stood next to Reid and Abby and took a moment to look at each and every one of us, making eye contact for several seconds before moving onto the next cadet in line.

  When he had finished, he said, “At ease.”

  We relaxed into the appropriate stance.

  “So, this is the graduating class?” he asked.

  Abby nodded. “Yes, sir. A fine class.”

  The First Warden nodded thoughtfully. “And you feel they are ready to graduate from Cadet to Warden in Training status?”

  I caught the flick of Reid’s eyes as he quickly glanced at Logan. He had improved somewhat by the end, but he still lacked commitment and drive.

  “Yes, we do,” Abby said.

  “Excellent,” the First Warden said. “Let’s bring in our audience.”

  The door opened again, and in marched a long line of people. I wasn't sure who they all were until I saw the faces of my fellow cadets.

  It was family.

  Parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles filed into the room – there had to be almost a hundred of them. I watched Alexa’s face split into a wide grin as her parents and siblings came through the doors.

  I'm not sure what my face looked like, but I'm certain the shock I felt was easily visible when my Uncle Mike and Aunt Ella walked in. How had they gotten here? Who had invited them?

  Then, I saw who was standing next to them and I knew – Tamara. She had brought them here. What she had told them or how she had convinced them, I had no idea, but it felt great to see them again.

  I waved to them, and they both waved back. Aunt Ella had that proud-parent look going on and pulled out a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. Uncle Mike was much more stoic, but he looked genuinely pleased. I wondered what had happened to change his opinion of what I was doing.

  I caught Tamara's eye, and she gave me a wink and a smile.

  I couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot.

  There was a series of clicking noises and several rows of padded bleacher seating pushed out from the wall. Reid and Abby ushered all the family and friends into their seats.

  Once everyone was seated, Reid and Abby stood on either side of the First Warden.

  “Today is your graduation day,” the First Warden said. “You are no longer cadets, and have become Wardens in Training.” The audience burst into applause, and the First Warden paused to wait for them to finish before continuing. “You will continue your education over the next year working in three different departments and learning from dedicated partners who will teach you vital skills while on the job.

  "This gives you the opportunity to learn from a variety of Seam Wardens as well as expand your horizons to see how other groups function. For some of you, it may even change your mind about where you ultimately want to be placed.

  “Your first assignments will be sent to your tablets at the conclusions of this graduation ceremony.”

  First assignment. I had wondered about this day for a long time. Where would I go? Who would be my trainer? How would I perform?

  The First Warden walked to the end of our line where Gabriel stood. Reflexively, we all snapped to attention. The First Warden stood in front of Gabriel and looked him in the eyes and said: “Today you are a cadet no longer.” He reached out and yanked off one of the two yellow armbands on Gabriel’s uniform, and dropped it at his feet. “You are one step closer to taking the oath and becoming a full Seam Warden. Perform your duties with honor and exactness.”

  He then moved to Sierra and performed the same ceremony, saying the same words and pulling off one of the yellow armbands.

  One by one he performed the ceremony until he came to me. He stood before me and looked me in the eye. Maybe, it seemed this way to everyone, but it felt as if he took extra time looking at me before saying the words of the ceremony and removing the armband.

  After me was Zachary. When the First Warden finished with Zachary, he turned around and spoke to the audience. "Behold the next generation of Seam Wardens. You have done well in raising them, and you should be proud of their accomplishments. They would not be where they are today without your support."

  That got a standing ovation from the crowd, and the First Warden waved to everyone as he slipped out the door.

  I wanted to go back to my room and see where I had been assigned, but we were all ushered into a large banquet room where a huge meal – practically a feast – was spread out so we could eat and celebrate completing our first step to becoming Seam Wardens.

  Uncle Mike came up to me and gave me a huge hug. “I’m so sorry for how we left things,” he said. “I just had no idea about any of this. What you are doing, is nothing short of amazing.”

  Aunt Ella couldn’t stop smiling and crying. “We are so proud of you,” she said.

  “How can you even know all this?” I asked.

  “I guess we really don’t,” Uncle Mike said. “This lady here,” he gestured to Tamara, “lured us through a door under false pretenses. Since we are so close to the, what are they called?”

  “Seams,” Tamara said.

  “Yes, the Seams. I guess being here makes it easier to remember.”

  “But just for as long as we stay,” Aunt Ella said. “It sounds like you are going to have to remind us about what you are doing each time we see you again.”

  We all sat down together and ate until we couldn't eat anymore. I introduced Uncle Mike and Aunt Ella to my fellow Cadets – now Warden's in Training – and especially to Alexa.

  I didn’t say anything different about Alexa, but Aunt Ella knew me well enough that she could tell how I felt about Alexa. She gave me a wink and a knowing smile.

  The time finally came for the party to end. I said my goodbyes to my Aunt and Uncle as Tamara escorted them through a transdimensional door and back to California. It felt good to know that even if they wouldn’t remember all this, Uncle Mike and Aunt Ella were proud of me. They may not have been my mom and dad, but they did love me as their own son, and their respect and opinions meant the world to me.

  “So, are you ready to find out your assignment?” I asked Alexa.

  She nodded. “Sort of. I want to know, but right now I’m so nervous that I kind of just want to throw up.”

  “Me too,” I said. “Want to read them together?”

  We both ran back to our rooms and grabbed our data pads. I logged in and looked. Sure enough, the message was already there. I had to resist the urge to open it and read it right then and there. I turned off the screen and left the barracks.

  We found an empty practice room and sat down together.

  I took a deep breath and turned my data pad on again.

  This was it. The first of my assignments as a Warden in Training. No matter that it was only three months. I could do three months of anything, right?

  “You go first,” said Alexa.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go first?”

  “I’m sure. Just read it.”

  I turned on the screen, called up the message, and read the content. There was a lot of congratulatory fluff that I skipped past until I got to the part I most wanted to see: the assignment.

  “You have been assigned to the Law Enforcement team. Your trainer will be Asher Stone.

  Law Enforcement. I stopped for a minute to decide how I felt about that. I had been hoping for First Responder or maybe Special Forces, something that would put me right in the action. Law Enforcement wasn’t quite as exciting as I hoped, but it would still get me some action.

  When I read Asher Stone's name, Alexa's eyes lit up. You get to work with Stone? He's the best in Law Enforcement. He's practically a legend. He hasn't taken a Warden in Training for as long as I can remember. That's great, Pierce!"r />
  I took in several deep breaths and felt myself relax. I finally knew where I was going. Now that it was known, I could prepare myself for it.

  “What about you?” I said. “Your turn.”

  Alexa gave me a nervous smile. “I know.” She turned on her data pad and opened her assignment. She scanned the screen for several seconds, and then her expression turned stony.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Diplomacy and negotiation,” she said, the disappointment audible in every syllable.

  I knew better than to ask why she was so upset. This was the one group that she had no interest in and had hoped to avoid. There was no fighting. No weapons. No excitement. In her opinion, it was just a bunch of people talking and making promises they would immediately try to find a way to break without anyone knowing.

  “It’s only three months,” I said, trying to sound positive.

  “I know. I guess it’s better to get the worst assignment out of the way first, right?”

  "Exactly," I said. I stood up and pulled Alexa to her feet. "Besides, now that we aren't cadets, we get free days where we can do anything we want."

  Alexa looked up at me and smiled. “I like the sound of that,” she said. “Did you have anything particular in mind?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe.” I pulled her in close and kissed her.

  “Not bad,” Alexa said. “I could certainly think of worse ways to spend my free time.”

  “What, like having our powers removed and being locked in cages by a sociopathic ex-Seam Warden?”

  Alexa paused to think about that. “Probably. But I need to try again to make sure.” This time she reached up, put her hands behind my head, and pulled me down for another kiss.

  When we finally pulled apart, she smiled at me. “Yeah, I guess it does beat that.”

  I grinned back like an idiot.

  Life was good.

  How You Can Help Me Write More Books

  If you enjoyed this book, please consider going on to Amazon and leaving a review. Lots of positive reader reviews are crucial for an author’s success, especially one who is doing all this without a publisher to back him up and provide marketing and advertising.

  Also, tell your friends. The best recommendations come from readers telling other readers about a book they really loved. And the more people who buy my books, the more time I can justify being away from my family and writing them. That means if you want the next book to come out faster, you need to tell your friends about this book.

  And eat lots of fruit and vegetables. I hear they are supposed to be good for you.

  Acknowledgments

  A book comes to life through the efforts of multiple people working together. So I want to give a special acknowledgement to the following awesome people who helped with this particular book:

  First off, I want to thank my wonderful wife, Caroline. She is my alpha reader and reads each chapter as I finish it. As the first reader, she gets the most disjointed and unedited version of the story and still sticks with it, giving me feedback and asking me when the next chapter will be ready. She helps me stay motivated and keep focused when I am in the writing stage. I couldn’t do this without her love and support.

  Next I want to thank my beta readers: Amy Ring, Annette Sepega, Carrie Creek, Evan Simper, Janyse Frerichs, Kevin McKinney, and Shannon Elliott. They gave me great feedback and helped ensure that you get to read a better book than the one I sent them.

  A big thanks to the amazing Karri Klawiter (www.artbykarri.com) for designing a spectacular cover.

  I also want to thank all of my children. We have a crazy, blended family that probably should have its own reality show – working title: Yours, Mine, Ours, and Theirs. They are all great kids and keep me busy and generally sleep-deprived. I love spending time with them and love who they are growing up to become. They provide me with fresh perspective and keep me young.

  And as always, I need to thank my mom and dad for instilling in me a love of reading and writing. I am truly blessed to have had such wonderful parents. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without them.

  About the Author

  Brant Williams never outgrew YA literature and thinks almost any book can be improved by the addition of magic, superpowers, or monsters. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelors degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Organizational Behavior. He lives near Portland, OR and has six beautiful children who make him smile.

  If you would like to be notified of when the next book in The Seam Wardens series is released, please sign up for my email list. I promise that I will not SPAM you and you will only hear from me — at most — few times in a given year. Here is the link to sign up: http://eepurl.com/NZu6j

  To find out more about me, my books, and random thoughts I may have about life go to:

  www.havocchronicles.com

  Also by Brant Williams

  The Havoc Chronicles

  Threads That Bind (Havoc Chronicles Book 1)

  Unbound (Havoc Chronicles Book 2)

  Bonds That Break (Havoc Chronicles Book 3)