The Awakening

by Tony Mazzarella

  Alexon Books 2018

  Facebook - www.facebook.com/authortonymazzarella

  This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity to names, places, characters, or people, living or dead, is strictly coincidental. This is a work of the author’s imagination.

  © 2018 Tony Mazzarella

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 978-0-69204-825-2 (Print)

  ISBN: 978-1-54394-628-4 (eBook)

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018910031

  Cover Image:

  Copyright: mitarart / 123RF Stock Photo

  Dedicated to Judith Nowakowski

  It’s impossible to ever take the place of my mother, but no one could ever have come closer.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Author Bio

  Coming Soon

  Prologue

  Setenisi walked hurriedly past the quarry, holding the ornate silk scarf over her mouth. The dust hung low in the air as tens of thousands of slaves filled buckets of sand to make the final blocks for the Great Pyramid. There was a new urgency to the work being done, based on the sound of the whips and the exhausted moans from the mud pit below. Setenisi knew Queen Khaheet’s time was running short, and the king wanted her to see his monument to her completed before she passed on to the next life. She smiled cunningly as she savored the feel of the smooth silk against her face. She’d had nothing before she met Corrado, the king’s brother, and now she had some of the same pleasures as the queen she’d served for so many years.

  She recalled that not long ago, her only purpose in life was to smash grain into flour to make bread for the slaves she now looked down upon. Hour after hour and day after day, this had been her life. She was the youngest of those whose job it was to feed the starving masses their meager rations. Her youth and beauty made her stand out amongst the others, and Corrado had noticed her almost immediately. It wasn’t long after that she became his lover and conspirator in Queen Khaheet’s murder.

  The sound of the slave master’s whip brought her back to the present. She watched without emotion as an older slave was whipped repeatedly into unconsciousness. The guards dragged him from the pit and threw him into a wooden cart with large stone wheels. The cart would be filled each day with the poor souls that had fallen and rolled to the giant pit where they dumped the dead and dying.

  “This is no different than any other day,” she thought coldly to herself. It didn’t matter now that these were her people, suffering and dying. She had risen above them thanks to Corrado.

  In just a few more days, Queen Khaheet would be dead, and Corrado would take power from his brother, Adrian. Corrado had promised Setenisi that she’d be more than his lover; she’d be queen. It had taken almost a year for the poison to have its desired effect. It had to be slow, so no one would catch on to her. Setenisi saw to it that the queen’s food tasters were often rotated, so they wouldn’t build up a lethal dose in their systems. Corrado’s plan was brilliant—to use the queen’s most trusted servant as the means for his treacherous end.

  She walked toward the small building that housed the architects and planners, knowing it would be empty so early in the morning. He would be there waiting, as he had every day for the past year. His touch neither offended nor excited her. This was her routine, and she’d do what she had to in order to get what she wanted. No longer would she smell the stench of the mud pit or the pitiful souls doomed to toil and die there. Her life would be different. Corrado would see to that.

  “Hello, my lord,” she said softly as he stepped out from the shadows. Corrado walked toward her, saying nothing. He pulled the robes down over her shoulders, dropping them to the floor.

  He picked her up, carried her over to a stone table, and began making love to her.

  Perform as expected, and you will be queen, she said to herself over and over to pass the time.

  “I see what you desire,” said Corrado, looking into her mind. As she lay on the table, she watched as Corrado’s coarse features transformed into those of a tall, muscular young man. His dark, tanned skin glistened as sweat dripped slowly down his labor hardened chest. Corrado had taken the appearance of a handsome slave she’d observed daily as she walked past the pits. Although it would mean the whip if he was caught, the slave would steal a glance at Setenisi whenever she walked by. She would stare back longingly as her body yearned for him.

  Setenisi winced as she felt Corrado’s transformation inside of her. Pain soon turned to pleasure as she lost herself in the illusion he’d created for her. This wasn’t always how it went, but today was different, and Corrado was feeling generous.

  She found herself remembering the day he and Adrian had arrived. She’d known even then that they were not of this world. She wasn’t sure if the form she’d seen that day, that of a devil bathed in fire, was his true form, but it didn’t matter anymore, especially now that she would share in his power. She would complete her mission and take her place next to Corrado as his queen.

  “Khaheet will be dead soon, my treacherous flower. You’ve done well, and you will be rewarded,” Corrado said, clenching his teeth.

  She felt disappointment as he changed back into his less attractive form. His face was scarred with pockmarks and his untamable black hair fell about his shoulders in tangles. She wondered why a being with unlimited ability to choose any form would pick such an unseemly appearance. She suspected it was a reflection of his soul and changing into other forms seemed to use valuable energy, as he would often be fatigued afterwards.

  “Your touch is reward enough, my lord,” she moaned in her deceit.

  “Yes, I’m sure it is, but you will be rewarded nonetheless.”

  Corrado waved his hand over her stomach as he stood up, and a brilliant green emerald appeared in her navel.

  “You are very generous, my lord,” she said as she covetously studied the stone and gathered her clothes.

  “I have something else for you,” he said, flashing a devilish grin. “This is the final dose. You must make sure she takes this, or the effects will soon subside, and she might begin to recover.”

  Corrado handed her a small bottle with clear liquid inside, as he had the week before.

  “It will be done, my lord, as before,” said Setenisi, bowing obediently.

  “I know it will, and you will soon know the unlimited power you crave so much.”

  “I only crave you, my lord,” lied Setenisi as she caressed the jewel behind her back.

  “Yes, of course,” said Corrado, glaring as she turned and left. How I loathe these human creatures, he thought to himself. He was comforted by the thought that soon Khaheet would be dead, and his brother, Adrian, would carry out humanity’s destruction as planned. Corrado saw Khaheet as a distraction, and his plan was to hasten her death and bring his brother, the king, back to his senses.

  Setenisi walked slowly to the palace, stroking the precious stone the entire way. She looked at the giant pyramid that now
towered above the city and laughed at the fruitless waste of resources for someone who would never be laid to rest there. She dreamed of how she would make this a monument to herself and Corrado. She passed the palace guards who stood at the base of the giant pillars that marked the entrance, as she had for years. They would never think to question her or search the queen’s most trusted servant. She silently laughed again at their foolishness and contemplated how it would be when she was in power.

  “Nobody in or out without being searched. What a fool these two are to trust me so easily,” she whispered with her corrupted tongue. She thought to herself that they would be the first to be executed when she and Corrado assumed power.

  She entered the chamber where Khaheet lay in agony and saw the mighty king by her side. He wasn’t as terrifying in this form, she thought to herself, and this emboldened her to finish the mission.

  “Setenisi! Bring tea immediately!” he commanded.

  “Yes, my lord,” she said as she bowed her head and left through the long veils that separated the room from the outer chambers. She removed the water from the fire pit and poured it into a small wooden cup, then brought the cup to an ornate stone table decorated with a mosaic of the queen’s face. Setenisi cooled the steaming tea with water from another vessel as she stared into the jeweled Khaheet’s glimmering eyes.

  “We must be sure not to burn your mouth, my queen,” she laughed to herself. “You might not get it all down, and I need you to take every last drop.” Looking around carefully, she removed the vial from her robes. Two small drops were all she needed, but she too was becoming impatient.

  “Let’s make it five today, my queen, and end your misery—and mine,” she whispered, intentionally covering Khaheet’s face with the water vessel. She swirled the tea around in the cup, erasing any signs of her treachery.

  Returning to the queen’s chambers, she knelt over Khaheet, helping to lift her head to drink. Her mouth was barely able to consume the liquid, but as a good servant would, Setenisi made sure she finished all of it. The king looked on, blinded by his sorrow as Khaheet took her last labored breath in Setenisi’s arms.

  Setenisi gasped as the queen’s body went limp. She hadn’t expected Khaheet’s death to come so soon. She thought it would at least be several more days, but she quickly concealed her relief. “My lord, I’m sorry, but the gods have finally taken her,” she cried, amazed at how easily the tears were able to come.

  Adrian hurried to Khaheet’s side as he took her lifeless body into his arms. Setenisi watched as he sobbed quietly, caressing her face as he spoke softly words she could not hear. She concealed her exhilaration with the veil of tears that continued to flow. How weak the King has become, she thought as she continued to feign sorrow, Corrado is right to steal power from him.

  Setenisi was pulled away from her thoughts as the ground began to tremble violently. She watched as Adrian’s muscles bulged and his body began to quiver uncontrollably. He set down Khaheets limp body as two male servants rushed to assist him. His form grew larger and his skin began to glow red as if fire now pumped through his veins. He seemed to be fighting the transformation, one he hadn’t undergone since before he’d met Khaheet. As he lost the battle with himself, he crushed the two male servants with his giant flaming hands and threw their charred flesh through the window opening to the ground below. He fought desperately to regain control of his anger. Stone was crushed and fire erupted into the sky as he screamed in agony. All of Egypt was silent as the screams of his sorrow shook the earth. The slaves in the quarry froze and looked toward the palace, an act that would normally have gotten them the whip, but their masters too looked on. She was gone, the only creature to give him purpose and to touch his hardened heart. He wanted to destroy, to kill, to maim, but something was different. A part of her was still there, in his soul. She called to him with her essence, and all that she was and had been. He could no longer exist without conscience or purpose. Existing just to hate wasn’t enough. He saw now that there was more—a force more powerful than his mighty army that waited under the surface. He’d been infected with something he’d never expected—love. Although his sorrow prevented him from accepting this truth, it would spread over time like a virus through his being, as was his Father’s plan.

  ***

  The workers placed the last few stones in Khaheet’s burial chamber, far below the Great Pyramid, concealing the massive abyss that was created by his arrival. Without mercy, Adrian banished the slaves to the caverns below as he sealed the giant hole in the tomb with a wave of his hand. The massive stone slid into place and dropped down, sealing both Khaheet’s tomb and the fate of those below. Corrado and Setenisi stood behind him as he knelt in front of Khaheet’s sarcophagus. Corrado stepped forward, feigning sorrow, and placed an offering of gold and jewels at the base of the stone pedestal she lay upon. In the center of these useless trinkets is something far more meaningful, he thought to himself. The small, empty vial was a symbol of his triumph and sand in the eye of his brother.

  “It is time now, my brother. You’ve put this off long enough for her.”

  Adrian’s sorrow ran deep, and he had no patience for Corrado’s rants.

  “Silence!” he demanded as his voice reverberated loudly off the stone walls. “I will honor my word to her.” He knelt before the sarcophagus.

  “What word is that, brother?” Corrado asked defiantly.

  “She has asked me to delay the Awakening for more than forty-five hundred years to give mankind a chance to prove their worth.” He closed his eyes and emblazoned the date of the next Awakening on the side of Khaheet’s tomb with a thought. “I will send them back to the core until that time, and you and I will return there as well. We will return two hundred years before this date, so that we may observe mankind…before their destruction. This was her wish, and I will keep my promise to Khaheet. This pyramid will conceal our secret until we awaken again.”

  Feeling her power slipping away, Setenisi stepped forward in anger.

  “But you said we would rule!” she hissed to Corrado.

  Before she could utter another word and expose his treachery, he gazed into her eyes and revealed his deception to her poisoned mind. Her eyes widened in terror as the shroud of his influence was lifted. She stumbled backward, putting her hands over her ears as the fabric of his lies unraveled slowly and the truth revealed itself in her mind. She realized her foolishness and the heavy price that would be paid as a result. A red spider web of energy shot from Corrado’s fingers, killing her instantly.

  Adrian was puzzled by his actions, as he had thought Corrado was fond of the servant girl, but he was too deep in sorrow to care about her life or anyone else’s.

  “She was weak, my brother. She should have taken better care of Khaheet for you.”

  “Setenisi served adequately, but it is of no matter now,” said Adrian.

  “I know you had some strange obsession with this creature, Khaheet, and I stood by and watched you play your game with her. You have to follow through with what we are meant to do. These creatures are part of our Father’s creation. How can you let them dictate what must be done? It’s a trick; can’t you see that?” Corrado asked.

  “I alone make the decision on the timing of the Awakening. Not you. I told you long ago that you have much to learn before you can be trusted with the power. They will not follow you, so we do things my way. I don’t need to explain my reasoning to you, do I?”

  With that ominous warning, Adrian removed a small silver box from his robes. Corrado cringed at the sight of it. As Adrian opened it, a brilliant light filled the tomb, throwing Corrado into violent convulsions. Adrian quickly slammed the box shut as he too fell to his knees in pain.

  “Just a reminder to you, brother, that I alone control the power from our Father.”

  Corrado’s muscles felt like rubber, and he was unable to speak until the agony finally subsided
. “I see how it affects you too, Adrian,” he said, panting and rolling onto his hands and knees. “You can’t hide your pain from me.” He looked up at his brother.

  “We will speak no more,” commanded Adrian.

  Corrado struggled to stand, knowing he was powerless to do anything else. Adrian ran his hand tenderly across the stone representation of Khaheet’s face and the markings that showed the timing of the next awakening. He was tortured by the thought of facing the rest of his days alone without her. All he had was his promise to her, which she knew would allow time for the seed she’d planted to grow in his heart. She’d hoped the next Awakening would be his own Awakening, and humanity might be spared as a result. He waved his hand, and a tornado of fire swept Corrado and him up until they disappeared, leaving the tomb in darkness.

  Chapter 1

  Livorno, Italy, present day

  Dr. Caitlin Kirby sat on the cold cavern floor and stared blankly at the stone wall opposite her, where the hieroglyphs had been uncovered. The pictures told a desperate story of slaves being herded underground by a creature that closely resembled images she’d seen in religious books as a child. The mighty beast, bathed in fire, watching humans suffering below him. Even now, as an adult, she couldn’t help her feelings; the imagery terrified her.

  “Why do you look so preoccupied?” asked Drew Cross, startling her as his imposing form cast an even taller shadow that stretched out in front of her. He put a hand on her shoulder as she turned and looked into his worried brown eyes. “We’ve been put in charge of what might end up being one of the most significant discoveries in modern archaeology, and you look like you just lost your best friend.”

  Cait’s expression turned dour and Drew realized almost immediately that this was a horrible choice of words. He lowered his head in embarrassment as he ran his fingers, in frustration, through his wavy brown hair, and cursed his insensitivity.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I know what today is. Three years to the day since Tom was killed, isn’t it?”