Awakening (20 page)

“A very brief one, involving the team Warrior Luken has built.”

“I suppose Merl will be part of the squad.”

“He’s always been faithful to you, Sister.”

“As faithful as a viper.”

“And now,” Zander said, smiling, “Will you tell me at last whether you intend to kill Merl’s sister or not?”

Yolanthe waved a hand. “He will always require proof-of-life to keep going so for now, the woman stays alive.”

“I suppose she must.”

“Just keep encouraging your visions, because I suspect Duncan is coming for me.”

“And that was always the chance you took in pursuing him.”

“I know, and you did warn me. But he’s still worth the risk.”

“Yes, but now he knows where you live.”

Yolanthe laughed. “But I would love to see him try to get anywhere near Mexico City Three and he just a Second ascender.”

“But not for long.”

“Very true. Not for long.”

~ ~ ~

Luken stood in the Militia Warrior workout center, his sword upright, knees bent, shoulders hunched.

Duncan did the same.

Time to start training the warrior who had visions and a woman with at least one Fourth Earth power.

The first attack had both swords clanging, a shrill sound in the tall, three story room with echoing acoustics. In order to train him right, Luken had security remove the no-fold policy just for the work-out center. Part of battling as a Warrior of the Blood included calculated folds through instant moments of nether-space in order to come up behind the enemy unawares.

Duncan had made war for a long time, and he caught on fast. More than once, he’d taken Luken by surprise, folding behind him without Luken knowing and that was a damn hard thing to do.

Duncan worked out as well, like Luken did, pushing his muscle mass to tougher proportions. They were alike in that way, maybe each aware the future held nothing but the most dangerous situation possible: battling on Third Earth.

“So, you’re sure Yolanthe lives in a palace in Mexico City Three?”

Duncan breathed hard, recovering from the latest ten minute battling sprint. Sweat dripped down his face, and he folded a towel into his hand and mopped up. “She doesn’t live
in the city.
She
is
the city. She designed, built and owns Mexico City Three. She has hundreds of Militia Warriors in her employ and thousands of slaves. All do her bidding.”

“Do you have any influence with her?”

“Not anymore. The only way to save Rachel was to obliterate the mind-link.”

“Okay, then.” Luken nodded. “Ready for round eight?”

Duncan met his gaze and smiled. “Bring it, Warrior.”

~ ~ ~

Endelle hated herself for doing this, but if she didn’t, she’d fuck Merl, which would be a hundred times worse.

She lay on a bed in her very secret home in India Two, a place of heat and water and tigers. The latter roamed her secure home.

A man with black hair and dark skin and the tongue of a genius, worked her low. She wanted his cock, but she drew the line there, resigned to just having her pussy sucked and licked until she screamed.

He used implements as well in place of his cock, enhancing her pleasure and giving her a certain degree of satisfaction.

The whole time she wept as much from relief as from the horrible feeling she was being unfaithful to Braulio.

Yet, if she didn’t get this release at least once-a-week, she knew she’d fly into an uncontrolled rage and start burning her dimension down. The Council of Sixth Earth had kept her serving way too long, something that wouldn’t change anytime in the near future. She and her warriors had a new bad guy to beat.

The tigers paced at the perimeter of a lush courtyard garden, growling at the monkeys that played in the trees and along the upper balconies. Occasionally, the small primates would enrage the cats by throwing their feces at them.

When she’d come for the tenth time and finally felt her veins melting a little, she let the prostitute go, paying him well. She then burrowed into his mind, replacing any memory of her with a vague image of a wealthy woman he serviced regularly. Anonymity worked extremely well for her in this situation.

She remained in India Two for an hour, drinking wine and recovering. She’d shower as well, not wanting to give any of her staff reason to gossip because she had a post-orgasmic glitter in her eye.

Gossip in her Administrative HQ was a second language for her people and the warriors could spot a good lay at a hundred paces.

So, she waited and drank, erasing the physical evidence of her sin. Composed at last, she folded back to her private suite of rooms in her palace to take another bath and to ask Jeannie for an update.

“You sound more relaxed, Madame Endelle.”

“I’m half in the bag, is all.” That much was true. “Anything I should know?”

“Only one critical detail: Rachel has joined the black ops team.”

Endelle sat up so fast she caused a wave of water to flow out of the tub and onto the floor. “What’s did you say? How? When?
Why
?”

“Wreckers destroyed her home in the Seattle One Colony. But don’t worry, both Duncan and Rachel are fine. They’re at his lakeside home and Duncan wanted me to tell you he broke the mind-link, so it will be a long time before Yolanthe can trace either of them.”

“And Luken?”

“He’s training his team at Militia HQ.”

“Good. That’s good. Just keep me informed.”

“Always. And you really do sound better.”

Endelle rolled her eyes. “Jeannie, go fuck yourself.”

~ ~ ~

Stay tuned for episode two of RAPTURE’S EDGE as Duncan and Rachel, and the rest of the team, continue their journey to Third Earth.

ASCENSION TERMINOLOGY

AAF pr. n.
Allied Ascender Forces, Endelle’s army.

ALA pr. n.
Ascenders Liberation Army, the name Greaves assigned to his army.

ascender n.
A mortal human of Earth who has moved permanently to the second dimension.

ascension n.
The act of moving permanently from one dimension to a higher dimension.

ascendiate n.
A mortal human who has answered the
call to
ascension
and thereby commences his or her
rite of
ascension
.

call of ascension n.
A period of time, usually involving several weeks, in which the mortal human has experienced some or all of, but not limited to, the following: specific dreams about the next dimension, deep yearnings and longings of a soulful and inexplicable nature, visions of and possibly visits to any of the dimensional Borderlands, etc. See
Borderlands
.

ascension ceremony n.
Upon the completion of the
rite of
ascension
,
the mortal undergoes a ceremony in which loyalty to the laws of Second Society are professed and the attributes of the vampire mantel along with immortality are bestowed.

answering the call to ascension n.
The mortal human who experiences the hallmarks of the
call to ascension,
will at some point feel compelled to answer the
call to ascension
usually by demonstrating significant preternatural power.

call of ascension n.
A period of time, usually involving several weeks, in which the mortal human has experienced some or all of, but not limited to, the following: specific dreams about the next dimension, deep yearnings and longings of a soulful and inexplicable nature, visions of and possibly visits to any of the dimensional Borderlands, etc. See
Borderlands
.

rite of ascension n.
A three-day period during which time an
ascendiate
contemplates
ascending
to the next highest dimension.

the Borderlands pr. n.
Those geographic areas that form dimensional borders at both ends of a dimensional pathway. The dimensional pathway is an access point through which travel can take place from one dimension to the next. See
Trough
.

breh-hedden
n.
(Term from an ancient language.) A mate-bonding ritual that can only be experienced by the most powerful warriors and the most powerful preternaturally gifted women. Effects of the
breh-hedden
can include but are not limited to: specific scent experience, extreme physical/sexual attraction, loss of rational thought, primal sexual drives, inexplicable need to bond, powerful need to experience deep
mind-engagement
, etc.

cadroen
n.
(Term from an ancient language.) The name for the hair clasp that holds back the ritual long hair of a Warrior of the Blood.

catch skin vb.
When a blade draws blood.

Central pr.n.
The office of the current administration that tracks movement of
death vampires
in both the second dimension and on
Mortal Earth
for the purpose of alerting the
Warriors of the Blood
and the
Militia Warriors
to illegal activities.

Command Center pr. n.
Headquarters for the Allied Ascender Forces, currently at Endelle’s Palace, Thorne’s base of operations.

the
darkening n.
An area of
nether-space
that can be found during meditations and/or with strong preternatural darkening capabilities. Such abilities enable the
ascender
to move into nether-space and remain there or to use nether-space in order to be two places at once.

the darkening grid n.
A grid built centuries ago, by powerful Third Earth entities that spans Second and Third Earth for the purpose of travel, transport, and access to Second Earth. The crossing of the dimensional boundary that allows access to a Lower Dimension, makes the grid highly illegal in the multiple-dimension arena.

darkening grid monitor n.
A Third Earth specialist who tracks movement on the inter-dimensional darkening grid.

death vampire n.
Any
vampire
, male or female, who partakes of
dying blood
automatically becomes a death vampire. Death vampires can have, but are not limited to, the following characteristics: remarkably increased physical strength, an increasingly porcelain complexion true of all ethnicities so that death vampires have a long-term reputation of looking very similar, a faint bluing of the porcelain complexion, increasing beauty of face, the ability to enthrall, the blackening of
wings
over a period of time. Though death vampires are not gender-specific, most are male. See
vampire.

dimensional worlds n.
Eleven thousand years ago, the first
ascender
, Luchianne, made the difficult transition from
Mortal Earth
to what became known as Second Earth. In the early millennia four more dimensions were discovered, Luchianne always leading the way. Each dimension’s ascenders exhibited expanding preternatural power before ascension. Upper dimensions are generally closed off to the dimension or dimensions below.
See off-dimension

duhuro
n. (
Term from an ancient language.) A word of respect which in the old language combines the spiritual offices of both servant and master. To call someone
duhuro
is to offer a profound compliment suggesting great worth.

dying blood n.
Blood extracted from a mortal or an
ascender
at the point of death. This blood is highly addictive in nature. There is no known treatment for anyone who partakes of dying blood. The results of ingesting dying blood include, but are not limited to: increased physical, mental, or preternatural power, a sense of extreme euphoria, a deep sense of well-being, a sense of omnipotence and fearlessness, the taking in of the preternatural powers of the host body, etc. If dying blood is not taken on a regular basis, extreme abdominal cramps result without ceasing. Note: currently there is an antidote not for the addiction of dying blood itself but for the various results of ingesting dying blood. This means that a
death vampire
who drinks dying blood then partakes of the antidote will not show the usual physical side effects of ingesting dying blood; no whitening or faint bluing of the skin, no beautifying of features, no blackening of the
wings
, etc.

effetne
n. (
Term from an ancient language.) An expression, an intense form of supplication to the gods, an abasement of self, and of self-will.

folding v.
Slang for dematerialization, since some believe that one does not actually dematerialize self or objects but rather one ‘folds space’ to move self or objects from one place to another. There is much scientific debate on this subject since at present neither theory can be proved.

grayle
n.
(Term from an ancient language.) The name for a misty power that only Third Ascenders possess. This power has two facets: a potent stream capable of taking life and a battling form that increases folding speed, levitation capacity, and physical power.
Grayle
is most often found among warriors.

grid n.
The technology used by Central that allows for the tracking of
death vampires
primarily at the
Borderlands
on both
Mortal Earth
and Second Earth. Death vampires by nature carry a strong, traceable signal, unlike normal
vampires
. See
Central
.

Guardian of Ascension pr. n.
A prestigious title and rank at present given only to those
Warriors of the Blood
who also serve to guard powerful
ascendiates
during their
rite of ascension
. In millennia past Guardians of Ascension were also those powerful ascenders who offered themselves in unique and powerful service to Second Society.

High Administrator pr. n.
The designation given to a leader of a Second Earth
Territory
.

identified sword n.
A sword made by Second Earth metallurgy that has the preternatural capacity to become identified to a single ascender. The identification process involves holding the sword by the grip for several continuous seconds. The identification of a sword to a single ascender means that only that person can touch or hold the sword. If anyone else tries to take possession of the sword, other than the owner, that person will die.