Runic Awakening (The Runic Series Book 1)

  Runic Awakening

  Books by Clayton Taylor Wood:

  Runic Awakening

  Runic Revelation

  Runic Vengeance

  Runic Awakening

  Book I of the Runic Series

  Clayton Taylor Wood

  Copyright ©2016 by Clayton Taylor Wood.

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Published by Clayton T. Wood.

  ISBN: 978-0-9980818-0-9

  Cover designed by James T. Egan, Bookfly Design, LLC

  Printed in the United States of America.

  Special thanks to my brothers, my father, and my wife for their invaluable advice. And to my son, for whom this book was written.

  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

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

  Runic Awakening

  Prologue

  "Daddy!"

  Ampir leans back in his chair, watching as his four year old son Junior sprints from the sandy shore of the Great River toward him, a huge grin on the boy's face. Grandpa trails behind, hardly able to keep up. Junior rushes up to Ampir, nearly bursting with joy.

  "I did it!" he gushes. "I skipped a stone!"

  "Good job buddy," Ampir replies, leaning forward and tousling Junior's hair affectionately. Grandpa walks up from behind the boy, shaking his head ruefully.

  "Nothing like kids," he pants, "...to make you feel goddamn old."

  "I'm already feeling it," Ampir admits. Grandpa snorts.

  "Bull," he gasps, "...shit!"

  Ampir chuckles, then hears footsteps behind him. He twists around to see his wife Vera walking up to them.

  "Time for bed Junior," she announces, kneeling down. "Give me a hug!" Junior runs up to Vera, giving her a big bear hug. Then he turns to Ampir, giving him a hug too. Ampir kisses the boy on the forehead, holding him close for a moment.

  "Sweet dreams kiddo," he murmurs. "Love you."

  "Love you too daddy."

  "All right Junior," Grandpa interjects, picking Junior up and holding him at his hip. "Grandpa's gonna tuck you in tonight!"

  "Mommy?" Junior asks. "What's bull-shit?"

  "The fact that Grandpa keeps using bad words around you," Vera answers, giving her father a look.

  "Sorry honey," Grandpa grumbles.

  "Goodnight Dad," Vera says, kissing Grandpa on the cheek. "Don't teach Junior any more new words."

  "If I do, they'll be good ones," Grandpa promises with another grin. "Come on, kiddo! Grandpa's going to tell you a hell of a story tonight!"

  Ampir watches them make their way across the backyard to the house in the distance, then sighs, turning to face the Great River. Over two miles wide, the river flows slowly westward, flecks of orange light glinting from its dark waters. The setting sun sends a splash of orange-red across thick, angry-looking clouds. Beyond the river lies Stridon, the capitol of the Empire.

  "See something you like?" Vera inquires.

  He turns, seeing his wife sitting down in a chair across from him, her legs crossed in front of her. Her shimmering white nightgown clings to her slender body, making it quite clear that it is all she is wearing. Vera's auburn hair flows in gentle waves to the small of her back, her face strikingly...no, painfully beautiful. He finds his gaze lingering, and realizes that she's smirking at him.

  "I do now," he replies with a grin.

  Vera's eyes twinkle, and she stands, dragging her chair until it is beside him, then sitting back down. She wraps her slender arm around him, leaning her head on his shoulder. The faint musk of her perfume tantalizes him – the same perfume she'd worn the day they'd met. The day they'd first kissed.

  "You okay?" she asks, stroking the nape of his neck. Ampir sighs, shifting in his chair. He fingers the ring hanging from the necklace around his neck. The engagement ring Vera had proposed to him with.

  "I don't know," he admits. He glances back over the Great River, at the cityscape of Stridon miles away. Tall buildings rise up from the opposite shore as far as the eye can see, all of them dwarfed by the massive Great Tower. Over forty stories tall, its crystalline peak glitters like a jewel in the night sky. And above this stands the massive translucent dome of the Gate Shield, a four-mile-wide energy field protecting the Tower and its campus.

  "You're sure you want to resign from the Council tomorrow?" she asks, her tone gentle. Ampir turns away from the Great Tower, gazing into Vera's beautiful brown eyes.

  "I'm sure."

  "The Council won't be happy," Vera warns. Ampir snorts.

  "Good."

  "You're still the greatest warrior in the Empire," she presses. "And you're in line for the throne. They're going to wonder why you're quitting."

  "Let them."

  Vera hesitates.

  "They're afraid of you," she warns. Ampir smirks at her.

  "They should be."

  Vera falls silent. They sit there, the fire slowly dying before them. The dark clouds above roll slowly toward the city, blocking out the stars. Ampir feels Vera's other hand rest on his upper thigh, and turns to face her. The front of her nightgown clings to her every curve, and he finds himself staring again. His heart thumps in his chest, and he glances up, finding her gazing back at him, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

  "Junior will be asleep soon," she informs, her hand sliding up his thigh.

  Ampir turns his head, glancing back at their house...at the second story window of their son's bedroom. Four years old already, and Ampir had barely gotten to spend time with Junior, working day and night for the Council. Four long years, wasted on the Empire. That will change tomorrow.

  "Have you decided what you're going to do with all your free time?" Vera asks, leaning close, her lips inches from his. Her hand slides further upward, making his breath catch in his throat.

  "I have a few ideas," he replies, intoxicated by her closeness. Five years they've been married, and she is still as bewitching as she'd ever been. He leans in to kiss her, and she pulls away just before their lips touch.

  "Oh really?" she murmurs, putting a warm hand on his cheek. "Do tell."

  "You always did want a girl."

  "Is that how you plan on staying busy?" she inquires playfully.

  "Yep."

  "Can't you wait until tomorrow?" she presses, leaning in again.

  "I doubt it."

  Vera kisses him then, her lips warm and soft on his. He kisses her back, relishing the experience. She pulls away then, standing up and turning back toward the house. A strong breeze blows against her nightgown, flattenin
g it fetchingly against her curves.

  "Well then," she says, offering a hand. He takes it, letting himself be pulled to his feet. "...I think it's time you started enjoying your retirement."

  She pulls him back toward the house, giving him a radiant smile. He grins back, allowing himself to be led. Their home is a mansion sitting on some of the most prized land in the city. But compared to the other Councilmen's estates, it is relatively modest.

  "I knew there was a reason I married you," Ampir quips. Vera laughs, reaching the rear door and pulling it open. She pulls him inside, toward the stairs leading to the second floor. Ampir's boots clunk on the wooden steps.

  "Shhh," Vera warns, giggling under her breath.

  Ampir reaches down and pulls off his boots, leaving them on the stairs. Vera arches an eyebrow, and Ampir bends down, gathering her in his arms and lifting her up. She stifles a squeal, and he continues up the stairs. Halfway up, he notices something in the periphery of his vision...blue light rising from his arms toward the ceiling. He pauses, and Vera frowns at him.

  "What's..."

  The windows shatter.

  Glass bursts into the living room, and then the living room wall explodes inward, plaster and wood flying at them. A shockwave slams into Ampir, hurtling him backward into the stone wall behind him. His head bounces off of the stone, pain lancing through his skull. He feels himself falling down the stairs, the world spinning madly around him.

  Then his head smashes into the floor at the bottom of the stairs, stars exploding in the periphery of his vision.

  Time slows to a crawl.

  Ampir hears Vera screaming, feels her land on top of him, her auburn hair spilling over his chest.

  "Ampir!" she shouts.

  Ampir reacts reflexively, pulling cords of power into his mind's eye, twisting them around each other to form a throbbing knot in the center. He shoves the knot outward, and a translucent blue sphere appears around them...just as a second explosion hits. The living room disintegrates, debris hurtling at them at deadly speed. It ricochets off of the translucent blue sphere surrounding them, pieces of glass, stone, and wood scattering across the floor and stairs.

  "Junior!" Vera cries in horror, pushing herself up from Ampir and pressing her hands against the inside of the blue sphere. "He's up there!"

  Ampir grunts, pushing himself up from the floor. Rays of blue light rise from his body, the blue sphere surrounding them fading, then vanishing.

  The hell?

  Vera scrambles up the stairs, and Ampir follows after her, feeling a wave of nausea as he does so. His right temple throbs terribly, and he feels something wet trickling down his neck. The blue light leaking from his arms grows fainter...his power is being drained. Fast.

  "Come on!" Vera urges, grabbing his hand and yanking him forward. Ampir spots movement to his right, sees dark shapes spilling into the massive hole in their living room wall.

  Ampir rushes up the stairs after his wife, pushing through the pain. He reaches the top, turning left down the hallway toward his son's room. His imagines his son's room in shambles, his lifeless body splayed across his bed.

  Oh god oh god please no...

  The door to Junior's room bursts open, and Grandpa rushes out, Junior clutched in his arms.

  "Mommy!" the boy cries. He slides down from Grandpa's arms, running up to Vera.

  "My baby!" she replies, picking him up and squeezing him tightly to her bosom. Ampir feels relief course through him, and walks up to his son, kissing him on the back on the head.

  "What's going on?" Grandpa asks.

  "We're under attack," Ampir answers. "They're draining our magic. We need to leave. Now."

  Footsteps echo from the bottom of the stairwell.

  "What do you mean they're..."

  "Come on!" Ampir orders. He sprints down the hallway, struggling to pull more threads of power into his mind's eye...but nothing comes. Something is draining it. Something close.

  He passes the stairwell, spotting a half-dozen men in black armor rushing up the stairs toward them.

  "Go, go!" he urges, rushing down the hallway, Vera right at his heels, Grandpa at the rear. They reach the end of the hallway, then turn left down another, this one lined with windows on the right. Footsteps follow them, closing in fast. Ampir glances back, seeing the armored men turning the corner behind them. Starlight reflects off of the daggers in their hands.

  "Ampir!" Vera warns.

  A man smashes through the window to Ampir's right, slamming into Ampir's side and shoving him against the wall. Ampir pushes back, sees a flash from the man's dagger as it thrusts toward his belly. Ampir twists to the side, feeling a sharp pain in his flank as the blade grazes him. He grabs onto the man's wrist, forcing the blade back.

  "Ampir!" Grandpa shouts, rushing up behind the man and grabbing his arm. The man twists around, jerking his wrist free and slashing at Grandpa's throat.

  Grandpa's neck gapes open, blood spurting out of the wound.

  "Daddy!" Vera screams.

  Grandpa clutches at his own throat, his eyes widening. He stumbles backward, slumping against the wall and sliding down onto his buttocks. Blood sprays out from between his fingers, pouring down his neck and chest. Vera rushes to his side, pressing on his neck.

  Their attacker spins around, his knife arm whipping down at Ampir in a deadly arc. Ampir grabs the man's wrist, stopping the blade's tip inches from his own chest. He hears footsteps, sees a half-dozen more black-clad men rushing toward them. He rips magic into his mind's eye, ignoring the searing pain in his skull. He weaves it into a tight knot, shoving it outward.

  A shockwave bursts forward, sending the knife-wielding man hurtling down the hallway. Windows shatter, paintings flying from the walls. The half-dozen armed men are thrown backward, landing in a pile on the floor at the far end of the hallway.

  "Go!" Ampir shouts at Vera, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from grandpa, toward the door at the other end of the hall. Vera resists, clutching her father tightly. The old man's eyes are wide and glassy, his skin pale and slick with sweat. Blood streams between his and Vera's fingers. He coughs, more blood spilling from his mouth.

  "Daddy!" Vera cries, tears pouring down her cheeks.

  "He's gone," Ampir states, his tone sharp and cold. He reaches down, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her bodily away. She wails, digging her heels into the floor.

  "No," she yells. "No!"

  Ampir ignores her, freeing one hand to grab Junior, and dragging both of them down the hallway toward the door. The door to their master bedroom.

  And my armor.

  Ampir reaches the door, shoving it open and pulling the two inside. He closes the door, rushing to the nearby dresser and pulling it to barricade the door shut.

  "Help me!" he shouts at Vera, but she just stares at him, her eyes blank, her pale arms spattered with her father's blood. He grunts, shoving the dresser up against the door. He turns then, spotting the safe at the far end of the room, as tall as he is. Something slams into the bedroom door from beyond, pushing the dresser back an inch. "Hold that door!" he shouts, sprinting to the safe and opening it. Its power drained, the magic lock securing it is useless. The safe opens, revealing a full set of midnight-black armor, countless tiny runes etched on its surface. Unlike the safe, his armor cannot be drained so easily. It is possessed of incredible power, the power to make him nearly invincible.

  The power to make him a god.

  He hears a crack behind him, turns to see the bedroom door being shoved open another few inches. A black-clad arm appears through the doorway.

  Damn it!

  Ampir turns back to the safe, grabbing a black, metallic gauntlet from within. He pulls it on, knowing that with his magic nearly drained, it will take a few moments to recognize him, for its runes to activate.

  He hears a grunt behind him, then hears Vera scream. He turns back toward the door, seeing men pushing through the gap in the doorway, streaming into the bedroom, th
eir daggers gleaming in the starlight. One of the men sprints up to Vera, shoving her onto her belly on the floor.

  "No!" Ampir shouts. He runs toward her, but another black-clad man rushes at him, slashing at him with his dagger. Ampir raises his armored fist, the blade bouncing off of it. The man rams Ampir, shoving him backward. Ampir stumbles, twisting his ankle, pain shooting up his leg. He barely keeps his balance, swinging his armored fist at the man's face. The black gauntlet connects with the man's cheek with a terrible crack.

  The man drops like a stone.

  "Ampir!" he hears Vera scream.

  He sees her crawling on her belly toward him, her eyes wide with fear. A man grabs her legs from behind, dragging her backward. The man straddles Vera's legs, raising his hands above his head, a dagger clutched between them, blade down.

  "Vera!" Ampir shouts, lunging forward. His ankle gives out in a burst of pain, making him fall forward onto his hands and knees.

  The man straddling Vera swings his arms downward in a vicious arc, burying his dagger to the hilt in Vera's lower back.

  No!

  Ampir struggles to his feet, feeling his gauntlet finally reacting, tightening around his hand and forearm. Its tiny runes flare to life, glowing a faint blue.

  The man on top of Vera yanks the dagger out of her back, reaching forward to grab her hair, yanking her head backward to expose her neck. He leans over her, bringing the cruel edge of his blade to her throat.

  "Mommy!" Junior screams.

  Ampir shoves his armored hand outward, a burst of blinding white light searing his eyes.

  Chapter 1

  Kyle bolted upright in bed, yelling out as bright light seared his eyeballs. He threw his arms in front of his face, turning away from the deadly glare...then cracked an eye open, realizing that he was being attacked by gentle rays of sunlight peeking between the blinds of his bedroom window. He sighed in relief.