In Serpent's Embrace: Chapter 7-Awakening Pt 1
#7 of In Serpent's Embrace
In Serpent's Embrace
Chapter 7: Awakening Part 1
"NO, NO, LET ME GO!!!" a woman's voice cried out. A tall man watched as the woman was dragged away by a guard. Knowing that he'd get what he wanted (like he always had), a smirk spread across his face. He turned to see an older man walk towards him. He stretched out his hand to shake the older man's hand.
"Don't worry sir, I'll be taking good care of her." the tall man said.
"I don't give a damn, just as long as this agreement is fulfilled," the older man replied.
The tall man nodded and his smirk turned into a twisted smile, "Oh, it will. With you and me working together, we will have no problem keeping the colonies under control."
The older man returned the nod, "Yes, I will gain the business and you will gain the fame. The Republic will stay in our hands like it has for the past generations." The older man smiled for the first time in a long time.
Then, the guard returned. "I have news... she's pregnant..." The old man's smile turned into a frown in an instant.
*******
Katherine bolts up in her bed, huffing and puffing from her bad dream. She rushes into her bathroom to take her pills, but they're missing. "Fuck!" She drinks a glass of water, takes a few more deep breaths, and does a quick stretch before composing herself. Then, she speaks out in her commanding voice... "lights!" and as commanded, the lights turn on. Then, calling out once more, "shutters!" and the window shutters open letting in the light of a new day.
She sighs; the weight of running a large corporation on her shoulders is overwhelming amidst everything else that has been going on. She walks over to her desk. Sitting down, she reaches over and presses a small green button. An image of her house maid Tabitha appears.
The maid bows. "Yes ma'am?"
"Tabitha, get my morning meal ready and bring it up to my room. Then, contact the office and let them know that I will not be in today. Also, contact the doctor. I am not feeling well and wish to see him as soon as possible" Katherine orders. She begins looking over some weapon specifications for an upcoming presentation on her computer screen.
The maid bites her lower lip and then replies, "Ma'am, due to last night's storm, communications with the mainland are difficult. There is too much electrical interference."
Katherine groans and says in an aggravated tone "Do it anyway!"
The maid bows, "Yes ma'am, as you wish," the maid reaches over and turns off the monitor. She reaches over to a drawer and pulls out a bottle of pills labeled "Dremtacol". Biting her bottom lip, she begins to pour the bottle's contents into the trash. She knows that if she's caught, she will pay dearly. However, she knows what she has to do. It's important for her mistress to remember. Suddenly, Tabitha hears Katherine yelling incoherently in the distance.
"God damn these storms, a slight change in one place in the world, and the entire world goes into chaos! These fucking twenty-second century scientists trying to control the weather threw the entire planet back a hundred years!" Katherine yells. Fearing that she may be overheard, she calms down and pours herself some aged red wine. "I suppose I will have to deal with these fucked up dreams until communication can be restored" she thinks.
*******
Jacob groans, takes in a deep breath, and lets out a huge yawn. His eyes flutter open letting bright light flood his eyes. Shielding his eyes he slowly sits up. Fear begins to creep into him as he realizes he is not in his own bed.
The room is large. The bed, which is four times the size of a king size, is placed on the far wall opposite a set of large double doors. A large window sits above the head of the bed, overlooking a balcony. Carved on the large double doors were elegant carvings of Basilisk warriors in a defensive stance. To the right of the bed is another set of slightly smaller double doors with the same carvings. They are partially open to reveal a library on the other side. To the left of a bed is a third set of smaller double doors that are wide open to reveal a white and black marble bathroom with a huge bath tub that looks like it could fit ten humans. Next to that is a large marble fireplace with a coat of arms hanging over the mantle. In the center of the room is a pair of leather couches with a coffee table between them.
Hanging from the ceiling is a large gold chandelier. Above that is a fresco of the Basilisk Pantheon, the two main gods of the Basilisk. It is Pertitahiel (the God of Negative Energy) and Rirsohna (the Goddess of Positive Energy). They are sitting in the center of other serpent-like deities.
Jacob crawls out of the bed. He looks around at his surroundings in awe. Then he notices that he's not wearing any clothes. He looks around but cannot find any. He quickly grabs at the sheet and pulls it around his waist. He then notices two French doors on either side of the large window at the head of the bed. They appear to lead to the balcony.
He makes his way to the left French door, opening it to reveal a large marble balcony. What he sees takes his breath away. The balcony overlooks a "city in the trees." The entire city appears to be built into massive trees that are miles high and extremely thick. Off in the distance and to the right is a waterfall that is miles long, draining into a large river below the city in the trees. He had seen this in one of his books. He must be in Cecropolis, the capital city of the Basilisk Holy Empire.
Over the faint sound of the falls, Jacob hears movement behind him. He turns around and finds a pair of slitted green eyes looking back at him.
*******
Katherine can't concentrate. She continues to get this worrying feeling about something. She can't figure out what is bothering her, it's like there's a hole in her chest. She continues to stand up and walk around her desk, then sits back down and takes a small sip from her wine glass, fidgeting with various objects on it. This continues for some time.
Finally, she walks out of her door into the hall, abandoning her wine glass. She then makes her way to the next lowest floor, a floor she hasn't walked on in a long time. Suddenly, she stops at one room. She knows whose room it is. She had just heard the news and had been avoiding it ever since. It's her missing son Jacob's room.
She swallows and takes hold of the doorknob, twisting it and stepping in. Looking around the room, she sees nothing fantastic or interesting. It's just a bed, a desk, a closet, and windows. She sits down at the bed, her mind wondering why she never spent time with her only son.
Suddenly, an image flashes before her eyes...
_ She sees a little boy with blond hair running towards her. It isn't her son, but she doesn't know who it is. Then, a man walks up to her and kisses her cheek. "You make a great mother Sarah...."_
She gasps at the name the man calls her. The man looks familiar. "Who is this man?" she thinks "and why does he look so much like my ex-husband?"