Posted by:
Raptor Jesus
(
)
Date: April 21, 2013 09:43AM
Below is a chapter from the new book. It has not been edited whatsoever, so it is in its rawest form. This chapter will end up being right in the middle of the book, around chapter 14 - so there are some descriptions of people and things that have already taken place. And even though I've kept the thread off topic, It will be obvious that Cantos clearly comes from a culture that is modeled after "the church." Enjoy. Or don't. Whatever.
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Sitting atop his Wyvern, Cantos was growing impatient. His head throbbed from the wine he drank the night before, and "Brother" Justinian wouldn't shut up. They were already delayed because King Abaddon had attended the beginning of the leave taking, and Justinian had to say a lengthy blessing meant to impress. He was still yammering on about something even thought the king had left. Cantos had stopped paying attention a long time ago. Cantos looked down to the grass because the sun was shining much too brightly today. He was getting hot already in his armor. Glancing at the rest of the small party, Cantos noticed that everyone was shifting uncomfortably and avoiding eye contact with him. Did he miss something Justinian said that was important?
"CANTOS!" Justinian shouted at him.
"Fuck," Cantos breathed. However, he asked in a much gentler and louder tone, "Yes?"
A sickly sweet smile broke Justinian's pretty face. "Isn't today a glorious day to travel?"
Cantos made a sound; he was glad that Justinian couldn't see his face behind the helmet. However, Justinian was clearly waiting for a verbal response. "Yes. Sure. Why not?" Cantos replied and Justinian's smile broke for a moment.
He redoubled his smarminess and asked, "Aren't we so blessed to undertake such an important mission for the King?"
Muttering again, "Oh, dear God, please kill me now," Cantos looked at Justinian for a few awkward moments before loudly asking, "Can we go now?"
Justinian's facade broke completely, and he shook his head. "We fly today for King and God. You will follow me, as I follow their commands." Justinian gave Cantos a very stern, disapproving look. Cantos looked forward and quietly mocked Justinian's voice. The honest childishness of the act soothed Cantos' foul mood. Looking to his left, Cantos addressed the one person in the group that he cared enough to learn their name.
"Publius," He waited for the slender, young man to acknowledge the greeting before gently continuing on. "Put on your mask; it will help you breathe without swallowing a lot of bugs. If the drafts start to bother you, turn your head, close your eyes, and breathe deeply but slowly." Publius nodded reluctantly and licked his lips. The wyvern barked and shifted underneath him; he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. The supply packs swung from the creature's shifting. Cantos continued to give direction in a calm but forward manner. "You need to feel and act in control. If the head turns to try to bite you, strike it directly in the nose. Remember, YOU control IT. Stay within the safety of the group."
With his eyes still closed, Publius nodded in understanding. He sat a little taller and tensed his body; the wyvern continued to frisk and bark. Cantos was annoyed that his appointed "body servant" was so ignorant in Wyverns. He glanced over his left shoulder to see that Justinian was staring right at him.
"Can we go now?" Justinian mocked.
"I fucking hate you," Cantos thought, "You useless dollop of insignificant cum."
Justinian's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and a breeze began to stir and pick up. The mounted riders began to line up. Each wyvern took a short run before the wings powerfully beat and the legs struck against the ground to propel rider and beast into the air. Cantos hung back to ensure that Publius and his wyvern ascended properly. He was the last of the seven to launch into the sky, and Cantos kept his distance to watch over the inexperience of Publius. Normally, Cantos led, but now he gratefully ascended within the flanks. The ground swept beneath them. Cantos only consciously spurred his wyvern on to keep Publius' wyvern within the safety of the half Flight.
Trees, rivers, and fields raced beneath them. The wyverns' wings didn't beat much because of the gusts of wind that were provided to them. They could keep up this pace for hours and hours. Time melted; the coast came and went. Cantos could see the frothing of the ocean's waves as he breathed in the rushing air. The sun caught up to them and outpaced their flight. An island came into view; the waves beat against the harsh cliffs. But the wyverns didn't need an inlet to make a soft landing. Cantos could see a scant outpost long before the group began to slowly spiral down. His ears popped as the group descended. The setting sun changed the landscape from green to red and yellow. He was tired even though he hadn't done much other than sit on the back of a cultivated carapace.
The group dismounted. Cantos helped Publius off the ornery wyvern. Its stinger darted at Cantos, and he smacked it across the jaw. Publius shook a little as he backed away from the creature. It huffed and snorted sullenly from being disciplined. Cantos caught Publius' arm as he staggered. The man seemed shocked by the help.
"The ride was long, my Lord," He apologetically breathed.
"I know," Cantos said with understanding. "You wouldn't be used to sitting like that. Your thighs are probably burning like a young whores'."
Publius choked, and Cantos continued. "Let's get a drink, and then you can tuck me into bed."
The outpost was shoddily constructed as everything else. The speed to expand was valued above everything else. Gaps stood in between many of the log walls, and the roofs were scantily thatched. Cantos imagined that any storm would cause a nightmare for anyone stuck out here, and a big storm would create significant damage. Most buildings wouldn't be standing. He was happy their group was only here for the night, and the weather was good.
As scandalous as it was, Cantos ate with Publius. The slender man should have eaten separate from the group excepting Justinian's two attendants. Publius may have been a little embarrassed given his silence, but Cantos enjoyed his meal in peace. Eyes were on his back, however, and he knew that Justinian's group was discussing him. He heard the word "disrespectful" more than once. Towards the end of his eating, Cantos looked up to see Justinian standing next to him. Cantos drank his beer.
"Cantos," Justinian greeted him with too friendly of a smile. "I'm a very open and casual leader. I like for everyone to dine together regardless of rank. That way we are much more...cohesive. I don't want you to feel that you have to eat alone."
Cantos placed the cup of beer on the table. He looked at Justinian's servants seated in a corner, he looked at Publius' downturned eyes, and then he looked at Justinian.
"I'm not eating alone," Cantos stated flatly.
Justinian rolled his eyes, and he sighed. His face and voice was pained with patience. "Cantos, everyone is trying. Except for you. Your behavior is not just disrespectful to me, but it's disrespectful to everyone else."
Picking his cup back up, Cantos asked, "You really want to eat with me that much?"
Adjusting his robes, Justinian sat on the bench next to him and grabbed his still armored forearm. Cantos looked down at the hand, and when Justinian removed it, Cantos looked at his face. Justinian's eyes shone with feverish zealotry. He inched closer to Cantos, and Cantos inched away.
"Cantos, this mission is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. WHEN I complete it, I will be glorified beyond imagine." Justinian paused for a very brief moment. "We will be legends. Our service to God and King will be incalculably rewarded." Justinain's face searched Cantos' for something. For anything.
Bringing the cup up to his lips, Cantos stated, "So, you really need to eat with me."
"You are hopeless!" Justinian huffed as he quickly got off the bench and stormed away. Cantos strained the beer from the hair of his upper lip with his tongue.
"Sweetheart?" He addressed Publias, "Can we go to bed now?" The man chuckled softly.
His accommodations were quite sparse. Cantos lay on his slated framed mattress. Publius was readying himself to get into a much lower and smaller bed in the cramped quarters.
"Thank you for helping to undress me," Cantos said.
Publius snorted.
"I still wish you were a woman," Cantos mused.
The man sighed, "So do I. Then I could fondle my own breasts."
It was Cantos' turn to snort. Pulling the bedding up to where only his eyes were visible, Cantos pled, "Tell me a story."
The man looked into Cantos' eyes. His voice joked, but the eyes were sincere. Publius bent down in order to get into his small and low setting bed. After a few moments he began, "Once upon a time in a stark and enchanted land, there lived a knight."
Cantos interrupted playfully, "Was he a 'Dark Knight?'"
The man paused for a moment. "The darkest of Knights," he said and then continued on. His voice grew quite bleak, and Cantos was enthralled by the man's tone.
"He was very loyal to his king, and one day he was ordered to go to an even further away land to slay demons. The king's empire was to expand for the good of all people. But the inhabitants were enslaved. By destroying the evil demons; the people would be free, and would gladly join the great enchanted empire. He felt incredibly important to be given this task because he had been told that this land contained some of the most evil and fierce demons. His battle would be great; but his glory would be even greater.
The night before saying goodbye to his family for possibly the last time, he said a prayer to his gods that they would watch over him and grant him victory. That his family would be safe until his eventual return in glory.
The next day the king bade him farewell, and gave the dark knight a sword in parting. The king said that the sword contained great power, and would be the dark knight's biggest aid in defeating the evil he was to about to face. The knight was eager for battle.
Months passed and no ground was gained in enemy territory. The knight was frustrated and exhausted. No matter how many demons he slayed, two more seemed to take their place. The king demanded constant reports from home about how the war was going against evil. All the knight's brothers in arms claimed that victory was just on the horizon, but this was a lie. Furthermore, the dark knight's resolve was wavering. Occasionally a nearly felled demon would mock him just before dying.
"You think you are 'freeing' this land?" They would splutter, and add with rattling laughter, "We are not the demons. You are. The sword you wield is evil, and you are the en-slavers."
The dark knight at first would shout, "You lie, demon! I will not be tricked by one such as you, foul creature." However, after time, the knight's replies grew weaker and weaker. He saw his surroundings, and the peoples of the territory seemed happy. They did not appear to need freedom, and as time marched forward the demons became indistinguishable to the people. This turmoil caused the dark knight to lower his sword, and he fell in battle. Critically wounded but not dead, he would return home without victory and without glory.
The king met with the dark knight and demanded answers to the knight's early return. The knight relayed what had transpired and the king raged with fury.
"You have been poisoned by dark magic! The demons have not only beguiled your mind, but they have turned you into a vessel for their dark magic to spread to my land. You are now a danger to your kingdom as you have become a great and terrible betrayer of me, your kin, and YOUR GODS. You are hereby banished!"
The dark knight was flung from the castle. Wounded and disgraced, he wandered the land alone. His wounds never fully healed, and he carried a terrible pain and weakness inside him wherever he went.
One day, the fallen knight stumbled upon a beautiful maiden. She treated his wounds and helped him to regain his strength. In spite of her best effort, he never fully healed. In the process, they fell in love with each other. He regained much of his strength, and they decided to adventure off together. He was still a knight, but he would never fight for his old king. In truth, he would fight against his old king. The king continued to try to spread his influence across other kingdoms, and the knight battled. The fury that he wielded to exact revenge on his former king drove him to distraction. The wounds still never fully healed and began to fester. Each day he grew weaker and seemingly closer to death. The old treatments did nothing. His lover was also incredibly worried and did not want to lose him. She pleaded that he search for a cure. Not wanting to lose her, he ventured to seek a cure.
He and she searched and searched but to no avail. No cure could seem to be found anywhere. However, his searching led him eventually to a sorceress. She was as beautiful as she was powerful, and the knight thought that if anyone could cure him, it must be she.
He knelt before her and pleaded that she cure him.
"I will not cure you," the sorceress responded, and the knight fell to the floor in defeat. "However, do not despair, sir knight. All is not lost. I will not cure you because there is no cure."
The knight scoffed at the irony of her statement and pounded the ground with his fist.
She bent over him, cupped his chin, and lifted him back up to kneel before him. Looking into his nearly empty eyes, she continued. "There is no cure, but I contain the secret to your health. Your wounds may never fully heal, but you will not die from them. Furthermore, I will give you your strength back."
"How?" He asked incredulously.
She stepped away from him and placed out her hand.
His chest began to hurt and pound. He shouted in alarm as his heart ripped from his chest without blood or wound. It floated up to rest in the sorceress' hand. She drew a dagger from her side and began to cut the heart into several pieces. One large piece disappeared while several smaller pieces floated back towards the knight. He cupped his hands and received them. But the sorceress retained a piece in her hand. She put her dagger away, and with her now free hand, she gently caressed the piece of the knight's heart.
He instantly felt stronger and healthier.
"I have sent the rest of your heart to your family. When you need strength just ask the owner to caress their piece."
"What should I do with these?" the knight asked gesturing with the small pieces in his cupped hands.
"Give them away, or keep them." The sorceress said, "Just be warned. It is incredibly difficult to gain any strength from caressing your own heart. And be wary of whom you give them as well. Not everyone will caress them."
The knight placed what left of his heart he had carefully into a pouch. He looked at the sorceress and raised his eyebrows in question as she slipped the piece she was holding up her sleeve.
The sorceress saw his face and laughed, but not maliciously.
"My price, sir knight, for your strength." She walked to him and knelt down so their eyes would meet. She produced a different piece of a heart and placed it in his hands.
He instantly knew it was hers.
"Why?" He asked.
"Because people with similar wounds can be the most gentle.""
Publius went silent. It settled on Cantos like a giant weight. He wasn't sure if he still breathed. The crushing mass carved deep rivulets through him. Even with the bedding, he felt completely exposed. Until exhaustion carried him away, he hated the man who shared the vulnerable lightless space.