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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781782798408 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Collective Ink |
| Publication date: | 11/24/2017 |
| Pages: | 272 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.37(w) x 8.63(h) x 0.60(d) |
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Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Kindred
Across the desolate landscape the dusty silhouette of a small army became visible. From a distance only their glowing blue eyes could be detected. Through the dust, perhaps one hundred men hove into view. At their head, a dark-robed man, his attire unique. Unlike the other, armoured, soldiers, his robes were finely stitched from a glistening black fabric. He was accompanied at his right hand by a tall, strongly built sentry, modified for optimum fighting capacity, from whom a cold, blue light radiated in the gaps between the sophisticated armoured plates. Over his armour hung a heavy, jet-black, hooded cloak. He had two sheathed swords by his sides which lifted and fell in step with his mount as he rode, as if they had little weight to them.
They travelled on tall, hoofed, lizards, also jet-black in colour, whose scales glittered in the stark light of the nebula stars, their flat faces twisted into a permanent grimace.
*
A single shooting star sailed across the dark sky as Ugoki, a young Rhajok'Don, a race native to Stygia, lay on his back, relaxing on a cliff-side ledge; one of many chiselled from the natural rock formations. Wood-smoke from a small fire puffed towards the constellations as if light grey clouds had gathered above, quickly dissipating to reveal the glittering, jewelled firmament once more. The velvet night was dominated by an interstellar nebula; a vast cloud of dust radiating a bright orangey-red, expanding out to a coral mist on the edges. Big, bright stars shone through the dramatic gases.
His workday finished, as usual, Ugoki retreated to the high cave openings. These were his most treasured moments, listening to the flames crackle and the splashing from below as young Rhajok'Don children played in the geothermal mud spring. The peaceful surroundings and the sweet smell of sugar wood allowed him to drift in and out of a relaxing nap.
*
The loveliest voice he had ever had the pleasure to hear awoke Ugoki from his snooze. As he sat up the dried mud cracked away from his thick, grey skin. He looked out over the edge at the fire-lit village and saw his betrothed, Kinoko, out in the bramble fields, a basket, made from grass and mud, full of kernels, and another empty basket by her side. He smiled, content to watch her from afar and to let the wind carry her low tones to his ears.
A second Rhajok'Don female made her way out to Kinoko. Brushing the shrubs aside, she collected the full basket, carrying it back to the village. Walking past the children in the large, warm, mud bath, she disappeared into the huge, clay, communal house: a half dome, connected to the side of the cliff, it was also the large lobby for the cave network.
Kinoko was still working industriously, filling the remaining basket with more of the plump, juicy berries; a short, light-purple bramble and the staple diet for the herbivorous Rhajok'Don.
Ugoki climbed to his feet, he was of a heavy stature, even for a Rhajok'Don and was wearing the common attire for a male of his race; a simple loin cloth, made from tough grass strands, kneaded together with rubber, then allowed to dry and cut to shape. He dusted the remaining dried mud from his massive, muscular body before retreating into the cave tunnels. The underground passages were lit with sugar wood torchlights, permeating the caves with honey sweet incense.
As he entered the large communal mud-house, he saw a circle of females sat under the cone ceiling. Splashing about at their feet were younglings, including the most recent addition to the Rhajok'Don village; Ugoki's niece, a tiny, squealing calf, who had found her wet nurse's nipple and was now suckling happily.
The males of the tribe sat in the centre of the straw floor, ringing a mountain of seeds; grinding the grains using jagged rocks with which to crush the kernels in stone bowls. A few others were ripping strands from a hard, tubular grass that grew close to the surrounding forest.
That day Ugoki had done some maintenance on the house as a small water hole had pushed through the mud walls. He had reinforced it with grass and held it together with sap from the local rubber tree. As he walked past his patchwork he checked it and saw that the interlaced finger indents had dried and left a secure fix. Just as Ugoki was about to smooth the wall with a rough stone, Osok, the chieftain, walked through the entrance. Osok also wore a loincloth, an unusually modest adornment for a tribal chief. He was only distinguished by his embellished horns, jutting from his chin, long, sharp and filed into ridges.
"Ugoki, nice work again," he said, commending Ugoki on his suitable craftsmanship. Rhajok'Don weren't the most dexterous of races; their crafts were crude, yet practical, and usually revolved around hand kneading.
Ugoki bowed his head respectfully, acknowledging the compliment with quiet pride. He began sanding the wall and when he was satisfied it was smooth enough, he sat down next to the seed pile and began grinding grain with the other males. Staring out to the mud pools, Ugoki appreciated the life that flourished there. The geothermal springs were highly fertile parts of Stygia and many types of mosses grew around the edges, spreading outwards towards the cliffs, and in the other direction, towards the adjoining agricultural fields.
A child ducked his head under the surface of the mud, then came up spluttering and wiping his eyes. "I made room for you!" he called, projecting his voice towards the communal dwelling.
"Oh, I've bathed today!" Ugoki replied.
The boy pulled himself out of the sticky mud bath and covered in wet mud ran over, throwing himself at Ugoki and giving him a big hug. Public shows of affection were common amongst the Rhajok'Don.
Ugoki, caught unawares by this sudden exuberance, knocked the bowl, toppling grain onto the floor. He chuckled, warmly cuddling the boy before setting him on his feet. "I'm busy, go play with your friends," he told him.
"I just wanted to hug you," Nis'Ka said before running off excitedly, leaving muddy trails on the flourishing mossy ground.
An hour later, and a much reduced seed pile, Ugoki decided it was time to find his partner-to-be.
*
His large toes sank into the moss and moisture oozed out, leaving water marks on his oversized nails. As he neared the bramble fields he could see Kinoko working hard. She was wearing only a simple tunic but she needed nothing to enhance her natural beauty. For a moment, Ugoki recalled again the wonder and joy that had swept over him when, having shyly revealed his feelings for her, he had found them reciprocated. Kinoko completed his life in a way he could never once have imagined.
"Want some help?" he offered on reaching her.
Kinoko glanced up at Ugoki, a smile washing away her focused concentration on her task. "Please. There's plenty of room." Her rough, gruff voice, similar to all females, was slightly higher in pitch than that of a male.
Ugoki dropped down to sit beside her. Grabbing the basket, he held it up to catch the kernels as she rustled them off their stalks.
Kinoko's eyes caught his and another smile lit her face. Her black pupils hid a gentle soul behind them. She raised her head, brushing her small chin horns against his in traditional greeting. Kinoko knew that the caring Ugoki would make a perfect life partner for her. She snuggled her head onto his shoulder, cherishing the feeling of belonging that doing so gave her. Her gaze took in the cliff bottom greenery, thriving on down flowing nutrients, so uncommon in Stygia. Ugoki put down the basket, pulling Kinoko closer and stared up at his cliff-side retreat. From there the view over the landscape, lit with the warm undertones of the sun below the horizon would be glorious. Stygia was the Land of Eternal Stars, where the sun never rose.
"I think we have enough now." Ugoki got to his feet, basket in one hand, tugging Kinoko up with him with the other. Arms around each other, the two slowly made their way back to the village. Scattered fires on the cliff ledges, above the community dome, filled Ugoki with tranquillity as well as that sense of well-being that comes in the secure comfort of home.
A few last stragglers still lingered in the mud pool. "Children – inside now," Ugoki called as they passed. "It's sleeping time." They waited as the youngsters climbed from the pool and ran, laughing, inside, before following them in.
*
The familiar squeal of the flying, feathered, tree lizards signalled a new day in the village. The first awake was Ugoki's nephew, Nis'Ka, who poked at his father amongst the sleeping, snuggled pile of Rhajok'Don. Reluctantly Osok shed his rest and pulled himself from the sleeping villagers, his efforts slowly waking the rest of the tribe.
Ugoki was snuggled close to Kinoko, hugging her from behind. "Tomorrow! Just one more day – I can hardly wait," he whispered, his broad lips close to her upright, tubular ear. He nudged his blunt horn against her cheek.
A slow smile spread over Kinoko's face as she opened her eyes. "Let's spend today in the forest," she murmured.
Ugoki pressed his face into her silky, black hair. "That, my love, would be perfect."
Kinoko turned in his arms, butting her face against his cheek. "Doing anything with you is a perfect way to spend the day."
Ugoki tightened his hold on her. "I love you, Kinoko. You have no idea how much," he said. Then he grinned, launching a tickling attack.
Kinoko giggled, darting to her feet. "Come on, lazy bones. The forest awaits." They made their way to the breakfast hall and collected stone bowls filled with a runny, light-purple, porridge, and a round of the hard bread made from soaked bark. They spooned the porridge up using the bread, grinding the food easily with their strong teeth.
*
Breakfast finished, they made their leisurely way towards the south-westerly side of the uniquely adapted tai-qay tree forest. The tai-qay, the most common tree in Stygia, which grew slanting sideways, adapted to a world with no sunrise. Its large sheeted leaves were oval, smooth and a very deep teal in colour. The forest expanded for about a mile to the northwest, with the younger trees always at the edges.
Ugoki and Kinoko went deep into the woods, where the trees were so immensely large they had fallen to their own greed for sunlight; the limited life cycle evident by the rotting barks. Ugoki stopped under one of the curved, towering trunks and tore off a moist strip of bark, passing it to Kinoko.
Kinoko took the offering, smiled her thanks and popped the tasty wood, a staple part of the Rhajok'Don diet, into her mouth.
They continued through the fallen leaves and luminescent mushrooms until they reached an almost straight passageway between the trees, with just a few fallen branches lying across it.
"Let's charge together," Kinoko suggested. A common pastime for Rhajok'Don was to race each other through the forest on all fours. She leant forward, placing her hands into the leafy undergrowth. Her fingers clenched inwards against her palm, allowing her padded knuckles to cushion her hands. Ugoki followed suit and he too leant forward onto all fours.
"Ready?" he asked, and before he had finished, Kinoko had already charged ahead and was leaping over the first branch. "Hey!" Ugoki laughed, charging after her.
Quickly catching up, he pounced on her and they rolled in some fresh mud. "Tomorrow, we'll be life partners," he told her, holding her gaze with his own, his love for her written across his face. He rubbed his cheek against hers, one side, then the other. Nudging her neck with his horn, he softly gave a quick outward breath, almost like a short snort from his flat nose.
A sudden rustle from the canopy of the highest trees alerted Ugoki and he lifted his head to track a flock of featherless birds, which, disturbed, flew quickly into the sky. A few moments later Ugoki's nephew came bounding towards them. Coming to a halt, he used his short horns to rustle some leaves over them before charging off into the forest again. Ugoki fondly watched him go, smiling as Nis'Ka once more ceased his run a short distance from them and strengthened his rear kick by clopping his feet against a small tree, which bore the marks of having been salvaged for bark. Moments later, he ran deeper into the forest and Ugoki turned his complete attention on Kinoko again.
*
An hour had passed when a deep bellowing, honking noise sounded from the village. It was the alarm call of a watchman sat on the highest ledge.
"That's the alarm," Ugoki said, shooting Kinoko a surprised glance. "I wonder what it could be?" Kinoko nodded. "Come, we need to get to the caves."
"Nis'Ka!" Ugoki called. He waited but there was no reply.
"He should be back at the village by now," Kinoko reassured him. "You know we don't let them play too far away from home."
Ugoki was far from happy but since there was little he could do, he put aside his concerns and the two Rhajok'Don charged towards the forest cave entrance leading to the tunnel network behind the dome. As they bolted through the wide, chiselled channels, the honking echoed off the walls.
"Retreat to the caves." The voice of the chieftain bellowed over the alarm.
They caught up to the rest of the clan and quickly arrived at the inner dome; a retreat into safety.
"Eshaki, What is it?" Ugoki shouted, spotting his sister, the ranking matriarch. "A herd of males?"
"We don't know. The watchman saw a mounted group of men, not Rhajok'Don, foreigners we've never seen before. They were riding unusual beasts, heading towards us, beyond the south eastern mud pools."
Ugoki could see the fear in her eyes and in the way she was breathing in short, almost panting breaths.
He struggled to control his own anxiety. "Not Rhajok'Don? How many?"
"Maybe one hundred."
The watchman hurried down from the high cave and joined the rest of the Rhajok'Don in the inner retreat. "They can't get through the mud pools; they're chopping their way through the forest."
Eshaki squeezed herself through the milling, bewildered clan. "Nis'Ka. Was he with you?" she asked, scanning the assembled Rhajok'Don frantically.
"The last I saw of him, he was in the forest," Ugoki said hesitantly. "I called for him when I heard the alarm." He shook his head. "When he didn't answer, I thought he must have gone home already."
"He's not inside," Eshaki's voice cracked.
Ugoki saw tears swimming in her eyes. "Let's check the dome," he said, charging towards the communal house with Osok and Eshaki following close behind, their feet scuffing the dry mud as they ran.
At the dome, Osok immediately rushed to the door, calling for Nis'Ka. When the boy failed to appear, Osok grasped Eshaki's hand in his own meaty fist, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I'll stand watch," he told her. "Don't worry. You know Nis'Ka. He's probably in here somewhere, completely unaware that we might be worried."
Eshaki managed a small smile but it was plain to all that she wasn't convinced. "I think I'll wait here with you," she told Osok.
"He'll turn up soon," Ugoki added, although, truth to tell, he was also far from sure.
Osok dipped his head, acknowledging his support. Ugoki had the feeling that Eshaki barely even registered what he had said.
Eshaki watched as the mounted men came into view, chopping at the undergrowth as they rode. As the distance between them closed, she bravely stepped forward in the hope of a peaceful interaction. But her heart fell as she took in the heavily armoured men. These, she realized, were not peaceful emissaries. The Rhajok'Don had no knowledge of weapons. Their play fighting traditionally involved only hands, feet and horns. These invaders, with their armour and weaponry, were alien to her.
As they rode to a stop, another, smaller group, appeared from within the trees. Eshaki estimated there were about eighty men. Cold fingers of fear stroked down her spine. Her people! How could she save her people!
A high-pitched squealing reached her ears from within the army mass. It was a sound that froze her heart. A single soldier came forward, Nis'Ka dangling in his grasp; chained by a collar and held at length on a metal stick.
"Nis'Ka!" Osok bravely ran out of the dome towards the army. Eshaki, having immediately recognised her son's call, and with a mother's urgent reaction, was already running towards the enemy.
"No!" Ugoki tried to grab her but he was too late. Desperately, he followed after her.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The Alkoryn Chronicles"
by .
Copyright © 2016 C.J. Gleave.
Excerpted by permission of John Hunt Publishing Ltd..
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