They washed him, shaved his face, trimmed his hair. They gave him clothes, cream colored shirts and pants, and a robe the “color of midnight” with a star bursting from the end of a quill embroidered on its front. No one asked him any questions, and his own were ignored or met with dismissive grunts. He was taken through corridors and into various chambers and told to wait, once with a young man dressed as he was and looking just as bewildered, but his name was called before he had a chance to talk with the young man and he was taken down another hallway, this one opening, its walls festooned with paintings of all different styles, some that appeared very old. One that caught his eye was a portrait of a man in a white suit of armor, holding a bulbous helmet by his side, the luminous moon filling the background behind him. But he only caught a glimpse, and then his feet were treading carpet the same color as his robe and he was brought before the largest woman he had ever seen, filling an entire couch like a chair, a plump and effeminate man standing by her side, a visible pistol at his belt, whispering conspiracies to the woman, who laughed uproariously through a mouthful of food.
--from work in progress, THE BLOOD OF TALOS, The Godgame, book II
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It happened in the middle of the night. Hardly a sound. A faint slurp, nothing more.
Kya heard it and stole up the stairs, but by the time she reached the deck, Zachariah was gone. He had dropped over the side. The Veridian Sea had swallowed him, the waters increased by the sum of his dissolving flesh. The next morning, no one spoke of it, although all knew what had happened. “Few who come this far ever return,” Captain Emerson had said. “And those who do are never the same thereafter.”
“Didn’t you say you’ve been here before?” she’d asked. Captain Emerson had turned to her and grinned openly. “Yes. Yes I have,” he’d said and squeezed her shoulder. She’d giggled and he’d laughed. Later, she’d wondered about the captain. She really liked him, his carefree nature, but, for a moment, she’d seen something else in his eyes, an emotion she couldn’t quite identify, an internal secret. She stared at the Veridian Sea. A feeling stirred inside her. A dull throb began behind her eyes. It’s not natural, she thought. We shouldn’t be out here. The others had joined her--Gwen, Zachariah, even Lemm--standing against the rail, looking out at the green waters. The captain had taken up a position at the prow of his ship, staring out as well. There were no waves, only a gentle parting of the water. It was cool, a dull breeze, the horizon bare. The only sounds were the sloshing of the boat and the beating of their hearts. No one spoke. They stared at the relentless, monotonous waters, empty hours drifting by around them. |
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