THE SALVATION OF ANUBIS
by Dark Lady
A ghastly pallor descended on the boy's face. Anubis, the dark warlord of Cruelty , could see the faint rise and fall of his chest. Anubis' stunned fingers brushed the apricot skin stretched taught over high cheekbones. He traced the dark circles beneath his eyes. A low moan escaped his soft, parted lips.
Anubis rolled the boy over his knee to examine his wound. His sharp sickle had peirced the back of one bony shoulder between spine and arm ,missing the heard by a fraction of an ince. Ruby red blood flowed freely from the wound. Anubus's hands tore off strips of material from his own cloak to staunch the steady stream of blood.
This was no giant who lay limp in his arms. The boy, Cye of the Torrent, was a mere 16 to Anubis's centuries. The child had bravely fought the Dynasty warlord, even managing to draw 1st blood. Cye's armor of Torrent had amazing power, but when not united with the other armors of the Ronin Warriors, it was weak against a warlord as strong as Anubis.
The warlord of Cruelty had shed much innocnt blood, yet the sight of Cye rendered broken and helpless after many battles had struck a cord in the cold, ruthless warrior's heart. So Anubis had pulled Cye out of the babbling brook in which they'd done battle. Cye's armor and strength were gone.
The naked boy drew a shuddering breath. Anubis ran his hand over Cye's arm. It was a lean arm-smooth, taut, and strangely muscular when compared to the sculpted cheeks and the shoulder blades that jutted out at sharp angles above his deadly wound.
He picked the boy up, carrying him like a baby. His head drooped against Anubis's chin and the warlord breathed deeply of a scent as fresh as the pure spring waters of a mountain.
A searing flash of anger shot through him as he remembered the bitter shame of defeat at the hands of the 5 Ronin Warriors, mere children in mystical armor. His hands cut deeply into the boy's shoulders and legs; Cye nuzzled his face into Anubis's neck and dark,hard metal armor. Anubis loosened his grip.
He made his was down the narrow path through tall, dense trees to the clearing where his desterior and Dynasty foot soldiers awaited. He heaved the child onto the huge horse's back and climbed into place behind him. The top of Cye's head brushed his chin as the boy slumped against his chest, surprising Anubis with his height.
The pale crescent moon sank behing the trees as the Demon of Cruelty and his horde of soldiers disappeared into thin air, back to the castle of emporer Talpa, ruler of the Dynasty.
After hiding the wounded child in his private quarters, Anubis reported to Master Talpa. He returned to his room to find Cye shivering beneath the pile of blankets.
Cye's pale face was fluched pink and clammy. The child's soft moans drew his attention. Anubis placed a hand upon the boy's fevered brow. The boy turned his head toward Anubis's hand;his mouth moved against Anubis's calloused palm.
The worlord threw back the covers and gathered Cye upinhis arms. he had a washbasin with warm water which he gently bathed the boy's chilled body. He removed the makeshift bandages and touched the warm cloth to the festering wound. Anubis felt Cye's lean muscles tense, his body gooing rigid as his wound was cleansed. Cye gradually relaxed in Anubis's arms once the injury was freshly bandaged.
Anubis gently lay the child back in his bed. he traced the soft, delicate curve of one apricot cheek to the full lips which parted as Cye sighed. His long, thick ebony lashed fluttered halfway open; Anubis glimpsed eyes once clear as a midsummer's day now dull and glazed with fever. The lashes lowered and Cye's hed lolled to one side, away from Anubis.
The warlord watched as Cye began to shiver conbulsivly, his thin frame wracked with vicious coughs that caused him to spit up blood. Anubis hesitated, then slipped into the bed and drew Cye's trembling body to his. The boy's trembling and coughing eventually subsided.
Cye shivered only once then snuggled closer to Anubis for warmth. The shallow rise of his chest barely stirred Anubis's shirt. His chest didn't rise for a long moment. Anubis touched his cheek to the child's lis and waited for a whisper of breath. Cye moaned softly and Anubis lightly stroked his back. he could feel the boy's ribs beneath his rough, calloused hand. Anubis rested his chin on topo of the child's head.
The echoes of clanking, heavy foot steps in the black, empty corridor alerted Anubis to the prescence of another dark warlord. He quickly leapt out of the bed and threw the covers over Cye's head. He piled more blankets on; the boy's thin body was barely noticeable in the flickering candlelight and dark shadows.
Anubis picked up the washcloth and pretended to be preoccupied with bathing when Sekhmet, the demon of Venom, entered. Anubis eyed the intruder with open hostility. "What do you want?"
Sekhmet gave him an insolent smile and glared at him with purple lidded eyes. " I just came to see how the battle-what have you got there? A new serving wench?" The demon of Venom, in full armor, went near the sleeping pallet. Anubis, in only a loincloth, blocked his path with folded arms.
"Why so wary, Anubis? I've no taste for untried little girls. 'Tis the boys who whey my appetite." Sekhmet's snakelike eyes glowed. Anubis growled and glared warningly, his hands clenched into tight fists.
The warlord turned to leave with a guttural laugh at the other's anger. A soft, muffled moan turned both heads to the pallet. Sekhmet quickly flung back the covers.
"Ah, so this is what became of Cye of the Torrent. Why horde such a treasure to yourself?" Sekhmet's voice hinted at threat.
Anubis, who was a full head taller, wrapped one hand around Sekhmet's neak and lifted him, armor and all, off of the floor. The demon of Cruelty steadily choked Venom until his beady eyes bulged out. Then he brought Sekhmet's face just inches from his. Anubis's eyes were cold, dark, and hard. "If you touch him or tell anyone, I'll kill you with my bare hands." His voice was ice-cold and lethal.
The warlord dropped Sekhmet, who landed with a clanking band and was gasping for breath. Cye jerked spasmodically and his ebony lashes slowly opened. His eyes went wide as he saw the scene before him in a fevered haze.
"Go." The warlord of Cruelty growled.
Sekhmet's thin lips curved into a sly smile. "Surely, just one taste, a sampling of-"
"GET. OUT." Anubis snarled in a rage and the warlord of Venom was sent clanking down the hall.
Anubis knelt next to Cye. The child's soft, gentle blue eyes clouded with wariness and confusion. He flinched when the warlord gently stroked his pale shoulder and neck. "Anubis?'' He whispered weakly.
Anubis put his arm behind Cye and lifted hin to a sitting position. Then he got a china bowl filled with fresh, cool water and held it to the boy's cracked lips. Cye leaned against Anubis and drank deeple. A fit of coughing wracked his body. Water dribbled down his chin and onto his bare chest. The warlord` gently wiped the child's mouth with a corner of the blanket.
Cye coughed then shivered while Anubis fetched an old, worn tunic and sash, which he'd outgrown long ago. The thin material came to Cye's knees. The child's delicate lashes were drifting closed. Anubis's lips brushed against Cye's temple before he lay the little wounded warrior back down.
From deep within his dream world, Cye heard cries of pain and torment. His heart shuddered when he recognized the voices. It was Kento of Hardrock and Sage of Halo. Cye tried to rise, to go to their aid, but a solid, heavy weight on his chest held him down. Cye whimpered then fell back into the sleep of merciful oblivion.
Cye's eyes fluttered open, clear and calm as a warm summer's day. Anubis lay next to him, one muscular arm across Cye's bandaged chest. The warlord watched the boy's eyes turn an icy blue. "Where are they?" he asked in that soft, musical voice of his.
"What are you babbling about?" Anubis's voice was harsher than he intended. He felt the child's body tense, as if preparing for battle.
"Where are Kento and Sage? I heard their screams-"
Anubis swiftly cut him off with a snort. "You're in the Dynasty, boy. Soon enough, the other Ronins will be here. In the dungeon.
"Why aren't I there?" The warlord grunted and ignored the question. Anubis rose to his feet, got a warm, damp cloth which he laid upon the child's forhead. Cye slowly sat up, flinching in pain. He laid a tentative hand on Anubis's hard arm.
"Anubis, I know something happened to them. They've been missing for so long. I-" Cye bit his lip and looked away. The warlord fiercely grabbed the child's chin and yanked his head up. Crystal tear drops slid down his cheeks. His eyes were full of pain and sorrow.
Anubis released the boy. He remembered when, just before his sickle had pierced the child's tender, delicate flesh, Cye had been so fierce and determined. Now he was so weak..Anubis clutched his pale, bony shoulders and savagely shook the child like a rag doll then flung him back.
Cye's breath was seift, shallow, and hard. His soft features were contorted with pain and anger as he glared at Anubis. The warlord went to touch the child and he flinched. "Your wound broke open. Let me see it." Anubis commanded.
"I wonder why." Cye's sarcastic comment was vastly similar to something Sage, who was full of nasty remarks, would say. Cye's eyes were hard and wary, but he allowed Anubis to touch him.
The warlord rolled the boy onto his stomach and removed the bandages. Thick, yellow pus and warm, sticky blood oozed from the deep gash. Anubis calmly reached for a knife which he heated over a nearby candle. "This will hurt." He warned. Since Cye's face was buried in a flat pillow, the only reply was a few muffled words.
Anubis touched the glowing, hot metal to the raw, infected wound. The child's body stiffened but no cry escaped his clenched lips. Once he was finished and the wound freshly bandaged, he turned the child over carefully. Cye's eyes were a bit glassy and his soft skin was clammy with sweat, yet he hadn't fainted from the searing agony of the burning blade.
The warlord of Cruelty grunted in admiration of the boy's fortitude. Cye studied Anubis in open bewilderment. "I don't understand you. You could've killed me, yet you save me.You hurt me then tend to me.Why? What do you want of me?"
Anubis, who didn't know the answers himself, merely grunted again. He tenderly placed Cye under the covers. The child had lost his guarded look and gazed at him with a flicker of understanding in his light blue eyes. Anubis ran a hand over the child's face, forcing his eyes closed. "Do not question your fate. Go to sleep."
Cye kept his eyes closed, yet he was unable to fall asleep. He lay in a quiet void, unable to fall asleep. He lay in a quiet void when he felt Anubis lie next to him. A strong arm pulled Cye close to him. The boy felt the warmth from the warlord's strong body. He shuddered the buried his face against Anubis's muscular chest.
Anubis stroked the child's hair until he heard Cye's even, gentle breathing. He watched the boy peacefully sleeping. The warlord pondered over the child's words, which relentlessly drove at hi for answers. He lay awake for hours, searching desperately inside for the answer.
Cye coughed a little and like a bolt of lightning, the answer struck him. It was something he'd seen hidden in the shadows of Torrent's light blue eyes. Cye was lonely.
end part 1
A ghastly pallor descended on the boy's face. Anubis, the dark warlord of Cruelty , could see the faint rise and fall of his chest. Anubis' stunned fingers brushed the apricot skin stretched taught over high cheekbones. He traced the dark circles beneath his eyes. A low moan escaped his soft, parted lips.
Anubis rolled the boy over his knee to examine his wound. His sharp sickle had peirced the back of one bony shoulder between spine and arm ,missing the heard by a fraction of an ince. Ruby red blood flowed freely from the wound. Anubus's hands tore off strips of material from his own cloak to staunch the steady stream of blood.
This was no giant who lay limp in his arms. The boy, Cye of the Torrent, was a mere 16 to Anubis's centuries. The child had bravely fought the Dynasty warlord, even managing to draw 1st blood. Cye's armor of Torrent had amazing power, but when not united with the other armors of the Ronin Warriors, it was weak against a warlord as strong as Anubis.
The warlord of Cruelty had shed much innocnt blood, yet the sight of Cye rendered broken and helpless after many battles had struck a cord in the cold, ruthless warrior's heart. So Anubis had pulled Cye out of the babbling brook in which they'd done battle. Cye's armor and strength were gone.
The naked boy drew a shuddering breath. Anubis ran his hand over Cye's arm. It was a lean arm-smooth, taut, and strangely muscular when compared to the sculpted cheeks and the shoulder blades that jutted out at sharp angles above his deadly wound.
He picked the boy up, carrying him like a baby. His head drooped against Anubis's chin and the warlord breathed deeply of a scent as fresh as the pure spring waters of a mountain.
A searing flash of anger shot through him as he remembered the bitter shame of defeat at the hands of the 5 Ronin Warriors, mere children in mystical armor. His hands cut deeply into the boy's shoulders and legs; Cye nuzzled his face into Anubis's neck and dark,hard metal armor. Anubis loosened his grip.
He made his was down the narrow path through tall, dense trees to the clearing where his desterior and Dynasty foot soldiers awaited. He heaved the child onto the huge horse's back and climbed into place behind him. The top of Cye's head brushed his chin as the boy slumped against his chest, surprising Anubis with his height.
The pale crescent moon sank behing the trees as the Demon of Cruelty and his horde of soldiers disappeared into thin air, back to the castle of emporer Talpa, ruler of the Dynasty.
After hiding the wounded child in his private quarters, Anubis reported to Master Talpa. He returned to his room to find Cye shivering beneath the pile of blankets.
Cye's pale face was fluched pink and clammy. The child's soft moans drew his attention. Anubis placed a hand upon the boy's fevered brow. The boy turned his head toward Anubis's hand;his mouth moved against Anubis's calloused palm.
The worlord threw back the covers and gathered Cye upinhis arms. he had a washbasin with warm water which he gently bathed the boy's chilled body. He removed the makeshift bandages and touched the warm cloth to the festering wound. Anubis felt Cye's lean muscles tense, his body gooing rigid as his wound was cleansed. Cye gradually relaxed in Anubis's arms once the injury was freshly bandaged.
Anubis gently lay the child back in his bed. he traced the soft, delicate curve of one apricot cheek to the full lips which parted as Cye sighed. His long, thick ebony lashed fluttered halfway open; Anubis glimpsed eyes once clear as a midsummer's day now dull and glazed with fever. The lashes lowered and Cye's hed lolled to one side, away from Anubis.
The warlord watched as Cye began to shiver conbulsivly, his thin frame wracked with vicious coughs that caused him to spit up blood. Anubis hesitated, then slipped into the bed and drew Cye's trembling body to his. The boy's trembling and coughing eventually subsided.
Cye shivered only once then snuggled closer to Anubis for warmth. The shallow rise of his chest barely stirred Anubis's shirt. His chest didn't rise for a long moment. Anubis touched his cheek to the child's lis and waited for a whisper of breath. Cye moaned softly and Anubis lightly stroked his back. he could feel the boy's ribs beneath his rough, calloused hand. Anubis rested his chin on topo of the child's head.
The echoes of clanking, heavy foot steps in the black, empty corridor alerted Anubis to the prescence of another dark warlord. He quickly leapt out of the bed and threw the covers over Cye's head. He piled more blankets on; the boy's thin body was barely noticeable in the flickering candlelight and dark shadows.
Anubis picked up the washcloth and pretended to be preoccupied with bathing when Sekhmet, the demon of Venom, entered. Anubis eyed the intruder with open hostility. "What do you want?"
Sekhmet gave him an insolent smile and glared at him with purple lidded eyes. " I just came to see how the battle-what have you got there? A new serving wench?" The demon of Venom, in full armor, went near the sleeping pallet. Anubis, in only a loincloth, blocked his path with folded arms.
"Why so wary, Anubis? I've no taste for untried little girls. 'Tis the boys who whey my appetite." Sekhmet's snakelike eyes glowed. Anubis growled and glared warningly, his hands clenched into tight fists.
The warlord turned to leave with a guttural laugh at the other's anger. A soft, muffled moan turned both heads to the pallet. Sekhmet quickly flung back the covers.
"Ah, so this is what became of Cye of the Torrent. Why horde such a treasure to yourself?" Sekhmet's voice hinted at threat.
Anubis, who was a full head taller, wrapped one hand around Sekhmet's neak and lifted him, armor and all, off of the floor. The demon of Cruelty steadily choked Venom until his beady eyes bulged out. Then he brought Sekhmet's face just inches from his. Anubis's eyes were cold, dark, and hard. "If you touch him or tell anyone, I'll kill you with my bare hands." His voice was ice-cold and lethal.
The warlord dropped Sekhmet, who landed with a clanking band and was gasping for breath. Cye jerked spasmodically and his ebony lashes slowly opened. His eyes went wide as he saw the scene before him in a fevered haze.
"Go." The warlord of Cruelty growled.
Sekhmet's thin lips curved into a sly smile. "Surely, just one taste, a sampling of-"
"GET. OUT." Anubis snarled in a rage and the warlord of Venom was sent clanking down the hall.
Anubis knelt next to Cye. The child's soft, gentle blue eyes clouded with wariness and confusion. He flinched when the warlord gently stroked his pale shoulder and neck. "Anubis?'' He whispered weakly.
Anubis put his arm behind Cye and lifted hin to a sitting position. Then he got a china bowl filled with fresh, cool water and held it to the boy's cracked lips. Cye leaned against Anubis and drank deeple. A fit of coughing wracked his body. Water dribbled down his chin and onto his bare chest. The warlord` gently wiped the child's mouth with a corner of the blanket.
Cye coughed then shivered while Anubis fetched an old, worn tunic and sash, which he'd outgrown long ago. The thin material came to Cye's knees. The child's delicate lashes were drifting closed. Anubis's lips brushed against Cye's temple before he lay the little wounded warrior back down.
From deep within his dream world, Cye heard cries of pain and torment. His heart shuddered when he recognized the voices. It was Kento of Hardrock and Sage of Halo. Cye tried to rise, to go to their aid, but a solid, heavy weight on his chest held him down. Cye whimpered then fell back into the sleep of merciful oblivion.
Cye's eyes fluttered open, clear and calm as a warm summer's day. Anubis lay next to him, one muscular arm across Cye's bandaged chest. The warlord watched the boy's eyes turn an icy blue. "Where are they?" he asked in that soft, musical voice of his.
"What are you babbling about?" Anubis's voice was harsher than he intended. He felt the child's body tense, as if preparing for battle.
"Where are Kento and Sage? I heard their screams-"
Anubis swiftly cut him off with a snort. "You're in the Dynasty, boy. Soon enough, the other Ronins will be here. In the dungeon.
"Why aren't I there?" The warlord grunted and ignored the question. Anubis rose to his feet, got a warm, damp cloth which he laid upon the child's forhead. Cye slowly sat up, flinching in pain. He laid a tentative hand on Anubis's hard arm.
"Anubis, I know something happened to them. They've been missing for so long. I-" Cye bit his lip and looked away. The warlord fiercely grabbed the child's chin and yanked his head up. Crystal tear drops slid down his cheeks. His eyes were full of pain and sorrow.
Anubis released the boy. He remembered when, just before his sickle had pierced the child's tender, delicate flesh, Cye had been so fierce and determined. Now he was so weak..Anubis clutched his pale, bony shoulders and savagely shook the child like a rag doll then flung him back.
Cye's breath was seift, shallow, and hard. His soft features were contorted with pain and anger as he glared at Anubis. The warlord went to touch the child and he flinched. "Your wound broke open. Let me see it." Anubis commanded.
"I wonder why." Cye's sarcastic comment was vastly similar to something Sage, who was full of nasty remarks, would say. Cye's eyes were hard and wary, but he allowed Anubis to touch him.
The warlord rolled the boy onto his stomach and removed the bandages. Thick, yellow pus and warm, sticky blood oozed from the deep gash. Anubis calmly reached for a knife which he heated over a nearby candle. "This will hurt." He warned. Since Cye's face was buried in a flat pillow, the only reply was a few muffled words.
Anubis touched the glowing, hot metal to the raw, infected wound. The child's body stiffened but no cry escaped his clenched lips. Once he was finished and the wound freshly bandaged, he turned the child over carefully. Cye's eyes were a bit glassy and his soft skin was clammy with sweat, yet he hadn't fainted from the searing agony of the burning blade.
The warlord of Cruelty grunted in admiration of the boy's fortitude. Cye studied Anubis in open bewilderment. "I don't understand you. You could've killed me, yet you save me.You hurt me then tend to me.Why? What do you want of me?"
Anubis, who didn't know the answers himself, merely grunted again. He tenderly placed Cye under the covers. The child had lost his guarded look and gazed at him with a flicker of understanding in his light blue eyes. Anubis ran a hand over the child's face, forcing his eyes closed. "Do not question your fate. Go to sleep."
Cye kept his eyes closed, yet he was unable to fall asleep. He lay in a quiet void, unable to fall asleep. He lay in a quiet void when he felt Anubis lie next to him. A strong arm pulled Cye close to him. The boy felt the warmth from the warlord's strong body. He shuddered the buried his face against Anubis's muscular chest.
Anubis stroked the child's hair until he heard Cye's even, gentle breathing. He watched the boy peacefully sleeping. The warlord pondered over the child's words, which relentlessly drove at hi for answers. He lay awake for hours, searching desperately inside for the answer.
Cye coughed a little and like a bolt of lightning, the answer struck him. It was something he'd seen hidden in the shadows of Torrent's light blue eyes. Cye was lonely.
end part 1