AN UPSTART INHERITANCE I BAD TIDINGS
Three men held watch at the gate. Although, this day, it was not their duty that was first on their minds.
"Wow. Wings."
"Damon," another said wearily, "we've been through this. Raziel does not have wings."
"He does, We've seen them! Don't you two have eyes in your head?" Damon said, wildly pointing his claws at his own. "You said yourself you saw wings on his back."
"We said he had something on his back, I'm sure they were not wings. Arvin, will you tell him?"
Arvin sighed. "Damon, you're not being rational. Raziel can't have wings, because Kain doesn't have wings. I don't know what it was he had on his back, but I'm sure there's an explanation." They stared at the road, awaiting the explanation. Their Lord had been gone a good hour now.
"How do you know Kain doesn't have wings? Have you seen him recently?" Damon pressed.
"Yes!" Arvin exclaimed, exasperated. "He was at Melchiah's, you were there! Maybe I wasn't paying attention or something, but I saw no wings there!"
"That was over a year ago, though," Damon said, untiring. "He might have grown them since then." Arvin was silent. "He might have! Admit it!"
"No, Damon," Arvin answered, "because if Kain had wings, I rather think he'd have let us know by now."
"Oh yeah, he'd come and tell you personally, Arvin," Cowin said sarcastically.
"You damned right he would," Arvin said, grinning widely. "We're best mates, Kain and me." They all laughed. "I told him just the other night, 'You know, Kain, red really doesn't suit your complexion.'"
Cowin growled. "Kain, why am I stuck with these fledglings?" he asked the sky, inducing more laughter.
"You know Damon, you're brother's got real uppity since he -- Who's that?"
They followed Arvin's gaze down the road. A stocky figure was walking in their direction unhurriedly. They squinted their eyes to see who it was.
"It's a Melchahim, he's wearing yellow," Arvin said, surprised.
"That's no Melchahim," Cowin answered, quietly, "that's... Melchiah."
Melchiah walked slowly, his head bowed. When he had neared them enough, Cowin bowed to him.
"Lord Melchiah."
Melchiah looked up at him, his mouth drawn, his eyes spelling out a litany of grief. His face looked bloodstained, had he been crying? He was wearing his ceremonial armour, had clearly just come from the council that their Lord had called. But where was Raziel?
"Take me to Konrad," Melchiah said, his voice broken and hoarse.
Cowin glanced at Arvin. "Konrad is dead, my Lord. He was murdered last year."
This seemed almost to break Melchiah's barely maintained composure. "Well, who succeeded him?" he asked. "Who leads you when Raziel -- " A strange choke replaced the last words, and Melchiah looked at the ground for a moment, clenching a fist.
"Er, Harald?" Damon suggested.
"No, Rusanna," Arvin said. Cowin was quiet. Something, he realised, was very wrong. "Maybe even Axel," Arvin offered.
Damon shook his head. "No, sooner Marius than Axel..."
"Listen!" Melchiah cried, "Raziel is dead!"
There was a moment of complete silence. Damon broke into a little, disbelieving laugh.
"No," Arvin whispered, and soon recovered his voice: "No! You lie!" he shouted. Cowin shook his head in silence.
"Kain..." Melchiah started, his voice ragged. "Raziel called the council to show us his new gift. Wings. But Kain... he couldn't bear it: to see him, so proud... In a jealous rage, he tore them from his back and cast him into the lake of the dead." Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks now. He challenged Arvin. "Look into my eyes and tell me that I lie!"
He bowed his head again, and the only sound for a while was the wind rushing around the walls of Darstein.
"Look," Melchiah said finally, "I have my own clan to care for. Tell whoever you think should be in charge." With that, he turned and walked away again, turning west when the road split. The three guards watched him go until he was only a tiny figure in a vast, uncaring landscape of rocks, dust and stunted trees.
Cowin tried to speak, but the words were stuck. He cleared his throat. "Hold your posts," he said, voicelessly, and went into the keep.
Author's Notes: Well, this is it, we all knew it would come to this. I will have to kill all of Raziel's children, and I will do so in style. The angst! The horror! I have some ten chapters of this planned, and hope my faith (or fear) will sustain me long enough to finish them all. If you read, drop a line please, I'd like to know what you think. I'll be posting the chapters as I write them. This one's fairly short. The next one will be huge, so it might be a while. Thanks for reading!
Three men held watch at the gate. Although, this day, it was not their duty that was first on their minds.
"Wow. Wings."
"Damon," another said wearily, "we've been through this. Raziel does not have wings."
"He does, We've seen them! Don't you two have eyes in your head?" Damon said, wildly pointing his claws at his own. "You said yourself you saw wings on his back."
"We said he had something on his back, I'm sure they were not wings. Arvin, will you tell him?"
Arvin sighed. "Damon, you're not being rational. Raziel can't have wings, because Kain doesn't have wings. I don't know what it was he had on his back, but I'm sure there's an explanation." They stared at the road, awaiting the explanation. Their Lord had been gone a good hour now.
"How do you know Kain doesn't have wings? Have you seen him recently?" Damon pressed.
"Yes!" Arvin exclaimed, exasperated. "He was at Melchiah's, you were there! Maybe I wasn't paying attention or something, but I saw no wings there!"
"That was over a year ago, though," Damon said, untiring. "He might have grown them since then." Arvin was silent. "He might have! Admit it!"
"No, Damon," Arvin answered, "because if Kain had wings, I rather think he'd have let us know by now."
"Oh yeah, he'd come and tell you personally, Arvin," Cowin said sarcastically.
"You damned right he would," Arvin said, grinning widely. "We're best mates, Kain and me." They all laughed. "I told him just the other night, 'You know, Kain, red really doesn't suit your complexion.'"
Cowin growled. "Kain, why am I stuck with these fledglings?" he asked the sky, inducing more laughter.
"You know Damon, you're brother's got real uppity since he -- Who's that?"
They followed Arvin's gaze down the road. A stocky figure was walking in their direction unhurriedly. They squinted their eyes to see who it was.
"It's a Melchahim, he's wearing yellow," Arvin said, surprised.
"That's no Melchahim," Cowin answered, quietly, "that's... Melchiah."
Melchiah walked slowly, his head bowed. When he had neared them enough, Cowin bowed to him.
"Lord Melchiah."
Melchiah looked up at him, his mouth drawn, his eyes spelling out a litany of grief. His face looked bloodstained, had he been crying? He was wearing his ceremonial armour, had clearly just come from the council that their Lord had called. But where was Raziel?
"Take me to Konrad," Melchiah said, his voice broken and hoarse.
Cowin glanced at Arvin. "Konrad is dead, my Lord. He was murdered last year."
This seemed almost to break Melchiah's barely maintained composure. "Well, who succeeded him?" he asked. "Who leads you when Raziel -- " A strange choke replaced the last words, and Melchiah looked at the ground for a moment, clenching a fist.
"Er, Harald?" Damon suggested.
"No, Rusanna," Arvin said. Cowin was quiet. Something, he realised, was very wrong. "Maybe even Axel," Arvin offered.
Damon shook his head. "No, sooner Marius than Axel..."
"Listen!" Melchiah cried, "Raziel is dead!"
There was a moment of complete silence. Damon broke into a little, disbelieving laugh.
"No," Arvin whispered, and soon recovered his voice: "No! You lie!" he shouted. Cowin shook his head in silence.
"Kain..." Melchiah started, his voice ragged. "Raziel called the council to show us his new gift. Wings. But Kain... he couldn't bear it: to see him, so proud... In a jealous rage, he tore them from his back and cast him into the lake of the dead." Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks now. He challenged Arvin. "Look into my eyes and tell me that I lie!"
He bowed his head again, and the only sound for a while was the wind rushing around the walls of Darstein.
"Look," Melchiah said finally, "I have my own clan to care for. Tell whoever you think should be in charge." With that, he turned and walked away again, turning west when the road split. The three guards watched him go until he was only a tiny figure in a vast, uncaring landscape of rocks, dust and stunted trees.
Cowin tried to speak, but the words were stuck. He cleared his throat. "Hold your posts," he said, voicelessly, and went into the keep.
Author's Notes: Well, this is it, we all knew it would come to this. I will have to kill all of Raziel's children, and I will do so in style. The angst! The horror! I have some ten chapters of this planned, and hope my faith (or fear) will sustain me long enough to finish them all. If you read, drop a line please, I'd like to know what you think. I'll be posting the chapters as I write them. This one's fairly short. The next one will be huge, so it might be a while. Thanks for reading!