Prologue
So, this is for the people that expressed interest, and who I think would give some constructive feedback. As the previous statement implies, critique is welcomed, as I'm a bit of an addict! Enjoi!
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Stumbling out of the dark, bleak trees, more dead than alive, he gazed up in awe at the ruins of what had clearly been a marvelous and beautiful city, once. The cobbled streets led in winding paths to the temple at the top of the hill. The light of the setting sun shone through its pillared halls, casting the city below into shadow. It had been mighty once, but now stood in ruin, crumbling to dust.
But it was not the temple, nor the spectacular buildings that lined the city's lower streets that elicted a gasp of shock and surprise...it was the streetlamps. Elegant in construction, taller than the average man by 3 feet, they gave off neither heat nor flame, but glowed with a soft yellow light, bathing the streets in their gentle radience, constant through the growing dark.
He sank to his knees, staring dumbstruck at the lights shining throuh the deepening night, unable to comprehend the meaning of this amazing miracle that he had searched so long to find. Then, cold and abrupt, he felt the blade of the rapier at his throat.
"What have we here?" spoke a voice, cold as the blade, to his left. He swallowed tightly, feeling the razor edge of the blade nick his neck, and the warm trickle of blood that flowed slowly to his clavicle. He gazed up into the face of his adversary, the hard blue eyes and pitiless face, surrounded by armed men in black. Then, sidelong, he glanced at the lights. The man standing over him caught his gaze.
"What are they, I wonder," he whispered softly to his victim, digging the rapier a little deeper. He paused, considering. "I think you know, Raphael," he siad, raising his voice slightly, " and I think you're going to tell me."
Raphael glanced at the light once more, then back at the merciless face above him. He didn't know where the lights came from, or how they had gotten there, but he did know one thing about them, as sure as his own name: These men could never know what he knew. With renewed conviction, he stared up into the face of his enemy. "I don't know," he said coldly.
Distinctly, he felt the upward pressure of the blade beneath his throat, and rose slowly to his feet on shaking legs, staring straight into those ice cold eyes. "And if you did?" came the whisper, dangerously soft. Raphael took a deep breath and closed his eyes, preparing himself. He let the air out in a sigh, and hardened his gaze. "I wouldn't tell you." he responded calmly. His assailant nodded. "I believe you," he said softly. Then, with a sudden movement, he drove the blade of his rapier through Raphael's heart. "It's a pity I trust you so much," he added as the light faded from Raphael's eyes. The man with drew his blade with a jerk and allowed the body to fall to the ground, blood pooling beneath it, and wiped the rapier on the ragged shirt of his victim.
"My lord?" The man loked up at the soldier standing smartly at attention close by. "What is it, captain?" The soldier quavered under his lord's intense. gaze. "T-the lights, my l-lord," he stammered," What should we do with them?" After a long pause, the man sheathed his rapier with a disdainful snap. "Destroy them."
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From the trees, she watched as the soldiers marauded through the streets of the ancient city, smashing the beautiful lights with impunity. She felt the tears rise in ther throat, but swallowed them back, knowing that if she made a sound, she was dead. After what seemed like years, they were gone, and the might was quiet once more, now bathed only in the light of the moon and stars.
She crept slowly from her hiding place and, seeing no one, sank slowly to her knees by Raphael's body, cradling his limp head gently in her lap, the tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Lying his head on the grass once more, she stood up and set to work, building a cairn around the body of her lover. She laboured throughout the remainder of the night, and as the sun rose, she placed the last stone over his face. Tears still rolling down her face, she placed a hand on the stone.
"I won't forget you," she vowed, and walked away, melting slowly into the trees.
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Had she looked back, she might have paused in her retreat as the last stone, wet with her tears, caught the light of the rising sun. It flickered, then began to glow with a soft yellow light.
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Had she looked back, she might have paused in her retreat as the last stone, wet with her tears, caught the light of the sun. It flickered, then began to glow with a soft yellow light.
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So, that's that. If you read through the whole thing, thank! As I said, critique is welcome!
~K