RJM Corbet
Deus Pascus Corvus
The full chapter can be read by Googling 'ERLOS by RJM Corbet/Writer's Cafe'. Thank you
****************************************************************************************************
“Take a look?” Sumadji said.
“Try and stop me,” Auldrinda said.
Sumadji inserted a pellet into the projector.
Sumaji was the commanding officer of Astra City’s fighter squadrons, and was Auldrinda Benkilte’s best friend. Auldrinda was Shelron Hrothl's only son, and first heir to the throne of Erlos. The two men donned electrodes and the room seemed to disappear. They found themselves looking at a beautiful blue sphere wreathed by white cloudbanks, suspended -- slowly turning in the silent, singing vault of space, and lit by a golden sun.
“It’s beautiful.” Auldrinda's words emerged scarcely as a whisper.
At that moment there was a knock on the door and Eldrus entered. The three men had been friends since childhood. Quiet, self-effacing Eldrus was married to Auldrinda’s sister: Auldrius.
Sumadji and Auldrinda took off their electrodes to hear what Eldrus had to say.
“I am very sorry,” Eldrus said: “Your father was killed a short while ago.”
Auldrinda hung his head for a moment: “Does my sister know?”
Eldrus shook his head. Auldrinda stood, squaring his shoulders: “I will tell her.”
Auldrinda had loved his father Shelron Benkilte, the 'hrothl', or king, of Erlos. But Shelron had been a warrior king, and so Auldrinda was not unprepared for news of his death. On the contrary, he was always expecting it to come. Now for Auldrinda Benkilte there were no answers. Questions trammeled him on all sides.
Only the vision of the beautiful blue world upheld him now, so tangled was the undergrowth around him. His stomach seemed lined with cold hard steel as he strode through the halls of Astra City’s palace. Auldrinda was a tall for an Erlotian, but with the same central ridge on his head and the slightly webbed fingers that marked his race. He was two a little over two hundred years old. Spheres of cold eternal light showed no emotion.
He paused beneath a painting of his father. He sighed deeply. He climbed a red carpeted stairwell and rang to enter his sister’s chambers. Auldrius was at the mirror when he entered. Her blue eyes met his first in the mirror and then she turned on her stool to face him.
“Auldrinda?”
“Sad news,” he said.
Realization dawned immediately; her blue eyes flooded with tears: “Our Father?”
He nodded. They hugged each other while she wept.
“It must be done soon,” she said: “This is war time.”
“I know,” he replied: “And I also know something else.”
“What?” she sobbed.
“I’m not ready for it.”
“You have to be,” she sniffed.
“My probe got through and is returning visual images of the Blue Planet,” he told her.
“Auldrinda! What on earth has that to do with our father’s death?”
He replied by waving her over to the transceiver, inviting her to go first. She sat down on the seat and gripped the armrests. Her body became increasingly transparent and then vanished altogether. Auldrinda opened the door and got in. He sat down, checked the dial setting from habit, and waited. A red light glowed, indicating that Auldrius’s body had not yet re-materialized. After a few seconds it winked out and a green light came on. He pushed the buttons on the armrests with the heels of his hands.
A few seconds of particle awareness followed, an experience that could be frightening at first, and then his body took shape again in a similar module in the Great Hall where Kierien, of Centura City, and the rest of the Council of Elders were waiting beneath the golden firebird crest of Astra City. His friends Sumadji and Eldrus were also there, ahead of him.
He turned to his sister and tried to smile: “I hope I know how to do this.”
“Why should you doubt yourself?”
Both she and her brother wore the ceremonial royal blue colours of Solastra, the ruling state of Astra City. She straightened his collar and patted him on the shoulder, before the golden throne of Erlos. She was a few years younger than her brother, small and dark. The blue of her garments emphasized the blue of lovely eyes.
Before Auldrinda could think of a reply, Kierien beckoned him forward. Kierien was ancient, even in Erlotian terms. It was said that he was older than a thousand years. He wore the ceremonial amethyst colours of Centura City and held in his hands a silver cup of water. He put it down carefully upon a white stone shelf, and then he said to Auldrinda: “Kneel before the throne.”
Auldrinda did this.
Kierien went to The Case and unlocked it and took out the Rod of Authority. He returned with it to the throne and once again faced Auldrinda.
“Auldrinda Benkilte – do you know the coronation vows?” he asked.
“I think I do.”
Kierien knelt down in front of Auldrinda and held The Rod of Authority in front of him, at arms length.
“Auldrinda Benkilte, place your right hand upon The Rod of Authority and say the vows that your forefathers have written down.”
Auldrinda recited the simple vows: “As ruler of Erlos I vow never to touch strong drink. I vow never to show fear of death. I vow never to give up in battle. As ruler of Erlos I vow to rule justly according to the Laws of Erlos – before the elders of Erlos and before the Great Spirit Eloih.”
Kierien rose to his feet and turned to the Council of Elders.
“Have you witnessed that these vows have been made in the proper order and are valid?”
“We have.”
Kierien dipped his forefinger into the water and marked a triangle upon Auldrinda’s head.
“Rise, Auldrinda Hrothl. May the Great Spirit Eloih bless you and help you keep the vows that you have made today, which were witnessed by three people.”
Auldrinda rose and Kierien handed him the Rod of Authority.
“You seem uncertain, my friend?”
“I am. My father set high standards I cannot hope to attain.”
“But you can try,” said Kierien ...
****************************************************************************************************
“Take a look?” Sumadji said.
“Try and stop me,” Auldrinda said.
Sumadji inserted a pellet into the projector.
Sumaji was the commanding officer of Astra City’s fighter squadrons, and was Auldrinda Benkilte’s best friend. Auldrinda was Shelron Hrothl's only son, and first heir to the throne of Erlos. The two men donned electrodes and the room seemed to disappear. They found themselves looking at a beautiful blue sphere wreathed by white cloudbanks, suspended -- slowly turning in the silent, singing vault of space, and lit by a golden sun.
“It’s beautiful.” Auldrinda's words emerged scarcely as a whisper.
At that moment there was a knock on the door and Eldrus entered. The three men had been friends since childhood. Quiet, self-effacing Eldrus was married to Auldrinda’s sister: Auldrius.
Sumadji and Auldrinda took off their electrodes to hear what Eldrus had to say.
“I am very sorry,” Eldrus said: “Your father was killed a short while ago.”
Auldrinda hung his head for a moment: “Does my sister know?”
Eldrus shook his head. Auldrinda stood, squaring his shoulders: “I will tell her.”
Auldrinda had loved his father Shelron Benkilte, the 'hrothl', or king, of Erlos. But Shelron had been a warrior king, and so Auldrinda was not unprepared for news of his death. On the contrary, he was always expecting it to come. Now for Auldrinda Benkilte there were no answers. Questions trammeled him on all sides.
Only the vision of the beautiful blue world upheld him now, so tangled was the undergrowth around him. His stomach seemed lined with cold hard steel as he strode through the halls of Astra City’s palace. Auldrinda was a tall for an Erlotian, but with the same central ridge on his head and the slightly webbed fingers that marked his race. He was two a little over two hundred years old. Spheres of cold eternal light showed no emotion.
He paused beneath a painting of his father. He sighed deeply. He climbed a red carpeted stairwell and rang to enter his sister’s chambers. Auldrius was at the mirror when he entered. Her blue eyes met his first in the mirror and then she turned on her stool to face him.
“Auldrinda?”
“Sad news,” he said.
Realization dawned immediately; her blue eyes flooded with tears: “Our Father?”
He nodded. They hugged each other while she wept.
“It must be done soon,” she said: “This is war time.”
“I know,” he replied: “And I also know something else.”
“What?” she sobbed.
“I’m not ready for it.”
“You have to be,” she sniffed.
“My probe got through and is returning visual images of the Blue Planet,” he told her.
“Auldrinda! What on earth has that to do with our father’s death?”
He replied by waving her over to the transceiver, inviting her to go first. She sat down on the seat and gripped the armrests. Her body became increasingly transparent and then vanished altogether. Auldrinda opened the door and got in. He sat down, checked the dial setting from habit, and waited. A red light glowed, indicating that Auldrius’s body had not yet re-materialized. After a few seconds it winked out and a green light came on. He pushed the buttons on the armrests with the heels of his hands.
A few seconds of particle awareness followed, an experience that could be frightening at first, and then his body took shape again in a similar module in the Great Hall where Kierien, of Centura City, and the rest of the Council of Elders were waiting beneath the golden firebird crest of Astra City. His friends Sumadji and Eldrus were also there, ahead of him.
He turned to his sister and tried to smile: “I hope I know how to do this.”
“Why should you doubt yourself?”
Both she and her brother wore the ceremonial royal blue colours of Solastra, the ruling state of Astra City. She straightened his collar and patted him on the shoulder, before the golden throne of Erlos. She was a few years younger than her brother, small and dark. The blue of her garments emphasized the blue of lovely eyes.
Before Auldrinda could think of a reply, Kierien beckoned him forward. Kierien was ancient, even in Erlotian terms. It was said that he was older than a thousand years. He wore the ceremonial amethyst colours of Centura City and held in his hands a silver cup of water. He put it down carefully upon a white stone shelf, and then he said to Auldrinda: “Kneel before the throne.”
Auldrinda did this.
Kierien went to The Case and unlocked it and took out the Rod of Authority. He returned with it to the throne and once again faced Auldrinda.
“Auldrinda Benkilte – do you know the coronation vows?” he asked.
“I think I do.”
Kierien knelt down in front of Auldrinda and held The Rod of Authority in front of him, at arms length.
“Auldrinda Benkilte, place your right hand upon The Rod of Authority and say the vows that your forefathers have written down.”
Auldrinda recited the simple vows: “As ruler of Erlos I vow never to touch strong drink. I vow never to show fear of death. I vow never to give up in battle. As ruler of Erlos I vow to rule justly according to the Laws of Erlos – before the elders of Erlos and before the Great Spirit Eloih.”
Kierien rose to his feet and turned to the Council of Elders.
“Have you witnessed that these vows have been made in the proper order and are valid?”
“We have.”
Kierien dipped his forefinger into the water and marked a triangle upon Auldrinda’s head.
“Rise, Auldrinda Hrothl. May the Great Spirit Eloih bless you and help you keep the vows that you have made today, which were witnessed by three people.”
Auldrinda rose and Kierien handed him the Rod of Authority.
“You seem uncertain, my friend?”
“I am. My father set high standards I cannot hope to attain.”
“But you can try,” said Kierien ...
