Chapter 9 Chimera stretched his body form side to side, but the aches still remained. His eyes watered as he stared at the rocky landscape before him. Try as he could, he could not see the entirety of what lay before him. His eyesight was not as it was fifty years ago. A thin film had covered both eyes and it was gradually failing day by day, but that did not deter him from reveling in the land. From memory, he recalled vast land and rolling mountainous hills. Plains and lush valleys were not left out either. He sighed and decided to make use of his other senses to enrich his memory. He did not need to strain his ears to hear the birds singing and insects cricking, neither did he need to sniff too hard in order to smell the fragrance of wheat and straw which was rife in the air. All these brought a smile to his face as he splayed his arms wide apart on either side of him. "Come on, you lazy vagabonds, carry those bricks, they won't lift themselves." The spell was broken around him
Chapter 10Germaine stared at the flickering lights in the sky which had gotten much closer now. "Germaine, get into the house, now!" Keratin's voice was insistent, but she did not hear him. Her attention was fixed solidly on the skies. The lights were so close, she could see they were actually air balloons in which strange-looking men were inside. She could not tear her eyes away from them even if she wanted to. "He's right, Germaine, you need to go inside and lock the door. These men. . . " Storm shook his head. "You don't want to know about them." Her eyes flashed angrily as she turned to look at Storm. "Oh, but I do need to know, Storm, I need to know. Who are they?" But he had already turned away from her. "Take her inside." Storm said to someone behind her. She felt something grab her. Not something, on second look - someone. It was the golem whose hands were around her waist, dragging her into the house. She struggled valiantly, but his hands were like rocks. Immovable. Sh
Chapter 11 Germaine pulled at the heavy metal chains binding her hands and stared balefully at her surroundings. She felt with her feet, the odd-shaped ridges jutting from the ground. Hot mist seeped out and heated the dark cell she was locked inside. It was a good thing because she had begun to get cold. She tried to stretch her legs fully but found out the cell she was in did not have enough space for that. Good thing she was not claustrophobic otherwise she would not have been able to stand it. Echoes of clangs of metal rang out from the walls all around, keying her into the possibility that there were other prisoners. At first she had not believed it was possible. It was crazy to conceive that other creatures and beasts inhabited the earth, apart from humans, animals and insects. After the appearance of Storm and Keratin in her bakery as well the vampires, her eyes had gradually opened to the truth. Something strange indeed was afoot. She still did not understand why she was ch
CHAPTER 12 The man's hand was a persistent pressure on her back as he led her to a set of stairs. Everywhere she turned, she saw kneeling figures with bowed heads. No one dared stand, no one dared take a peek. It seemed like an unwritten rule. She looked up at the man as he turned round and with a flick of his hand, said. "Rise!" In one swift movement, the men rose, the stomping of their feet ricocheting throughout the cavernous room. "Men, I congratulate you on your success, so tonight, we dine in style." As he said this, the double doors opened wide and in came men carrying stretchers. Germaine watched in confusion as they walked to the men who had begun pairing up in twos. A stretcher was put in front of two men, confusing her even more. She squinted and found out on the stretcher, were people - females, bound and gagged. She was at a loss as to what the men were going to do with the women. She was still wondering about this when two men came in carrying stretchers. They bypasse
CHAPTER 13 Light flickered on and off as Germaine went in and out of consciousness. Whenever she came to, she heard voices echoing around her but she did not stay awake long enough to understand what was being said. Every time she fell into a state of unconsciousness, she found herself in a corn field. Tall stalks stood with fresh budding yellow corns waiting to be harvested. Some had already fallen onto the ground, already overripe. She walked forward, looking for any sign of another being apart from herself. No one seemed to be around and no one seemed to care she was walking into their corn field either. As she stood beside a long stalk admiring how the corns knitted together, the stalks were pulled back on both sides opposite her and a woman appeared. This had never happened before and Germaine shrunk back in fear. "Do not be troubled." The woman's voice sounded like soft drops of honey flowing into a river. She was fair complexioned with smooth skin that glistened underneath th
Chapter 14 The air in the town hall crackled with unseen energy as the men sat huddled on benches talking amongst themselves. They seemed to be waiting for something as they kept looking towards the door at the far end. They were a sight to behold in their clothes, or lack of it. Germaine was not sure what to make of it. She had been here for just three days only, and she had seen the men wearing different types of clothing. If it wasn't fur, it was a dark brown material that closely resembled leather. This leather- wanna be material was presently wrapped around the lower part of their bodies exactly like pampers is worn on babies. On their feet were slippers with strings interlacing their toes and tied around their ankles also in the same material. As usual, their chests were bare. She tried, but failed miserably to look away from this recent attire of theirs. She was perched on the bench on the other side of the hall with the women as was customary. What she did not know was she w
Chapter 15 "Curse An- heh for this stupid foolish gift, and curse the moon goddess for messing everything up instead of coming to the rescue of this wretched world." Lady Lucia pulled back the hood from her head and shook out her hair. She tired greatly of her role as head mage. She had been at it for more than a decade but what was worse was the need that kept eating at her. The only thing that kept it at bay was the the magic that thrummed through her veins overpowering it. It began slow, but within seconds, it grew, spreading from her feet and surging to her knees. She almost buckled, but held on to the wall as the feeling swept throughout the rest of her body. With great effort, she walked to one of the shelves that lined her inner chamber. A variety of colored bottles sat atop them. She picked out one whose liquid was jet black, and removed its cork. It released a tangy smell that carried a hint of aether. She took the first gulp and felt the liquid travel into her system. The
Chapter 16 She stood rooted to the spot and stared. Before her were rows and rows of corn fields spread out as far as her eyes could see. It was exactly as she had seen them in her dream. "Germaine! Germaine!" She blinked away the daze as Storm came into view. "Are you okay?" She nodded but set her gaze back on the rows of corn. She was done internalizing it. She was going to ask questions and get some answers. She turned back to look at Storm. "What are these? I mean, I know they're corn, but there are so many of them. Is it like a staple food for you wolves?" Storm smiled before he sheathed his sword and placed it at his side. He did not reply as he began walking towards the corn fields. She had to walk faster in order to fall into step with him. They had just finished a sword duel and he had beaten her, although she had put up a good fight. She smiled, remembering how he had mentioned her swordsmanship was getting better by the day. Ever since the council of chiefs heard that