MISC: Swashbucklers of the Grand Helix #2
Drew Perron
pwerdna at gmail.com
Fri May 26 12:52:01 PDT 2017
The Captain stood at the prow of the ship, watching the cosmic sparklings of
the Grand Helix shimmer by. The whitecaps were lovely today, and land was coming
into sight.
The Prince came out of the cabin, put one arm around the Captain's waist and
the other round his chest, leaning his chin on the Captain's shoulder. "Ohhh, a
planetoid! Is this our next stop?"
"Indeed," said the Captain. "'Tis the Land of the Lotus Eaters, from whence
we can get our bearings."
The Prince pulled back slightly, though he did not unwrap. "Don't they tempt
you into a dreadful sleep?"
The Captain smiled. "And is sleep so dreadful for you that you fear napping?
No, they are gentle healers, at least by cultural leaning. They bring lovely
dreams or dreamless rest, depending on what you need. I have never felt danger
when in their lands."
The Prince nodded, slowly. "It begins to become clear how, in my amber
castle, I've stayed a step back from the comings and goings of men."
The Captain squeezed the Prince's hand. "Feel no guilt, my prince. The good
ever have enemies, who wish to tarnish their image in the minds of the people,
and it is ever difficult to know the truth."
The ship of ivory turned off the Grand Helix, sliding down the sunbeams,
through the planetoid's jetstreams and turbulence. Off the starboard bow, a
great city of the Lotus Eaters grew, with verdant, living buildings with great
stained-glass windows inset in the wood. They turned off from it, over a grassy
veldt to the east of the city, in a broad, square patch of sand which sparkled
with tiny shards of amethyst.
The two disbarked, climbing down the gangplank of the ship, each one
carrying a traveler's satchel. At the edge of the patch stood a man, and the
Captain waved to him as they walked his way.
"What ho," said the man. His was a wide figure, tall and strong, shaped like
a barrel. He had a great beard that trailed down his front. He wore a colorful
robe, that seemed to be made of many gauzy layers, each a different color, so
that the effect, when he moved, was a continual shifting of rainbow hues. Around
his wide waist was belted a scabbard, out of which stuck the hilt of a
double-handed greatsword. "My name is Aunther, of the city of Nelumbo of the
Lotus Eaters. I greet you a good day, and thoughtfully ask the reason of your
visit."
The Captain bowed low. "'Tis for business, to gain a map to the Amber
Dwarves, and for pleasure, to see this lovely land once more."
Aunther smiled wide. "Lovely reasons all. May I give you a ride to the city
gate?" He gestured to his craft - a wide, turtle-shaped hovercar, off-white and
painted with complex curling patterns in rainbow colors.
The Captain turned to the Prince. "Would you like to accept this gentleman's
ride, or shall we walk?"
The Prince grinned. "I suppose I can allow myself to skip the invigorating
stroll, this time."
They climbed aboard, and the hovercar hummed off. It was not fast, but it
was steady, and did not disturb the grasses beneath.
After they had all enjoyed the sunlight and breeze, the Captain spoke, in a
mild but curious tone. "A sword worn so openly," he noted. "'Tis not as expected
in these lands."
Aunther laughed, and it was rich and true with just a slight edge of
resignation. "My path has always diverged from that of my brethren. They do
their best to make a space for me..." He shrugged.
"Why not take to the Grand Helix, and make a space for yourself in the
stars?" queried the Prince.
"I would not leave my fair and trusting folk without one such as me. A
scrapper like myself has his uses, no matter how queer it may be in these
lands." He looked up at the sky. "Looks like a storm's coming in, lads."
The sunlight dwindled. Gray clouds gathered above them, dark weight floating
above their heads. There were far-off boomings, but there was no rain, no
thunder; only the threat of these, the looming presence of an incipient storm.
They were close to the city gates, now, a pair of great wooden doors in a
twenty-foot hedge which circled the city entire. The Captain squinted. "Hmmm..."
Aunther pulled a pair of binoculars from beneath the dashboard, and frowned.
"What black nightmare is this?"
"I'm afraid I don't understand the problem," said the Prince, looking
between them.
"The Lotus Eaters do not close the city gates except in times of great
danger," said the Captain.
The Prince smiled. "You said you have never felt danger in these lands."
The Captain shrugged slightly. "There is, of course, a first time for
everything."
"Ah," said Aunther, not without trepidation. The great doors were swinging open.
"Perhaps it was simply a false alarm," said the Prince, leaning on the
Captain's shoulder.
Out from the doors came a long, brutish machine, heavily armored on tank
treads, great and bulging and round. It was bristling with weapons, swinging
about in every direction.
"...or perhaps not."
Drew "to be continued!" Perron
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