BOOK ONE OF The Spirit Risers... Chapter One: We meet Lord Raven at the beginning. |
Chapter One- The mist rose and sank in waves across the landscapes of Duskvelden. There was a harsh chill in the air that everything could feel. Trees moaned, animals made various noises of protest and men, women and children huddled around fires in their little wooden hut homes. Their teeth, chattering in unison with the melody cast off by the wind. Pulling their clothes tight to their bodies to trap all heat. Winter really had set in. White blankets of snow adorned the frozen earth. Reflecting the suns rays dazzling people whenever they looked into it. But the snow seemed reluctant to reflect any ammount of heat. The coming night was definately going to be a challenge. All over Duskvelden, people were preparing themselves for what seemed to be shaping up as, the coldest night of the season so far. As the season drew nearer and nearer to Mid-Moon, the temperatures began to plumit. Duskvelden gave a shudder. The world of Duskvelden was like no other (not that the inhabitants believed that anything else existed in the un-chartered waters that flowed into the distance). It was filled with amazing objects of inteligence and beauty. Mostly handmade. Flowers and trees blossomed in Spring and they lasted until late in the Summer. They lasted weeks past Mid-Moon. Danger had filled the air for twelve years. A civil war was ravaging the country and on the day that it ended, the danger lifted, un-masking the air. Today was that day. It had ended that morning. Although the cold of the harsh Duskvelden was enough to dampen any spirit's, as people sat in the freezing cold of their homes. The inhabitants of the country felt the tension lift away and float away with the wind. Although it had been ended for almost a day, no one knew who won. Wheter it was The Juji - the countries current leaders - or the infamous Raven. Rumors spread along the breeze. The victor of the war would become the leader of the country. It was one of the terms laid down at the beginning of the war. All that the people of Duskvelden knew, was that they would recieve the offical announcement the next day. Usually, according to ancient Laws and Decree's of Duskvelden, offical documents would be sent and every citizen would have to sign to show that they acknowlege their leader. Little did anyone know, that on the borders of the Crag, were the one-hundred former Juji and a further one-hundred and fifty soldiers. The prisoners were lined in single-file and were awaiting their punishment. They were to be executed at the Crag. Duskvelden, like all other countries is split into sections. Often called states or counties. The Crag was the most infamous of all these. There were nine of these. They were: The Crag, Divakin, Dovaka, Varix, Jok, Noith Bid, Divosa, Saranol and Divina. All were inhabited apart from The Crag and this was for one reason. The Krax. A waxy substance that makes up the earth there. It consumes everything to touch it. That is why, in Duskvelden, you can either be executed by decapitation, hanging or The Krax. Depending on how serious the crime, these punishements were dealt. Often, the most shocking and terrible crimes warranted the use of The Krax. It proved a slow and painful death. Today, the Krax was nearly frozen solid by winter's powers. Soldiers not laden with the burden of a prisoner or serving The Raven and his second in command were hard at work preparing the Krax for the executions. They were laying large wooden planks down and soaking them with Lufa. An extremely flamable liquid. Once poured from the container, the soldiers had to be quick and set light too it before it froze. Lighting flints proved useful in aiding this. In just an hour, the Krax would be a bubbling liquid. Its hunger overtaking it and demanding the prisoners. Then, all one-hundred prisoners would be dead. Everything that the Raven had planned was working. The sound of drums filled the evening air. The night ahead would be cold and the soldiers would have to be persistant. Luckily for them, they were wearing their winter clothes. Unluckily for the prisoners, they weren't. They had been stripped down to just their underwear. The cold rocketed through their bodies. They had no fear. It was all gone. The war had secretly been over for two-months. The fighting seen was just mock fighting. The Raven had won and he had held the Juji captive in prison where they were tortured every hour on the hour for half-an-hour. The pain that they endured was excrutiating. Their nails cut away from their fingers and toes, needles embedded deep in their skin with no way of escape. Rats living with them often biting off part of their body. Slices of their skin, carved with large blades and then fed to them. Whipping, slashing and the Rack were also painful methods of torture. The Raven seemed to enjoy seeing their pain. He would watch all of it and he liked it. He would shout taunts at them telling them that they were useless leaders with their peace approach and were to be punished for this. The clothes that the soldiers had been waring were now to be recycled and handed to new prisoners as they entered the world of torture and punishment. Afer all that torture, many welcomed the coming death which would reach for them. The Krax continued to become thinner as it defrosted. One of the soldiers stuck in his sword and nearly lost it as it began to claim the silver blade. "I think that the Krax is nearly ready" he announced to his leader. "Very good." replied the mysterious Raven. No emotion in his eyes. Not even a flicker of pride. He thought too much of himself that all emotion he ever had when he was not evil was gone. Still the soldiers continued to warm the Krax. The Raven wanted to make sure that the history of Duskvelden was forgotten. The future was what was about to take the country. The Raven flashed back to twelve years before and though about how Duskvelden had been. Before the civil war, Duskvelden had been the beauty of paradise. Flowers clung to the earth, people roamed free. Sometimes even becoming constant travellers of the land. These people were called Wanderer's. How he had loathed the way Duskvelden had been molded over the centuries. It was nowhere near how he wanted it. The war had ravaged the lands and now, it was closer to how he wanted Duskvelden to be. Of course, he knew that in reality, people would return to how life had been before, and the land would look somewhat like it did twelve years before. But there would be changes. Many changes. All stored inside the Ravens cranium. It was all planned. He hadn't spent the three years before the war in hiding for nothing. He had been plotting and planning. He'd been working for fifteen years to take over and control Duskvelden and he had succeded. The drums stopped and the Raven was yanked back into the harsh reality of life. The executions were about to begin and it was time for the Raven to give his speach to the prisoners. "My fellow Rebels. We have overthrown the Duskvelden Government and it is time for changes. No longer will Duskvelden be ruled with compation and loyalty. I am a man of deciet and I enjoy the good lie and the fact that from tomorrow, I will be the rightful leader of this country. I have waited two-hundred years since you took the thrown from my family and now, I have it back... I am middle-aged and at two-hundred and thirty years old, I intend to make the most of my time. " Taxes. An amazing word. Taxes on everything. Not just on homes like you simpletons planned. You were useless rulers. You brought shame upon Duskvelden and you know it. It cannot go unpunished. That is why we are here today. You are going to learn the meaning of good leadership. As you die... ponder this.... I learnt of your silly prophecy. And when I find those of which it speaks, they will cower, and your spirits will be in a state of limbo, as I define my world. No-one can stop me. Now, away with you. And don't forget... PONDER!" The first ten of the prisoners were thrust deep into a patch of the Krax. The Krax was hotter than usual as it had to be melted. The searing pain rippled through their flesh, and their bones turned to jelly inside their bodies. Yelps and screams of pain filled the air while the Raven still kept calling. "Ponder, ponder". The execution continued until the final ten of the one-hundred ex-leaders of Duskvelden were buried deep in the Krax. In the last moments of life, suffocating... They pondered what the Raven had said. Their only hope was The Shaman. They had to pray that he sought the six and awoken them to their powers. The Raven traveled by horse back to Divakin where he would make the official announcement that he was now the leader of the land of Duskvelden. He had plans. Plans of such importance that he would put them in place almost automatically. The world was about to change, and not for the best... |