Ruined Cities by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Dark Fantasy, what if, post-apocalypse, indie, anthology, Urban, apocalypse
Publisher: Deepwood Publishing
Published: 2013-11-22T00:00:00+00:00

A HERO’S ONLY REQUEST

by

DANIEL KASON

As we wait for the water to boil, my mother regales me with tales of the old world.

“Such monstrous technologies they created. As if there was no limit. As if the world was something to be conquered.”

I have heard my mother’s stories a hundred times, but it reassures me that she has the strength left to tell them. My mother is sick, you see, and these stories may be the only thing tethering her to life, to me.

“But all of that ended,” she continues. “The world changed, and everyone was destroyed in a great fire, leaving us to sweep away the ashes.”

I hear a high-pitched whistle, but as I get up to check the water, my mother grabs my wrist.

“No, let me. It’s my tea, after all.”

But I won’t allow it. “You have to save your strength.” And she nods, laying back in bed, even if she doesn’t like it.

“Keep going,” I say, wanting to keep her spirits high. “There’s more to the story, isn’t there?”

And as I prepare her tea, my mother goes on, automatically reciting the words I have heard a hundred times: “We were reaching too far. We thought too much of ourselves and put our trust in the wrong laws. That is why the world was destroyed. That is why technology failed us in the end.” I stir her tea, waiting for it to cool. “And now that the world has paid the price, the rest of us can move on.”

I hand my mother the tea, and she blows the steam away before taking a sip.

“What about the wizards?” I ask.

“I was just getting to them,” she responds, and gives me a weak smile. “Those men call themselves wizards, but even they admit they know nothing of magic. They come suited in scraps of armor salvaged from the old days, riding hover cars and carrying ray guns and other forbidden items of the past. For days, they lay siege to Ilion, terrorizing the city and reminding us why we hate them so much. These wizards care nothing for the people. They worship technology and the demons who brought about the destruction of the past. They wish to rebuild a society that has collapsed under the weight of its vanity.”

“And the heroes?” I say eagerly, for this is my favorite part of the story.

She holds up a finger, inviting me to have patience as she takes a long gulp of tea.

Then, “Ah, the heroes. No one has seen them before.”

“But we’ve heard stories,” I answer. “About how they’ve come to replace the weapons of the past, how they rely on something else, something new.”

“That’s right,” my mother says, and I can tell she takes great pleasure in this moment. “When the wizards strike, the heroes face them, wielding magic swords, weaving complicated spells, throwing off the wizards with fire and lightning. These heroes, who come from nowhere and leave to nowhere, ask only that we carry their names to all corners of the world, for in this way they can live forever.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.