Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Parallel Universe Publications
Published: 2020-10-12T04:00:00+00:00

THE CITY OF SILENCE

Eric Ian Steele

The Once-King rode out of the West on the back of the storm. His muscled wrists pulled tight on the reins of his lumbering steed, a giant warhorse bedecked with chainmail. Behind him, the one-eyed seer Obadiah, lurched to a halt, shaken from his innermost reveries by the sudden stop of his mighty liege. The former king had not spoken since leaving their kingdom, though the ride had taken many days. During that time King Ariston said nought but glared into the fire when they made camp until long after the embers had turned to ashes.

Before them lay a castellated city, its lofty walls cut from white stone. A stone pyramid dominated the skyline, surrounded by slender minarets. Yet, as Obadiah strained his eye to see the inhabitants of this unknown place, he found no evidence of life, no bustle in the marketplace that he glimpsed through the winding streets, no beasts of burden traipsing through the iron gates that stayed severely shut against the outside world. No bells tolled from the temples, no prayers rang out from the minarets. The place lay as silent as the bottom of the ocean. As silent as his king had been these past six weeks, Obadiah thought with little satisfaction.

King Ariston gave his advisor a curious glance. Beneath the heavy brows, dark eyes glittered with a fire that had extinguished the lives of many. A fire that had brought them here. He wished he could convince his master to turn back, to once again rule the loving kingdom that was their own. But all his words of kindness and his learned philosophies had failed to dent the king’s resolve. Whatever battle his master was facing, Obadiah knew, he must win it alone.

“I recognize this place from the maps in the palace libraries,” the old seer said. The thought of those towering rooms filled with musk-scented volumes of lore - a place he had loved until recently - filled him with aching loss. “This is the City of Dreams, Lost Jabur. The sultan is said to have the richest court in this part of the world. He surrounds himself with minstrels and troubadours, while his harem comprises the loveliest dancing girls in all the Eastern realms.”

Ariston gave a grunt, his jaw jutting out like the edge of a granite cliff. Evidently, he was unimpressed. Obadiah knew that the best jesters and minstrels in the land had failed to cheer his master. Little wonder, then, that he scorned such pleasure now.

“Of course, your highness cares little for these things,” he said. “Yet our horses may grow weary even if we do not. It may be prudent to go down there and feed and water them, if we expect them to carry us much further.”

The king considered. His lip furled in amusement. The old vizier blushed, for he too wished to be fed and watered, preferably in a comfortable inn.

“Forgive me, sire,” he said. “My old bones can only stand so much of this desert floor before they begin to ache for a silken bed.

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.