The Madman on the Rocks by Christian Warren Freed

Author:Christian Warren Freed [Christian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Warfighter Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

EIGHTEEN

3212 A.G. (After Gods), The Great Library, planet Wexanos.

Tannus stretched to his full height, relishing the crisp evening air. The confines of his deep-space flier sometimes proved too much, especially during those weeks-long transits between systems. He enjoyed the fresh air, the sights and smells of life. Too much of his life had been a tragedy filled with death and sour undertones. He envied humanity the gift of death. Their lives held more meaning, a sense of urgency he had only felt once.

He tried and failed to imagine what it must feel like knowing that every moment lived was one less. One step closer to the end. Did they despair? Were they mired by the inescapable conclusion that their time was much too short? Tannus wished he had answers. The precious gift of life meant something to humanity, unlike his own race. He’d seen thousands of lifetimes come and go without so much as a ripple in the fabric of the universe. Life had grown mundane. An unending struggle to maintain sanity. Tannus had lost his desires. The sound of waves crashing against the shore, the humbling feeling of deep space, none of that aroused even the slightest spark. He felt dead inside.

Whatever faith he’d once placed in humanity was shaken. The greed and avarice he’d been shown on planet Crimeat had rocked the foundations of what he’d once believed unshakable. Humanity was no different from his own kind. No matter how many times he’d seen the scenario play out, there was always another madman lurking in the shadows ready to steal the throne and plunge his kind into tyranny.

The cold, sad reality of this made his heart weep. Three thousand years spent tolling after the remnants of his species, despairing the decline of civilization and vacuum left in the universe, and he realized he had nothing to show for it. Perhaps it would have been better if he had let Amongeratix kill him all those centuries ago when he’d stumbled upon the dark ritual in the temple of Oculus.

Still, there was some good left in the universe, if difficult to spot. Father Dye had given him hope right when he’d thought it lost. The older priest had stood up to tyranny in the face of grave adversity, nearly losing his life in the process. Together, they’d crossed half a continent to stop Amongeratix. Tannus wondered, briefly, what had happened to the old man. He was a good soul, one of few. If anything happened to him…

The sudden thought made Tannus stop. He had no memory of leaving Crimeat. No recollection of what had happened once all three brothers had battled atop the plateau in the middle of the snowstorm. It had been a titanic struggle, one destined to become legend in the histories of humanity. Few in their short past had witness the Three battle. Even fewer had survived such engagements. Tannus preferred to stay away, to let the children of his race find their own destiny, their own paths through life.

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