Echoes - Prologue
Apr. 15th, 2009 03:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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WARNINGS: NC-17 (eventually). slavefic. F/m. fantasy setting. institutionalized slavery.
WORD COUNT: 364
SUMMARY: A slave in a foreign land finds himself dragged back into a world he never wanted to return to.
NOTES: The index to this story available here. Written for the Women in Power 2009 challenge over on
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FEEDBACK: Always welcome, even if it's just to say you read it.
Prologue
All was a ruin.
Smoke billowed from the charred remains of their beloved city. The great Gates of Altov were rubble, and bonfires dotted the central square. The stench of burnt flesh enveloped the air, carried on the wind, along with the smell of burning wood. Cries from the injured or anguished filled the air, increasing the panic all around them. The victims called to the Lord and Lady, but the Gods did not answer them.
Warriors littered the streets. Some still charged through, cutting down any perceived enemies in their path. Others, afflicted by despair now, searched the ruins for loved ones or wandered aimlessly in a daze.
He sat alone, staring blankly at the remnants of a house. It had been one of many in this affluent neighborhood, the area targeted first. None of the homes remained; torches accompanied by the clamors of the people had done their job well. Eager soldiers had helped them also, barricading the doors and slaughtering any who escaped.
Encouraged by the wind, the fires from the houses had spread, licking at the next section of the city. Once it reached a poor neighborhood, the rotted wood of the shacks made for effective kindling. The flames were swallowing the city like a viper devouring its prey, and it was only a matter of time before it was completely consumed.
Not moving, he sat on the ground leaning against the garden wall. He continued to stare at the house. Perhaps if he lingered long enough, everything would return to the way it was. He laughed at the preposterous thought, a stark well of bitterness making the sound as sharp as the blade at his waist.
He’d rushed here, hoping someone yet lived, but had arrived far too late. Only the stone walls remained, smoke rising from them. He’d run to the ruins and dug through the rubble desperately, finding nothing he wanted to see. He'd failed them all.
Soot covered his hands, and small cuts from his exertions stung. But they were nothing to the bleeding chasm inside him. A thousand tears would not be enough, so what use in shedding any?
Nothing mattered now.
Chapter One