KJB

As the members of the meeting filed out through the falls of the royal Fanged Palace he strolled the crystal illuminated streets of the Gorean capital. Taverns and clubs of every nature were seeded on every main artery through the city, and most were likely to have secret entrances on back roads and alleys. The palace itself dominated the skyline resembling a bleached set of serrated teeth rising from the Crystalline Sea. Both the Slave Auctions and the Pallida Mors premier club flanked the palace on either side close enough for the family members to easily traverse. Yet far enough to keep the Fanged Palace the most prominent feature of Gor. The region itself was mostly made up of coastal plains with rolling hills patched with wooded areas to the southwest in the direction of Miasmata. The populated swamps and marshlands that made up Miasmata stayed covered with a perpetual fog that seeped out of the vegetation and condensed into a light everlasting mist. The neighboring city made a perfect sanctuary for vampires or anything weary of the sun and was a central travel and commerce hub on the Crystalline Delta for all of Ayenee. The river itself ran through the Western Plains and ultimately emptied in to Gehenna and the bowels of the planet. Lush and mild having only two seasonal cycles the plains were ideal and perfectly suited for human habitation. Exactly the geographic opposite of Baltimore, a desolate wasteland of craggy rock and desert. The fortified city itself was built into a canyon actually lower than the surrounding landscape as an affront by the believed extinct Brujah vampiric race to all would be invaders. With only a single road running through the gated grey stone city Baltimore was a veritable fortress even with all it’s tactical flaws. The only vegetation was cultivated well inside the inner castle’s courtyard well sheltered from the arid environment sustain with imported water and soils. Springs peppered the desert land but were few and far between under the nearly impenetrable ground. Baltimore was a land only suitable for the dead. As he walked thinking of this new world, he couldn’t help but think of the current seat of the empire Gehenna. The archetype for all vampiric civilizations formed at the center of the crater. A large lava pool the Burning Lake served as the centerpiece for Castle Blackthorne the capital of all vampiric races and home of the LaSombra vampires. Being nothing more than a terrestrial exit wound Gehenna’s landscape was still ashen and scorched, the main vegetation came in the various forms of fungi thanks to the regions yearly rains. The two natural sources of light came from the Burning Lake itself and the Red Moon, the chunk ejected from Ayenee during the cataclysm eons back locked in orbit over the city. He smirked to himself as he made his way into one of the safest clubs for humans. Of course anyone who knew their history here on Ayenee knew that with the world populated and mostly ran by immortals and near immortals it was usually best to stay with you own kind. He like others in the know knew that concepts of time were practically lost on the vampires and other immortals, but everyone even the elders knew of the future. Sitting at a booth near the back of the Mind Freak, Sabean knew that the future line in the stars…

Cross Worlds was the future as much as it was the present for those adept enough to accept the power of technology over magics. And ultimately like anything that mattered, the space bound real estate belonged to the Pallida Mors. A joint effort between species, races, and families the giant space station resembled a cluster of grapes attached to a flat square shaped plane. The bottom side of the square was an intricate network of snaking pipelines some ending in bulbous pods that were the stabilizing thrusters. Maintenance and service areas were built into the actual deck as well as the public launching areas. The topside cluster was a conglomerate of domes spread out and even stacked one atop another all in variable sizes. Some of the simpler domes just had atmosphere and light gravity from the faint pull of Ayenee. Others had lush gardens and automated irrigation included with the stations enhanced gravitational pull. Others like the Pallida Mors central hub were expansive enough to house entire cities polarized to block out all light except for faint starlight and the warm light of the moons. Weather, day and night cycles, A whole mock up of Gor’s capital was built radiating out from a copy of their Fanged Palace. Clubs, taverns, and the markets here flooded the central hub. While the elite resided in the central hub close to the family it was assured they would have a dome of their own. Prestigious private landing pads and docking bays we staffed in all the elite domes as well as a fleet of star craft for transport. It was even rumored that there was use of teleportation by magical and technological means throughout out Cross World’s locales and beyond. Resources and materials were brought from Ayenee and other planets ripe for colonization in the solar system as well as Earth via the Shadow Portals. Some planets were nothing more than barren wastes akin to Baltimore, others were lush primitive jungle settings, but all of them were useful to someone. All of them were profitable in one way or another, and the Pallida Mor had their fangs into everything.

bound to the past by honor and a tempest’s child.

I am not forgotten.

And I am not too far gone.

Yet I am left behind.

I didn’t expect my universe to wait,

but I didn’t plan to see it travel so far.

Though perhaps it was not all for naught,

considering that while my universe grew beyond my orbit,

I Grew as well.

Multitudinously, concentrated, and nearly impervious…

I’ve created a stronger gravity of my own.

Not to bring my universe back,

but to repel me from the quagmire.

The Black hole of the past,

where dim flickers of light die I will continue to grow.

I will become the epitome of the Culmination.

I no longer seek to settle.

My roots are deep enough.

My pruned branches will grow and bear,

And my fruit will be Rare.

Rare, seasoned, and exquisite,

The Continuum of days has made sure of that.

But glimmering hopes of the past have lost their hold.

Only shining gems of the future can guide my path.

Those radiant stars that pull so strongly and shine so brightly.

Bright as or brighter I will become.

I will be a beacon all my own.

I don’t intend to lead,

but my Gravity will find a like star.

And I will never be left behind

Again

                                                                                                      KJ

Steeped in shame and shyness, brew a poignant loneliness

Made especially for me

The aroma of self-pity and desperation waft

Through the air, surrounding me

Cloaking me in an air of aloofness,

Shrouding what would normally be perceived as awkward silence

If you could see the real me

The first bitter draught spills over my lips which

Will not be kissed, flows over my tongue that explores nothing

Tasting only

The solitude, fusing and freezing it, unused

The chill, instead of assaulting the inner warmth,

Finds no such enemy inside me

My heart strains painfully, trying so hard to drive it,

The silence away, but it is only one

Doing the job of two

One day it will ignore me too.

Weeks transformed into months, and the months progressed until he could no longer stand his clever ploy. His hunger toyed with his sanity, but he had relented thus far. She easily slept at his side dreaming peaceful loving dreams as he counted the minutes until the damning Sun would rise. He had his story down pat, centuries of lies and rehearsal made it practically instinct. It was the emotions that had held him bound in place. Her pulse pounded louder in his ears drowning out her rhythmic breathing as his hunger became nearly unbearable. A rush of cold washed over his body from the inside out and his lips burned when he dared to risk a small kiss on his beloved’s forehead as he untwined himself from her. He’d told her of his unusual ‘working hours’ weeks before and now she stirred but didn’t wake as he rose from their bed. He dressed in silence as his eyes faintly glowed with a hint of crimson as he watched her sleep through the darkness of night. With the final touches of his evening attire in place he left without a sound, but moving swiftly enough to cause a faint breeze as he departed to the streets.

*

He was oblivious to the cold air buffeting against him as it howled between buildings to create invisible vortexes where the wind collided with itself. Street lamps, signs, and garbage danced to the toneless tones of the wind while life went on as it always did in the city. The cars sped past their headlights like angry eyes always staring forward. Clouds of steam parted and swirled  as they rose from the City’s lower realms where its inner workings released a low growl like a sleeping dragon. He took it all in, but it of no importance to him. He had to feed, he had gone nearly a week without. His love had consumed his conscience yet addled his mind. The very thought of taking what he needed from an other was nearly repulsive. And such a notion conflicted with his very being. He was only prolonging the inevitable, but he savored each and every moment of it dreading the possibility of losing her. Yet he fixated on the thoughts on the slight possibility she might… He banished his  wishful thoughts focusing on the task at hand. People didn’t always get smarter, but they adapted pretty well, and the stubborn ones always died off quickly. It was an age when people were wary of their neighbors, but even more xenophobic of the unknown. At least that much was the same and probably would never change. People hardly braved the night alone specially on the City’s streets, except for those who saw themselves as brave or those whose job it was to be there. To keep the less savory side of society at bay. they were the easiest, always driven by duty and service, out to make a difference. For that he nearly always spared them the world needed more people them. He stalked the streets in a blur as he ran though the shadows until he found his prey.  The patrol car was parked, its driver sitting still his eyes darting systematically in random places keeping with the patterns around him. To the officer he appeared to materialize out of the night itself, his eyes widened registering the shock, his fear oozed out of the vehicle like an intoxicating perfume. Before the officer could react any further his hand crashed through the window and caught the officer up by the lapels of his jacket. With a single jerk the man was freed from his seat belts and drawn out of the window into the City’s cold embrace.

*

He had managed to keep his secret as thus for several more moons as he had centuries before. Until the beginning of the end came in the form of a small hand clasped lightly to his forearm as he sat up to leave. “Don’t go… Her voice cut through the darkness, the gentle request ringing like a command in his mind. “If only I could…” He argued yet he hadn’t managed to move from their bed. “Can’t you stay tonight?” She whined her dark eyes only narrow slants weighted by sleep. “I’ll have something to tell you in the afternoon and I can never find you.” He smiled a small smirk hiding his fangs then hushed his love with a small kiss before it would be too late for him to leave. With his hunger under control the warmth of her flesh was a soothing caress.”I’ll be busy today sweetheart. But I’ll see you this evening.” He told his partial lie and she relented giving into the grips of sleep as he left again to avoid the rising of the deadly Sun.

*

His mansion stood as it had for centuries, only the world around it had changed. It had once been in the rural wooded country, then the exurbs, and now the suburbs had grown around it making it an unofficial landmark. The house and land had been in the same family for generations. The last owner, Vincent P. Moore, followed in the family trend of light politics mixed with being a mogul of the entertainment industry. restaurants, clubs, and theatres had been his legacy that he had left his son, as well as the City. Like his ‘father’ the son managed the business affairs masterfully, but he was a recluse refusing to become involved with the City’s politics. He never seemed to be involved with anything or anyone, much to the chagrin of the paparazzi and tabloids. With just a simple relocation of one of his restaurants he could irreparably alter the face of the City. For him it wasn’t hard to avoid the cameras and spies. He only went out in twilight, his limo would draw away the vultures and he’d travel on foot and in plain sight. The limo had a set route to take going to all the family’s establishments keeping up his image of solely being focused on the business. If only they knew! He risked a final longing gaze towards the sunrise after setting the day’s directive for the family’s various interests. He didn’t have to sleep through the day, but it was more favorable for his chosen… diet. The lighter hours always proved more taxing  than those of the night, so he chose to sleep. He gazed east towards the City, towards his lover until the brilliance of the Sun became unbearable. His heart was weighted like a hot air balloon perfectly ballast as he retired to his bedroom. Sleep took him in an instant, there were no dreams in this sleep. It was the uninterrupted sleep of the dead. Given his heightened senses he had trained over the scores of years to be able to ignore the evolving noises of the world around him. Except for those extremely close to his domain, of course there were the press and other nuisances but they helped keep his senses acute. He slept until a single waft of perfume, the scent of fresh covered blood, the sweet botanical s of soap and shampoo clenched his unbeating heart and filled him with alarm. The first instinct was to lash out at the offender of his sanctuary or to flee, but his crimson ringed eyes snapped open to see a pair of dark eyes gazing down into his. He came to recognize the warmth over his heart to be her hand resting against his chest. “Shhh…” She silenced him with a sound making him wonder if she truly understood the hold she had over him. “You said it yourself, I’m far from stupid. And I’m not ignorant to today’s unspoken truths.” Her smile brought a curve to her full lips and dimples to her cheeks. “The whole world saw what can happen if you ignore them for too long. That story of the tree in Spain or the one about the werewolves capturing the Pope.” She traced her finger tips over his chest feeling his flesh grow warmer to her touch. He couldn’t help but smile when she mentioned a couple of the Family’s bigger ‘slip-ups’. “But I’ve come to tell you, that I know and I’ll always love you, and there is something else…” His smile faded as her voice trailed away in a slow sigh. She seemed to deflate with the release of air and he couldn’t resist taking in her essence in a deep breath. And suddenly he understood it all. How she had found him and gotten so close without rousting him from sleep. Their mingled scents, but it was something deeper  than that. “I know…” He said letting out her breath finally with nothing else that needed to be said. With a quick gentle gesture he snaked his arms around her already feeling the edges of his hunger sharpen, but he had finally had her…