Exhumation: An Epic of Existentia (Acts of the Sojourner Book 1) Read online

  A rare smile crossed his face, as he crunched through the tough inner seeds. He was happy to be outside; he didn’t care much for the stuffy and still airs of the Sanctum. When he reached the base of the steps, he continued towards the straight, herringbone–tiled road which stretched all the way towards the 1st District Curtain gate. As he crossed paths with other folk from Sanctum, they would casually greet and acknowledge each other on their ways – yet spend no time in sharing a word.

  Just like Pious, they were more of the outdoors type – walking about the tiled Forecourt and enjoying the remainder of Lux’s pleasant light before the onset of Tenebrae and the disappearance of Lux’s light for the following six Passes.

  The looming threat of the prolonged cold and darkness of Tenebrae was enough to make the lowliest of outdoorsmen savour the fresh air and the last morsels of gentle light and warmth, before being subjected to indoor confinement for almost six whole Steps.

  Pious crossed one of the twenty-four bridges spanning the Sanctum Fosse, which led to the short journey into the midst of the well-ordered trees of the Arboretum. He briefly looked to the waters below as he crossed the white stone bridge. As usual, the Sanctum Fosse was a deep pool of azure radiance, reflecting the light from above off the light blue Lapis Azuri tiles that lined the fosse.

  From the slight elevation of the bridge, Pious spotted many Arboreal Clerics tending to the Arboretum’s trees, gathering fruits and nuts into their baskets before the fall of darkness.

  As his pace and thoughts quickened – both preoccupied with the gravity of the task at hand – his feet found him not far from the Qulin’s stables, well ahead of his mind.

  The Qulin stable, one of twenty-four which stood at each one of the Curtain gates, was made of wood and stone affixed to the Curtain wall. It nestled amidst a grove of recently flowered Chassid Trees, their pink blossoms contrasting against the dark green leaves.

  Two Vigilant Centurions of the Winged Sentinel Cohort were casually leaning on the wall to either side of the Stable’s entrance, chatting about trivial matters. As soon as they noticed Pious approaching, they promptly stood to attention and saluted him as he entered the stable.

  “Centurions,” said Pious, with a slight scowl as he entered the stable. Although he was aware of the boredom that stable guard duty exemplified, he was also aware that these two Centurions were most likely there for a reason. Insubordination, poor performance, Noxshine bootlegging – all activities which warranted several Passes of menial, stable guard duty – including general stable cleaning. He rested assured knowing that Prefecta Lucretia Maris would ensure that the stables were kept spotless – well beyond reasonable.

  Pious walked over to the stable’s wall, the sound of his footsteps muffled on the hay–covered floor. Some Qulin saddles rested atop bracket arms protruding from the walls, alongside the battle–armour of each Qulin. Each saddle was made from dyed–black Fleshreed, a highly durable reed that grew in Serican realms, which when woven into sheets, had the same qualities as the leathers used by dwellers of the Harshlands.

  The Fleshreed was stitched together with gold Spinner Moth silk, and had many different forms of vegetative–like, flowing stitched embellishments. The Sericans made these saddles especially for the Elysians, as the usual Mountain Lankan leather saddles did not align with the vegetarianism of Sanctuary’s people.

  The stabled Qulin were not native creatures to Aurania but were native to Xia - the subterranean garden realms of Serica. The Qulins of Aurania had been a gift from the Red Empress of Serica for the assistance provided by the Auranians during the relatively recent uprisings against the Serican Empire by the guilds of Mudthrone and the rival Gunnish dynasty.

  Collecting a saddle from the wall, he placed it over his shoulder and walked along the row of six stalls, each housing a Qulin. Three of the Qulin were already out on duty, and the others were sleeping quietly – except for one, which had its hooves resting atop its stable gate, watching Pious intently.

  Pious noticed the Qulin watching him. “It looks like you are going on an adventure, my curious little Qulin,” he said.

  When the Qulin saw Pious walking towards it with a saddle, its mane began to rise like flames, and an expression of joy crossed its face. It dropped its legs down from atop the gate and moved backwards, allowing space for Pious to enter its stall.

  Pious opened the gate and walked towards the Qulin, which began stamping its feet with excitement.

  “Easy boy. You’ll wake up the others,” said Pious quietly. The Qulin tried to contain its excitement and stand still. Pious placed the saddle on its back and pulled out the straps. He fixed the harness over the Qulin's head and around its chest and fixed a strap underneath its belly. The sense of impending adventure was made obvious by the Qulin’s demeanour and its excited mane, which was testing the patience of Pious by flowing into his face while he tried to strap the saddle into place.

  As he tightened the straps, memories of Serica resurfaced, as they usually would every time he saddled a Qulin. A particularly dear memory was of his mentor and commanding officer, Felixius Parabellum, helping Pious fix his saddle to a Qulin – moments before the tragic charge against an entrenched ambush which became recorded in the Serican Imperial history as the ‘Last Roar of the Tiger Guard’.

  “There is the greatest of chances, that I will not survive this day. I am prepared for this… Except for one last matter. They took everything from you, Pious, from all of you – but this will help you get it all back. Take this… As my redemption – the Justblade, with my son as my witness. I don’t care where you come from, or to where you go – there is something in you, something I have not seen for the longest of times. When I die, you shall wield the blade as the new Prime Prefect. I have one request… No, one final order. They will try to put disrepute on the line of Parabellum for my deeds – keep Sincerus close by your side and Serana even closer. You must swear to me; you will protect and care for her. Swear to it…”

  The Qulin stared at Pious with its empathetic eyes surrounded by long, thick eyelashes. It could sense the emotions welling inside Pious, as he took hold of one the Qulin's fur–covered antlers.

  He placed one foot in a stirrup and in a single motion kicked his other leg up and over the Qulin and dropped himself into the saddle. Unlike the Faun of Aurania, the Qulin was slightly wider and more muscular, and a rider required a strong set of thighs.

  Pious didn’t bother fixing an antler bridle – he felt more connected to the creature this way. Slowly, he controlled the Qulin’s movement outside of the stables. As they left the inside of the stable, Pious noticed the light levels beginning to change slightly. He looked to the sky above.

  The blackened mass of Nox was adjacent to Lux on its approach towards obscuring it from view. Tenebrae was soon to start, and Nox had begun to draw the light that was destined for Aurania into its abyssal maw.

  “Tenebrae… We must make haste,” muttered Pious to himself.

  In response to a gentle nudge on its antlers, the Qulin started running forward. Pious kept a gentle pull on the antlers, as the key to riding a Qulin is not about the demand of it how fast it will go, but more about slowing the creature down. The Qulin love to run, and when they have rider atop, will run at all possible occasions unless controlled.

  Pious directed the Qulin to the gates that led from the Arboretum into the Operarium. Pious was well accustomed to the monotony and formality of moving throughout Sanctuary – the checkpoints, the passwords, the hailing signs – all of which he could cancel out in his mind, tune out the background noise and focus purely on the task at hand.

  After being let through by the Vigilant and Authoritor Praetorians guarding both sides of the gate, Pious and the Qulin charged through the streets and circuits of the Operarium towards the Northern Stately gate.

  The North–Way

  “The North–Way is truly disgusting. The Prevention is a hotbed meeting–place for the unscrupulous, the forest teems with fil
thy creatures, you’re a step away from death at Pinespeak – and Timberslane is full of damn dirty loggers and morally loose women. Not to mention the rumours of a group of hairy men who live like animals in the woods. Why anyone even wants to leave our walls, is beyond me…”

  Notes from the journal of an Acolyte after his first and last trial as an Arboreal Cleric,

  Duggie Grunt, Acolyte.

  Recorded in the 112th Cycle of Purity.

  The path to the Evergreen Glade was quite a journey for any wishing to visit the Glade from Sanctuary. The journey started from the Northern Stately Gate, led across the Border Bridge and along the North–Way road, which split at the Prevention into three paths; one path leading to Pinespeak, one leading deep into the Great Forest and the last to the disused track to the Northern Jagged Range pass.

  After a toll at the Qulin’s full speed, Pious reached a point in the path known as the Prevention – a tremendous eruption of stone, blocking the road that led north to the Jagged Pass. Historical accounts state that the Prevention had been formed many centuries ago, during the 2nd Schism, when the Shaydean Alliance declared war on the Elysian Concordat. The Concordat Council decided that the passage south from the Jagged Pass was to be blocked. The Khyramic Order – at the time allies of the Concordat – used their terraforming skills to cause an eruption of stone, to hamper all direct movements south.

  Pious stopped not far from the Prevention, examining the gigantic obstruction, which looked as if a tremendous fist had punched forth from the bowels of Aurania. It was obvious the Prevention was not a part of the natural landscape – its harsh and straight edges contrasted heavily with the delicately undulating forest floor.

  Pious heard some groaning, creaking noises, and looked down the path that led to Pinespeak. In the distance, he could see loggers from Pinespeak heading towards his location, guiding their Deforestation machinery in his direction. Pious wasn’t terribly concerned about their presence, as those of Pinespeak were quite indifferent to the affairs of others.

  As they were the primary member of the Northern Brokerage, and neither part of the Concordat or the Alliance, Pinespeak was neutral in their political and trade endeavours – and sold timber to both parties. Although the government of the Brokerage were neutral in their politics, the people of Pinespeak could be gruff and aggressive – particularly to those not of the Harshlands. Pious figured they were making their way south, to make further development on the new timber trade route between Pinespeak, Timberslane and Sanctuary, so he decided it would be best to leave, and avoid any potential confrontation.

  Pious was aware of the Prevention and knew to travel east from its location until he came across the Shimmering Creek of the southern flowing stream, commonly known as the Unforged Stream by those who dwell in the Northern Brokerage. Pious directed the antlers of the Qulin to the right and nudged it forward into the depths of the Great Forest. The clapping of its hooves on the gravel road fell silent as they began to strike the humus–lined track in the forest floor.

  The forest was dense, cool and refreshing – the slightly sweet and aromatic resin esters bit at Pious’s senses. The scattering of tall and slightly twisted Pillar Tree trunks appeared to hold up a thickened four span high ceiling of green vegetation. Gentle streams of light filtered through the breaks in the canopy above, illuminating the vapours of pristine moisture in the air which made the forest disappear into a greyish, cloud-like horizon. The forest floor was covered in small mounds of fine, soft and almost moss-like grass. Atop many a mound bloomed the small magenta coloured flowers of the Briarsweet shrub.

  Traces of a travelled path led through the forest, aiding Pious and the Qulin in their navigation. The tracks were formed by the Arboreal Clerics of Sanctum that made their pilgrimage each Pass to the Evergreen Glade, to make their observations of the great tree and assess the state of the streams that flowed forth from the Evergreen. The order of Arboreal Clerics was a dying order since the High Prelate and Imperator Draetor Principio had condemned the pilgrimage, decreeing it by Inquisitorial Edict to be an Idolising heretical blasphemy.

  Fortunately for Pious, travelling through the forest was almost indiscernible while riding a Qulin. His Qulin silently and gracefully traversed the somewhat difficult landscape. Rock outcroppings, fallen logs and uneven terrain proved nothing but footholds to the Qulin in its relentless progress headlong through the forest.

  On occasion, the scurry of Forest Faun, the splash of diving Liar Toads into the creek and the startled shrieks of Harpy birds into the canopy above would break the serene silence of the forest – distracting Pious from the direction of travel. Even as Pious’s attention was diverted, the Qulin would dodge, dart, dive and evade all trees and obstacles that stood it its way. Pious maintained an awareness of the overhead objects that posed a threat, as he ducked under a branch that would otherwise have taken him clean out of the saddle.

  The occasional unnerving childlike wail of Liar–Toads didn’t distract Pious, as he knew the forest and its creatures well enough to not be fooled by its cry.

  Liar Toads were the bane of many an amateur forest traveller. The croak of a Liar Toad sounded like the sobbing of a small child, causing many travellers to deviate from their path in search of a potentially lost child, only to come across a fat little Liar Toad in its mud–hole dugout.

  Time passed seamlessly in the serene and constant grove of trees. Eventually Pious spotted an opening in the forest, with the mighty Evergreen standing in its centre. Pious and the Qulin entered a majestic glade through the tree-lined threshold. Pious pulled back on the antlers of the Qulin, bringing it to halt after wheeling about on the spot.

  The Qulin stood still, breathing rapidly through its nose, its beard rustling under the force of expelled air. Pious dismounted and gave the Qulin a gentle pat on the head, to which it responded with a contented groan and a thankful grin.

  The Evergreen Glade

  “All attempts to break, cut, graze or otherwise take a piece of the Evergreen – are fruitless. Its composition is akin to the strongest of metals – seemingly unmalleable and indestructible. The surrounding environs reveal signs that in a long bygone era there may have been many more trees like the Evergreen nearby. Further speculation reveals that the immovable armour and weapons that litter the Glade and the Grotto are potentially made from the same substance as the tree itself.”

  A recovered surveyor's report of the Evergreen and surrounds,

  Anonymous Attaran Geoengineer.

  Recorded in the 94th Cycle of Truth.

  Pious stood on the banks of the Evergreen Glade’s pool, gazing in awe at the great tree. The last time Pious had been at this location was several Passes ago, by order of an Enclave writ to investigate the disappearance of an Arboreal Cleric. Over the previous few Cycles, a portion of the forest surrounding the Glade had become increasingly infested with Rapax during Tenebrae, after they had ventured south from Shayde in search of more abundant and softer prey.

  While Pious stood quietly, briefly lost in his own thoughts and serenity of the Glade, the Qulin ventured off downstream, seeking out fresh water.

  Unknown to the keenest of human senses, the liquid surrounding the tree was not water, and the Qulin could sense this. The liquid was, instead, a solution of various organic and inorganic chemical compounds. The waters, although a primordial pool of life creating essences, would prove toxic to any who ingested them.

  Further downstream, however, the cocktail of complex elements became pristine water, as it was drawn and cycled back into the land through various aquifers, re-emerging again through ground springs.

  The tree and its pond formed a unique riparian zone, known as the Evergreen Glade, with many strange mosses and brightly coloured leafy plants creating a vibrant and lush blanket on the soft and sandy ground.

  Littering the grounds of the glade were many pieces of armour and weaponry – long since covered in ivies and moss. These relics revealed signs of a long forgotten and anci
ent battle, the pieces having fallen in positions as though they were defending the mighty Evergreen itself. Many had tried to collect or move these objects of unknown yet impeccable craftsmanship, with pitiful results. Not even the strongest of men had moved the objects the slightest – it was as if the objects had somehow became fused with the ground.

  The Evergreen stood around two–hundred spans tall with a multitude of branches stretching outwards, creating a canopy almost one–hundred and fifty breadths wide, with the base of the trunk close to fifty breadths wide.

  Heretical myth and legend held that the Evergreen was the first creation on Aurania, and many believed it not only to be the first creation on Aurania but the first tree created in Existentia.

  However, the Evergreen was not a vegetative tree in the normal sense of the word. It was regarded as a ‘living’ crystal structure, drawing up building materials from its roots and depositing them on its upper extremities. Its ‘leaves’ were fine crystal needles, which in their budding state formed the more rigid lattice structure which was the main body of the tree.

  The Arboreal Clerics monitored the Season of the Cycle by the current state of the Evergreen, which could readily be ascertained by the colour of its needle-like leaves. The Evergreen was suitably named, as the tree was perpetually covered in green Verdigris, because of the oxidation of the copper that constituted a portion of the tree's composition.

  The green colour of the needles was due to the chemical composition of the mineral elements that were being utilised by the tree. The needles of the tree ranged in colour from a dark green to a bluish–green. In time, the needles would eventually fall to the ground, leaving behind the lustrous metallic surface of the Evergreen underneath.