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Back to Empire on the HPe3000
... and ...
The Great Hall blazed with light, at its center, a fire burned
hgh within the stonelined pit and along its walls and wooden pillars,
dozens of torches smoked and sputtered
The doubledoors at its northern side were opened and Engenulf
walked through, Nosnra at his side. All eyes within the hall turned to
watch the witan's entrance. Eadwig raised his head but held tight to his
brothers inanimate hand, Ogiva, Huon's wife, held back her tears and
with a stern command muffled her daughters sobs and her own as well.
Nearly all the giants were gathered in the hall, ogre servants and
orcish slaves were scattered here and there. A hush fell over them as
Engenulf made his way to the high table. He was an imposing sight, tall
as a forest tree, thin but possessed of a wiry strength and corded with
muscle detailed beneath his skin. His hair was long, no razor-knife
or shears had ever cut it, instead many braids had been woven, twined
with polished rune-carved bone, feathers from a dozen winged beasts,
and dye-stained cord, some creatures hide now colored red and green
and a dark rich blue. About his waist a belt of bone, the ribs of man
and monster strung together with lengths of centaur hair, the buckle
carved from a dragons tooth. He wore a cloak of deep soft fur thrown back
from off his chest, its clasp, a human skull, eyes now cuts of amber,
ages old, between its teeth it clamped a silver tang, held firm by jaws
that iron rods kept closed.
"friden, slafin-tif," Engenulf said so softly the words almost
went unheard. He stood upon the raised wooden floor, the high table at his
side, and gently made the troubled Eadwig close his eyes and rest. From a
fetish pouch he drew a careful measure of a grey-white ash, the harvest of
a sacred pyre, and scattered them above the sub-chiefs head. "friden,
friden, friden..." he intoned and Eadwig gave a snore.
From his brothers hand, Eadnoth's hand was taken and Engenulf
held it in his own. Then, as if to warm the death cold flesh, the witan
chafed its palm between his rough hands and held it to his lips.
"sauber-ghen," he breathed the words upon the unseen skin. "sauber-ghen,
uss-ghen-ets!" he commanded. The translucent flesh obeyed, and in a wave
that started with the hand within the witan's grasp, Eadnoth reappeared.
* * *
The giants corpse was grim indeed, now visible once again, with
open eyes that held a startled look and a throat slashed from ear to ear.
"Good that he sleeps." Nosnra said and looked sadly at Eadwig's
recumbent form.
"Death comes to us all." Engenulf replied and bent to search the
gaping wound. "The kindred claim their own."
"Death such as this," the chief pointed to his slaughtered guard,
"should not have come at all."
"This cut was from a very sharp blade," the witan lowered his
head, and, with braided hair covering the sightless eyes, sniffed along
the severed neck. "An ensorceled blade, it smells of magic." he turned and
spat upon the floor. "Bring me a cup of ale!" he called "I need to rinse
this wizard stench away."
He pulled a needle of splintered bone from a folded pouch of
black coarse cloth and, with a length of resilient gut, sewed razored
flesh together once again.
* * *