The Purple River

by Shane Cogan

  Fylo, who was sitting next to Tur, began to chat quietly. I suspected such an alliance. ‘Are there any objections to Formula B?’ he asked again. Tiffin raised her hand to the side of her ear and face, to ask a question. ‘But should we not consult with other groups? Other senior figures in the royal family? It seems quite drastic and so sudden. Should we not first seek a life consciousness consultant to gauge his mind? This would be my suggestion,’ she said. ‘May I remind you all, in case it has slipped your historical mind, that there is no one else. We have no army. No security. No police. Nothing. We are the Vanguard, the protectors of the people. It’s us. That’s it,’ Wormblack said but his voice was raised in tone. He looked around. All five cast their hands to enact Formula B. ‘Then it is settled. Formula B has been agreed. All power will pass now from the King to the Vanguard, or until Samarth returns. Meeting finished,’ said Wormblack. He got up to leave the table.

  ******

  Tur and Fylo walked side by side in the gardens, surrounding the palace. Their Vanguard robes touched the grass. Fylo’s feet crunched on the grass as she walked. The sun’s heat was fading. The Vanguard meeting had finished and the two old friends had decided to go for a walk in the private confides of the garden. ‘Come this way, my friend. Let us sit and marvel at the beauty before us. I sense your small stature is struggling as ever to see up to me and my steps are too big for a, well, little someone of your stature,’ said Tur. Fylo merely laughed. ‘No need to hide the names. I am used to it all my life. But I know my small stature remains rare on the plane,’ she said. She thought back to the first names and the last time someone strange had called her a midget. ‘I would only take offence if I were a dwarf. They are but of myths. Being a Hawthorn tribe member, I am proud of my size,’ said Fylo. Her feet now turning brownish after stepping in some fresh fruit that had landed close by on the grass, and she was so focused on her conversation with Fylo. What was that? ‘Now we must sit. Look,’ she said as she pointed to fruit on her feet. ‘Ah, the best nectar. The wondrous wood apples,’ said Tur. Both sat on the bench and admired its surroundings.

  They closed their eyes and heard the creatures around them making sounds. In unison, they both heard the trees whistle their codes of names. Insects landed on their seat, but flew away with the slightest movement. Both were still, calm and silent. A small creature landed on Fylo’s head. She felt the insect sit on her and imagined its bright yellow colours. It must be a dragonfly. It flapped its wings and landed on Tur’s head. He felt it land and sensed it nestle into his thick hair. It must be a butterfly.

  Tur opened his eyes first. He held his two hands together in his laps and his lips slightly moved as he whispered some words. Fylo opened her eyes and repeated the same, but with her fists closed, and each meeting in the middle of her chest. She held them that way for a moment and let them rest to her sides after a moment. Tur spoke first. ‘I have grave concerns about Formula B being enacted my friend. The fact that has also been enacted by a Yarracullan is deeply worrying,’ he said. Fylo’s attention was his every word. ‘Wormblack is a good man. I trust him. I don’t think he would be using his Yarracullan blood to gain any further power, nor…dare I say, revenge for his people,’ she said. ‘True. But it is a huge gamble. A huge precedent to set.’ I fear this will not end well,’ said Tur. He brushed his hair back and the tangled knots hit the occupant. They both smiled and watched as the butterfly left its head nest and flew away to join the rest of his breed in the great garden. ‘You guessed correctly on the insect,’ she said smiling. ‘It is quite beautiful you know, Fylo. It seems to be ever present today. I have missed it around this dreary palace. Now more than ever,’ said Tur. She turned to him and patted his face with her hand. ‘I have missed our chats,’ she said and pulled her hand back and placed it on her lap with the other one. ‘I don’t sense he is trying to take control of the King. Can we just try and place some trust in him. If not for me, on this one occasion,’ she said. Tur closed his eyes momentarily and gave her a small bow. ‘And the other thing we last spoke about?’ he asked her.

  ‘There have been whispers. My people are very close to the Manith people, and we both sense something is wrong on Glow Mountain. Forces, very dark ones and ones we have not seen for many moons, have begun to appear on that mountain. Tales of strange icy dogs, wild birds that talk and shape shifting creatures have been seen by my people…,’ she said. Her voice almost a whisper as she looked around her. ‘But myths, my friend,’ said Tur. ‘Indeed, but no longer. They have returned and in greater numbers. There is even talk of the great Queen of the Naiads being preoccupied with a man so large and so dominant, that he has failed to die, sleep or tire from the queen’s sheer sexual appetite. If true. This has never happened before. When the time comes, we shall need the Naiad Army to defeat it if he too has arrived,’ said Fylo. ‘Shush now. He has not returned. The dark and dangerous prince will never return. We have seen to that. Your tales and fantastical ones of this queen of the waters are but a tale of the mountain people. She does not exist. Come and let us talk some more about real things,’ he said. He pointed to the sun, as its fading rays hit the bushes on each side of the long path that led back to the palace. ‘It is my favourite time of the day. Let us walk and reflect as the sun gives us its final energy,’ he said to Tur. Fylo caught his look as he looked away. One of worry caught that look. I know deep down you believe the tales of my people. They have returned. She walked beside him.

  C H A P T E R 38

  Kingfisher

  I have spent days, maybe weeks watching the bird. Aluum held her stomach as it rumbled within. She recalled its name and what the guide had mentioned. A kingfisher, the mightiest of all the water birds. Watch it on the lake. Listen to it. Speak to it. And follow him, the guide told me. With each day in the company of the kingfisher, she had learned more. More knowledge and my senses have become stronger. With each day passing, I am stronger.

  Aluum looked up at the sky again, while sitting on the water’s shoreline. For the first time in a long while I can remember parts of the sky resemble the colours of the kingfisher. ‘Was there a connection?’ she asked. She watched as the sun’s early morning light caught the water. A lake the guide had said. It is different from the sea, but I already knew that or sensed it from the taste of the water and the colours. They were clearly different waterways. And in it, different creatures. ‘Wait for me,’ screamed Aluum. The kingfisher was already at the lake’s edge and waiting. Aluum smiled. I love to watch the bird carry out its tasks. She glanced back at the area where she had slept and smiled. Almost like the bird’s nest. It was warm and I feel safe in it. Shelter is what the guide had mentioned.

  As she reached the shores of the lake, she watched as the barest of sunlight came through from above and hit the water to change its colour. Aluum heard a splash as the bird had dived. ‘Hopefully a large fish. I am hungry,’ she said out loud. Aluum counted as the bird was submerged. I like to tell the bird the number each time he came back. But a discussion with the bird was pointless. The guide had said it simply did not understand what I was asking but I feel it understands my thoughts and senses. ‘No sign of the bird yet. Fifty. Longer than usual,’ she whispered. Her eyes met the changing of the lake’s colours as the bird re-appeared. Aluum stood up and waved to the bird. ‘It has something in his mouth again, but different from the fish it brought before,’ she said as she kicked a few stones back into the lake, her scratched feet catching the small waves. ‘It’s bigger than the bird’s body,’ she said, her hand pointing at the bird.

  Aluum took a short step back as she watched its dark length shaking in the water, as the creature battled with the kingfisher. But the bird is strong and surely will use its wings to move higher out of the water. Aluum stood up and gazed at the water birds prey. She watched as the creature in its mouth still dangled in the water. What is that? It’s long and thinner than me. It’s struggling. It’s trying to wrap itself around the bird. Should I try and get out there and help i
t?? Aluum started to scream at the bird and its prey. She walked into the water up to her waist, but and then retreated back to the shoreline. She looked on as bird and its prey battled it out. Aluum was transfixed on the clash over the water. The kingfisher flapped its wings. Aluum’s eyes glazed the water as small yellow feathers fell from his belly and hit the waves. They landed and stayed there. Aluum could now see the creature’s face as the bird had managed to lift its entire body out of the water, preparing to fly back to the shore. ‘Don’t. Watch out for its tail!’ Aluum screamed. She caught the bird’s briefest of glances at her on the shoreline. The victim’s body moved in circles and tried to get at the birds feet. Its head was closer to the water and its end in the kingfisher’s mouth. The bird flew over Aluum and landed away from the waterline. Smart. As it might try and run back into the water. She heard the groans from her stomach. I need to help the bird.

  Aluum approached the bird, with each foot step slower than the previous. The kingfisher had landed on a flat surface and was holding down its prey with its feet. Looking closely for the first time, but standing a short distance away, she could see its head moving wildly. It’s the same size as the rest of its body, and has a long tongue. Aluum jumped back, as the creature struck the side of the bird with its tongue, but the bird managed to get a peck back in its face. Again, the creature spun around and hit the bird. It managed to loosen away from the bird’s feet. Aluum could see now that the bird was beginning to tire. He is loosening the control of the kill. What is this creature? Its power. And energy. Aluum caught the sparkle of its skin as it started to glisten as the last of the water drops left its long body. The bird yelped and motioned for Aluum to come closer. She recalled how the kingfisher had picked up a small stone before and let it fall on a large fish. Several times it had done this, until finally that fish released its blood and jumped around no more. Aluum looked around for a similar stone, as she heard the bird noises increasing. Her noises are becoming desperate.

  Aluum moved towards the creature. She took it tight in her hand and let its edge slide out between her fingers. She slammed the stone towards its head, but the impact only came on stone. The creature flew around and bit Aluum. She grabbed her foot and jumped backwards. Refocus the stone on its head. She picked the stone up again and this time landed it right on the creature’s head. Do it again. And again. On the final hit, Aluum watched as the creature’s head opened up and blood seeped from this face and head. The kingfisher whistled and flew around her head in jagged lines. They both looked at the creature, as its head was separated from the rest of its body, yet its body moved frantically. Aluum hit the stone in the middle of its body again. Yet the bottom half continues to move, with no head and face! Bird and woman fell beside the rock. Aluum was panting deeply. They watched as the last of the creature’s energy wriggled its way off the rock.

  Aluum knelt down and slouched over the dead creature’s remains. She wiped her hand across her face, the moisture and drops falling from her hands. Sadness is flowing down me. She ran her finger down the track, as it flowed down her neck and through her chest, leaving a clear line. The bird was on the stone, shaking its wings and capturing the sun’s final rays. It pecked at parts of each wing, and shook the other. The kingfisher looked at the dead creature that was lying on the rock, its blood and insides flowing down the side of the rock and onto the ground below. Aluum let out a roar. She looked at the dead creature on the rock and then at the stone in her hand, and watched as parts of blood and pieces of the dead creature’s skin dripped from it onto her legs and feet. She wiped her eyes and flung the stone away. The kingfisher was looking at Aluum. It cocked its head to the side and with one eye opened and blinked. It jumped onto the stone and began to chop its contents. It pulled a piece away and hopped over to Aluum and put it next to her. Pulling her hands free from her eyes, she looked up and saw the bird’s eye staring at her. Its blue and yellow feathers mixed as he shook its head and drops of water flew over and hit Aluum. The bird water is mixed with the blood on my face. She touched the kingfisher on its small head, leaving drops of blood on his feathers.

  Aluum ate the piece of flesh that the bird had dropped beside her. She slouched over the dead creature and pulled at its flesh, piece by piece and ate more. The kingfisher pecked at the creature’s head. She watched as she saw the bird eat one of its eyes, before moving to the other. Does that mean it will see better? Aluum glanced at the dead animal’s head. Have I seen it in my dreams? It seems familiar. She looked at its tongue, left slouched but still hanging from its mouth and then at her foot. She saw the mark. It bit me. My heart is racing. The kingfisher carried on eating the head of its victim.

  Aluum stood to get up, but wobbled. She felt her head spin around and looked to see where the bird was. It was eating the animal’s head. She saw the blood and its contents being thrown around by the flesh eating bird. I can see into the dead creature’s eyes. Its yellow stare. Aluum tried to force both legs up. Her body shook. She held her hand out on a rock. Her knees wobbled. My feet will not stand. My mind is moving. All I see are circles and small colours. Where is the guide? What is that loud noise? Aluum could see the bird continuing to eat the creature’s insides. She placed her hands to her ears. The noise of the flesh being torn away is deafening. She screamed. Aluum looked for the bird. Spinning. All I can see are yellow and blue colours. And more colours. Smaller ones. I can see the dead creature’s yellow eyes. Those yellow and red dots. I have seen them before. They look familiar. She held her hands to her ear, tighter. The colours surrounding its eyes are lines and back to dots. Blue ones. Yellow ones. Red. Purple. Oh those eyes again. Redder and redder. Closer to me. Its long body, sliding and gliding towards me. The bird started to whistle sharper. Aluum tried to stand. Her feet buckled and she fell down. Aluum felt the thud against her head. Sharp stones wedged into her cheeks. She could she her tongue moving in and out of her mouth. I can see the creature on my face. Its red eyes and tongue moving and hooking on my movements. It’s sliding towards my open mouth…and in. Aluum’s eyes closed. Her body went still.

  C H A P T E R 39

  The Queen

  ‘For six full days we have pleasured you. Yet you call it torture. And yet, you remain alert and erect,’ she said. The queen was saddled on his manhood, staring at him, her words echoing around the chamber. She rubbed her hands on his face and smiled at the closest female to her. There were no screams from the Manith. Was he actually enjoying this torture. She moved harder to and fro. ‘Harder,’ she said. He watched as her silver skin glistened with sweat and beads of lights, as they rocked to and fro to her demands. He moved his hands towards her thighs, up her naval and towards her chest. Her breasts bounced to his rhythm as she screeched, the sound piercing the chamber. Tiuus glanced to his side and counted two nymphs lying on the floor, their bodies exposed and moist. Their light blue skin reflects the water around them. The others responded to the queens calls to stroke, to caress, to fondle him some more. His body at ease, he looked at each of their eyes and their skin. ‘More,’ said Tiuus slowly. The queen’s eyes dilated. She stopped and lifted her thighs away from his manhood. His eyes followed hers. She glanced at him, as she brushed her hands along his shaft. I have not tasted its juices yet. How could this Manith do this to me? He felt all the other female eyes now on the queen. He heard some laugh. While others urged her on. I know that look. He felt her presence, as she parted her lips. She gazed at his eyes, fixated on each other. She opened her pink lips and slid her tongue along its tip and swallowed it whole.

  The queen kicked her feet and her body arched and convulsed as she fed on its juices, the others five naiads waiting behind her. Tiuus arched his head and moaned. He felt its smooth texture across his eyes. Darkness. But I feel her move. The queen moved down further on him. He moaned in slow beats. I feel it pounding in her mouth. Her grip is tightening... She felt its final heave as it hit her hard within. She closed her eyes as she heard his moans grow louder and her mouth filled with its sa
lty juices. Tiuus felt a hand rip the darkness away, as he let it flow out of her mouth and down her lips. His heat panting, he watched as she ate more of it, and knelt back and smiled at him. She slid away from him. Tiuus felt the others move in around and lick the remains. He moaned as they screamed. And felt their tongues and hands and fingers move around his exploded juices.

  The queen moved around the Manith man. ‘Your naked body is covered in sweat, the final juice of the Naiads,’ she echoed with each word slower. Her breasts and genitalia retreating on each word, as she crawled over to his face. Her chin catching his forehead, and her hair covering his face as she slid closer to his ear. Her leg catching another leg, she brushed one arm away from his head. These nymphs are like snakes, all entangled and interwoven around me. Am I her victim? She moved her mouth to his ear. ‘You have been ours for six days. And this male body of yours has not yielded, till now. You have not cried for release, despite the screams. Yet, this body pants like a wild dog,’ she said into his ear. Her body forced on him and she felt his chest move in and out. But his erect manhood has slithered back into its hole.