At Least He's Not On Fire: A Tour of the Things That Escape My Head

by Philbrook, Chris

  Cut into the face of the cliff and running the entire width and breadth of the Low City were doors and windows, indicating that there were homes and businesses entrenched within the stone cliff itself. Near the very center of the Low City and carved into the cliff was a perfectly rectangular space that slid upwards into the mountain until it opened up to the sky at the top of the cliff, well over a thousand feet above the land they stood on. In the channel carved from the cliff two platforms moved up and down side by side in a balanced dance. Both platforms had a footprint larger than their family home in New Picknell, and one rose at the same speed that the other fell. The twins could see people, wagons, horses and even a Gvorn or two on the platforms. From this distance they could see massive chains powering the lifts, but could not discern what controlled the mechanics. Umaryn suspected the Artificers Guild was involved.

  At the top of the giant cliff there was a second city. They knew it to be called the High City, the home of Graben’s political and military elite. On many window sills, and lining the streets they could only barely see, they saw the tiny purple flowers that gave the Empire its name. Each home in the upper city was carved directly into the face of the mountain, and they were all grand monuments. The smallest palace carved into the mountain on the level of the High City was two stories tall, and beyond beautiful. The stature of the owners of these homes could be gauged by their opulence, by their size and the amount of carvings etched into their faces.

  Despite all their independent beauty and character, none could hold a candle to the palace of the Purple Queen. The terrain at the top of the cliff could not have been parallel to the face, for the palace was set further back from the edge than the other residences. The cliff carvings outlining the palace reached up high, at least ten floors higher than the next largest home in the High City, and the detail and grandeur was unmistakable, and oppressive. Sinister gargoyles flanked by intricate pillars decorated the stone the entire length and width of the palace. Intermixed in, tall statues of winged men and women spread their arms in a benevolent gesture, likely meant to lure the populace into believing the resident of the palace was kind, and caring.

  No Queen of the Amaranth Empire was kind, or caring.

  “I find myself staring at it every time I return too,” Dram said from the platform above them. Mal and Umaryn shook the distraction from their eyes and turned to him. He towered above them even more than before, flanked by his two undead pets.

  “There is something special about it,” Umaryn said before her brother said what she knew he wanted to say.

  “Indeed,” Dram returned, his face still shrouded in blackness under his purple hood. The six people on the train had already left. They practically ran away from the train and Dram’s entourage. Despite being in such a massive city, they felt very alone in his presence. As they shared their moment of strange silence, one of the Artificer Guild’s laborers led Bramwell and Tinder down the ramp. Dram’s eye line dropped from the cliff down to the animals as they were brought to the twins. Tinder immediately nuzzled Umaryn as she took the reins from the laborer. Bramwell was slightly less affectionate.

  “Quite the creature you have there Malwynn. Majestic and strong,” the Inquisitor said.

  Malwynn smiled, truly appreciating the compliment, “Thank you Inquisitor Sorber.”

  “I find it interesting that a young man from a tiny village who had to join the Queen’s army to support his family would be able to afford such a creature.”

  Brother and sister exchanged glances at one another. Their story was beginning to unravel. Malwynn looked up at the robed nightmare, and tried to piece their cover back together, “Bramwell here was taken from a Varrlander we killed while on patrol a few weeks ago. He had strayed into Empire territory, and we took care of matters.”

  “Hm. Well done then I suppose,” Dram said, clasping his bony hands in one another at his waist. He turned to walk away, and then stopped long enough to utter a single statement that sent the pits of their stomachs below the hard Amaranth earth.

  “I find it curious that your Gvorn looks almost identical to one a close associate of mine had.” Dram spun on his heels and took his two undead cohorts away, gliding effortlessly across the slate gray stone of the rail platform.

  “It’s time to get dirty my friends,” said the blonde Artificer from behind them. They turned to face him. He rested a wheelbarrow filled with all manner of tools at their feet, smiled, nodded, and left them.

  Two long sighs later, they each took a tool, and got to work.

  About The Author

  CHRIS PHILBROOK is the creator and author of Adrian’s Undead Diary as well as the popular webfiction series Elmoryn: The Kinless Trilogy and Tesser: A Dragon Among Us.

  Chris calls the wonderful state of New Hampshire his home. He is an avid reader, writer, role player, miniatures game player, video game player, and part time athlete, as well as a member of the Horror Writers Association. If you weren't impressed enough, he also works full time while writing for Reemergence as well as the worlds of Adrian’s Undead Diary and Elmoryn.

  Find More Online

  Check out Chris Philbrook’s official website thechrisphilbrook.com to contact the author and keep tabs on his many exciting projects, or follow Chris on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChrisPhilbrookAuthor for special announcements.

  Don’t miss Chris Philbrook’s smash hit: Adrian’s Undead Diary. Follow the exploits of Adrian Ring in this epic eight-book series as he searches for meaning, survival, and hope in a world ravaged by the dead. Visit adriansundeaddiary.com to learn more about Adrian’s world. Available in print, Kindle, and online.

  Follow Chris Philbrook’s latest epic series as it unfolds in Tesser: A Dragon Among Us. Meet Tesser, the Dragon. He who walks in any form, and flies the skies free of fear. He has slept for millennia, but now he has awoken in a world ruled by human hands, where science has overshadowed even the glory of old magic. Follow Tesser as he seeks to understand why he slept for so long, and where all the magic has gone. Visit adragonamongus.com to learn more.

  Read more by author Chris Philbrook in The Kinless Trilogy. Explore Elmoryn, a world of dark fantasy where death is not the end. The story begins in Book One: The Wrath of the Orphans, available in print, Kindle, and online. Visit elmoryn.com to learn more about Elmoryn, view concept art, and much more.

  Can’t get enough of AUD?

  Visit the School Store at adriansundeaddiary.com for stickers, hats, and a wide variety of awesome shirts!