Post by wynnyelle on May 3, 2008 16:13:44 GMT -5
"Here he comes," said grand-gretta Hekari. The eldest female grulik of their flock looked out over the hills and mountains, over tops of the rathara trees. Her big snub nose sniffed the air. It was Boqner all right.
Truena looked in the direction her grandmother was looking. It seemed that Boqner was coming alone to their flock. "Oh, no."
"Caliban can look after himself, and defend himself from the likes of Boqner--from the likes of anyone, in fact," said Hekari. "I wouldn't worry. If I were you, I'd be glad he's coming. Boqner might be able to get that Uugbecka-cursed thing off your neck. Next to Caliban, there isn't a gror who can match up to Boqner. At least not in any land I've ever seen." Hekari looked at the young and heavily pregnant Truena, young and beautiful, at least, beautiful by the standards of their kind. They were snub-nosed grulik, often thought of as ugly-faced by the standards of other grulik. But Hekari knew they were the true heirs of the First Ones.
"Not if he sneaks up on him or does something dastardly like that," said Truena. It was the strictest taboo to kill another grulik and it was never done--but Caliban had declared himself outside the protection of their taboos long ago by his embrace of Uugbecka.
"Perhaps it would be all for the better, Tru...after all the misfortune that's befallen you due to him." Hekari nodded to the strange circlet that had locked itself around her neck many years ago. It clashed with the grulik-made necklaces and charms the young gretta wore...it was obviously not of their make. Or of the make of anything they had ever known to exist in this world.
"Truena," said Boqner as he approached, his hair rippling in the breeze. "You are as beautiful with grii as without...maybe even more beautiful."
"You said you'd never come back here," said Truena. "What--what made you change your mind?"
Boqner swallowed. "I had to see you again." His eyes went to the circlet round her neck. It looked like a solid thing. "What is that you're wearing?"
"Boqner," said Hekari, "there will be no violence here."
"Violence? What's that got to do with anything? And why do you think I would grow violent about a necklace--or anything? I'm a proper Thar-gror, you know." Boqner was a little offended.
"Because this thing won't come off--and ....it's the arms of justice." Truena looked at him with tears starting in her black glistening eyes.
"The what?" Boqner's subsonic voice grew sharp. Now he knew something was very wrong.
"The arms of justice," said Truena. "Just don't hurt Caliban, it's not his fault! It's not his fault they got latched around my neck!"
Boqner's body began to tense with deep rage. He was a ful third taller than a gretta, and a little more than that because he was a very large gror. Tensing, his lights beginning to spark and hum, he was a fearsome sight. "What happened."
"It--it's a long story...I can't tell you if it means you'll try to hurt him," said Truena. "We found She who Knows all that time ago...but she wasn't what we thought she'd be. She wasn't what we were told she'd be. Caliban--he got into a battle with her, a battle of spirits-power...and got her locked into a stone vessel, and then--we didn't know it, but there was another demon with us--he released her....and brought her the Arms of Justice. She wrapped them about my neck as Caliban destroyed her. Then the other demon--well, he'd found his way into a secumbrah body, and somehow took control of the Arms. He--commands them to tighten around my neck if Caliban disobeys him. Of what happened to She Who Knows...Caliban just said she isn't dead...I mean isn't gone. He doesn't know how to destroy her."
Boqner took the whole story in with as much calm as he could muster. "My warnings, all our warnings were not enough...Caliban leads you into trouble and horror. Slavery to secumbrah is not the worst horror he will know before he dies. I will see to that."
"Please--please..." Truena was buzzing her lights, causing fingers of electricity to reach flicking fingers out into the sky around her head. "Don't hurt him..."
"First," said Boqner, stepping towards her, "I will get this reeking thing off you."
Truena stood still, as Boqner closed his hands around the Arms of Justice on either side of her neck, and pulled. The great grulik-giant flexed enourmous muscles as he struggled with it to his utmost strength. He let out a subsonic roar, "Graaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Then, the Arms of Justice cracked into two pieces.
Truena looked in the direction her grandmother was looking. It seemed that Boqner was coming alone to their flock. "Oh, no."
"Caliban can look after himself, and defend himself from the likes of Boqner--from the likes of anyone, in fact," said Hekari. "I wouldn't worry. If I were you, I'd be glad he's coming. Boqner might be able to get that Uugbecka-cursed thing off your neck. Next to Caliban, there isn't a gror who can match up to Boqner. At least not in any land I've ever seen." Hekari looked at the young and heavily pregnant Truena, young and beautiful, at least, beautiful by the standards of their kind. They were snub-nosed grulik, often thought of as ugly-faced by the standards of other grulik. But Hekari knew they were the true heirs of the First Ones.
"Not if he sneaks up on him or does something dastardly like that," said Truena. It was the strictest taboo to kill another grulik and it was never done--but Caliban had declared himself outside the protection of their taboos long ago by his embrace of Uugbecka.
"Perhaps it would be all for the better, Tru...after all the misfortune that's befallen you due to him." Hekari nodded to the strange circlet that had locked itself around her neck many years ago. It clashed with the grulik-made necklaces and charms the young gretta wore...it was obviously not of their make. Or of the make of anything they had ever known to exist in this world.
"Truena," said Boqner as he approached, his hair rippling in the breeze. "You are as beautiful with grii as without...maybe even more beautiful."
"You said you'd never come back here," said Truena. "What--what made you change your mind?"
Boqner swallowed. "I had to see you again." His eyes went to the circlet round her neck. It looked like a solid thing. "What is that you're wearing?"
"Boqner," said Hekari, "there will be no violence here."
"Violence? What's that got to do with anything? And why do you think I would grow violent about a necklace--or anything? I'm a proper Thar-gror, you know." Boqner was a little offended.
"Because this thing won't come off--and ....it's the arms of justice." Truena looked at him with tears starting in her black glistening eyes.
"The what?" Boqner's subsonic voice grew sharp. Now he knew something was very wrong.
"The arms of justice," said Truena. "Just don't hurt Caliban, it's not his fault! It's not his fault they got latched around my neck!"
Boqner's body began to tense with deep rage. He was a ful third taller than a gretta, and a little more than that because he was a very large gror. Tensing, his lights beginning to spark and hum, he was a fearsome sight. "What happened."
"It--it's a long story...I can't tell you if it means you'll try to hurt him," said Truena. "We found She who Knows all that time ago...but she wasn't what we thought she'd be. She wasn't what we were told she'd be. Caliban--he got into a battle with her, a battle of spirits-power...and got her locked into a stone vessel, and then--we didn't know it, but there was another demon with us--he released her....and brought her the Arms of Justice. She wrapped them about my neck as Caliban destroyed her. Then the other demon--well, he'd found his way into a secumbrah body, and somehow took control of the Arms. He--commands them to tighten around my neck if Caliban disobeys him. Of what happened to She Who Knows...Caliban just said she isn't dead...I mean isn't gone. He doesn't know how to destroy her."
Boqner took the whole story in with as much calm as he could muster. "My warnings, all our warnings were not enough...Caliban leads you into trouble and horror. Slavery to secumbrah is not the worst horror he will know before he dies. I will see to that."
"Please--please..." Truena was buzzing her lights, causing fingers of electricity to reach flicking fingers out into the sky around her head. "Don't hurt him..."
"First," said Boqner, stepping towards her, "I will get this reeking thing off you."
Truena stood still, as Boqner closed his hands around the Arms of Justice on either side of her neck, and pulled. The great grulik-giant flexed enourmous muscles as he struggled with it to his utmost strength. He let out a subsonic roar, "Graaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Then, the Arms of Justice cracked into two pieces.