Zar Rhell did not hear the screams of his latest wife and newborn daughter as
they were tossed from the bleak cliffs of GodSword. “Clean up the birthing
chamber,” he said, “and find me another bride.”
He stared into the night as his guards retreated to the castle. It was not the
women who failed to produce a male heir; it was he. Yet it would not do among
the Children of GodSword to have a Zar who could not sire a male. Thus his
fourteen brides and their infants paid for his deficiencies. Such was life on
GodSword.
His cousin Bayl cleared his throat and the Zar nodded.
When awaiting this birth, he and Bayl agreed that if the babe was a girl then
Bayl would secretly mount the next bride. As the father of eight boys, his
cousin was the best hope of producing a royal male Rhell could claim as his
own.
Bayl is a good man, Rhell thought, for he must know that if our plan is
successful, then I will kill him along with the woman. There could be none
alive who might betray his secret.
As Bayl withdrew, Rhell contemplated the uncountable stars alone. There were
the familiar constellations: the rearing stallion Coron, the dramatic sweep of
Horsetail, the curved horse shoe that formed Xertet’s Hoof, and a dozen others.
Where among those stars did the gods ride? Did they care that their chosen
people -- their Children -- faced slow extinction? Or did they struggle with
matters too large for his brain to comprehend, and leave their creations to fend
for themselves? Where was the fiery anvil on which GodSword was forged?
Had it truly been a gift, or merely dropped by some unlucky warrior in a
cosmic battle? Perhaps such artifacts littered the universe and there was
nothing special about GodSword or the Children who lived upon it, and they
had built their empire on a falsehood. Maybe that was why the empire
stagnated. Maybe its future was godless and trite, the unspectacular death of an
aged reprobate...
they were tossed from the bleak cliffs of GodSword. “Clean up the birthing
chamber,” he said, “and find me another bride.”
He stared into the night as his guards retreated to the castle. It was not the
women who failed to produce a male heir; it was he. Yet it would not do among
the Children of GodSword to have a Zar who could not sire a male. Thus his
fourteen brides and their infants paid for his deficiencies. Such was life on
GodSword.
His cousin Bayl cleared his throat and the Zar nodded.
When awaiting this birth, he and Bayl agreed that if the babe was a girl then
Bayl would secretly mount the next bride. As the father of eight boys, his
cousin was the best hope of producing a royal male Rhell could claim as his
own.
Bayl is a good man, Rhell thought, for he must know that if our plan is
successful, then I will kill him along with the woman. There could be none
alive who might betray his secret.
As Bayl withdrew, Rhell contemplated the uncountable stars alone. There were
the familiar constellations: the rearing stallion Coron, the dramatic sweep of
Horsetail, the curved horse shoe that formed Xertet’s Hoof, and a dozen others.
Where among those stars did the gods ride? Did they care that their chosen
people -- their Children -- faced slow extinction? Or did they struggle with
matters too large for his brain to comprehend, and leave their creations to fend
for themselves? Where was the fiery anvil on which GodSword was forged?
Had it truly been a gift, or merely dropped by some unlucky warrior in a
cosmic battle? Perhaps such artifacts littered the universe and there was
nothing special about GodSword or the Children who lived upon it, and they
had built their empire on a falsehood. Maybe that was why the empire
stagnated. Maybe its future was godless and trite, the unspectacular death of an
aged reprobate...
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| The City on the Sword By SC Bryce |
Publication History |
Readers' Comments |
"This one caught my attention. It was one of those that kept me wondering how it was going to turn out (and kept me reading when I should've left for work already)." "I love the very original concept..." "Wonderful..." "A fun story..." "I liked the story a lot, particularly the skillful way you integrate the background and central narrative; the writing is fluid with some wonderful leaps of the imagination -- the image of the massive sword brought to earth is especially well realized so that, in a sense, the story's most audacious aspect is 'hidden in plain sight.'" "Wonderfully realized..." "Well drawn and believable..." "Good, imaginative worldbuilding..." |
First Printing:
Infinity of Swords, (forthcoming).
Infinity of Swords, (forthcoming).
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