The Long Goodbye, Chapter Eight
22 Jan 2018Kyndi the Badass Space Chick
Deep within the mountain was a massive natural cavern, lit with crude industrial lighting in some
areas and great gas-fed braziers in others. The thousands of clansfolk who lived and worked in the
sanctuary were assembled as one great human mass, standing shoulder to shoulder. In the cavern’s center
a great crop of rock rose, atop which was Albrecht Kane, flanked by bald-headed serpent priests and a
nervous-looking Ingrit.
Matt and Kyndi stood amid the throng, both wondering what was in store. There was an energy to
the place, an air of expectation that remained unspoken by the men and women surrounding them. Finally
Albrecht held up his hands, signalling for silence.
For a long time, the man was said nothing, allowing the tension to rise. Then he spoke, in a
booming, authoritative voice. Whatever the man’s innate charisma didn’t do, the excellent natural
accounstics of the cavern did.
“Brothers and sisters of the Serpent! Hear me!”
The remnants of all conversation ceased, every ear straining to hear the words of their Elder.
Again, the man stood still, his hands raised and looking around the throng with a long, pregnant pause.
“It is a time of great peril. We are locked in war against a rival like no other. This very Pegasi is
in danger of being lost forever, not to the wiles of some clan, but to outsiders who would see this place
turned into another stale swathe of the Bubble!”
There was widespread hissing and booing, the crowd signalling its displeasure at the thought.
Albrecht waited for the response to pass before he continued.
“And that is what the Skulls are. They pretend to be a uniter, a greater power that marshals the old
clans toward common purpose. They are anything but! See their fine uniforms and sleek ships. See their
allegiance to greed and not to gods and kin. They are led by outsiders and whores, fools who see the old
ways and seek to corrupt them. This corruption had even spread to our own ranks!”
Again there was a round of hissing. Wolfgang’s Teilhard’s betrayal was by now known to all, as
was his fate.
“But we are strong. We are strong, and the Great Serpent is with us. The Skull leadership is
paralysed- their old man lays in his deathbed, and their hopes lay in the heiress of a fallen pirate clan. All
is in our favor, for it was one of our very own who slew the scourge that was her father, and has already
bested her in combat!”
There was a mighty stamping of feet, the deep pounding booming in the chamber. It was no secret
that the one he referred to was convalescing deep within the very sanctuary that they occupied. Nearly
every man or woman present had taken the time for a few minute’s silent vigil, beholding the tortured
woman with their own eyes as she endured the agony of the Shedding. Soon she would be healed, and
leading their ships and warriors to victory as she had before.
“But the foe is relentless. For every hero that falls, ten Skulls lay in death around them- but it is
not enough! An endless line of fools and weaklings flock to their banner, and the Great Serpent’s favor
touches but a few.”
The chamber quieted. The truth of the Omegas’ numbers compared to their own was sobering and
known to all. But the Elder wasn’t finished.
“Yet the sacred texts do not deceive. The Great Serpent ever sheds the skin of the past, and even
now it reaches into the void. Its will is unclear, but our destiny is not! The Skulls may come at us with all
their might, they may throw men and ships and lives into our dens and drown us in a river of their own
blood- but they will not prevail! They will not stamp out the old ways!”
A murmur went through the crowd. The purpose of the great fleet parked in the rocky wastes
beside the mountain range was the stuff of speculation and rumor, and at last they felt its presence would
be addressed.
“The Inner Circle of Elders has taken steps to ensure the survival of our people. The ships and
crews beyond our sanctuary walls are no mere guests, but the preservers of our very way of life! They are
loaded with all that is necessary to begin anew- far from the Bubble, far from the concerns of the Empire
and Federation and Alliance. They carry with them our future, and the very best of us go with them!”
At saying his last sentence, Albrecht took Ingrit’s hand and raised it, a deafening cheer of
approval echoing throughout the chamber. Matt and Kyndi looked at each other, uncertainty in their eyes.
The energy in the cavern was building, a palpable anticipation of something… but neither could quite
place it.
“The weeks ahead will determine the fate of those left behind. But we are strong! We are the
chosen of the Great Serpent! And we will drink in its essence and feast upon its flesh!”
The Elder signalled, and another great cheer boomed throughout the cavern. A great line of
children and adolescents entered, each carrying a great clay vessel. The aroma of cooked meat graced
Kyndi’s nostrils, piquing her curiosity.
A barbecue? This how these people pump themselves up?
The Elder’s speech was concluded, and the deep beating of massive drums could be heard. The
crowd around them started to dance and sway, the rhythm of the drums taking control. Youth with great
plates of sizzling meat dispersed into the throng, men and women picking their choices of roasted snake
flesh from the platters as they passed by. The same was done with the older youth, boys and girls wearing
heavy packs filled to the brim with ceramic bottles. Their burdens were relieved even more swiftly as they
moved amid the crowd.
Ranja plucked a trio of bottles from a passing young man, handing them to Matt and Kyndi and
keeping one for herself.
“Venomwine,” she explained. “To feel the Great Serpent’s favor in your veins.”
A skeptical look crossed Kyndi’s eyes. “The greatest warriors in all of Pegasi are a bunch of
cave-dwelling winos?”
For the rest of the chapter, click here!