Lord Gangus Abram was a hundred and four. Moreover, he bore the blessings of the gods. Although his hair was white like sheep's wool, his back was as straight as any man's half his age, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. Referred to as Gangus the Conqueror, he wore the scars of many battles, particularly the war against the Nordoxz--historically recorded as The Clash at Dark Mountains.

 

great-grandfather, Baron Volario Brough Abram.

It was truly a paradise, and the land yielded abundantly. There were fruit trees and vast gardens as far as the eye could see. The lakes overflowed with every kind of edible creature. Our well water was sweet as if kissed by honey bees, and the weather was always favorable. Now, I know this will be hard for you to believe, but the land's bounty was so rich it allowed no sickness among us. We harbored no bitterness towards our brethren and always dealt fairly with one another."

"Then, why would you leave such a splendid land, Lord Abram?" a small boy asked as he sat cross-legged in the inner circle with the other children.

"Well, little one," Gangus said with a smile, "I was awakened one night by a mysterious voice. It was like no other voice I had ever heard. It spoke boastfully, yet, in a whisper. It came from everywhere, yet nowhere could I pinpoint it. It reeked of such authority I had to obey. 'Rise quickly,' the voice said, 'and seek a man called Naman who lives at the north end of the forest. There, you will find a single cottage. So, I rose and dressed, grabbed my cloak...a lantern, and off I went."

"Were you frightened?" his great-granddaughter asked.

"I was as frightened as a worm in a bird cage," he said with a chuckle. The children giggled and squirmed.

Then, solemnly, he said, "I remember my beloved, Brehira, your great-grandmother, was so angry after I returned. She had been worried, you see.  She did not know where I had gone at such an hour. But when I told her what the gods had asked of me, though it saddened her to leave all she loved, she helped and supported me right up until she died...saving my life." He sighed. "After all these years, I still feel the warmth of her smile."

Interrupting, the head nurse stood. "I do apologize, My Lord, but it is time for the little ones to be in bed."

"No! No!" the children protested sporadically.

"Now, now, children," Gangus told them, "I promise to finish the story at the Bull Feast in three moons," he said, patting a small boy on the head as he scooted by.

The children, sad-faced, were led single-file out of camp and into their houses, where their nurses prepared them for bed.

Later that night, Gangus kneeled beside his bed and offered a prayer. He petitioned for the well-being of his eldest son, Khimah, who had stayed behind in Volari, and gave thanks for Dinary, heir to the Abramites Empire.

Glinas, Dinary's youngest son, had two wives who bore him twelve sons. Each son, instructed by the gods, erected a city using indigenous servants and lived with their families, making the sons the first Lords of each new empire.

Gangus finished his prayer, climbed into bed, and pulled the covers up to his chin like a little boy. He felt the empty pillow beside him--the place where his beloved once slept. He never remarried, though he could have many times. But who could replace such a treasure as Brehira? he thought. Gangus settled beneath the covers. He grabbed the pillow the servants were told to sprinkle with Brehira's favorite oils lightly. Gangus pressed it to his chest and fell asleep.

*****
Early the following morning, Gangus was startled awake by screams and shouts. He hopped out of bed, ran bare-footed across the room, and stared wide-eyed out the window. "Great stars!" he said loudly.

There was chaos among his people. Hundreds of Bohaus left behind by the defeated Nordoxz had no masters, and so they had become an ongoing menace--wandering and pillaging. The six-legged beasts had again entered Abramites' territory and were attacking and eating their livestock. Stalking and killing them seemed useless since no one could find their breeding ground.

Lord Abram hurriedly dressed--grabbed his sword, and entered the chaos. He found soldiers who weren't fighting, rounding up the frightened cattle and leading them to barns where another group of soldiers stood guard.

Gangus noticed his soldier's bloody swords and the fifty to sixty Bohaus lying dead. Still more crowded into the area where soldiers stood with weapons ready. The beasts attacked, and swords swished in every direction. Heads, huge legs, and other body parts of the beasts flew up into the air. Still, the Bohaus kept coming.

Then, something Gangus had never witnessed. The creatures showed some intelligence. They appeared to communicate with one much bigger than them;  immediately, a few bolted out of view.  Everyone looked bewildered at each other and gazed at their surroundings. Suddenly, Bohaus appeared on top of the roofs of houses and barns.

"Holy gods," Gangus said. "These beasts are preparing to dive on us."

"Don't worry, Grandfather," Glinas said, "I have a plan." He turned to a group of soldiers. "Get into formation...there," he yelled, pointing. The soldiers scrambled and stood beneath the roofs, looking up at the creatures. "Don't lift your weapons until I give the order!" Glinas shouted.

On the ground, the Bohaus moved in from the front, sides, and rear while those on the roofs lowered their heads and bore their fangs. A hundred soldiers faced the creatures from the front. Another fifty or so faced them at the rear, and nearly sixty stood looking up at the beasts on the roofs.

Life grew still as if the gods themselves had braced for the outcome. No one moved. The creatures stood like statues as if waiting for a signal. Then, the alpha beast reared and stood on its three back legs. It made what sounded like a battle roar, and the beasts leaped from every rooftop.

"NOW!" Glinas shouted. Sixty to seventy spears shot upward as the beasts fell on top of them. Some that were impaled still managed to tear off the faces and heads of their captors. Other creatures missed the spears and squashed the soldiers so deeply into the soil that the place where they lay became their shallow graves. Screams from soldiers rose in the air as the Bohaus' acidic saliva dissolved them alive. Only skeletons with swords gripped tightly in their bony hands remained.

The Bohaus continued moving in from the front, sides, and rear. The gallant soldier's blades were tearing into the beasts from all angles--their blades flashing so fast, they looked like the sparkles of stars in a day sky. Blood covered Gangus from head to foot as he drove his sword again and again--gutting, beheading, and downing one beast after another at his feet.

There were shouts and death cries, growls and howling from Bohaus that were injured. There was crying from the children who were hidden and protected. But nothing could protect them from the sounds they heard coming from the outside, where their loved ones were all engaged in a battle for their lives.

Straightaway and without warning, the great alpha Bohaus roared, but it sounded different--a higher pitch than before. The beasts froze, then turned and retreated. With many badly wounded, the creatures fled into a nearby thick wooded area.

The soldiers cheered loudly as the Bohaus disappeared into the forest's darkness.

"They'll be back; god help us," Gangus said.

"And we'll be ready for them, father," Dinary said.

Gangus hurried into the building where the elderly and women with their children were hiding. After seeing they weren't harmed, he again had to contend with the bittersweet of their victory. For the dead soldiers had to be prepared for the formal send-off to the gods.

Three moons had passed, and it was the annual Bull Feast. After the festivities, the children were all perked and ready for more of Gangus's story. They gathered in an inner circle--their little ears waiting and their bright eyes fixed on Lord Abram's lips.

"Let me see," Gangus pondered, pulling on his snowy white beard and pretending his head was fuzzy. The old trickster, he never forgot a thing. He had many stories in that old head and could recite them all as accurately as the day they had occurred. "Oh, yes," he said, sticking his index finger in the air, "with map in hand, I left the blind Oracle Naman and returned home to my very beautiful but angry wife....."


End of part 1


Image: by Dantegrafice from Pixabay



Main Characters
Lord Gangus Abram Leader of his tribe
Lady Brehira (Bree here rah) His wife
Dinary (Deh nah ry) Youngest Son
Celio (Seal le o) Soldier and close friend
Princess Netrekka (Neh trek kah) Dinary's Lover/wife
Olatunji (O Lah Tune Gee) Cushite Soldier
Ndornah (N Door nah) Female Amazon Warrior of Domaria--a kingdom ruled by women
Melitah (Meh lee tah) Warrior/Ndornah's younger sister
Gangus's Staff Command Tierphenjinochun (Teer fen gin o tion)

Minor Characters
Khimah (Kee ma) Eldest Son
Captain Dulcy P Dordrecht (Door check) Captain of the Cristofur
Judian (Jew-dee-in) Second in Command of the Cristofur
Kofius (Ko fee us) The Sail Master
The Drake (like it's spelled) The menacing dragon
The Gunji (Gun-gee) A magical humanoid
Barthod (Bar-thod) A Shaman
Vaganor (Veh-gah-noor) Emperor of Nordoxz...enemy to Bethica and Raziel

The gods
Raziel (Ray-zeal) God of gods
Dahlia (Doll-lee'ah) Goddess of Domaria--a kingdom ruled by women
Gailzur (Gale-zore) God of War
Nelchael (Nell-key-ol) God of the Underworld
Zakzakiel (Zak zah keel) God of Peace


The Races
Volarians (Vo lar rians) (Humans) 'Gangus's tribe'
Timbakni (Tim-bach-knee) (Humanoid) K9 race, Devoted to Gangus and his tribe'
Engamars (In ga mars) (Humanoids) aka, Red Beards 'Hate Aenwyns and Qu'Venars'
Aenwyns (An winds) (Humanoids) 'Adore Qu'Venars, hate Engamars'
Qu'Venars (Q' Vin nahs) (Humanoids) 'Adore Aenwyns can't tolerate the stubborn Engamars'
Nordoxz (Nor-docks) (Humanoid) 'Skin multi-colored like a serpent, Enemy to all, including the gods, except one'
Faerie (Far ree) (Another world) Origin of the Aenwyns'
Domarians (Doe mah rians) ( Amazon/Humans) A kingdom ruled by women'
Nekani (Neh cah knee) (Humanoids) Felion Race'

Abramites ( A brah mights) (Originally Volarians) (Humans) Gangus's Kingdom'