Stone Effigy
The death mask of the Urian king was life like except the colour of the skin and the vacant staring eyes, no iris or pupil. The King’s daughter, Uma, stood staring in horror as it was placed over an empty tomb.
She knew it was empty because she was not scared of the Elementals’ wrath; this was so due to them owing her their continued existence. The King had been bloodthirsty, vicious; and had hunted them down to the last. That dozen had cowered before him, and she had begged for them. Had allowed her father privileges he should never have asked for. And so she had saved them albeit in bondage, a link to him alone.
This was Uma’s chance. She knew many things she should not have; it was a two way bond. So when the mysterious assassin had placed the stiletto blade in his heart, only his flesh had died. She had thrown the blade into the moat in the contents of a chamber pot and screamed for the guards.
His loving, loyal daughter was never under suspicion though her suitors where all taken under house arrest; she still had them to deal with. Her father had been sacrificing them one by one to make his pet grow. Uma wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do with a juvenile Eater of Worlds, but that was, again, a problem for another day.
Her father’s body had been laid out in state and the whole country plus some neighbouring nobles had come to see. But she seemed to be the only to notice he wasn’t embalmed, that he wasn’t decaying or shriveling, that his skin was growing grayer and colder by the day.
The Elementals had then taken the body for the burial rites and she had spied upon them. For most this would have meant death but they ignored her presence. Each touching the body, and then the coffin had appeared out of their rooms and was lain in the stone tomb. All that had been left was the stone effigy to be carve;, Uma had declined the offers of head stone masons from near and far, telling each it was in hand.
She’d had the feeling one would turn up, though where the knowledge had come from she did not want to know. And there it was, perfect with each strand of hair in his immaculate curls just as he had always worn them. She knew behind those serene lips there was a silent scream. A water Elemental smiled at her, ‘The rock is still soft enough to scratch easily, lets hope the vandels do not discover this.’ And they were gone, leaving a stone chisel behind them.
Uma picked it up and checking she was alone chipped the end of her fathers nose off. She then hid the chisel in a little nook, smiling. She made a bet with the Fire Elemental who’d remained on how much and how fast the graffiti would appear.
Posted: Monday, November 12th, 2012 @ 11:29 pm
Categories: Flash Fiction.
Subscribe to the comments feed if you like.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.