The Bones of the Earth- The Complete Collection

by Scott Hale

  The blood of before had supped from Its veins. Those It’d chosen and bestowed Its crimson gift upon had drunk in Its communion. The Vermillion God was a God in and of Itself; every mouth and whisper could be accounted for, and every vein counted. A mouth and whisper were gone, sent out into the world, and some of the Worms of Its belly had not yet returned. The Harbinger had heralded Its arrival. The Worms had made right the soil. And the descendants of the Chosen had supped from Its blood.

  It was they who spoke to the Vermillion God, the crimson-colored, and they did so with God’s blood in their hearts and in their mouths. The request was simple, and it was always the same. “God, help us!” they cried in a unified chorus, their suffering giving to the Vermillion God the greatest of exultations. It searched their beliefs for weakness, but devotion displayed little desperation. The want was real. The need was palpable. The Vermillion God swirled the faith inside Its maw and found its flavor favorable.

  Curious, the Vermillion God emitted a small pulse of Its power. It traveled through the endless expanse of heaven and the ruined worlds collected inside. To the Nameless Forest the signal went. The discharge thereafter was weak, still dampened by the incomprehensible chaos Time’s tapeworm had disgorged upon that gateway. It was open, but the conditions were unclear. Clarity was key. Tradition a necessity.

  The Harbinger had been successful, and the belief that this mouth and whisper had propagated was stronger than the Vermillion God had known in eons. It was nearly unanimous. Not even the White Worm’s defiance could tarnish the taste of this new congregation.

  The Vermillion God, hardly conscious, formed a word and gave it to the shadows to carry. The dead were drawn to the Speaker, for the dead were convinced it would be the Speaker who would save them from their Hell. They were Its subjects. They were bound to Its will. The Vermillion God could tell that the shadows, those heretics of old, had been busy while It slept. Many were missing, and there was much joy amongst their endless ranks. They had found the Speaker, and they delivered Its message to the Speaker, but the Speaker did not respond. Audra, her name was Audra, and when the shadows filled her mind with Its message, she screamed.

  The Harbinger had been successful. The want was great. The devotion would be complete. But the Speaker had yet to be brought into the fold. Clarity was key, and it was clear the necessity of tradition had not been followed.

  The Vermillion God began to slip into a slumber…

  …and then, much to Its own surprise, It opened one of Its many eyes and answered Its Disciples’ call.

  The Vermillion God awoke. All of Its eyes snapped open. The halo of smoke that crowned Its head began to spin. It stretched Its gargantuan arms and splayed Its fingers—all sixteen of them, fused and unfused. It cleared Its throat of the carnage still lodged within by vomiting half of the Old World onto Its throne of uncountable bones. Then It stretched Its wings—those dusty, reptilian continents of membranous flesh—and spread wide their span.

  The Vermillion God placed Its hands upon Its knees and straightened Its back. The thousands of vermillion veins attached went taught, but none broke, for the belief that fueled them had hardened their casings. Satisfied with their strength, It stood tall in the Red Heaven, and the sounds of Its bones cracking and popping shattered the cities It had collected below.

  The shadows swarmed the Vermillion God, to give witness to Its waking, to feed Its ego their woe. They formed mountains with their forms, as if they meant to reach out and prevent It from surfacing. But It had made Its decision. To the world It would give one last time their deity.

  The Vermillion God flexed Its muscles and fell into the veins that webbed Its back. It searched inside Itself for permission, and Itself, It gave Itself permission.

  With belief and purpose, the Vermillion God wrapped all of Its arms around Itself and exerted Its will. Across the continent, the vermillion veins tightened their hold on the land, while others fought to control the catastrophe that threatened to kill it.

  The Vermillion God propelled itself backwards, through the Red Heaven. It tore through the ground, millions of miles at a time, through space unfathomable and laws incalculable, until It burst through the sands of the Ossuary and was lifted high into the sunless sky. The frontier had shifted, It saw, for the way to Heaven had not been upon this plane before. The change was unexpected, not in accordance with tradition, but the sands of the Ossuary were inviting—the bones that comprised its sands a testament to its allure—and many more bones would be required if this orb were to hold Its attention.

  Reeled backward by the thousands of miles of thick and long vermillion veins, God adjusted Its shape and size to accommodate this laughably small world. With Its spiderous eyes, it spied the object of Its flock’s worry and snorted. Fire on the horizon. A volcano smothering the land in ash. These creatures could not be expected to survive alone. They were too weak, and they were too stupid. Their need for God was the same as their need for air.

  The vermillion veins pulled God over hundreds of miles, through the southern reaches, towards Kistvaen. Approach slowing, the vermillion veins had shifted and spun themselves around the surrounding area of the volcano, forming a funnel, forming a throne.

  It knew It could be seen by Its Disciples below, for belief had bolstered to intoxicating levels. The Vermillion God, ever-proud, unraveled the tentacles from Its body and gave to Its dutiful audience a show of their size and reach. Those before, in the world of Old, had forgotten Its power and challenged God to display It. This world of New would know Its power, and the Trauma It would inflict upon them, should they forget it, would resonate through the stars for eons to come.

  The veins tightened to their snapping point. It passed over the lava-covered ruins of Caldera. With Kistvaen completely encased in a throbbing prison of blood, the Vermillion God took Its seat upon Its throne and stifled the flames and ash that would have undoubtedly annihilated this mewling congregation.

  The Vermillion God dug Its feet into the cooling lava where Caldera had been and placed Its hands upon Its legs. There It sat—the dead at Its feet, the living on their knees—towering high above the land. God outstretched Its many arms and numerous tentacles, made dark the world with the shadows they cast, and to Itself began to think wickedly.

  TO BE CONCLUDED

  YOU HAVE BEEN READING

  “THE CULTS OF THE WORM.”

  GLOSSARY

  The Abyss: Where all who die are said to go.

  Amon Ashcroft: The former Archivist of Eldrus.

  Arachne: Half-human, half-spider creatures from Atlach.

  Alexander Blodworth: Understudy of Samuel Turov, an exemplar of Penance. He was given the task of going to Geharra to create a smokescreen for the disappearance of the Holy Child. Instead, he planted the Crossbreed in the city-state’s sewer system and used it to control the entire populace. Along with the people of Alluvia, a neighboring Night Terror village to the city, Geharra’s population was sacrificed by Alexander to birth the Red Worm.

  Alluvia: The nearest Night Terror village to Geharra. It is the home of R’lyeh.

  The Anointed One: Harbinger for the Disciples of the Deep.

  Angheuawl: A small mining town in Kistvaen’s range. The hometown of Hex and Ichor.

  Ashen Man: His real name is Seth Barker. Partner of Herbert North. He was a supernatural investigator from the twentieth century who was investigating deaths and disappearances in the town Nachtla. There, he discovered the Witch, and fell in love with her. She took him into the Void and transformed him into one of her grotesque servants.

  Audra: King Edgar’s sister. The only other surviving member of the royal family. She is a gifted botanist and has the ability to communicate with and manipulate the shadows of the Deep. She was allowed to escape from her confines in Pyra after being sent there by Alexander Blodworth as a prisoner.

  The Binding Road: A road, much like the Spine, that cuts through the Nameless Forest. It is one of the few places untouched by the For
est’s chaos.

  Black Hour: A temporal aberration that occurs at midnight and lasts for one hour. During this period of time, anything that has happened, will happen, or may never happen is possible.

  Bloodless: A mythological plant, like the Crossbreed, that is said to be capable of draining an entire town’s worth of blood in one night.

  Blue Worm: A Worm of the Earth that was awoken on Lacuna by the Night Terrors to learn ancient knowledge. The Blue Worm taught the Night Terrors about magic, as well as how to procreate more effectively.

  Cadence: The small southern village where Vrana leaves the little boy who she later learns was the Holy Child. Upon learning the Holy Child is there, Penance rides into the town, kills everyone, and returns the Holy Child to Penance.

  Caldera: Vrana’s home, and the southern-most Night Terror village. The village is built at the base of Kistvaen, a massive mountain.

  Corrupted: A derogatory term used by the Night Terrors to identify humans. Humans are called this due to the crimson pigmentation in the skin of their right arms. The Night Terrors believe this defect is evidence of humanity’s pre-disposition to violence; they use this as justification to murder the humans.

  Corruption: A genetic marker created by the Vermillion God to identify Its followers.

  Crossbreed: A massive plant created from ingredients that are not supposed to work together. It secretes fluids that cause those who ingest them to become extremely susceptible to suggestion.

  Dead City: An Old World city of skyscrapers and modern technology that is unreachable due to the poisonous fumes that cover the peninsula it sits upon.

  Deimos: A Night Terror who wears a bat skull. He was a watcher of Geharra. His husband, Johannes, was killed by Corrupted. He hunted down Johannes’ killers, but in doing so neglected his duties of keeping watch over Geharra. This allowed Penance to enter the city and take over its people. He was last seen escaping Pyra with Lucan and Audra.

  Derleth: A Night Terror who wears an eel skull. R’lyeh had a crush on him. He is responsible for tricking R’lyeh into planting the Crossbreed’s roots in Alluvia’s water supply, thus giving Alexander Blodworth the ability to easily take over the village on his way to Penance.

  The Disciples of the Deep: Eldrus’ new religion.

  The Divide: The massive river that cuts through the content, separating the snowy lands of Penance from the Heartland.

  The Dread Clock: Rumored to be the origin of the Black Hour; a grandfather clock once located deep in the Nameless Forest. Now, the heart of the Black Hour resides in the Skeleton’s chest.

  Edgar: The youngest of the royal family of Eldrus. He became King of Eldrus by murdering his family and overtaking the Nameless Forest.

  Eldrus: The northern city-state that sits above the Heartland. It is governed by a monarchy that is led by King Edgar.

  Exemplars: Six individuals who are meant to be the embodiment of a certain skill or trait. They are meant to be examples for the people of Penance to follow.

  Flesh fiends: Subterranean creatures with a conflicted mythology. They wear the flesh and body parts of their victims. When a Corrupted and a Night Terror mate, there is a chance a flesh fiend will be born. They were last spotted in the sacrificial pit of Geharra, as well as near the island of Lacuna.

  Geharra: The western-most city-state. The Night Terrors favor this city due to its lack of interest in war and expansion. Now, due to Alexander Blodworth, the entire population is dead; they have become one with the Red Worm.

  The Heartland: The lifeblood of Eldrus; many towns and villages exist here, including Gallows, Bedlam, Nyxis, Hrothas, Islaos, and Cathedra.

  Herbert North: Seth Barker’s (the Ashen Man) partner in supernatural investigations. Freed from the Membrane with the Skeleton and his family and now a part of the Marrow Cabal.

  Holy Child: Believed to be the speaker for Penance’s god. Only the Mother Abbess is higher than him in importance in the Holy Order of Penance. Samuel Turov stole the Holy Child away into the South for unknown reasons, and kept him there until Vrana killed Samuel. His name is Felix, and his religion is a lie.

  Ichor: Hex’s brother whose whereabouts are unknown. He and Hex have a troubled relationship where in which they play game to inflict the maximum amount of pain upon one another.

  Johannes: A Night Terror who wears a fox skull. He was Deimos’ husband.

  Kistvaen: The massive mountain that sits behind Caldera. It may be a dormant or extinct volcano.

  Lacuna: An island off the eastern coast. It sits within the Widening Gyre, and it is hidden from prying eyes by spellweavers. The Blue Worm was awakened on this island, and used by Mara and other Night Terrors to learn its secrets, as well as to discover a way to repopulate the Night Terror people.

  Lucunans: Also know as children of Lacuna, these individuals were born and bred on Lacuna for the purpose of not only repopulating the Night Terrors, but to also act as sleeper agents in Corrupted cities due to their ability to pass for human.

  Lotus: The mayor of Threadbare.

  Lucan: A Night Terror who wears a beetle skull. He escaped Pyra with Deimos and Audra, albeit badly injured.

  The Maiden of Joy: Also known as Crestfallen, Joy, or Adelaide. She is the sister of Pain. She has been reunited with her sister in the Void.

  Mara: A Night Terror who wears a mask made out of centipedes. She was in control of Lacuna’s fertility project. She has had run-ins with the Witch in the past.

  The Marrow Cabal: A resistance group led by the Skeleton and Hex. Notable members include R’lyeh, Elizabeth, Miranda, Warren, James, and Herbert North. And, of course, Mr. Haemo.

  The Membrane: A plane that exists between life and death; an area that may connect to additional planes and horrible dwellings. The dead pass through here.

  Mother Abbess Justine: The ultimate authority of the Holy Order of Penance. Also known as the Hydra of Penance. She is the White Worm of the Earth.

  Nacthla: A small, abandoned town where it is believed a portal may exist into the Witch’s Void.

  The Nameless Forest: Like the Black Hour, anything is possible here; except the Nameless Forest is not bound by time, so the chaos it contains is constant. It is from here the vermillion veins are said to originate. Now the Dread Clock has been taken out of it, the creatues inside are free to escape.

  Night Terror: A race of humanoids whose entire culture and purpose is to understand and murder the Corrupted. They are believed to be supernatural creatures, though their origins are a mystery. The only actual observable difference between Night Terrors and Corrupted is that Night Terrors lack Corruption.

  Old World: The world before the Trauma.

  Ossuary: A massive desert located at the southern-most point of the continent. No one goes there, and nothing is said to thrive there.

  Penance: The eastern-most city-state. It is the home of the Holy Order of Penance.

  Pyra: The headquarters for the Holy Order of Penance.

  Red Worm: A Worm of the Earth that was summoned from the ten thousand dead that had been raped and murdered in the bowels of Geharra. It was killed by the Skeleton in Gallows.

  R’lyeh: A thirteen-year-old Night Terror who wears an octopus as a mask. One of the few survivors from the genocide of Geharra. Her hometown is Alluvia. She was Vrana’s companion. She is now a member of the Marrow Cabal.

  Samuel Turov: The Exemplar of Restraint. He stole the Holy Child as means by which to stage an attack on Geharra. He was killed by Vrana.

  Scavengers: A splinter group of the Lillians (who were an older incarnation of the Holy Order of Penance). They reside outside Geharra, where they worship a large, achromatic tower. They believe god lives inside the tower.

  Shadows: Remnants of the unbelievers that were killed and sentenced to eternal damnation by the Vermillion God. They reside in the Membrane, but are able to communicate with Audra.

  Silver Necklaces with (colored) gems: Objects which are essential in the rituals used to summon the
Worms of the Earth. When a Worm is summoned, it leaves behind a sealing stone, which is used to put the Worm back to sleep. When a Worm is put back to sleep, it leaves behind a silver necklace.

  Six Pillars: An older name of Penance.

  The Skeleton: A mysterious individual who Vrana sees twice in her journey. She meets him once in the Black Hour, and once again on the island of Lacuna. The Skeleton was instrumental in leading the failed rebellion against King Edgar.

  Spellweavers: Individuals who are capable of magic.

  The Spine: A massive highway system that once spanned the entire continent but has since fallen into disrepair.

  The Trauma: A catastrophic event of unknown origin that has led the world to the state it is in now.

  The Void: The home of the Witch.

  The Woman in White Satin: Another name for the Maiden of Joy. She is an ancient witch. She ruled over the Nameless Forest for many years. Her sons acted as wardens over the various places in the Nameless Forest.

  The Worms of the Earth: Biological weapons of destruction brought about by ritualistic depravity and sacrifice. They are powerful creatures that have to be sustained by death. One Worm generally provokes the birth of another Worm.

  Vermillion Veins: Growths thought to only exist in the Nameless Forest. They are the veins of the Vermillion God and a physical representation of Its influence in the world.

  Victor Mors: A philosopher who was assassinated for his studies into the Membrane and the Worms of the Earth.

  Vrana: A Night Terror who wears the mask of a raven. She was mutated by the Witch into a grotesque raven-like creature, and is now currently imprisoned in the Void.

  Winnowers’ Chapter: An elitist group of Holy Order members who disagree with the direction the Mother Abbess is taking the religion. They abandoned the Holy Order for the Disciples of the Deep and fled Penance.