Red Death

by Jeff Altabef

  “Do you want to say anything else about Piers?” snarled Michel.

  The High Priest wiped his face with his hands and stared at his own blood. He cackled, “This is his blood. It’s in my veins. I’m doing his will. I will rule over all humanity.”

  “We’ve heard enough from you.” Father Luke produced a six-inch knife from his robe and cut the High Priest’s braid off. “There are going to be some changes around here.”

  “We can make a deal. You can rule with me. We—”

  Father Luke nodded at the guardians, who grabbed the High Priest by the arms and dragged him away.

  “Take him to the Lab. We’ve got a special holding pen ready for him.”

  “No! No! Not that!”

  ***

  Click Here to View the CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Chapter 61 – Aaliss

  Aaliss let the sun streaming through the window warm her face. Since Eamon collapsed, she had felt cold and hollow. The sudden warmth felt good, if temporary.

  Eamon lay on Dermot’s bed, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths, his forehead hot and slick with sweat. A short, round man whom Dermot called Hainlan the Healer sat by his side. The healer had soft hands, intelligent eyes, and fleshy cheeks. He’d cleaned the wound and dressed it with a gray cloth.

  Aaliss knew he could do little else.

  Maybe a medical Priest back home might have been able to help Eamon, but the Master Healer could not. The wound by itself was not fatal, but the Viper had dipped his throwing star in poison. Eamon would have to battle that poison on his own.

  An entire day and a half had passed since the attack. Aaliss told Dermot everything: Eden, the truth behind the Witch’s Woods, Wilky’s special nature. She didn’t have to tell him what she felt for Eamon; everyone had seen that plainly written on her face.

  Dermot had two trusted friends bury the Viper in the woods. For now, Eden and the cure would remain their secret.

  Aaliss had asked Wilky what would happen to Eamon, but he just shook his head.

  Not being very religious, she didn’t think her prayers to God would work, so she sent a barrage of mental messages to Piers. He was the holiest person she knew, so she silently begged him to intercede with God on her behalf. She promised to do whatever God wanted of her. She’d leave if that was His will. She’d let Jillian have him. She’d repent for her sins. She even offered herself in sacrifice for him. It was her fault he wrestled with death. That star should have struck her instead. She’d change places with him if that was what it took. She’d do anything. If only she knew what to do.

  She sat in a wooden chair, her entire body stiff.

  Eamon twisted in the bed. He looked as if he was in pain and in the grips of a fierce nightmare.

  Her heart cracked in a million pieces.

  He tossed his head back toward her and his eyes blinked open.

  Aaliss jumped from her seat. “Did you see that? His eyes opened for a second.”

  Dermot leaned down toward him. “Wake up, Brother. We need you here. Tell Grandfather it’s not time for him to have you yet.”

  Aaliss held her breath, and willed his eyes open, and then they did open, at first unfocused and far away, but they cleared.

  Tears rolled down her face. Her prayers had been answered. She thanked Piers.

  Eamon sat up in his bed. “Why are you all in my room? What happened?”

  “Oh, not much, Brother,” said Dermot. “Did you see Father and Finnegan the Fat?”

  Eamon nodded. “I did. They said I’m their favorite.”

  “Come on!” Dermot laughed.

  Eamon shrugged and locked eyes with Aaliss.

  “I’m sorry, Eamon. He was after me. It’s my fault you got hurt.” Her voice dripped with emotion.

  “I met your brother. Or at least someone called Piers who said he was your brother. He said you can be difficult but you’re worth the effort.”

  “Difficult when I get my hands on him!” She grinned and felt light again, as if she had been reprieved. Piers had helped her. She knew she could count on him.

  She glanced at Wilky, who was smiling as he looked out the window. He so seldom smiled or showed any emotion at all.

  Aaliss took note of it. “What are you looking at?”

  “It’s light out.”

  She walked toward him. “Sure it is. It’s the middle of the day.”

  He shook his head. “Light’s coming from Eden.”

  Aaliss looked out the window and could have sworn she saw it also.

  ---THE END---

  ~~~

  Watch for the second installment of the “Red Death” series, THE GHOST KING, to launch in the spring/summer of 2017.

  RED DEATH: Cast of Characters

  EDEN

  Eden is a society dominated by religion, physically isolated on a peninsula surrounded by Eden River and a narrow strip of land called the Bridge, which connects the peninsula to the Forbidden Mountain. The High Priest and an elected President rule Eden. Their motto is “Purity, Faith, and Strength,” and their symbol is an elaborate capital J for “Jacob,” the founder of their religion. Apples are their main crop. Eden is the only known society not affected by the Red Death. They maintain their purity by prohibiting contact with the outside world, or the “Soulless,” as they refer to others outside of Eden. Eden’s high holiday is known as Eden Day, the one day a year that frivolity and mischief are allowed—at least a little.

  Aaliss is the middle of three siblings and a highly-trained Guardian. She patrols the area around Eden known as the Zone, to keep Eden secret from the Soulless. She is seventeen, graduated at the top of her class, and has been a full-fledged Guardian for only one year.

  Aibel is the uncle to Piers, Aaliss, and Wilky, and the second most powerful person in Eden as their elected President. He’s not one to let family get in the way of ambition.

  Estienne is a Guardian who favors the standard issue crossbow to the short sword.

  Father Luke is the Priest who runs the Orchard. He was Malachi’s only childhood friend, though they had a falling out when Malachi became High Priest.

  Gabriel, also known as the Viper and the Priest of the Guardians, is a direct descendent of Jacob. He holds great power as the leader of the Guardians. He earned his nickname because of his lethalness and his proclivity to spend time alone in the Zone, where he feels closest to Jacob.

  John is an apprentice Guardian.

  Jonas is a Guardian and the Viper’s old instructor. Though past his prime, he remains dangerous. No one would want to get between him and apple wine known as the Sacred Drink.

  Malachi, more commonly known as the High Priest, is a direct descendant of Jacob and the head of their religion. The most powerful person in Eden, he’s also unquestionably the largest. His size provoked a panic at his investiture, when the ceremonial robes had to be enlarged to accommodate his girth.

  Mark is a Monk who enjoys patrolling Eden looking for unholy activities. He has a short temper.

  Michel is a tall, reed-thin Guardian who is friends with Aaliss, Piers, and Wilky.

  Piers is a novice priest with a photographic memory, and the oldest of three siblings at nineteen years. Badly burned in a fire three years ago, which killed his parents, he suffers scars and weakness on the left side of his body.

  Samuel is a senior Guardian with a quirky sense of humor.

  Sarah is a tall, red-haired Monk with sadistic qualities, who is bitter because she wasn’t selected to be a member of Jacob’s Choir.

  Wilkiford, more commonly known as Wilky, is the youngest researcher in Eden’s history. He has a way of seeing things. He’s also Aaliss’s and Piers’s youngest sibling at thirteen years old.

  Zeke is a novice priest who chats incessantly. Having failed to remain quiet during two of the three Great Silences over the past years, his future as a Priest is suspect.

  ~~~~~

  BUTCHER TRIBE

  A king rules the Butcher Tribe. He is chosen from
the royal family line through an ancient battle ritual called the Circle of Destiny. The tribe is known for high quality meat they sell at The Exchange. They have three main towns, the Stronghold, the Settlement, and the Outpost, with the Stronghold as their capital, located in the center of their territory. They have vast land holdings for their herds of cattle and sheep, and believe that prior kings help govern them from the stars. They recite, “May the herd forever be strong” at all official events. Their symbol is a jeweled sword known as the Sword of Power, which can only be used by the King. Their main holiday is Naming Day, when the names of all newborn members of the tribe get carved into the vast ghost tree that centers the Stronghold.

  Cattie works in the Nursery. She is not well liked and has a habit of making poor choices.

  Cormac is a brawny man, the Captain of the King’s Guard and Fintan’s best friend. He didn’t rise to Captain because of his brains, but he’s quick with a blade.

  Dermot is a popular king, old at twenty-four and near the end of his reign. He is also known by several nicknames, such as Dermot the Just and the Blade of the Butchers. Early in his reign he led the Butchers through two successful military campaigns, one against the Horsepeople to the south and another against the Painted Ones to the north. His reign has lasted six winters, which is the longest in memory, and he has kept the peace for the last four years.

  Eamon, also known as Eamon the Handsome, is a royal prince who is in charge of the Books of Wisdom, where Dermot hopes to record the tribe’s collective knowledge. He is younger than his two other royal brothers—Dermot by six winters and Fintan by one.

  Fintan is a royal prince who is four winters younger than Dermot and the head of the King’s Horsemen. He spends most of his time studying war craft and dreaming of ways to unleash his unlimited ambition.

  Gemma is Eamon’s twin and considered odd. She speaks a weird version of their language that only Eamon and Jillian, her best friend, fully understand, and usually gets distracted by details for hours.

  Jillian, best friends with Gemma and Eamon, is often tasked with keeping an eye on Gemma. She also works as a scribe to help record the Books of Wisdom.

  Maeve is Cattie’s younger sister, who also works in the Nursery, but is well liked and considered beautiful. Few people see the family resemblance between the sisters.

  Scotty the Snake, a member of the King’s Guard, is known to have psychotic tendencies.

  ~~~~~

  THE PAINTED ONES

  The Painted Ones are a matriarchal society that elects a female “Tribal Mother” to govern with the help of a series of females known as Vestals. Only female members can vote for the Tribal Mother. The tribe is known for the female members’ distinctive tattoos. On her tenth birthday, each girl gets her own tree of life tattoo signifying that she is now an adult member of the tribe. Most members of the tribe live in small huts with varying colored fabric roofs, the colors and designs of which indicate different family histories. Their grandest celebration is the annual Awakening Feast that they share with the Orions. Every ten years they have a Renewal Feast where they swap girls who are thirteen harvests old with similar girls of the Orion tribe, to further bind the two tribes together and increase understanding of their ways. In addition to their tattoos, the Painted Ones are known for intricately woven fabrics and the poison darts they use to defend themselves.

  Kalhona is the best Artist in the tribe and P’mina’s older sister.

  Merina is P’mina’s friend. She is also thirteen and scheduled to be swapped with the Orion girls, but, unlike P’mina, Merina appreciates the honor of representing her tribe.

  P’mina is Kalhona’s younger sister at thirteen harvests and scheduled to be swapped with the Orion girls of the same age at the Renewal Feast. She is very learned in plants and somewhat of an outcast in the tribe because her mother became a red witch.

  Tania is Kalhona’s toddler daughter who loves to spin in circles and mispronounces P’mina’s name.

  Tribal Mother is a robust woman considered extremely beautiful. She is a beloved leader of the tribe.

  V’ronica is a beady-eyed ambitious Vestal who serves and advises the Tribal Mother.

  ~~~~~

  RED WITCHES

  The Red Death does not kill everyone. Some women wake to find they have transformed overnight into red witches, with thick auburn hair, pale skin, and red-specked eyes. Though they are not all evil, red witches are feared and outcast, if not killed by most tribes. Their magic powers entice the brave or desperate to seek their help in times of need.

  Eris is the head of a group of witches who fly the Red Raven banner. She worships the Goddess of the Night and has designs to lead other witches to take control over all the tribes. She currently “advises” the chief of the Bloody Wolf tribe, although many would say she controls him.

  Santra follows Eris and is a particularly nasty witch. She keeps the company of firefoxes.

  The Witch goes by no formal name. She is near the end of her life and has her own banner of the Red Fish. She tries to follow the light but has been deceived from time to time by dark spirits.

  ~~~~~

  BLOODY WOLF TRIBE (Also Known as the Northern Invaders)

  This aggressive northern tribe is ruled by a chief, and divided between warriors and farmers. Because of a drought, their farmland has became barren, so the majority of the tribe has traveled south in search of new lands to conquer. The warriors wear beards they never shave. They tie the beard with twine, and usually add hair from a victim they have killed. A red wolf head with blood dripping from its mouth is their symbol, and they honor two gods: Baltrix and Feyreh. Baltrix is a male warrior with a red wolf head and a human body. Feyreh is a female agricultural deity who is human above the waist, with a tree trunk below.

  Tynchek is a midlevel warrior sent to trade coin for Sweat Leaf with the witch Santra.

  ~~~~~

  ORIONS

  The Orions are governed by a leader and his Circle of Counselors. The leader always takes the name Orion. Subsequent leaders are chosen by the existing Orion and the Circle of Counselors. The society believes in an omniscient Hunter God who is usually depicted as a man drawing a bow. They are well known as excellent archers and hunters. Young men take a brand on their chest of the Hunter God when Orion considers them of age. Upon the death of a member of the society, his or her name is etched into a stone and tossed on top of the Bridge to the Next World by their family. The tribe is closely allied with the Painted Ones.

  Acknowledgements

  A book like Red Death can only become a reality with many helping hands. Over five years in the making, I can’t possibly list everyone who has encouraged me on this project or helped in its creation. Of course my family remains my rock and I’m thankful for their patience and love. I also offer a special thanks to my beta readers who gave me such compelling suggestions and whose passion for these characters have overwhelmed me. I would be remiss if I didn’t point out my friend, Melissa Kanovsky and her epic contribution to this book. Her fingerprints touch upon the entire tale. Her encouragement and suggestions were so good, they were worth much more than the sushi lunches we spent discussing the story.

  On the more technical side, Lane Diamond, my fabulous editor, did a wonderful job fixing my prose and making the story pop. He’s awesome, as is Evolved Publishing. Without them, I’m not sure where I would be as an author.

  Mallory Rock, as always, proves why she’s the best cover artist in the business. This time she received some help from the talented artist, Sarima, who helped develop the apple for the cover. Mallory and Kira McFadden teamed up to create the amazing map. They basically took an awful sketch and created artwork. I think that’s magic!

  About the Author

  Jeff Altabef lives in New York with his wife, two daughters, and Charlie the dog. He spends time volunteering at the Writing Center in the local community college as a certified writing instructor. After years of being accused of “telling stories,” he
thought he would make it official. He writes in both the thriller and young adult genres. As an avid Knicks fan, he is prone to long periods of melancholy during hoops season.

  Jeff has a column on The Examiner focused on writing, designed to encourage writing for those that like telling stories.

  You can find Jeff online at:

  Website at www.Jeffreyaltabef.com

  Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7055582.Jeff_Altabef

  Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeff-Altabef-Author/479282732198216

  Twitter at https://twitter.com/JeffAltabef

  Via Email at JeffreyAltabef@gmail.com

  Or join his newsletter at FREE GIFT.

  What’s Next from Jeff Altabef?

  THE GHOST KING

  Red Death – Book 2

  Watch for the second book in this dystopian science fiction adventure to release in the spring/summer of 2017. For more information, please visit the Evolved Publishing website.

  ~~~

  Aaliss and Wilky find themselves in the center of a storm. Hunted by powerful forces, will they survive long enough to unite the three tribes against the Bloody Wolf Tribe and the Witches of the Red Raven? Can Wilky find a way to prevent his shocking vision from becoming a reality?

  The Ghost Riders hold the key and one will emerge—the Ghost King. But will he be their savior or doom?

  ~~~

  SEE NEXT PAGE FOR A SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW:

  Chapter 1 of The Ghost King (Red Death – Book 2)

  SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW: THE GHOST KING

  Chapter 1 – Wilky

  The rain fell in sheets. A flash of lightning lit the sky and thunder shook the ground.

  Wilky had never seen rain fall so hard or violently before.

  A voice shouted, “Reform the shield wall! The devils will be back on us in no time!”