After they’d ordered in food from a nearby restaurant and ate it with hearty appetites, Journey sighed and folded his napkin. Rory was washing dishes in the kitchen; though no one had asked her to do so, she seemed to feel obliged to lend a respectful hand in Knife’s house.
Chet studied Journey, not sure what to make of his expression. “Are you okay?”
“I was just thinking I’d best take care of the body before I go to bed. Can’t do it in the morning because of the neighbors, and it’ll start getting manky if I wait too long.”
Chet stiffened. He’d assumed the Shadow Dancers had taken Knife’s body from the third floor. “You mean... you mean while we were showering and talking and eating and, and fucking, Knife’s been up there the whole time, dead?”
“Yes. Knife is very clear about her wishes in this matter.”
Chet blanched, recalling the tombs. “You’re not going to—I mean, all those skeletons underground. They aren’t all...”
Journey shot him a dour look. “This is a private matter and none of your concern, Chet Baikson.”
He folded his arms and scowled. “Knife was my friend, too.”
“I... yes, you’re right. You have to understand, Allistair is the oldest city-state on Uos. They have traditions here. One of those traditions is what people do to Flame corpses once we’re dead. They do... the most disgusting things with our bodies. Prolonged and personal actions are taken in a traditional sequence. Very personal.”
“Oh.”
“Knife has lived in this city-state since her first life when she was born to the Tache royal family right here in Allistair. She has connections and carefully renews them life after life. They call her ‘Uncle Flame.’ How do you think she’s able to maintain a long-term residence in this city-state? This place is worse than Wetshul for us.”
“I didn’t think. I didn’t know.”
Journey shrugged, his expression uncomfortable. “Death takes so many things, including dignity. Her royal connections can’t—or won’t—help her after she dies, yet Knife likes to be control over certain matters. The tomb might seem grotesque, but it’s a lot better than the alternative. I wouldn’t even trust a modern-day morgue to deal with us respectably in Allistair. They might sell the body, or lend it out. You never know when someone’s going to get all traditional. By the time Knife initiates again, the body will be decomposed.” He sighed and glanced upwards as if recalling the layout on the third floor. “Pantheon knows how I’ll get her down the stairs, let alone the circular staircase in the cave. I’m so tired.”
Chet laid a hand on his arm. “You have a right to be tired.”
“Yeah, but this still needs doing. I guess I’ll wrap her in the carpet. It has to be thrown out anyway.”
Chet scowled reflexively and drew back. “You can’t throw away that carpet! It’s a priceless antique!”
“Chet!” Journey said sharply. “It’s just old. Get over it.”
Journey was right, of course. Chet looked up, visualizing how Knife had bled out in the study. “Leave her until tomorrow morning. The carpet will conceal everything from the neighbors, anyway. Would you like help taking her down to the tomb? It’s kind of awkward getting rid of bodies, you know.”
Journey stared at him, then chuckled. He leaned forward and ruffled his fingers through Chet’s hair. “Thank you, sweetie. Somehow, that’s very fitting. When Knife initiates next time—if you’re around and interested in seeing her again—I’ll try to make sure she knows what you did.”
Chet ducked his head shyly. “You’re welcome.”
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Glossary
and pronunciation guide
The Forty
Due to how Uos came to be, there were originally only forty land-based animal species. As a few have gone extinct, there are now thirty-eight land-based species. Despite this, the term “the Forty,” which includes human beings, has remained the same.
Anuro (an-NER-ōh): Small birdlike reptiles with tiny, sharp teeth and stout beaks. Highly colorful, they roam in enormous flocks and fill the ecological niche of songbirds on Earth.
Ceros (SER-ōs): Cloven-hoofed, elk-like mammals with an impressive rack of antlers. They function much like horses do on Earth.
Cynodict (sin-ŌH-dict): Hairless canines with whip-like tails, often kept as pets.
Dium (DEE-um): A fast moving, high jumping, reptilian-like mammal. About eight-inches long, they have elongated noses and a penchant for garbage.
Doedicu (dōe-DE-kū): Enormous humpback, armored amphibians. They have beaks, a shell like a turtle, and a cluster of razor-sharpened spikes at the ends of their tails. Doedicu meat is universally considered tender and tasty.
Indricoth (in-dri-COTH): The largest mammals ever to roam Uos, these herbivores have been extinct since the World War. Indricoth toys are staples of childhood across all Uos cultures.
Inofe (in-ŌH-fee): Giant, predatory felines with saber teeth. Humans have historically been a favorite food of the inofe.
Marauch (MA-rach): A horse-sized, deer-like herbivore with an elongated, droopy nose. Humans have long bred macrauch for their meat and leather.
Othnielia (oth-nee-LEE-ah): Herbivorous reptiles about seven feet tall, standing on two legs with short forearms and a long tail. Othnielia are the fastest creature on Uos, reaching over eighty miles an hour in short bursts.
Palaeoth (pal-EE-oth): Palaeoth are multi-toed hoofed mammals, about two and a half feet tall and three feet long. They occupy the same niche as donkeys or goats on Earth. Because of their sexual displays when in heat, palaeoth have often been linked to brothels, prostitutes and Flame.
Peteino (pet-EE-nō): Reptiles with long tails and leathery wings, peteinos occupy the same general niche on Uos as chickens on Earth.
Rhamph (ramf): Winged mammals with cartilage “beaks” and extensive wingspans, there are more varieties of rhamph on Uos than any other land-based creature. The smallest can fit in a human hand, while the largest variety has a wingspan of over eight feet.
Geography
This section has three parts, including countries/continents, cities and city-states, and Pantheon-related geographical features.
The countries/continents:
East Eicha (ĀY-cha): Filled with vast, deadly swamps with extreme temperatures and vicious wildlife, East Eicha is a poor land. Fortunately, it also features the Monastery Mountains, which are havens in comparison.
Idryss, or The Forbidden Lands (IH-dris): Ringed by a continuous mountain range, the Idryss continent is enclosed by a god-barrier specifically designed to keep gods out. Reincarnating affiliates—Flame and Magicians—have long confirmed there is an intense, thriving civilization in Idryss despite the fact that no one goes in and no one comes out.
Jantrael Straight (jan-TRAL): A pincer-grip of two peninsulas with a six-mile stretch of ocean between them. There is no way around the Jantrael Straight if one wants to get from one side of Uos to the other via the sea.
Palister (pal-IH-ster): To the north, the city-state of Maansterdam has long been an economic draw to Palister. However, the rest of the continent is much poorer and far more rural.
Tache (tash-ĀY): A wealthy country with a bustling economy and an epic history. A traditional monarchy, the emperors and empresses of Tache have often been a driving force instigating international conquest and colonization.
Ventris (VEN-tris): A traditional matriarchal nation, Ventris has a long history of feudal “households” with a strict caste system. Ventris and Tache are almost always at war.
West Eicha (ĀY-cha): Much of West Eicha is a peaceful, agrarian society typically composed in small, rural villages. West Eicha is thought to be the continent where the Forty wer
e originally released.
Cities and city-states:
Allistair (al-is-STAIR): Located in the center of Tache, Allistair is among the oldest and richest of the city-states.
Door: Located in the center of West Eicha, Door struggles to remain relevant in modern times since the death of Foex and his Magicians. The interior of the city-state suffers from urban blight while the suburbs—a wide-spread sprawl—thrive.
Eich Che (ĀY-chāy): Located on a peninsula at the edge of the Ventris continent, Eich Che is a city-state independent of the gods. The premiere monetary and cultural center of Uos, it surpasses even Allistair’s riches.
El, the lost city of: At one time, El was a thriving city deep in the Eilthera Mountains of West Eicha. Currently surrounded by an impenetrable god barrier, El is lost not because no one knows where it is, but because no one can get inside.
Maansterdam (MAN-ster-dam): Located in Northern Palister, the city-state is named for the Maan River, its main source of trade and travel.
Plainsdaugheau (PLAINS-daw-ow): Located on the southern tip of Idryss, Plainsdaugheau is the only livable space on the continent outside the god barrier. Founded as a free, independent city-state, Plainsdaugheau has a constitution—the only one on Uos—and is a radical democracy.
Saene (SĪGH-en-āy): Saene has a lengthy history with many rises and falls of power, wartime renewal and cultural institutions. It is the seat of the Ventris monarchy.
Shul (shool): Located only fifty-seven miles from Allistair, Shul is an industrial city with a long history of espionage activity.
Torque (tork): A seaside city on the southeastern edge of Tache, Torque has a long reputation as a resort.
Wetshul (WET-shool): Once a camp for the First Conversion Army, Wetshul was carved out of the rainy, humid, muddy, miserably cold swamp of East Eicha.
Pantheon-related geographical features:
God barriers: Aerora, mother of gods, cordoned off sections of the planet from her god children and every other living thing, including humans. There are two major god barriers upon Uos: the lost city of El, and nearly the entire continent of Idryss.
God Plain: The God Plain is a dimensional fold close to but not physically present upon Uos, where—as the name suggests—most gods spend their time.
Abyss: Unlike the God Plain, the Abyss is an actual geographical feature on Uos. Located in the lost city of El, no human or god has had access to the Abyss in thousands of years.
The races of Uos
Bisque: The lightest skin tone on Uos, a pinkish beige comparable to white people on Earth. Light-haired individuals often have streaks of sea green in their hair, thus the nickname “greenies.”
Bistre: Extremely dark-brown skin with an underlying purple tone, most often found around the Jantrael Straight. Thanks to the economic stronghold of Eich che, this race is considered to be the second most powerful people on Uos.
Fallow: A light-brown skin tone, usually with curly hair. As fallow people emerged from Tache as a colonial power, they are considered the most powerful race on Uos.
Flaxen: Much like Asian people of Earth in skin tone, they have universal red hair. Flaxen people have similar features and tend toward highly eroticized primary and secondary sex characteristics.
Gamboge: Orange skin tone with black hair and hatchet-shaped noses, originally found on Palister.
God affiliates:
Flame: Affiliates of Pelin, Flame are among the most designed, highest maintenance people on Uos in terms of physiological divergence from the norm. They are human-form shapeshifters who can heal most injuries by bathing in fire. Flame reincarnate and remember past-life memories during initiation in fire.
Literati: Belonging to the god Philapo, Literati are among the least designed affiliates. Literati are more like a religious order than anything else: always male, they almost always take up the profession of teachers, philosophers, professors, researchers or administrators.
Magicians: Extinct thanks to the death of their god, Foex, Magicians once ruled large chunks of Uos. Magicians reincarnated like Flame.
Merchants: More a vocation than god affiliates, most Merchants conduct business independent of their god. However, Genis has a tendency to be extremely obsessive and becomes personally involved if a Merchant is in a field of his current obsession. They have no outward marks or body modifications.
Nuns: A new affiliation—less than a century and a half old—Nuns are a sisterhood of women organized into local orders that are more like artist’s colonies than anything else. Nuns take vows as a “time out” from relationships, family, monetary obligations and work in order to grow as individuals.
Shadow Dancers: Affiliates of Aiena, Shadow Dancers often reside in a Cluster: a living space invisible to the naked eye in a sectioned-off part of the God Plain. They can become invisible.
Higher beings not of the Pantheon:
Aerora (āy-ROAR-a): The mother of gods, she was often referred to as “Mother Earth” in Ventris and Coterie cultures. Aerora has not been seen since she destroyed El at the end of the Crimson Era.
Consorts, the: In mythical times of the Ecru and Magenta Eras, five consorts came to Uos to carry on relations with Aerora. The consorts are the other parents of both Metacors and gods.
Metacors (MEH-ta-cōrz): The elder children of Aerora, Metacors were giant creatures; intensely intelligent carnivores who considered humans tasty treats.
The Pantheon:
Aiena (eye-EHN-ah): Youngest sister of Foex and Survjug, foster mother of Pelin and Elac. Aiena’s affiliates are Shadow Dancers.
Acia (AH-see-ah): Daughter of Survjug and Philapo, her affiliates are Nuns.
Castasy (CAST-ih-see): Sister of Genis and Tarro, the wife of Resoan, mother to Elocu, Cencci and Tecnol.
Cencci (sen-SEE): Daughter of Resoan and Castasy, twin sister of Tecnol.
Elac (EH-lack): Twin brother to Pelin and adoptive father to Syche, his affiliates are the Phoe.
Elocu (eh-lō-KŪ): Son of Resoan and Castasy.
Foex (foyks): The oldest god, Foex managed to drink himself to death at the end of the Cobalt Era. His younger siblings are Survjug and Aiena. His affiliates were the Magicians, who died shortly after their god.
Genis (JEEN-is): The oldest of four—his younger siblings are Tarro, Castasy and Philapo—Genis is the ex-husband of Pelin and biological father of Syche. His affiliates are Merchants.
Gundi (GUN-di): Son of Survjug and Philapo, older brother of Acia.
Juste (joost): Currently in a threesome with Philapo and Survjug. She has a twin brother, Resoan, and a daughter, Kaja.
Kaja (KAH-jah): Currently the youngest member of the Pantheon, she is a babe in arms, daughter of Juste and Philapo.
Pelin (PEH-leen): Twin sister to Elac and mother of Syche, Pelin is a sensitive, nurturing goddess. Pursued by many gods, it was Genis who finally managed to woo and wed her; their subsequent fallout and divorce had major impact on human societies. Her affiliates are the Flame.
Philapo (FIL-ah-pō): Philapo and his wife Survjug have recently entered into a threeway with Juste. He has three children: Gundi and Acia with Survjug, and Kaja with Juste. His affiliates are the Literati.
Resoan (rih-ZŌ-an): Twin of Juste, husband of Castasy, and father of Elocu, Cencci and Tecnol.
Survjug (SERV-judge): The oldest goddess, she is sister to Foex and Aiena, wife of Philapo, mother of Gundi and Acia.
Syche (SĪGH-key): Daughter of Pelin. Her birth was severely affected by the advent of slavery.
Tecnol (tek-NŌL): Son of Resoan and Castasy, twin brother of Cencci.
About the Author
James L. Wolf is a Story Editor and author at Forbidden Fiction. He has often wished he could change from one gender to another on a daily basis, depending on his mood. As it is, he chose to change his pronoun only once, transitioning from female-to-male. James lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Works by James L. Wolf
Flame Cycle
C
haining Flame
The Artifact of Foex
Other Works
Sacrifices to Ecstasy
Whisk Together
Divine Momentum
Consoling Psyche
THE FLAME CYCLE
The Flame Cycle tells the story of the Flame—shape-shifting sexual mystics chosen by the goddess Pelin—throughout the history of Uos. The Flame have been, at times, advisors to royalty, sex slaves, and the targets of genocide. The lives of the Flame are woven through more than four thousand years of history on the world of Uos. The Flame reincarnate eternally, recovering the memories of all their past incarnations in each new life.
James L. Wolf creates a vivid portrait of the history of this world as seen through the eyes of the Flame. They’ve seen Uos in all its glory and shame, through conflicts between gods and kings, revolutions in politics, culture, and science, and the most intimate details of human lives.
Works in this series:
Chaining Flame
The Artifact of Foex
About the Publisher
ForbiddenFiction.com is a publisher devoted to writing that breaks the boundaries of original erotic fiction. Our stories combine intense sexuality with quality writing. Stories at ForbiddenFiction.com not only arouse readers through sensations, but also engage them emotionally and mentally through storytelling as well-crafted as the sex is hot.
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The Artifact of Foex Page 33