SONS OF GODS

Chapter Four: Cienzo

Once a fine delicacy, the Kenslan cherry had been transformed into a deathly weapon. Demeter had gifted them to the Kenslan people long ago under the establishment of peace, but upon the declaration of war, Hades poisoned every remaining seed. For years, until people and animals grew aware of the poison, bodies and carcasses littered the lands where the cherries grew.

CHAPTER FOUR

CIENZO

CIENZO FOLLOWED THE moon and the stars back home, trudging through the sludge and the puddles just before the start of town. Sitting on the bank of a still lake was a dormant waterwheel. The perimeter of the mill was dotted with vine-like shrubs blossoming with Kenslan cherries. As a child he was often enticed by their plumpness and ripeness to pluck them for the consumption. Luckily, Kayana was always around to lead him away with common sense. A decaying feline lay dead nearby, blood foaming from its jaw, insects swarming it like vultures.

What would she say? To know he had traded his freedom, his future—their future—to Astran. He had plans on opening his own Forge, of providing for Isla and Kayana until they were old. Simple, but sufficient. It was all he needed. That would have to wait. The idea of it was made him sick.

He strolled into the heart of his town. In a small, narrow alley to his right, a young girl splashed over a puddle, which was lighted yellow by the swirling iron lamps above, as she playfully fled the company of a thin-mustached lover. Swiftly, the young boy caught her by the wrist, spun her back around into his arms and attempted to steal a kiss. Nights were made for lovers to frolic in the shadows of the alleys.

He observed the spirited interaction of the couple and wondered how it was when two people knew a connection had been made. Did they say this outright? Or did some other method he knew little of do the trick? Of course he'd taken several Keprian women to bed, but emotion had never stirred for neither of them. He had long begun to believe his core was truly etched from steel. He understood fire better than he did heart. It was a notion he was tolerable of.

He passed through the town square. During the day, it bustled with the likes of hardworking town dwellers, tax soldiers and local merchants. Now, it stood hushed and silent, resembling a painting sold at the Cross Market. He followed the thoroughfare that led to his home, until the modest cottage crested his view. Besides the ring on his chain, the home was all that was left behind from his parents. There was nothing uniquely identifying about his house, but the shape of its metal roof. Where the others' were flat, his slanted downward. As an Innovator, he constantly thought ahead. He'd dug a trench along the front of his home so that the Blood Rain would trickle down and into it rather than flood his property. It had proven to be quite effective, and many of the Keprian people had taken notice, requesting of Astran the alterations to their own homes. And as one would assume, Astran had Cienzo working on the project tirelessly for mass-production.

As usual, his home was nothing more but a frame of shadows. He took a flame to the wicks of the lanterns that flanked the front door and, in a rare gesture, lit another lantern upon entering. A faint bubble of light glowed over the main room. Cienzo was seldom at home, his time occupied by the Forge or at Isla's bedside. But tonight, Kayana would bring home game from her hunt, enough to swell their eager bellies.

The home was small, decorated only by cobwebs and dust flakes. One pie-shaped bedroom housed the room he and Isla shared. Cienzo kicked his bag under the metal desk he'd built three years back and headed again for the main room. He flopped down on his favorite chair and picked at the layers of filth caked beneath his fingernails.

The brash gallop of hooves against the pavement outside startled him but he knew it could only be Kayana. This meant they could eat. He hurried to the door and pushed it open. Kayana was hopping off her centaur, Caleseus.