Iscladon Breaking (Book One in the Cerios Chronicles)

Chapter 3-Recruiting

Chapter 3

Recruiting

He was furious, on a number of levels.

Not only did the expedition fail to get through those pesky Ice Titans, but only now, weeks after the fact, did his spies tell him they had given a message to the Journeyman.

The Journeyman had been a thorn in his side for years; he had never allowed his subjects to even learn of his existence. The rebellion had hidden him away.

He may be reputed for not taking an active role in his kingdom, but the King was not idle. No, he had many plans, all layered carefully so no single person could give him away. Even the pathetic vessel being commanded now would never be aware of his thoughts.

He looked down at the body, lying prostrate before him, in distaste. So useless, so easily disposed, but it would never do to allow the boy to go unmonitored. The man had one use, and one use only, he was a sailor.

The man wouldn't even be aware he was a spy, for that matter. He would only do what he was meant to, going about his daily business. What he didn't know is that the King would be watching him the entire time. He had a contingency plan, of course, in case he was discovered, but he doubted it would be necessary.

He walked over to his throne, a simple throne, but with many uses. He had stores of many poisons hidden in the armrests. What he was interested in, however, was in the hollowed out seat.

He lifted the cushion, pulling out a glass jar of only decent quality. He looked at the creatures inside with fascination, not pretty, but they were invaluable.

They had many legs, centipede like, but spread all over their body. A pair of eyes sat opposite each other, taking up over half of the size. They were a sickly greenish yellow color, barely as big as his hand, their bodies shaped like an hourglass.

He had no need to remove the lid, there was a membrane covering the opening, one of his projects. It would allow nothing out, but his hand could go in and grab one of the creatures quite easily. It offered up no resistance to him.

He snapped the fingers of his other hand. The unfortunate sailor, not aware of his actions, stood.

The man's unawareness was only a temporary measure, he had been stolen from his bed in the night, by the time his shipmates woke up, he would have returned. He wasn't really conscious, his eyes were open, but he saw nothing.

The green creature squirmed, no doubt seeking after the warmth. He let it go on the sailor's shoulder, where it crawled towards his ear. Despite its size, it slipped into his ear quite easily, compacting to make the job easier. Once the creature had worked its way in, it would fold around the inside of his skull, tapping into the brain. He would be able to see and hear everything the man did through the mirror he had connected to the creature.

The creature would do nothing but make him somewhat dehydrated as it fed off his fluids. Its main goal was shelter.

The King chuckled, calling in his servants. They ghosted in with no sound, their tall bodies passing through the top of the doorway.

They were strange creatures; there was no doubt about that. Nearly eight feet tall, with black skin, where their mouths should be was smooth, unblemished flesh. Their red eyes burned with knowledge, a statement that they knew more than they were telling. They looked solid, their limbs no wider than the average human, but elongated hugely. They had fingers even longer and more out of proportion than the rest of their body, five on their left hands; four on their right. There was an extra joint on the fingers of the right hand.