The Ulangar: Book I, Part 12

This continues the epic I wrote between 1991 and 1996.

The mist rose from the forest earth

to collect around the ash of stumps

and the clumped form around Tree

stood above the mist

fell to the starry heavens

grasping for mother ash

The clump of flesh moved from Tree

but could not go further than his grasp on the herbs

Stirred by this action flesh awoke

and withdrew the herbs from the tree

Suddenly to the surprise of the eyes of flesh

the sturdy Iron dissolved and dissipated to dust and ash

the remains of fire and disaster

Thus all trees were identical

Thus all trees were stumps of char

and the vision was forgotten as mist in the breeze

vanishes from the eyes of the onlooker

Vivacity and vigor rippled through flesh

who was naked and held the likeness

of Lamaraz the Mage with magic and life restored

He roused himself from the sleep

and stood upon the ash of the oasis

next to a pond of sludge with

fish dead upon its slick unstirring surface

 

Hard-skinned Lamaraz dropped the herbs from

the clutches of his steel vice grip

and sank into the mud and ash

to rise again from the earth

on the border between Water and Earth and Air

where the sea runs its endless drift

thundering to pound on coastal mud

with breeze running along its journey

with the flavor of salt and Ahto in its midst

He looked about the sandy beach

and saw a gray forest with a gigantic vegetable building

looming in the background as a sneese hangs on in the nose

Thirty paces he went on the beach of grain

and thence went twelve paces on the grassy mud

to enter that jungle of blacky-white with a hint of green

The forest trees reached forty meters to the air

and were packed together in close-knit families

The sound of dogs was kissed in the wind

as the sun is hinted at by the moon

Lamaraz knew that there was a clearing on this shadowy isle

near the foot hills of the mountains to the north

away from the whistles of curs

So north he went to find the steel stalk

and the screams of wild dogs rang out through the forest

So north he ran from the terror fangs

but faster north came the fury c/fur

Lamaraz knew the clearing not far ahead

so faster his legs went across the treacherous terrain

dodging the towering trees Stopped