The Ulangar: Book II, Part 2

This continues Book II of the epic I wrote between 1991 and 1996.

From the midday sand he rose

one hour's walk from the city

and ancient language erupted from his throat

`DACLOVUT CILIMAUB LENTUTODIT'¹

and the sword vanished on command

Lamaraz hastened towards Anshar

and a richly dressed caravan was met on its way from Vaclov Dask

Lamaraz's birth place

met the naked figure

who stopped them and asked for protection against open eyes

A man in that party threw to him a long blue shirt

more of a dress than a shirt

and as well a belt

landed at the man-boy's feet

The caravan laughed at this and continued on its way

Wearing these things Lamaraz continued his journey

and entered the walls after probing questions

posed by the guardsmen at the city gates

The keep was no longer the iron militarized locale

once remembered by a crying brat

instead it was a prospering city with a heritage

which could not be defeated by borders or politics

or by inhuman sub-hierarchy who extort money from fools

nothing more than a legal protection racket

Into the alleyways he crept merging with urchins

and upon summoning his sword

began to slaughter them like a chef

who spends all morning hatching and frying

the unborn chicks in spices and oils

To these chicks he felt no pity

no ulusum

only the feeding of the Son in his hands

So into the open he went soiled with entrails

leaving a trail of mourns and shrill shouts

and the screeching of the lamenting women

Lamaraz hoped this would gather the Gastrov

ones skilled in war a challenge

and thus did they come

Riding steeds with saddles and rings on their boots

attached by hide to the sitting gear

and on their forearms cylindrical devices

with flashing lights and hoses running up the arm

to their helms of stainless black

Their armor was green and black

covering shoulders to hands to legs in light ceramics

Twelve surrounded Lamaraz in hating laughing circle

and in modern dialect stated `Yewt wi t' sabāh

Why moot 'a hām dose who'ave noot 'amt 'a

Dis slāin' o' cit'zin unāhmed f' cōmbat

'āst noo honā noo vālā

Ya bleechéd loochs an' dāken' skeen

reflects dis tāstless oose o' fārce

Nā droop ya woopon are prepār t' die'

Lamaraz heard these slurs and cracked a smile

This would be his chance for ulusum

The mistress Moon was rising above Anshar

and her sister Night settled in for reign

Lamaraz remembered well the fires the moon

the gore the energy the ulusum

time was almost aligned

So Lamaraz answered to this mounted man

with the flaming of his blade

bursting alight as a comet

with hair scorching the sky

The Gastrov were awed with surprise

as the first knight fell from throne

burning in the shower of his purple blood

But as Lamaraz turned and ulusum settled

a ball of flame knocked Lamaraz off his feet

His chest was red flames and searing pain

and Lamaraz saw the dark wine pour from his flesh

Then no more would his mind register his eyes

as a dark veil covered them

Footnotes:

1. Translated from Dakish as, "Daklov, leave from sight."