literature

Bound Marduk

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CarrieExMachina's avatar
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Literature Text

Dark brown eyes situated in a dark brown face opened slowly with a flicker as the rose-gray smoke trailed past them.

"Emperor Heliogabolus under the water still dreams of petals and panthers and dinner with eight other dead men," the dry, dead voice whispered.  "Lies beneath the water, wondering what to do with all the pretty flowers..."

Latex tubing carried mysterious fluid around the room, winding like semitransparent ivy around the ornately-cast bronze throne.  Disappearing into his voluminous, pristinely white silk robes, they ran from vases inlaid with silver and gold.  Attendants scurried more than walked, rushing to and fro around the vases to pour in a new rose tincture, a new violet-tinted mixture, carrying away pans of discharged blood to pour in choreographed arcs over the fine blue lilies that grew in beams of sunlight that filtered down from the open ceiling.  

The blue-robed attendant lit the second stick of incense on his tray, and held it with reverence, slowly waving it back and forth before the throned man's face.  More smoke issued forth, and a rattly, dead sigh escaped before his eyes re-opened.  "He said his death would be more ostentatious than any before.... silken nooses and daggers made of gems, but he died as all else die, filthy and alone, dragged through the sewer by nothing more than a common horse...  thrown to the Tiber's cruel mercy and weighted to sink."

The violet-robed attendant furiously scribbled, quill dipped in the same blood that watered the lilies, ruby droplets scattered by the ill-cut nib of the feather.  The red-robed attendant held tight the rope around the prisoner's neck, and the prisoner shuddered, whimpering in fear-- whether at the spectacle, the dead, empty eyes of the throned man, or the wicked bronze knife in the blue attendant's other hand, it was difficult to say.

"They ate a meal of mushrooms and fish with crushed pearls in lieu of pepper and listened to the harpists play, silken robes and golden wigs and teeth gleaming as the pearls they were eating," he rasped, "and marveled as the petals began to fall, violets and roses...."  He remained silent until the blue attendant lit the third stick of incense.  Weary brown eyes opened once more, focused on nothing.  "The petals continue to fall...."

The violet-robed attendant nodded to the blue-robed attendant, and they turned to face the prisoner.  "The Bound Marduk has made his judgement, prisoner," he said, voice as cold and immovable as stone.  The prisoner whimpered once more and fell to his knees-- his mouth formed words of deseperate pleading, but they had cut out his tongue three days ago.

"Guilty," said the red-robed attendant, and a line the color of his silks appeared over the prisoner's throat.  The three attendants bowed to the enthroned man, and took the prisoner off to water the lilies.

"No," whispered the Bound Marduk, but by then, there was no one there to listen.
I... fucked if I know.
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