The Gonzo Wolf

Prince Connor Wrath is beyond bored with his royal lifestyle. Receiving nothing but the most mundane tasks in the name of his kingly father, and even less respect than the court jester, he dreams of a life beyond the land of Lynnwood. There’s only one catch: The gods of old have forbade travel past the harbors and inlets of the only land he’s ever known. Who are these gods, where have they gone, and why would they insist on such a questionable boundary? Connor is determined to be the first who defies the laws of the disappeared deities.

What follows is IP of Gonzo Wolf Productions LLC & Chad Cloud-Miller

Also, I’m releasing this novel, novella, or whatever it’s going to end of being absolutely free. If you enjoyed what you’ve read, I’d ask you to consider dropping off a little something at my PayPal @howlgrowlsnarl. Coffee is getting ridiculous!

Wrath’s Lament

by Rev. Dare Cloud

Chapter Four

3.0

            The creature’s hardened skin emitted a strange luminescence amidst the darkness of the royal chamber. It was oddly the color of moonlight; a description which knows no color in my knowledge. In an unusual sense of humility, my father had gifted his own throne to the god for the allowance of business yet to be known. Was this some sort of tradition? I don’t recall my father allowing anyone to place their ass, godly or otherwise, upon his seat. Ever. I’d been beaten many times in my youth for doing so out of curiosity. The man would soil himself rather than vacate if it wouldn’t disgust the queen.

            The queen; she was a separate story altogether. Looking more beautiful than she did on her coronation day, I could sense a hint of mysterious fear in her eyes. It wasn’t anything like how scared she’d get when we were sneaking kisses and favors in the deepest, darkest corners of the castle. No, this was something much deeper. Everyone else in court claimed to have dealt with the gods face to face before she and I were even born. This was new to both of us, and I couldn’t dare offer her any comforting gestures within view of the public. It would be all too obvious.

            Of all those in attendance, my brother Killian appeared to be the least bothered by the entity who scanned the crowd beneath the throne. Surely, he was just as bothered as the rest of us, but he didn’t dare drop a bead of royal sweat to moisten the floor upon which he stood. He was next in line for the throne for certain, and he’d never let his future subjects see him squirm in the face of fear. Yes, terror was the best word used to describe the being who was now regally rising from my father’s assigned seat.

            Easily a foot or so shorter than most who gazed upon it ­– the jury was still out on whether this thing possessed any type of sexual orientation – the creature carried itself in a manner which cared little for things such as height or stature. The brightest yellow, reflective pools sat below its enormous forehead which glimmered at every dance of the torchlights along the far wall. Dead-center of its eyes appeared a sinister slit like that of a nocturnal predator. The nightmare looked more of a marsh dweller than a star-bound deity, and I honestly couldn’t wait until this beast was back inside it’s strange ship bound for the heavens. I mean, I assumed there was more than one, taking into consideration the size of the craft it arrived in. I’m only glad they weren’t all in court. This one, an obvious leader of sorts, was about as much as my tingling nerves could manage.

“It is an honor to be among you and your court again, King Wrath.”

My guts metaphorically hit the ground as the being spoke for the first time in my attendance. I’m not the sharpest blade on the rack, but I’m pretty sure someone would be unable to do such a thing with a reptilian snout! No, this creature managed to communicate with a grumbling voice that echoed throughout the chamber as though amplified by some sort of magical amplifier. Again, Queen S’Varick and I were the only ones in attendance who found this to be a strange occurrence, and the god glanced back and forth between the two of us with an uneasy display of uncertainty.

All throughout my life, the members of this court had tried their best to convince me the gods were indeed a realistic force to be reckoned with. All those sleepy evenings I spent ignoring the teachings of the God Masters during weekly worship could never have prepared me for the feelings now collecting in the balls of my feet. Yes, all feelings of dread put on by my brain and heart were now pooling somewhere in the vicinity of my toes making it impossible for me to charge toward or flee from the frightening presence who seemed to now control what was previously uncontrollable.

“As we are honored by your presence once more, High King Rileos,” my father addressed while kneeling and signaling all others to follow suit. I took a knee as well even though I cared little for formalities.

Ceremony truly wasn’t my thing, but I was scared to death of the consequences if I refused. This thing managed to speak with a beast’s mouth, so I didn’t want to be the first to discover whatever else this abomination had up its sleeve. Too many unwanted bedtime stories on the subject left me to wonder if any of them held truth. This legendary High King Rileos could turn me to ash with the snap of his overly long fingers according to the “comforting” tales parents told their sweet children as a sleep induced bargaining chip.

“Again, your humility within your own home warms me like no other,” said the creature, still not doing so through any type of easily manipulated orifice. “Me and mine have journeyed far to observe the progress within your kingdom and to collect on the debt as agreed upon during our last meeting.”

I held back a worthy laugh as to not disturb the already trembling court or the being who somehow stood above all at a mere five feet tall. This was the reason for their visit? King Wrath owed some sort of a debt to the sky gods, and they’d finally arrived for payment? This was rich indeed! I couldn’t help but hope that the ancient posterior whisper known as my dear old dad didn’t have enough to send these oddities packing and they took him away as some sort of compensation. I bit my lip to the point of near bleeding in anticipation for his retort.

To be honest, we rarely had the means to feed ourselves now with the recent uprising in Quimper. That was the village responsible for filling our bellies with fish and livestock and Lord Chelios Sert dropped the reins on that duty months ago. De Haro was farming day and night to fulfill the needs of Blanchet but if I had to eat one more damned salad…

 I planned to scream without a mouth like this abomination standing above the crowd in all his or her five-foot glory. He sounded like a man, for sure, but sometimes that can be deceiving as well. Like I said before, we were not as wealthy as the commoners believed us to be. There were times before I was romantically involved with my stepmother that I had to purchase a maiden from the discount shelf. Still, Lord Ferrel’s vegetables weren’t going to be enough to quell the debt I imagined my father owed to heavenly beings who actually “flew” some type of otherworldly boat to get here. 

It looked as though the High King was about to speak on behalf of my father’s elongated silence when he appeared distracted. Tilting its head to the side like a curious beast of the forest attempting to decipher a trapper’s riddle, the god slid back a portion of its silver tunic to reveal a belt containing several strange devices. At least they were strange to me. Again, many in attendance had dealt with the likes of this being at least once in their lifetime, yet, somehow, they appeared just as frightened and on edge as my lover kneeling beside the king. The god known as Rileos removed a calendrical, elongated object from the belt and held it behind its back as though he planned to need it at a moment’s notice. For the sake of my telling, I’m going to pretend this thing is of the male persuasion. Voice, movements, and mannerisms all seemed to lead toward the existence of testicles, because he was damn sure of himself and his presence within my father’s home.

“Zellot Canaby, is it?” the High King inquired. “It has been many a year since I’ve laid eyes upon you. You appear to have grown quite a bit from the child who stood before me during our last acquaintance.”

“General Canaby if you will, my lord,” replied my father’s head guard.

“Oh, by all means General Canaby,” returned the god. “Heaven forbid I do not give credit where credit is due with such an important title within the royal court. As I was saying General Canaby, my inner voices are telling me that you have something on your mind you wish to share with me. Being a god of infinite wisdom and knowledge, I already know what it is you plan to say, but I wanted to hear the words come from your own mouth. I like the gestures, you see, considering you speak with quacking mouths like the ducks of the ponds.”

I was beginning to like this god person increasingly with each passing second. At first, I wasn’t impressed much by the amount of fear existing around him – regardless of height, or a lack thereof – but this thing had a mouth on him after all!. He called Zellot upon the royal rug and inquired as to why he looked as though a bird truly existed within his back door region! I waited impatiently for the answer I hoped would come, but then my common sense looked past the obviously humorous wish and informed me of something dreadful.

From what I was gathering, the High King Rileos possessed the ability to read the minds of those he gazed upon with those blinding suns he chose to call eyes. I hoped above all hope that he dared not look in my general direction. Trust me, whatever he found banging around inside this head of mine would be somewhat less than god-worthy. The last thing I needed now was this most unusual guest reading into my true thoughts concerning the queen or my severe hatred for my father, brother, and everyone else who stood in his presence. I certainly didn’t want him to find out that I was frightened within an inch of my own life for him, his kind, and where he came from. He’d be pissed to know I slept through all those boring sermons about him during my upbringing.

The creature moved his hand in a circular motion as though he insisted the General move onward with his insolent request only to be seen by the gifted deity.

“High King, I mean no disrespect, I just…”

“Of course you mean disrespect, General Zellot Canaby,” exclaimed the god. “Anyone I’ve ever met, whether it be in the land of Lynnwood or in places beyond the comprehension of your feeble mind, have intended to disrespect me by merely stating that they meant no disrespect. That said, my dear General, get on with it. Please enlighten me by revealing your obviously disrespectful thoughts.”

I couldn’t help but notice that King Wrath was moving a little further and further away from General Canaby with each moment. He’d even taken S’Varick by the arm and pulled her along with him. Prince Killian was following suit on the other side of the man who was now the center of attention within the royal court. He, as usual, was staring at me from across the chamber as though I was again the cause of his discombobulation. The look in his eyes revealed he was about to confess despite consequences.

“You’re late, High King,” Canaby belted throughout the chamber with unwarranted volume. “The boy has become a man within the five years of your tardiness and will taint the goods you’ve gathered beyond the stars with his impure seed! It would be an unclean act to stud him as was once prophesized before his birth and all you’ve worked so hard to maintain will …”

“You’re out of place, Zellot,” interrupted my father, obviously embarrassed by Canaby’s outburst before the god. “You have no right to lecture our gods on schedules nor reveal secrets to my own son before the rightful owner of such mysteries could reveal them in a proper manner.”

Wait. What?

My mind raced like the wind along the rocky faces of the Cliffs of Sasser and my heart sunk somewhere in the vicinity of my leather boots. The possibilities of what my father, the general and the High King discussed were endless, but they all had one thing in common. The subject of their conversation dealt directly with my own fate and, to be honest, I wasn’t the hugest fan of the outcomes. Prophesies, studying, and goods? My own thoughts led me in places my legs didn’t want to follow. If it had anything to do with having sex with any of these scaly bastards, then “Little Connor” refused to go there as well. There was only one way to find out.

“With all due respect, your highness, I believe it’s time for me to join in on this conversation. I’m not sure who promised you what all those years ago, but I can assure you that, not only were they a liar, but they were also a big liar!”

“Mind your tone, boy,” my father exploded in anger. “How dare you speak to our gods in such a way!”

“They’re not my gods, father,” I cried. “They’ve never been my gods. I’ve watched you and yours bow to these beings my entire life and I never truly knew they existed until a couple of hours ago. I was disgusted before that discovery and I’m even more so now that I’ve had the displeasure of standing in their presence. I’ll be damned if I’m leaving Lynnwood.”

With that announcement, I drew my sword in the most theatrical manner imaginable. I hoped beyond hope that the image of my doing so would cause the celestial abomination to stand down. It did nothing of the sort. He just stood there smiling. Yes, I know the creature didn’t have lips to display such a feature, but it had cheek bones for. At the moment, his face stretched tight against them as though he were imitating the actions of someone who could grin like a beast of burden eating ground fruit.

Rileos stated nothing in retort of my defiance. He hadn’t hesitated to verbally attack the general when he blurted out the big secret, but the High King continued to stare through me as though he were attempting to figure out where I got my nerve in the face of his holiness. Had no one in the land of Lynnwood or any other blob of who-knew-what ever told them “no” before? If that was indeed the case, then I was totally honored to be the first. His skin didn’t look all that thick. I’d bet coins to cocks my sword would make quick work of this poor idiot who chose to stand before the royal court alone rather than bring his fellow travelers along for safety.

I took a single step with my blade aloft toward the god before I was knocked on my tail by the blast. Oddly enough, it wasn’t even aimed at me, whatever it was, but the brilliance of its power stunned me off my feet. Instead, the focused beam of light found General Canaby instead. He got about half of a scream out before the expression of horror on his face exploded into a cloud of powdered ash. His armor merely stood empty as though he still existed within by using some odd power of invisibility. I immediately tucked my sword back inside its welcoming sheath and wondered what it would be like to stud to a planet full of snake women. I mean, for all I knew, I’d be servicing the men too. A small price to pay when compared to being turned into a pile of dust on the receiving end of a fire weapon? For now, at least. I was a sneaky bastard when needed. The queen would agree.

“Prince Connor Wrath of Lynnwood, I call upon you to fulfill your prophesized duty as promised by your father King Collus Wrath upon your birth.”

The god spoke not out of anger, but of certainty. He deeply held all the pieces upon the game board with possession of that strange weapon still smoking in his right hand. There was a reason he had yet to secure it again behind his tunic. He still had plans if necessary. I felt no intentions of harming – unless you counted being a sex slave to a crop of strange beings harmful – so I decided to evaluate the waters of his holiness just a bit before complying.

“Forgive me, High King,” I said humbly. “I meant no disrespect to you and yours, you see. This family secret just came as a bit of a shock to me since no one ever bothered to clue me in on my so-called destiny. Don’t get me wrong, I’m both impressed and pleased by the way you redecorated General Canaby over there and plunging my loins into the nether regions of lizards has been a dream of mine since childhood. With that out of the way, what if your stud refuses to get on the ship with all your friends out there? What are my options?”

Indeed, there was a reason the high king had yet to stow his weapon out of sight. He immediately turned it in the direction of where my father stood. With a flip of a previously unseen switch, the weapon began to glow with a red-ish tint and squealed like a sow headed to slaughter. The once interpreted smile of High King Rileos no longer existed upon his face. Instead, an angry scowl of disapproval took its place.

“That’s an easy inquiry, young prince,” he explained. “You have no options. Not only will I drag you into the heavens kicking and screaming like the beast you were bred to be, but I’ll blast your queen into nothingness just like I did the good general. Am I understood, or would you like to assess my moxie even more? I am your god after all, Prince Wrath. I know and see what others have not.”

With that, he had me dead to rights. I thought for sure he intended on threating my father at the beginning of my useless rant, but he truly saw through my disguise like the god he was. Surely I would’ve let him blast my own father into oblivion before agreeing to leave the castle of my birth, but there was no way I could allow him to harm the woman I’d grown to love over something as trivial as stubbornness. Granted, it was the destiny of my own future at stake here, but stubbornness, nonetheless. Who knew? Perhaps the females of their species were quite attractive. I had no choice but to take a chance on that logic. I knelt to his holiness in acceptance.

Both my father and stepmother breathed an audible sigh of relief upon my willing knee, although I’m sure the king had many questions for S’Varick as soon as I was shuffled off in the direction of their ship. Glancing into the face of the royal taint who fathered me verified my assurances and an expression of anger like that of the high king ran across his face when our eyes met. I don’t think it was the fact I’d slept with his wife repeatedly in secret since their marriage, but the way I did so. He was my father, and the apple never falls far from the tree. I’m sure back in his day he’d slain many a maiden with a skill and grace sung about on the lips of whores in taverns from Mewes Inlet to Bluth Bay. That’s what killed him inside. Not that I did it, but how I did it.

The queen, on the other hand, knew the thoughts running through both our heads because she smiled from ear to ear. There was a hint of sadness within that smile, but happiness reigned supreme upon her face. Even though her plaything was leaving her life for good, it meant she could now live an existence without secrets and sneaking through the halls in darkness like a fat man craving meat and mead on a full moon. Soon, age would conquer my father’s body, and she’d betrothed to my brother Killian as the new king. I wasn’t quite sure if he could take her to bed as well as I could, but his youth and strength would be welcomed traits above sleeping with my father. In the end, we both knew exactly what we were for one another. An escape from the mundane and a spot upon the sheets for a night’s worth of sweet dreams. At least that’s what I wanted her to believe she was. I don’t believe there was any way I could intentionally hurt her.

“Guards, seize Prince Wrath and escort him to the ship,” my father commanded with an obvious hint of hatred in his voice. I worried not since I’d earned every bit of it. Every handmaiden in the land could scrub S’Varick Wrath for a fortnight and not erase the artwork I’d painted across that woman’s body.

Appearing from the main hall, their iron boots skid across the moist stone floor of the castle court room. I was surrounded. None bothered to draw their weapon like they would for any lesser being in my situation, but they did take my sword from my belt for good measure. I may or may not have been ignorant enough to pull some final heroic effort to save my future from unknown torture. No one in attendance could be sure, not even myself, so it was the right move to make. No need to attempt spilling whatever colored blood ran through the veins of the High King on my way out the door. The abomination had none to begin with. Gods they were, indeed, with such cryptic nonsense bouncing about within the heads of their legion of worshippers.

“Well, father, it’s been fun,” I taunted as I neared the door. “I can’t say that I’m going to enjoy every second of the thoughts and actions fatefully torturing my soul from now until a potential eternity, but at least I won’t be slumbering beside my spawn’s toy, both past and present!

“Good riddance to you, Prince Connor,” the king spoke painfully through gritted teeth. “May your days be filled with torment and your path never lead home.”

That poetic bastard. If only I’d thought of something as creative as that on my way through the chamber rather than a stab of “Ha ha, I slept with your girl” proportions. I really needed to work on my retorts between futuristic sex sessions. Yes, that’s exactly how I plan to spend my spare time as the “HPIC” of creating some strange, new species. After cleaning up, I mean. Surely they’ll provide someone for such services, but I have my doubts. Damn, this has been a strange day the likes of which I pray to never repeat again.

Praying.

That’s a joke in itself. I guess I’ll never have to do any of that again. All I must do is yell down the hall of wherever they decide to chain me up and the gods will surely hear my pleas. The convenience of it all seemed more enjoyable than sitting lord’s day to lord’s day in a boring, dank chamber full of dying, coughing human shells who hoped beyond hope some imaginary hand would descend from the heavens and scoop them up into a more enjoyable eternity. Now, against my will, I was in their employ and easily outranked those sniveling church goers who fought through sleep and sodomy to appease the self-proclaimed holy men of Lynnwood. To them, I was now one of the gods.