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The two huge Dacians spirited me away through an underground labyrinth. Apparently, some young 'worthy' up in the gallery saw something in me...some spark, or ability, or maybe it was just lust. But I was taken to a subterranean 'school' rather like the one in Spartacus, only geared toward the creation and training of vampire body guards.
I was given over to one known as Charon, named for the ferryman charged with taking souls from this world to the next. And the school itself was called Hades...the underworld... a benign 'hell' peopled by the dead.
We toiled in eternal shadow, broken by weak illumination provided by a multitude of small, brass, oil lamps placed in niches scattered about the grotto-like enclosures. First came physical training. No fat vampires here. They drilled us for hours... calisthenics followed by various athletic competitions, such as wrestling or swimming....(in a long forgotten, though still functional pool surviving from the earliest days of The Republic.) I suppose the water was clean enough. Yet what did that matter? For soon we'd be vampires and beyond all earthly contagion.
And we were fed like princelings..... costly eels.... plump, fresh hares... peacocks and peahens... haunch of unicorn and savory pies made from the juiciest of phoenix breast. There were cheeses made from gryphon's milk and good, brown bread baked with exotic Scythian grains. some said they slipped in human tissue from time to time, to stimulate cravings for 'dinners' yet to come.
I fell in with two others, a Dalmatian (human, not canine) from across the Adriatic and a kidnapped Ethiopian sailor, who'd been to Serendip. We formed a 'pack' and for centuries after I did keep in touch with the sailor who rose quite high in service to The Purple Throne (rulers of Byzantium). But the Dalmatian was abducted by a band of Abenaki. And already immortal when it happened. They took him to the stars. I suppose he's out there still.
Now, had I been left unmolested in my Celt-Iberian homeland, what would I have seen?.... Some feasts?... A wife?.... Some children?... Oh, the scenery would have been nice, but for how long... thirty five years... maybe forty? Death comes soon enough. But now I am vampirici and (hopefully) immune to that. And although I speak to you from the second century, A.D., as some call it, a certain prophetess found in a little temple hard by The Forum tells me my 'life' will be long and I too will meet the Abenaki, though in a ship of Earthly devise.
I must leave you now, but only til Fair Luna sails again. Permit me to float amongst my dreams. I will be back...
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for more, click ~>A MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR ... or join me on TWITTER at @wilkravitz ... please leave a COMMENT.
I was given over to one known as Charon, named for the ferryman charged with taking souls from this world to the next. And the school itself was called Hades...the underworld... a benign 'hell' peopled by the dead.
We toiled in eternal shadow, broken by weak illumination provided by a multitude of small, brass, oil lamps placed in niches scattered about the grotto-like enclosures. First came physical training. No fat vampires here. They drilled us for hours... calisthenics followed by various athletic competitions, such as wrestling or swimming....(in a long forgotten, though still functional pool surviving from the earliest days of The Republic.) I suppose the water was clean enough. Yet what did that matter? For soon we'd be vampires and beyond all earthly contagion.
And we were fed like princelings..... costly eels.... plump, fresh hares... peacocks and peahens... haunch of unicorn and savory pies made from the juiciest of phoenix breast. There were cheeses made from gryphon's milk and good, brown bread baked with exotic Scythian grains. some said they slipped in human tissue from time to time, to stimulate cravings for 'dinners' yet to come.
I fell in with two others, a Dalmatian (human, not canine) from across the Adriatic and a kidnapped Ethiopian sailor, who'd been to Serendip. We formed a 'pack' and for centuries after I did keep in touch with the sailor who rose quite high in service to The Purple Throne (rulers of Byzantium). But the Dalmatian was abducted by a band of Abenaki. And already immortal when it happened. They took him to the stars. I suppose he's out there still.
Now, had I been left unmolested in my Celt-Iberian homeland, what would I have seen?.... Some feasts?... A wife?.... Some children?... Oh, the scenery would have been nice, but for how long... thirty five years... maybe forty? Death comes soon enough. But now I am vampirici and (hopefully) immune to that. And although I speak to you from the second century, A.D., as some call it, a certain prophetess found in a little temple hard by The Forum tells me my 'life' will be long and I too will meet the Abenaki, though in a ship of Earthly devise.
I must leave you now, but only til Fair Luna sails again. Permit me to float amongst my dreams. I will be back...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
for more, click ~>A MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR ... or join me on TWITTER at @wilkravitz ... please leave a COMMENT.
