Lanternlight

By Goldie R.P. Boslem

Lanternlight is a novel that represents half of the first step in the series The Branches Progression. It takes place in the same city and coincides with events in Dark Shade of Gold. It follows several characters in the less-privileged world of Grandport's organised crime, delving into the gritty and intense lives of those who owe their existence to another. Tragedy and misfortune lead to revelation and risk for Radimus, whose extraordinary abilities begin to earn him respect and attention from the city, and a love interest, Rose, whose background is surrounded in the mysteries of the underworld. Larx, a gang leader finds out exactly what he will do for his drug, which could mean the murder of his own family. Nothing ends well.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Goldie R.P. Boslem
• Release date: Dec 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463768754

Goldie R.P. Boslem

Goldie R. P. Boslem is the pseudonym adopted by Will R. Boslem and Dan P. Goldie, two Scottish authors making their debut in the world of Fantasy-Fiction. The unreleased Mother Vixen is the humble first step into a world that will grow faster than readers can anticipate, through The Cycle of the Skulk series and beyond. Will and Dan bring different assets to the table as authors, having taken entirely different experiences from the world, to create their own. Dan has graduated from university and came out the other side with a degree in English and History, and has spent the last few years working with the public, enlightening him on countless different personalities and lives. Will spent a few years touring the country with his band, and now excels as a tattoo artist, enlightening him on countless personalities and lives in a completely different setting. Together they have a broad range of experience with people, environments, culture and the world. On top of that they are both avid readers, gamers and TV marathoner's, which helps in keeping their ideas unique and fresh. Since their school days, long before all of that began, they have been creating together. For almost a decade their world has been in the making, moulded and transformed, ideas batted back and forth every week, until the Kingdom Mother Vixen was finally born. The beginning, middle and end have been in the two authors' minds since the very first night the world was imagined, they knew the ending of the series before they even began to write. However the way that ending is reached has dramatically changed over the last decade, growing beyond anything they ever imagined on that first night, and continuing to grow every day. They both love creating their world, and are never happier than when they are writing, and hope the readers enjoy their tales as much as the authors did spinning them.

Book preview

The Branches Progression

Lanternlight

Goldie R.P. Boslem

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One - Restraint

Chapter Two - Lanternlight

Chapter Three - The Silence in Dark

Chapter Four - Rose

Regression One

Chapter Five - The Last of the 998

Chapter Six - Withdrawal

Chapter Seven - Strong

Chapter Eight - Foreigners

Chapter Nine - Five Once Nine

Regression Two

Chapter Ten - Blessed

Chapter Eleven - Cravings

Regression Three

Chapter Twelve - Stitches

Chapter Thirteen - The Colour of Roses

Epilogue

Prologue

Radimus turned and left the stage as the room fell into darkness, his black cloak fluttering around his body. The room was in disarray behind, yet he did not turn back, he was focused.

His heart beat hard. The most important night of his life was ahead of him, and he was ready.

Backstage, he threw open the door to the rear wing of the club and swept his way over the threshold. There he met a figure in a black cloak, face hidden, around his height and build. Good luck tonight, master Radimus, the hood spoke with a slight bow.

Thank you, was all he curtly replied. He was in a place for action, not for remembering folks' names. He felt the touch of a hand upon his shoulder as he passed his doppleganger, and responded with a hurried nod.

The man whose name he could not remember would eventually make his way to the second floor balcony, where people would see him sitting for the rest of the evening. Well, they would see Radimus.

He barely thought as he let his body carry him into action. He spotted Vincen slowly drifting down the staircase that led to the upper dressing rooms. He wanted badly to stop, to try and bring him round… But no, he would have to go without him.

The carriage was shadow upon the darkened cobbles behind the club. He did not want to be spotted and so no lights broke the darkness. The door was unlocked, as per request, meaning no attendant to turn the key, meaning one less man to pay to keep a secret.

The club stood on the edge of Portside, which meant a rumbling carriage ride through half the busy streets of Grandport to get to his destination. The others were waiting for him, no doubt in worry and anticipation of his arrival. Soon, soon my friends, We shall take what we need from these people and build ourselves an empire.

He clicked open the carriage door and, ignoring the step, jumped inside. The scent of flowers met his nostrils as he settled on the comfortable cushioned bench. The carriage must have been used as a cargo hauler as well as for transporting people.

As requested the carriage had no windows, and the only light that burned was the small red glow of a filtered lantern. He didn’t want to be seen around the city, lest he be discovered missing from Lanternlight. He was happy in the almost dark, it let him think, let him prepare.

The carriage pulled away as soon as he was seated, the wheels rumbling upon the cobbles. He sat in the dimness of his surroundings and thought about the night to come. The realisation struck him hard that he was about to do something impossible. Almost impossible. For him, impossible was a mark farther down the wall. For whatever reasons it just wasn't the same for Radimus.

He was confident, but in the pit of his stomach there was a knot big enough to tie down a ship. The Flames were going to steal from under the noses of one of the city’s most powerful families. Radimus took a deep breath, exhaling into the solitude. If he were caught he would no doubt be publicly executed, along with the rest of the Flames, that is, unless they just killed them on the spot.

The carriage slowed, almost to a stop. The streets must be busy with Midwinter revellers. His destination was in Portside, generally the 'Nameless'' side of Grandport, yet the affluent estate they were going to rob was about as Portside as it got in location.

The wheels began to move once more, this time the sound was different. He dismissed and pushed back every paranoid hypothetical eventuality that plagued his thoughts and took some more long breaths.

He thought of Rose and felt the sides of his mouth tug upwards in a warm smile. He thought about her waiting for him back at Lanternlight, her own smile as she thought about him. He wanted to feel her touch, feel her soft skin. She would be there. She would.

The others would be waiting for him, no doubt with an air of tension. They trusted him. And he was going to make sure they didn't regret it. He closed his eyes.

He would make them proud. He would make his brother proud. He had trained for this, and every other job that came before this was but play. He lost himself in the rhythm of the wheels beneath him.

Part of him felt regret that they would have to leave the city where he grew up, but a bigger part was finished with Grandport. He and Rose and the Flames would make a new life elsewhere. Where though? Somewhere far enough where nobody could find them, not the City Guard, nor the people that they had stolen from time and time again, that was a certainty.

He listened to the sound of his own breathing and patted his black cloak to double check he had everything he needed for the night. Everything was where it should be, he was on track. Yet something still felt wrong. Don't let nerves get the better of you Radimus. You can do this. Just be careful.

He was so caught up in his thoughts and worries that he barely noticed when the carriage slowed to a stop. Already?

He leaned forward and chapped on the smooth wall between the driver and himself. He used the voice of Radimus Aflame, his bravery multiplying as his tones called out. Is there a problem carriageman? Why have you stopped?

There was a long pause before a reply. We are here Radimus, the familiar voice announced, though not muffled through the wall, but in the carriage beside him.

His heart jumped a beat as the back of his neck went cold. The courage and might drained from him as a match lit a lantern and caught the features of the person he was sure was about to kill him.

Two Nights Earlier

Chapter One – Restraint

The crowds of the busy inner market parted as six of the Kells, crimson head-to-foot, marched through, each averting their gaze as instructed by their priests. Holy men and their holy book of lies. They can rot in the streets for all I care, the beggars. Bloodlust still ran in his system, though its effects were dampening severely.

Larx paid the streets' filthy population no mind as he stomped his way Harbourside. He was taking the Kells for another bloodfeast, another of their subordinate gangs.

They passed beneath one of Portside's many long street archways with nary a care for the darkness or who may be hiding in it. Obviously these were utilised by the criminals of the streets, but nobody would dare, DARE, attempt anything with the Kells. In a way they were above the law, in the most horrible way. They were ignored.

As they passed through the other side, Larx heard a voice, slightly quivering, just off to his left. L...lord Larx sir? the voice questioned. He heard Kromwell growling behind him, Sawy'r coming up beside to see who had spoken.

Would anyone else be wearing my skin tonight, worm? Do you expect that a sea spirit has taken my form? he denounced as he turned, reaching for his dagger. He didn't draw, that would immediately signal bloodfeast. No, he instead turned to find a figure stepping from slight shadow, his shadow, but nonetheless, shadow.

Larx thrived having the build of a Veerkun, imposing, dominating. He towered over most men and had the strength of two. Three, bloodlust implied.

Larx was not a lord, he had no Name to speak of, yet he was commonly addressed as lord, a fact he either hated, or hated slightly less, depending on mood. Before he had a chance to get truly enraged about this the man spoke again. He sounded terrified, but braved words nonetheless. Lord Terravardn sends a message sir, he requests your immediate presence in Terravardn manor.

The message carrier did indeed wear colours of house Terravardn, and looked no more than sixteen. It seemed that somebody had warned him of the dangers of interrupting the Kells when they were mid-rampage. He's heard already? Good sources of information that Lexandrik.

Lorduke Lexandrik Terravardn was one of the most powerful noblemen in Grandport. He made a somewhat honest living through trade, as far as Larx knew, but had a dark and deep hand in the underworld of the city. He knew this for certain because otherwise he would not be calling Larx to his manor. Especially during a feast that the most important family heads would be at.

***

Larx had strictly forbidden any of the Kells to draw steel at the feast. They weren't stupid, but it was always good to show that it was forbidden because he had said so. He spoke for Karmikell after all, and the Kells, all of them, even Larx, even Kromwell, were afraid to their core of Karmikell's wrath.

Even so, they were under his protection to a degree, and could have some fun. The journey to Terravardn manor had ebbed away some of their fury, which was good, it meant that he could at least keep them under control, but so too had the fire of bloodlust been smothered. It burned low, but it burned hot, and Larx was not looking forward to it not burning at all.

The guards at the doors to the manor had obviously been expecting six large figures to stalk out of the snow and blizzards, hence why they showed no resistance when the Kells crossed their threshold. It was not the first time they had come and they knew the way to the feasting hall.

The door to the hall slammed open under the bloodlust-infused muscles of Larx's armoured right arm and all eyes on the other side found them. Kromwell's purring always encouraged the Kells, but unnerved almost everyone else. The purr that Larx could hear from him as they made to cross to the other side of the room was not one of happiness, it was one of restraint.

They walked straight from the door, footsteps echoing, the occasional murmur or gasp escaping from the guests. Terravardn wants a show. He has all of his friends and rivals here. He wants to display that the most dangerous men in the Star are at his behest.

The long chamber was high-ceilinged and reeked of wealth and nobility. There were three tables set in a cornerless and three-sided rectangle, the gap allowing their direct path into the centre of the room. The Terravardns were one of the wealthiest families in Mother Vixen if the stories were true, and their lavishness reflected that they were.

A few times Larx heard noises of disdain and disgust from the guests, the Kells were covered in dried gore after all. He didn't care, his eyes were locked on Lexandrik Terravardn behind the biggest of the tables, the one that faced the door. If he wanted a show, he would fucking give them a show.

The crew stopped six feet from the table and no doubt each had a sneer. The Braxkin purred from behind his hood. Larx didn't bother to address anyone, he didn't even bother to clear his throat. His bloodlust was wearing off and he had no patience for fucking about.

We killed the Rams. They're all dead, Larx barked, drawing some reaction from a number of nobles. His words resounded around the large room, as did the quiet sounds of Kromwell's restraint from blood and passion and gold.

Terravardn would be furious. This would cost him dear, and not just in coin. But now that the Names of the city knew that he worked with murderous groups of elite deranged mercenaries, they would know what he was capable of. Clever bastard.

He awaited the anger, the shouts, maybe the call for guards? He wanted to be in the grips of bloodlust again and wished for carnage, wished for blood, wished for the day he could stop holding back. But it was not it be so.

Calm, collected, almost lazily commanding, Terravardn spoke. Larx...Take a knee, he commanded, his deep voice and deep eyes screaming authority. He knew he should have, he knew he had to, no matter how much he fucking hated it. He dropped to a knee and bowed his head slightly. There was no way he would get Kromwell to kneel, or Burns, or Cynthia, or any of the Kells, because it wasn't built into their broken and psychopathic minds to follow orders, none but Karmikell's.

But that's why Larx was the leader, he knew when to kneel, and he knew when to bark. That was why Karmikell chose him. Terravardn continued after Larx returned to his feet, the rest of the room in stone silence, the crackle of the hearth playing in concert with the howl of the blizzard outside.

Now, he began calmly, explain. He was sat back in his chair, hands clasped before him. His glass of deep red wine, untouched on the table, reminded Larx of one of the deepest shades of blood. Fresh and still in the body, the almost-black was when it was warmest. He longed for it.

He looked around, behind him Sawy'r caught his eye and narrowed his gaze. 'Fucking Named bastards,' his look said, Larx's return expression agreed. Like I said, Larx grunted, loud enough for each person in the room to hear, the Rams are all dead. He remembered slicing through flesh and the resistance that bone offered in his stabs and swings, he cherished it, he-

Repeating your statement is not an explanation, Terravardn interrupted. Why did they die? He sounded more blunt, more in charge at this question, he knew Larx was toying with him. The lord reached for his wine, taking a small sip and reclasping his hands once finished.

Larx could see the slightly dark tone that Terravardn's lips had taken from the wine and again the lust for the sensation of carmine in his mouth, against his lips, on his face, in his eyes, almost swallowed him. He narrowed his eyes at the lorduke. Karmikell ordered their...eradication, my lord, he responded with the ghost of a smile tugging his cheeks.

Terravardn offered silence. Silence and a black stare that made it clear that he was in no mood for Larx's attitude, but fuck him. Yet the silence continued. A few coughs and nonsense background noise making it all the more awkward. Reluctantly Larx spoke again.

They were discovered to be planning your death my lord. A sharp intake of breath, not from Lexandrik, not from any of his guests, but his daughter, his tiny something-teen year old. She was afraid, her pale jaw aquiver.

His attention was returned to the lord, who remained statuesque. He probably didn't even hear the gasp. Larx had been having short dampening surges of the chemix, heightening his sense of perception.

"My death?" It came out almost a whisper, Why would my own men want their employer dead? It was at that point that