Tales of the Green, the Black Priest

By Robert Jones

Over 600 years have passed since the mysterious event known as the Green took over the continents, and reshaped the world. During this time, dense forests took over towns and cites, leaves the survivors cut off from each other, either because of the overgrown, torn up roads, or the aggressive, man-killing animals hiding in the dense, never-ending forests. Chaos ensued until the city of Marquette, located in what was once Michigan, became a safe haven with food, shelter, even power, and protected by the Riders, the warriors of the road. Their goal; to bring civilization back from the Green by clearing and keeping the roads safe, while finding other people other groups of people to connect with, and protecting Marquette and her colonies.

Jack, one of Marquette's best riders, is asked to move to the colony of Iron Wood to help establish a new Riders Lodge and become the head pathfinder there. Enlisting in the help of his fellow Riders, Doug, Kshea, and his beloved wife, Niki, Jack foresees a great future for the group… Meanwhile, a mysterious man dressed in black has appeared in the colony of Ontenogon. He speaks of a great land of milk and honey and possesses a powerful voice that can sway even the stubbornest of people. What the Riders don't know is that this man, though seemingly harmless, spells great danger, heartache, and bloodshed for Marquette and her colonies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: May 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781645365143

Robert Jones

Robert Jones was born in Gloucester in 1957 and read Philosophy and English at Cambridge. He is a director at Wolff Olins, one of the world's best brand consulting firms, and has worked as a consultant in corporate communications for 16 years, with companies such as Andersen Consulting, Cameron McKenna and the National Trust. He lectures at Oxford Business School on marketing.

Book preview

Epilogue

About The Author

Robert Jones was born in 1990 in Royal Oaks, Michigan. He is currently living in Le Ray, New York. Robert Jones was inspired to write by authors such as Stephen King and Neil Gaiman, enjoying their approach to the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genre. Robert is a fan of rock and roll music, and loves to travel.

Dedication

To my beloved wife—thanks for believing in me.

To Caitlyn Malone, for helping me with the creation of this story. I am forever grateful.

Copyright Information ©

Robert Jones (2020)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ordering Information:

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Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Jones, Robert

Tales of the Green, the Black Priest

ISBN 9781643787763 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781643787756 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781645365143 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020901805

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published (2020)

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 28th Floor

New York, NY 10005

USA

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Prologue

Father Kal Karn lead his way down the alley with twenty Dark Kin of wolf type. Following the scent, Kal and the warriors paved their way thru the village streets, weapons drawn, ready to kill, blending into the green. As a Priest of the Golden Lord, Kal had been sent to deal with hypocrites and unbelievers. Those who turned against the Golden Lord’s hand deserved no mercy.

Kal’s group soon came to a large house in the middle of the city. He heard a large number of voices in there. So did the Dark Kin. Unlike the Priest, these creatures, while loyal soldiers, had a much more uncontrollable urge to kill. However, as a Priest, Kal could controlled his urge to wait and listen in on a conversation. It wouldn’t be good to kill these humans if they were not the rebels. Not every large group of people were dissidents and unbelievers against the Golden Lord, as his master reminded him. Oh, but how he wished he could just take them now, instead of having to wait for their words to betray them, as he knew in his heart, they betrayed the Golden Lord.

Kal listened, the voices coming clear to him. He heard several familiar voices. Those he was tracking for quite a while. Being a master of disguise, Kal could slip in and out of large groups without being noticed. The only features you would notice that was strange were his dark eyes flecked with gold. The voices spoke loudly.

I’m telling you, John, said a man who Kal knew to be Peter, a direct assault on the castle achieves nothing. We be slaughtered by the hundreds. Those priests and the golden army would kill us before we even get to the wall. Our best chance is to hide into the Green and attack with guerilla assaults.

Going to the Green, snapped John, that is even more suicidal. The Warriors and Mutts would track us like animals, and we couldn’t stay ahead of them. Not to mention the horrors that live in the Green. You know the creatures and stories as well as I do. It would take a very brave or stupid man to survive them. A direct assault is our only hope of victory.

They would sense us coming, snapped a woman’s voice, "They’re like hounds. Hell, half their mutts are hounds. Once they have your scent, there is nothing you can do to escape."

Kal heard enough. He looked back at his Dark Kin, and said, Keep the ring leaders and any children you see alive. Kill the rest.

The wolf men drew weapons. Kal got ready to fight as well. He drew his sword, ready to kill those who dare attack the Golden Lord. His men ran to the house, and, with a small battering ram, slammed the door open. There were screams but it was too late as the Dark Kin charged in, slashing at the rebels with claws, teeth and knifes. Kal joined the fray, sword extended. He hit a man in the chest who was armed with a short sword. Before he could use it, Kal stabbed his throat, and tore out his jugular. Another human, a woman, jumped on Kal’s back, trying to stab him. In a second, with the strength of the gods, Kal grabbed the woman, swinging her off him and into the horns of a stag, head-mounted on a wall. It fell as soon as she was impaled by the antlers. Blood pooled around her. The Dark Kin were rounding up the remaining twenty humans or so, killing those who resisted. Kal saw a boy of about twelve, running outside so he pounced and grabbed him by the neck. He squirmed, trying to escape the priest’s grip. Using his knife, he slowly penetrated the boy’s spine, paralyzing him from the neck down. Screaming, Kal put him on the ground. He was young, and could yet be saved by the Golden Lord, who, if found favor, would restore his legs.

Kal turned and saw all but two human’s dead. They were being guarded by a couple of Dark Kin, while the rest began to drink the victim’s blood. Among the prisoners, was a male human, John, one of the ring leaders. The other was an attractive female girl who was obviously his daughter.

Kal grabbed the guard captain by the throat. His face was levied facing the wolf head with no fear even as the Dark Kin bared its teeth, the rage on his face was unpredictable.

I told your men to spare the ring leaders. There were five. I only see one and his daughter.

We couldn’t control ourselves master, said the guard, with an insane look in his eyes, we were hungry.

Kal grabbed his throat, and tore it out. The Dark Kin began to spasm to death.

I do not tolerate disobedience. Any of you wish to live, you will go outside with the prisoners.

The Dark Kin left with the man, woman, and child.

Back to the castle, he roared, as his men put the prisoners into the prison coach and headed back.

The White Castle stood at the top of a hill of the city of Etam, where the rulers of the world lived. The city stood within the green, fighting itself through the trees and grass that had overgrown the world. The royal guards of the Golden Army stood on the bridge of the city, made of an old tree branch. They were active sentinels that would die to protect the regent. As the party walked in, the gates opened into the court yard. A small path lead to the castle steps that the group went to. The guards let them in. They entered the throne room where the nobles of the city lived, alongside the supreme leader, Golden Lord, and his Queen. Very few commoners have ever had the honor to see the Golden Lord, and his horrible glory. Being mankind’s savior and true god sent by the higher beings to save man from extinction from the Green, he deserved absolute worship from all.

Kal put his prisoners in front of the throne and they knelt before the Golden Lord in his great hall. The Lord was covered by a Golden cloak and a thick hood. No portion of his body could be seen, save for his hands. His hands, they were cruel and seemed weathered, terrible to behold. Next to him, was the beautiful Dark Queen. She struck even the priest as the most beautiful in Etam. But she had a terrible anger just beneath her. On her side, was the Fire Priest, the most powerful member of the Church. He appeared as a skeleton entirely on fire. Even his robe smoked on him. He was known to burn away the flesh of those who didn’t believe. On the Golden Lord’s side was the Lord of Bones, the master of scarifies. It was his job to appease the gods. He was the judge and the jury. He also selected the sacrifice to keep the green away, though it was well known that he often raped the sacrifice beforehand. His head was the skull of a horse. The rest of his body was twisted and deformed, covered by a black cloak.

My lord, said Kal, bowing.

The Golden Lord stood and walked to Kal, putting his hands on his shoulders.

Rise my son, he said in a deep, booming voice, and join your brothers.

Kal walked over and joined the other priests.

The Golden Lord walked over to the man, who looked at the him in defiance.

John Pope, you are convicted of treason against me, your lord, protector. I ask nothing of you save for worship, and yet, you defied me. Do you have anything to contribute to your defense?

John spoke without fear. Only that I fight for the freedom of humanity!

Freedom? laughed the lord, Your kind destroys all you touch. That is why the Green came. That is why the gods in their mercy created me to rule you. Before me, you were all insects, eating without thanks, build with no consequences, killing for mere pleasure. Now you are saved.

You don’t rule the world, yelled John, Men have survived in the Green without you. There are entire cities outside this realm, where men and women live defiantly without your precise life commands. There are men who have never heard of the Golden Lord, and have never heard or made prayers to you!

Blasphemy! yelled Kal.

The Golden Lord placed his hand on the man’s cheek, and John cringed.

My lords, ladies and priest, said the Golden Lord, It is true, there are yet realms that we must conquer, and realms that not yet know of my benevolence or love. They don’t know that I stopped the Green. Soon, we will have to make our stand and show them the true way, how I and the high ones, have shown mercy and forgave mankind’s mistakes. But we must prune away the infected branches of our own congregation, and prepare for the Crusade to come. He looked down at John.

So I sentence you to death!

Suddenly the Golden Lord screamed as he reeled back, a knife in his heart, stumbling backwards several steps in pain. John got up and ran to him, another knife in his hand. But the Golden Lord grabbed John’s arm, breaking it while removing the knife.

John blanched as Kal looked pettily at him. This was going to get ugly.

Now you die, said the Golden Lord.

Lowering his hood, John eyes widened. A terrible evil thing looking at him. Something inhuman, still having the vestiges of humanoid-ness. It was a horror that broke John’s mind, and he was reduced to screaming like a scared child, his bowls letting loose, unable to control them as he gazed at the unhooded head. The Golden Lord’s jaw hinged; his mouth opening to an alarming size. With that, the monster bit on the man’s head, his mouth stretching like a snake. John’s screaming stopped and his body went limp as his head was separated from his body. He fell, dead. The Lord licked his lips, a look of excitement on his face that no true words could describe. He then turned to the woman. She sat there, frozen with fear, her own eyes unable to turn away from the horror before her. She screamed as the Golden Lord swallowed her father’s head. Even when he raised his hood, the image of what she saw would be forever burned into her mind. The terrible site would haunt her. She had feared the burning man. She had fear the Lord of Bones. She even feared the Queen’s dark beauty, but it was what that was under the hood, that broke the poor, pretty girl.

What do you think, my queen? said the Golden Lord, Good breeding stock?

The queen came down, and looked over the girl. She was only about twenty, and had flowing black hair, a shapely form, high breast, and seemed to be untouched. She was pretty, but not to the standers who threaten to out shine the Queen. She saw the poor girl would be broken, and that was enough.

Take her my Lord, do what you wish to her. She is your in any case. Take her as you wish.

Chapter 1

Through the Green

Three Months Later

1. The Pigs from Hell

Jack rode the motorcycle on the road that moved through the Green like a trail of a snake. Two others followed. parka were spotted in this area on the path heading for Iron Wood, the newest colony, and two hundred new colonists were supposed to be heading for the colony this evening. The riders had to remove the parka . This part of the Green was thick grass lands. The grass was so tall that the riders couldn’t see the sky; the grass was curving in and over the road like a canopy. The sun only came via patches through the grass. The tall grass made it difficult to find the parka , and that wasn’t fine with Jack. Those vicious pigs made life hell. Luckily, they were rare in these parts.

parka , he thought, why is it parka? Mammoths are big, but easy. You can move or scare them out of an area. But parka, fuck.

One of the Riders, a woman named Kshea, got off her bike to look at some scat on the ground. She was tall, thin, but tough. Her hair was covered in pink dye, and her body with tattoos of past duties. She was a master tracker and skilled hunter, and the one who was following the path these parka took.

They passed through, she yelled, I say two adults, a mating pair.

Fun, said Doug, a rider with long black spiky hair. He wore a leather jacket like that others, but his was covered in an armor he made himself, which was black and light. His pants were jet black as were his boots. His bike, a jet black longtail, refurbished.

So, we have a couple of literal fuckers, eh?

Jack looked over at his side cart. His dog, a large bear-dog named Brute, looked over. A look that said, Shit.

Jack smiled. His own leather jacket, bandana, with a blue and red yin-yang, blue jeans, and boots, shone confidents in the shadows of the grass and slivers of sunlight. It also helped him carry a twelve-gauge shot gun on his back and a pistol to handle the parka.

You will be fine Brute, said Jack, petting the huge dog, Do what you do best.

The dog, maybe by its master’s words or despite them, boned out of the side cart and heeled to Kshea, sniffing the ground and ready to track. Before starting, Kshea gave herself the sign of the cross, and kissing the crucifix on her neck, given to her by her priest in St. Michaels. Then she looked down and smiled at the large dog.

Do your thing boy, said Kshea. Brute almost instantly began sniffing, Kshea right behind him, following into the Green on foot. The grass was too thick for bikes. The dog’s loud sniffing was still audible in the think grass as he led Kshea into the Green, preparing to flush out their prey, or vice versa depending on how hungry the