Book Two of the Mythos Series
by John Heffernan
Prologue
The reign of Sheboss Barina was one of
the most splendid in CroNulla history.
But it ended in disaster. While the aristocrats
and courtiers, even some generals and
officers, lived securely behind the walls
of CBD, the soldiers who manned the border
posts and boundary forts struggled against
a rising tide of Oztrakii tribes. These
tribes were always waiting, testing the
strength and resolve of the CroNullas,
ready to pounce at the slightest sign
of weakness. So when the heart of the
empire turned soft and rotten, they did
just that.
Across the
land there was much destruction, much
pillaging and looting and letting of blood.
Ordinary folk scurried for cover like
frightened animals. The more well-to-do
tried to buy their safety. It made no
difference, though, for no one was safe
from the Oztrakii.
It was upon
the tiny city of CBD that the barbarians
vented their greatest fury. They burnt
and smashed and tore down everything.
The palaces and temples and great halls
were torched, the plazas and gardens and
fountains destroyed. The many statues
of the city were shattered, those of every
Sheboss, every great General and every
CroNulla god. It was said that they even
burnt the wonderful books of Yrec the
Yarncarrier, the heavy volumes in which
the myths and legends of Cronulla lore
had been faithfully recorded. In the end,
nothing remained but ruin and rubble,
ash and smoke.
And yet, even
within such despair lay the tiniest seeds
of hope.
