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This copy of Monstres and Their Kynde has a modern binding and a hand tooled archaic title. The body text is hand-written, and quite neat -- at least at the front of the volume. With each page, the lettering becomes increasingly disorganized until it becomes unreadable near the end, degenerating into little more than illegible scribbling. It is obviously a hand-made transcription of the original made by an assiduous student. It includes several ink-flecked sketches, including one crude drawing depicting a sinuous alien reptile. The sketch is captioned, "The Old King". The connection of the sketches and the text is tenuous. There may have been illustrations in the original, but perhaps not the same. Scattered throught the text are several references to the rule of Dragon Kings in the prehistoric era of the English isle. It refers to a number of places, some mythic and others unclear, including "Llyndun" and "Durobryn". It is said that they ruled with immense cruelty, and fed upon the brains of their subjects, ripped from their bodies in monthly ceremonies. Eventually, the Dragon Kings grew tired, and increasingly retreated to underground and underwater haunts. From there they still rose from time to time. They also spoke from their oracles, found in clay fed from underground streams. Selected Passages "...the Romans told stories of the foul practices that came before. Great gifts would be cast into the river, the greatest fallen warriors, fine bronze shields and swords, and beautiful ladies and children were cast into the waters at the appointed times. They say the waters boiled foaming with red and became blood, thus showing that they had chosen well... "...as the legend went, the quarry stone was then cast in, the ropes dragged the virgin lady beneath the surface, carrying with her the jewels and sword they sacrificed. Beneath the waters her soul fed the Old King and the great white quarry stone rose like a dry bough on a gout of crimson water, reforming in the visage of the King saying that the soul was good and telling when next a sacrifice was needed. Her hair was later seen floating downstream, but it was attached only to the top of her skull..." "...Know then that their bodies are fire. Insubstantial fire burning in your dreams, striking in you three eyes of knowing -- knowing their hunger, knowing their need to rule, knowing their need of hunger to need their rule..." |