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Tuesday, September 30

To Walk in Carcosa: Part 11 – Hastur’s Arrival

The next room was a ballroom, one wall of which was made of a succession of tall glass doors, all giving onto a long balcony.

A thousand screaming byakhee lifted into the air as one, a thick black plague. Everything slowed down and there was a feeling of pressure, of resistance, as though one was underwater. Something was forming out beyond the balcony, rising from the lake.

It loomed up over the Palace. Titanic, it blotted out the stars.

Lucius was right. Edwards’ plans were ill laid indeed.

Something undulated, rippled horribly just beneath a patch of what passed for the thing’s flesh. It moved in a rhythm, pulsing in concert with the blood in Kham’s temples. He concentrated on where it was squirming and knew that if he tore his eyes off it for a moment, he would have to stare into its bottomless pits. And he would be lost forever.

Then he felt a release. He became aware of other things. Screaming cultists fell slowly up past the window.

Hastur had taken notice of the cultists who had summoned him. Greeting them, he took them up and fed them to his eyes.

There was a wash of weariness and confusion. The byakhee were a black swarm.

“Run to the garden!” shouted Lucius to Yolanda. Then he was overcome as scores of byakhee fell upon him, rending him limb from limb.

Everything moved in slow motion; screaming, yelling, shouting, pointing, running. Yolanda, panic-stricken, hurried for one of the many doors of the room. [MORE]

Labels: arcanis

posted by talien at 6:34 AM

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