The Godless Land

"The land of Molkoro once had a god, a mighty panther god," the sailor said. "At the time the ettins arrived from beyond the sea in their black-sailed ships, the people of the jungle worshiped the great Jhub-El. He was a mighty god, but he had one weakness: trust."

Pietro, a young man, has never killed: something rare for the corrupt city of Peregoth and totally alien to the tropics of Molkoro, where circumstances will soon take him. In the sweltering jungle, his purity has become a commodity to the ettin invaders and their lord, the dark Vexor.

But how long can his innocence last in a godless land?

A short story of approximately 3,500 words.

©2011 Andrew James Cooper (P)2013 Realms of Varda