Subgenre: Sword and Sorcery
About The Valley of the Man Vultures:
On his way to Krysh, a city of fabled riches, the sellsword Thurvok must first pass through the Valley of the Accursed Blood.
Traditionally, those travelling to Krysh make offerings at the temple at the entrance of the valley in exchange for protection on their journey. But Thurvok scoffs at such superstition and decides to continue his journey without any divine protection. His refusal to make an offering infuriates the temple priest Alberon who promptly curses Thurvok.
Thurvok is not much bothered by this – he does not believe in curses. However, the valley holds dangers that don't particularly care whether Thurvok believes in them or not.
This is a short story of 4400 words or 15 print pages in the Thurvok sword and sorcery series, but may be read as a standalone. Includes an introduction and afterword.
Traditionally, those travelling to Krysh make offerings at the temple at the entrance of the valley in exchange for protection on their journey. But Thurvok scoffs at such superstition and decides to continue his journey without any divine protection. His refusal to make an offering infuriates the temple priest Alberon who promptly curses Thurvok.
Thurvok is not much bothered by this – he does not believe in curses. However, the valley holds dangers that don't particularly care whether Thurvok believes in them or not.
This is a short story of 4400 words or 15 print pages in the Thurvok sword and sorcery series, but may be read as a standalone. Includes an introduction and afterword.
Excerpt:
The Great Western Desert was an endless expanse of sand and death,
parched land and bleached bones. Many a traveller had succumbed to its
many dangers and their bones littered the caravan trails. But no matter
how many bleached skulls lay scattered by the roadside as a silent
warning, there were always more travellers willing to brave the dangers
of the desert. For somewhere beyond the Great Western Desert lay the
city of Krysh, with streets of gold and spires of silver and walls
studded with diamonds and riches beyond imagination.
One of the many brave and foolhardy travellers who attempted to cross
the Great Western Desert was Thurvok, the sellsword. He was a large
man, a mountain of muscles and sinews. His hair was dark and his skin
the colour of bronze, like the parched steppes of the East whence he had
come, in search of riches and adventure. Thurvok was a fearsome fighter
and dangerous scoundrel, wanted for various crimes in no less than
seven cities of the realm. Like so many before him, he was headed for
Krysh and its fabled riches. For in a city of such wealth, there was
always work for a sellsword and always opportunity for plunder. And
Thurvok was determined to avail himself of both.
So far, Thurvok had made good progress through the desert. He
travelled with a caravan of merchants bound for Krysh, providing the
protection of his sword and his muscles in exchange for food and water
and wine and a gold coin or five. Though so far, the journey though the
desert had been mostly uneventful. Only once did some bandits attack the
caravan. Their carcasses were now rotting by the roadside, soon to be
yet another pile of bleached bones.
And now Krysh was but a day’s journey away. Just one more day and Thurvok would enjoy women, wine and wealth beyond imagination.
But before they reached Krysh, Thurvok and his fellow travellers
first had to pass through the Valley of the Accursed Blood, a narrow
canyon bordered by towering mesas on either side. This valley was
considered the deadliest part of the Great Western Desert, rumoured to
house dangers few men had lived to tell about.
At least that was what the merchant Mikeliz, one of Thurvok’s
travelling companions had said by the friendly flicker of a campfire
last night.
“But how can you possibly know about those dangers…” Thurvok had pointed out, “…when no men ever lived to tell about them?”
“Not no men, only few men,” Mikeliz continued, “And anyway, everybody
knows about the dangers that await unwary or reckless travellers in the
Valley of the Accursed Blood…”
“Even though few men lived to tell about them.”
“Dangers beyond imagination,” Mikeliz continued, clearly irritated.
Thurvok just shrugged. “If you say so. But my imagination is pretty vivid.”
Personally, he wasn’t convinced that whatever awaited them in the
Valley of the Accursed Blood was worse than the rest of the trek through
the desert so far. Besides, Mikeliz was afraid of his own shadow. As
far as the merchant was concerned, even a hungry rat or an amorous skunk
would count as a danger beyond imagination.
For the past two days, Thurvok had seen the mighty mesas looming on
the horizon, marking the road ahead. The mesas were named Varosh and
Veresh after the twin patron gods of Krysh. Varosh and Veresh, it was
said, guarded the path to Krysh and woe betide the traveller who failed
to make the appropriate sacrifices or tried to pass through the valley
with evil in his heart.
At any rate, that’s what Mikeliz had said. But then, Mikeliz said a lot of things when he’d had a cup of wine or five.
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About Richard Blakemore:
Richard Blakemore (1900 – 1994) was a prolific writer of pulp
fiction. Nowadays, he is best remembered for creating the Silencer, a masked
vigilante in the vein of the Shadow or the Spider, during the hero pulp boom of
the 1930s. But Richard Blakemore also wrote in many other genres, including an
early sword and sorcery series about the adventures of a sellsword named
Thurvok and his companions.
Richard Blakemore's private life was almost as exciting as his fiction.
He was a veteran of World War I and II as well as a skilled sportsman and
adventurer who travelled the world during the 1920s. He may also have been the
person behind the mask of the real life Silencer who prowled New York City
between 1933 and 1942, fighting crime, protecting the innocent and punishing
the guilty, though nothing has ever been proven.
Richard Blakemore was married for more than fifty years to Constance
Allen Blakemore and the couple had four children.
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About Cora Buhlert:
Cora Buhlert was
born and bred in North Germany, where she still lives today – after time
spent in London, Singapore, Rotterdam and Mississippi. Cora holds an MA
degree in English from the University of Bremen and is currently
working towards her PhD.
Cora has been writing, since she was a teenager, and has published stories, articles and poetry in various international magazines. She is the author of the Silencer series of pulp style thrillers, the Shattered Empire space opera series, the In Love and War science fiction romance series, the Helen Shepherd Mysteries and plenty of standalone stories in multiple genres.
When Cora is not writing, she works as a translator and teacher. She also runs the Speculative Fiction Showcase and the Indie Crime Scene and contributes to the Hugo-nominated fanzine Galactic Journey.
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