Not so much like a record after all, he decides, while lifting his fingers from the page. More like a circuit board, with his fingers acting as wires of transmission. Even now he can feel the energy tingling through his fingertips.

King Simon casts his gaze around his abandoned court, to the antlers that adorns these walls, and reflects upon the carnage that had ensued upon his deposal. And of course this was to be expected. This was the way of "revolutions" after all, such as they are falsely labelled. A real revolution continues to turn from the old, and as any Monarch worth his weight knows, what people think of as revolutions are in fact inversions.

The snake has climbed up the leg of the table and appears to be perusing the book, flicking across the pages with it's long thin tongue. Simon watches for a moment then reaches down and picks up the snake, turning its laconic muzzle towards his own. Sleepy yellow snake eyes regard his own with feigned disinterest as he speaks to the serpent.

"Where is my wife? Where is the Queen."

The snake considers for a moment, then speaks in a low sibilant tone. "She has been taken to the base of the Sky Mountain, where the Five Rivers meet."

Simon lowers the snake and lets it drop to the floor, where it slides over his boot and back down the stairs that lead up to this abandoned throne. The Five Rivers.

They have a long way further to go.

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This has been the Twenty Fourth Chapter of Act Two for my ongoing #freewrite serial story.

ACT TWO CHAPTERS

Chapter One *** Chapter Two *** Chapter Three

Chapter Four*** Chapter Five*** Chapter Six

Chapter Seven*** Chapter Eight*** Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten*** Chapter Eleven*** Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen*** Chapter Fourteen*** Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen*** Chapter Seventeen*** Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen*** Chapter Twenty*** Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty Two*** Chapter Twenty Three

And here is the ACT ONE Chapter List, with all of the links for Act One.

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Written in five minutes from the writing prompts, "Five" as part of the #freewrite exercise. Image is by me as well. You can view the prompt here. Be sure to check out the other freewrites, in fact the rules stipulate that you must read at least FIVE of them. Don't shoot the messenger, folks. Thanks to @mariannewest for creating and running this multiple of quintuple sixty second writing couplets.

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Writing and images by Greg McCann, the author of this post and owner of this Steemit Channel. To view more of my work, please visit www.fireawaymarmot.com.