Blue Words

Inscribed - Part II

There were many similarities in the armours, but no two were the same. All seemed to consist of similar symbols and patterns. None contained any pictures. To George's eyes they were beautiful to behold, and clearly not random. There were geometric patterns beautifully interlaced and built off one another. However, to Gudrik's eyes there was far more to behold. They were alive with meaning. He read words in the art, old words, ancient words. Words he was sure no one from this age could read. Words of the spirit tongue.

Spirit tongue was predominately an oral language. It was not easily written, which was probably the main factor in its disappearance. Despite sounding like short and sharp grunts, writing the words was extremely complex. Even the shortest of words, consisted of long strings of glyphs, runes and symbols. Altering the shape or pattern in which symbols were formed could even change their meaning and intention or infer a purpose.

Kahn had the most intricate designs and there were far more clusters inscribed on him than any of the others. They expanded from simple, spiral patterns on his chest and back into long twisting strings which entwined and crept down his extremities. When he moved the blue tentacles of text seemed to pulse with a life of their own.

Dorian's armour started like his father's, with spirals growing from the center of his chest and back. But they were far less crowded. Branching from both center spirals were four chains in a thicker curling script. Two snaked their way tightly down each arm while the other two slipped down into his jeans. Gudrik could see them emerge and creep out the cuffs onto the tops of his bare feet. Unlike Kahn's armour, Dorian's did not end at his wrists. Instead it swept on, tightly covering his hands, palms and fingers.

Paw's armour was much more heavily concentrated into thick weaves which ran down his back in uneven drips, as if it were a thick, viscous liquid poured over him. On his chest was only a small spiral covering his right pectoral muscle. Strings flailed wildly off it and stretched down his right arm and hand, branching in the way veins would beneath his skin.

Unlike the men, Teefa's armour was much finer with thin, delicate scripts which ran along her collar bones before plunging sharply between her perky, young breasts. There the two rune strings met a third which flowed between them. They ran parallel down the centre of her abdominal muscles, splitting only to snake around her naval and then flow at angles into her denim shorts. There the central line curled into a tight, complex spiral. Both of the outside chains reappeared running straight down the back of her legs, ending only when they licked at her heels. Two other fine spirals also hovered at the base of her spine, just showing above her waistband.

Malaki had no artwork on his back and chest other than a thin chain around his neck. His arms however were a different matter. They were all but completely covered from shoulder to wrist in ordered, clustered blue sleeves. The text flicked and lashed over the thick, sculpted curves of his muscles like tongues of flame.

Like Teefa, Neasa's armour was much more feminine. It started on top of her left shoulder with a small wheel of runes. From there four chains broke away, snaking in different paths across her back and wrapping around under her right breast. As they passed under Neasa's arm, one fine wisp of script crept a little higher, running up the soft curve and passing just under her nipple. The four chains then swept across her stomach and down the inside of her left hip bone where they disappeared into her skirt. Only one delicate chain emerged, trickling down the back of her leg before curling halfway down to the inside of her thigh. Two tight spirals also adorned her forearms; a single chain escaped each, the right running up to her shoulder, the left running down to her palm.

George noticed Gudrik's gaze drifting from one tattooed body to the next. She failed to realise that he was actually reading the armour. She noted that his look seemed to linger on Teefa and Neasa. Jealousy took her, though she could not really say why. "Boobies!" squeaked Tabitha, her eyes fluttering on mum's shoulder as she woke.