New Story Reveal!

Here is the promised reveal of my next serial blog-story! To start with, I guess I'd better announce the title:

Swords, Sails + Scoundrels

I wanted something slightly shorter than 'If Adventure Comes Your Way' because that can be a bit of a mouthful to say sometimes, but I wanted it to be cool. And it also needed to reflect the story somehow.

As you can gather from the title, there will hopefully be quite a bit of sailing/ships in this story, as well as weapons - mostly of the sword-ly kind. I'm quite looking forward to starting so you can all find out about my brilliant plans.

Now, I have a couple new characters, and I spent ages thinking up random character profiles/blurbs that didn't give away everything that might happen but were still interesting, so I hope they'll give you a quick glimpse at what these people are like.


Louise De Corlette: 
(Yeah, I know, I know, the new ones'll come soon)

Using the cover name Conwell, she is eager to see more of the world. One time, Louise would have been daunted at such a prospect, but she is no longer the same girl that sat in the parlour with Governess Kathryn.

Now a tried adventurer, Louise finds that she has yet a very narrow field of experience. Changing status from a lady, she tries her hand at many trades; traveller, gypsy, even pirate. But her journey to Eirerandil isn’t just for fun…

Eumin Quest:

Leonora’s oftentimes companion on her Outrider missions. He's quiet and strong, the perfect kind to fight alongside Leonora’s daring courage.








Leonora Maysdaughter:

Lieutenant of the Royal Outriders and younger sister of Eumin Quest, Leonora has become well known for her adventurous ability and fencing skills

(Here come the new characters!)

Marius De Corlette:

The second of Louise’s older brothers, Marius is just twenty years of age. He and Louise were the closest of the De Corlette siblings, despite being almost complete opposites. Having left Feâ Sirih a little over three years ago to earn renown, he fell into deep trouble upon reaching the fair country of Eirerandil.

His family have heard nothing of him since the day he left.

Captain Wielder:

Infamous pirate of the Notrias Sea. Rapscallion, rebel and rascal supreme.

Although he goes by the term pirate, Captain Wielder has nothing alike with others of that kind. Since his boyhood he made adventures for himself, planning great feats and fame on the high seas. These dreams never died, and he now lives them in reality, sailing the seas in search of adventure. 

Captain Wielder is an expert swordsman, known for capturing soldiers to fight them and beat them with his gentleman-like manner – just to show off his swordsmanship skills. After which he unfailingly releases them so they can go tell the whole country about him.

Earning his widespread fame in this manner, he ceased searching for adventure, discovering that it found him plentifully without any help. Being such a renowned swordsman, the ultimate challenge for would-be soldiers is to fight and beat him. Many have tried. None have succeeded.

With gentlemanly courtesy for the ladyfolk and willing respect only for those who earn it, he sails his beloved Rift across the sea, meeting ever more famous swordsmen to fight. And beat. And release. And make his reputation grow ever more.

Gypsy Boy:

At the age of sixteen, he lived his whole life travelling the country with his parents and the band of gypsies. Unfortunate, and unexpected circumstances (a.k.a. Captain Wielder) drag him from his mother’s overindulging grasp, and send him reeling onto the wild seas.

He has the typical brown hair and olive skin of his race, but his eyes are dark blue, given by a distant Eirerandil ancestor.

A quick glance shows a sullen, quiet yet arrogant bearing and a remarkable ability to annoy people without speaking a word. But inside he really wants to be wanted by someone, to be needed somehow – he realises that no one actually likes him, they just fake it. Although some don't bother to even do that.

Though he is a fast thinker and good at quickly assessing situations, he doesn’t often share it, keeping his thoughts and feelings to himself.

---

I really can't decide if I like Captain Wielder or Gypsy Boy the most...I have such plans for them both. 
So, how to they all sound? Interesting?

And here's a random synopsis I wrote up:

“Eirerandil, a once-bright land, is marred by the presence of a terrible evil. A serial killer stalks the land, and only one person has a chance to stop him.

Louise ‘Conwell’ is excited about widening her experiences, but when she reaches her destination she realises that it’s worse than she imagined. Courageously starting off things begin to go awry from the very first. When Louise is captured by the infamous pirate Captain Wielder she discovers that allies can be found in the strangest of characters.

But with wild storms at sea, shiploads of pirates, and an elusive goal, can Louise and her friends possibly stop the killer before her long-lost brother is lost forever?”

Sadly I can't share the cover picture yet, because my artist is yet to finish, but I can say that, last I saw, it looks pretty cool.

And equally sadly, I won't be starting SS+S next week. I'll be away at my crazy cousin's farm! (Disclaimer: I never said she was crazier than me. I've been told she had her serious moments.)(besides, she goes to school. Pfft, overrated thing as it is, you've got to be at least half sensible to go there and live.) I'll be getting back next Friday and doing a post about my Camp NaNo novel, so things won't be completely silent.  (Also, since I'm leaving early Sunday morning I will check for comments Saturday night, but after that they will unfortunately remain unpublished until I return on Friday. But please comment anyway, it'll give me a nice welcome home!)

My plan is to start the week after though, so unless something bad blows up (or the cover picture still needs more time)(I think my artist is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to her drawings), you can expect the adventure to begin then. 

If you were wondering what happened to Maree and Jack, don't worry, they actually did live happily ever after (for a while). All the Freespirits are alive and they went to live with Jack's family in the forest. But they yet wait for news of Louise's return.

Oh, I almost forgot, I drew (you are about to witness the most artistic I ever get. Except for when making pizza) a map -

And then Clare, dear sister that she is, made it epic -

It looks so amazing! I'm just annoyed at myself for smearing the 'd' of Pyre-ite Island and the 'n' of Raeyn...(Raeyn is the town right down the bottom of the coast of Eirerandil, if you couldn't tell)
I reckon the sea looks pretty cool, with all the currents and the swirling vortex around the compass (I was rather happy with how the compass turned out, I usually draw them in a slightly different style but I actually like this one heaps). The land's great too...so's the whole thing really. Thank you terribly much, Clare. :D

I believe that's all for now. Phew, I wasn't planning on this being such a long post! I hope you're as excited as I am for the first segment! *does a happy dance*

Dúinn aller!

If Adventure Comes Your Way - Fragment Twenty-Four

April fool's day...interesting day really. I completely forgot until today that I managed to play a prank on google a while back so it seems to think that it's my birthday today. Weird. It isn't.
But in addition to April fool's day it is also the first day of Camp NaNoWriMo. Aghhh! I don't know what I am doinggg! (For those of you who don't know, camp NaNo is where you set yourself a word count goal and MUST REACH IT OR DIE. Or maybe not. That's just how I feel when I have absolutely no clue what in the world I'm doing.)

When I finished Dusty Red I was really surprised to look back and see how much I'd improved since the beginning, and how massively the story changed from my original plan. And it's been no different with If Adventure Comes Your Way. I've purposely avoided the massive world travelling stuff I crazily did with Dusty Red, but it still changed a fair bit. So did the characters and how I imagined them. 

But anyway, to the point. Option three got voted in. Somehow I feel like option three in particular got a lot of votes, but I'm probably just imagining stuff...Second thoughts, after looking through them all, option 3 got voted in fourteen times. Option 2 got twice. Option 1 got six. Aaand option 5 got once (that was for Fragment 20 when all of you thought up the options). So apparently three is a favourite!

I'm really looking forward to your comments today. :D

Loud shouts started up on the walls again and I turned in spite of myself. My eyes widened at what I saw.

A solitary figure was charging the remaining soldiers, holding a long staff out before him. Before they could dodge, the wooden pole smashed into them, turning into a wheeling blur. In another moment a second fighter sprang from the shadows, her long sword catching the light.

The soldiers gathered around the three Freespirits turned uncertainly, not seeming sure which to deal with first. Maree jumped forward, grabbing the sword from a surprised man’s hand, proceeding to bash the nearest soldier.

“Ellie!” I yelled, running to her as Dael joined his older sister. Sweeping her up, I dodged through the melee, sprinting to the stables. “Hide there,” I said, putting her down by the door.

Her eyes were wide and frightened, staring at me with fear. “What ‘bout Maree?” she gulped tremulously.

“Don’t worry about her. I’ve got t’ get the portcullis up so help can come,” I replied, gently untangling her fingers from mine.

“How d’ye know?”

I glanced over my shoulder as a boy jumped down off the wall, stumbling slightly as he landed. “Jack’s back,” I answered.

Soldiers were scattered around the courtyard, a bunch in chaotic battle with Maree and Dael, still more running for the walls to aid their falling comrades. Two were running for Jack.

I ran toward the gate where Jack stood oblivious to his danger, pushing my legs as hard as I could to try and beat the soldiers. I slowly fell behind despite my efforts and I yelled as loud as I could to attract Jack’s attention.

My voice was lost in the riot of noise.

The leading soldier staggered and went down with a crossbow bolt in his chest, but the other barely hesitated. I tripped over something, sprawling neatly on the hard ground. I scrambled up, seeing myself almost beside the dead soldier. His lifeless hand clutched a bow, a quiver of arrows strung over his back.

Pressing my lips together I tugged the bow from him, dragging an arrow from the quiver. The soldier was almost upon Jack and I struggled to fit the arrow to the string. The tight string pulled against me as I strained to draw it back, aiming the bow in the general direction of the gate. Know it was impossible, I gritted my teeth, wrestling with the bow string.

My arms and back revolted, fingers slipping from the string. With a thrum the arrow sprang from the bow, flashing toward the portcullis of its own accord. The soldier yelled as it sprouted from the back of his leg, and he fell forwards onto Jack.

With a startled shout, Jack went down under the sudden weight.

I dashed forward, dropping the bow in my haste. “Jack!” I cried, seizing his groping hand, and hauling him up.

He gasped, scrambling away from the moaning soldier. “How close was he?” he managed.

“Too close,” I replied, panting from my effort.

“I didn’t know you could shoot a bow,” he said, looking at me in surprise.

“I can’t.” Turning to the portcullis I examined its workings. “I think we’ve got to go into that room there and turn some…thing,” I said, hastening to a half open door.

Something heavy hit my side like a whirlwind and I fell, crashing against the wall. “Henry isn’t going to let the Louise escape,” he hissed. “Henry has been watching, waiting for the Louise to come in. Henry knew it would.” The slimy fingers twisted around a heavy plank of wood. I scrambled back from him but he grinned evilly, raising the plank high above his head.

Then tumbled over sideways, collapsing limply on the floor.

Jack dropped the staff and held out a hand to help me up, staring at me curiously. “I’m not going to ask just now,” he said, “But sometime I’d love to hear the story.”

He turned to the large mechanism, scratching his head. “So, what do we do with this?”

I wrapped my fingers around the winch handle. “We turn,” I replied.

Throwing ourselves into the struggle, we forced it around in a slow circle, grunting with the effort. The only thing that kept me going was the knowledge that help was outside, and it would all be fine if they could only get in.

Sounds of battle from outside continued, gradually getting nearer. I heaved on the winch with all my strength, wishing it would turn faster. Seconds seemed like hours as the portcullis slowly inched upwards. “How…will we…know…when it’s...up high…enough?” Jack gasped.

“You’ll hear ‘em,” I returned shortly, through clenched teeth. “They’ll go through…soon as they can.”

Another turn; and then another. My arms ached, stars flecked my vision. Jack panted beside me, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.

A rousing shout echoed outside the walls and the thunder of horses charged past. I slumped down, relieved. “We did it,” I wheezed.

Jack flopped on the floor breathing heavily. Henry groaned close beside him and Jack gabbed up his staff again and thumped it down on the man’s head. “Just stay there,” he muttered, dragging himself to his feet.

I opened the door again, looking out cautiously. Hacaz’s soldiers were outnumbered, but that didn’t stop them from fighting. A few dropped their swords and fled at the first sight of the king’s banner, but most stood firm. A thrill swept through me at the sight of the ordered battalion of king’s men charging the soldiers.

Eumin and Leonora clattered down the stairs from the walls, sword and staff ready for a fight. Leonora grinned. “Good job you two,” she said. “Things were getting tight up there. When we came her looking for la…er, doing our mission…we weren’t exactly expecting to be part of a castle siege.”

A sudden thought flashed upon me. “What about Hacaz?” I blurted. “Has anyone seen him?”

Leonora and Eumin exchanged a glance. “I haven’t,” Eumin shrugged. “There wasn’t anyone of particular rank up on the walls, and, judging by the chaos down below, it was the same there.”

“That means he’s probably escaping through some secret way,” I looked around, alarmed. “We’ve got to stop him!”

Eumin jogged out, calling a few soldiers. In a moment he and half a dozen others stood before me. “Care to show us the way?” he asked.

I gulped. “O-okay.” I ran off toward the door I’d come through, jerking it open and tearing across to the next door. Vaguely heading in no particular direction, I randomly opened doors, following staircases up and down, desperately hoping that maybe Hacaz would be behind one of the doors.

When I was almost giving up, and almost certain I was going in circles, I emerged from a long stairway and burst through another door. A large hand clamped over my mouth, dragging me further into the room.

Eumin followed me into the room, stopping short in shock. All the other soldiers entered, along with Jack and Leonora.

The razor edge of a blade pressed against my throat.

“If any of you move a step closer, this whelp gets her throat slit,” Hacaz growled in a sneering voice.

I looked at Eumin’s hard face, trying to get him to understand that Hacaz mustn’t escape. He took a half step forward, and the knife move across my skin opening a shallow cut. I closed my eyes, trying to stop shaking in terror. In a moment it would all be over. Very soon now.

“Let her go,” Eumin commanded. “What have you against her?”

Hacaz laughed scornfully. “What haven’t I?” he returned.

I opened my eyes again, finding Eumin standing uncertainly. “Are you such a coward that you would kill a girl?” he spat.

Hacaz stiffened.

“Aye, he ees ectually.” Feet thumped of the floor as Maree vaulted through the window and strode across to Hacaz. She casually plucked the dagger from his grasp, stepping back again before anyone fully comprehended that she was in the room. “I’ll teke that for ye; wouldna want ye hurtin’ yerself.”

The soldiers jumped into action, leaping on Hacaz. I dropped to the ground, scrambling away. Maree pulled me up, draping an arm around my shoulders.

In moments it was over. The soldiers disarmed Hacaz, two brawny men holding his arms behind his back. He snarled around the room, saving his worst death glares for Maree and me.

Refusing to quail under his hatred, Maree slipped from my side, picking up a dark bundle from the table. “I’ll teke that too,” she said, pulling her jacket on. She looked down at herself, brushing some dried mud from the sleeve. “Thet’s better,” she sighed happily, her lopsided grin filling the room.

I couldn’t help but smile back.

Hacaz spat on the floor. “You will pay for this Freespirit,” he swore. “And you,” he turned to me, “One day you will regret that you ever knew me.”

“Oh trust me, I already do,” I replied, raising my eyebrows.

“Well, what’re we waitin’ fer? Dúinn aller!” Maree marched proudly from the room, her jacket shedding crusts of mud profusely.


Out in the courtyard the fight was well and truly over. Hacaz was swept off to some prison that probably suited him perfectly, disappearing under the portcullis with a rather large escort. I never laid eyes on him again.

Pretty soon we were surrounded with king’s soldiers, all cheering and congratulating us and themselves. Broad grins on every face. They parted suddenly, allowing room for an important looking man to approach.

“That’s Sir Gawen,” Jack whispered in my ear. “He’s the commander of the king’s army. Pretty important guy, but rather nice.”

He halted in front of us. “My great thanks to you all for your aid. Hacaz has been stirring up trouble in the realm for years now, the king will be very pleased to offer you all a reward.” His eyes settled on me. “I have heard much of your exploits from Jack Danson,” he said. “It quite amazes me that one so young as you could do such things. You have done the De Corlette name proud.”

I curtseyed automatically. “Thank you, Sir Gawen,” I replied meekly.

A groan came from behind and Eumin and Leonora stepped forward, ignoring the confused look from the commander. “Oh please,” Leonora groaned. “Please tell me I just heard wrong. Did he just call you De Corlette?”

“Er…yes,” I said, frowning in bewilderment.

“Drat,” Leonora exclaimed, slapping her leg with a hand.

“You’re Lady Louise De Corlette?” Eumin asked.

“That’s me,” I nodded uncertainly.

Leonora grabbed my shoulders. “Honestly, why didn’t you tell us before?” she almost shouted. “We’ve been looking for you for years!”

***

*Dramatic music begins*

And there we leave them to live happily ever after.

***

But not for long! Because, as you probably already know, there will be a sequel! Next week I will be taking a break from writing and will do a post with the title and a few other stuffsies: you'll get to meet some new characters…And the new cover picture has not yet been completed, so that may delay things a little. (Note to my artist: don't die of terror. I'll give you alll the time you need.)

So, that was a little bit of a surprise. It just went and ended! Not much warning, just suddenly boom. The end. On the bright side, we're not just leaving them there forever.

Sorry about the slight cliffhanger ending. I just couldn't resist.

If there’s any details you’d like to know about the ending of this story, just ask me in the comments, and I’ll give you a little more detail than ‘happily ever after.’ (Sorry, but I'm not telling you much about Leonora and Eumin's mission [I might drop hints if anyone asks]. Seriously, that's the whole plot of the sequel! I may tell you next week though...)

Thank you guys for all your faithful reading and commenting. I know that sometimes you're busy, and it's hard to find time for reading my crazy stories, but it's really encouraging for me. I mean, can you imagine how this would work if no one commented at all?
I really can't say how much I appreciate you all. *Thumps you on the back several times hard* So, yeah...thanks.

Dúinn aller!

If Adventure Comes Your Way - Fragment Twenty-Three

Happy Good Friday everyone! Hope you have a great day, and remember to take the time to remember just how amazing our God is.

So, ready to read about slimy stuff? Yeah, option three was the favourite for most, and personally I didn't think it was too bad myself.

Things are getting darker nowadays. I was looking at my pintrest inspiration board earlier and I noticed how at the beginning it was all pictures of happy days and manors and characters, but it slowly changed to wolves, dark alleyways and gloomy fortresses. But not all is depressing! After all there are nice family reunions and the such. Although that all got left behind when half of you voted for option three...but no matter, it shall be cheerful again soon-ish. 
After all, we are nearing the happily ever after...

Something slimy grabbed my dangling legs, and before I could shout in terror, I was jerked down into the tunnel again.

I opened my mouth to scream but a wet something clamped over my mouth. Struggling to breathe, I jerked away but the thing began dragging me backwards along the tunnel. I kicked my feet, and writhed to escape but it was no use, nothing stopped the steady backward drag.

Finally it stopped and I lurched to the side, scrambling away from my kidnapper. In the darkness I only barely made out the figure of the man, and yet it barely looked humanlike. Long, thin fingers twitched as he squatted in the center of the tunnel, blocking the way back. Dark patches of oozing slime dripped from his shoulders and chest, and the faint light showed wild dark eyes set in a narrow, sunken face.

“W—who are you?” I managed, moving backwards further.

The creature coughed, shifting slightly. “Henry…” his head tipped to one side. ‘Henry was Henry’s name.”

I swallowed at the rough, creaky voice. It didn’t seem possible that it could come from a human.

“For years Henry has been here…no one knows, no one sees…Henry is alone,” he muttered, scratching his stub nose with a finger.

“But…but why are you here?” I asked.

“Henry escaped. Henry was cleverer than the guards, Henry didn’t eat until Henry fitted through the hole. Henry was so very hungry.” The last words were said in a pathetic whine.

I moved backwards again, but froze as a low growl came from my host. “Henry will kill them. Henry will never forgive what they did to Henry. Never!” he hissed loudly. “They wanted to kill Henry, so Henry will kill them before they get a chance.”

He turned his head, glaring around the darkness. “Where can Henry find a weapon? How will Henry hit them hard enough?” he moaned. “Henry mustn’t fail or they will lock Henry back up again. With chains and ropes, but Henry can’t let them.”

With a growl he began shuffling forward, eyes fixed on me. “But Henry must first ask who this is. What were they doing in Henry’s home?”

“I—I’m Louise,” I stammered, pushing myself away from the approaching creature.

“Louise,” he paused. “Henry doesn’t know that word. What does a Louise do?”

“It’s my name,” I replied hastily. Feeling the wall behind my back I risked a glance backwards. The tunnel ended abruptly, a solid rock wall right at my back.

Looking back at Henry I saw his eyes gleaming strangely. “What is Louise trying to do? Henry wants to talk to Louise.”

I frowned, somehow it was lighter than before. But where was the light coming from?

“Louise must sit down and talk to Henry. Tell Henry why Louise was in Henry’s house.” He moved closer still.

I glanced up. The roof ended a few meters ago, and directly upwards was a clear open space, entwined with horizontal beams and pipes. High above, a faint twinkle of light shone.

Standing, I stared back at Henry. “Louise is here with friends. They’re still down that way. Maybe Henry should go find them for Louise,” I tried to speak confidently, keeping the fear from my voice.

Henry cocked his head. “Friends?” He started to turn.

I jumped, grabbing hold of one of the lowest beams, it was slick with slime and my fingers started to slip. With a frantic lunge, I transferred my grip to another pipe just above it. I scrambled up onto the pipe, holding onto another just above it.

A howl echoed up from just below. “Nooo! The Louise tricked Henry!” Then the voice changed to a snarl, “Henry must kill her too.”

I struggled to get up onto the next pipe, my shoes slipping in the damp sludge coating my footing. A clang rang underneath me and I risked a downward glance. The maddened eyes of Henry glared hungrily up at me as his long fingers found another pipe to swing up onto.

Jumping desperately, I swung out of his reach, mounting higher up the metal beams. A half scream tore from my mouth as his grasping fingers brushed my leg.

He growled. “Henry mustn’t give up. Henry must kill the Louise, and then Henry will kill Hacaz,” he stopped. “Is it Hacaz, or Hazcaz? Henry doesn’t remember. Hazcaz sounds better.” Then he shook himself and jumped nimbly onto another pipe snarling menacingly again.

I clambered up the pipes, wildly groping for handholds on the smooth metal, blindly heading up toward the light. The glimmer gradually drew closer, but so did my pursuer, growling and swinging just below. Reaching out I grabbed hold of another bar, wrapping my arms around it, about to scramble up

The slime coated fingers wrapped around my ankle and Henry chuckled, the sound growing gradually louder as it echoed off the walls in reply. “Henry has caught it. Henry caught the Louise,” he grinned in an almost childlike way. “Now Henry can kill it.”

I screamed, kicking back at him in terror. My foot slammed into the center of his face and he blinked up at me in surprise, slowly toppling over backwards. My leg jerked and I scrabbled to stay up. The weight on my leg slipped off and I swung up, looking down.

Henry fell, dark, mad eyes never leaving mine, his hands still clutching my shoe. Then the darkness swallowed him.

I swallowed, my breath coming in short gasps. I was safe, no one wanted to kill me anymore. I closed my eyes, resting my head on a nearby pipe, taking long, smooth breaths to calm myself.

After a long while I stood, numb from the fear of moments before, barely noticing the deep slime under my one bare foot. The glimmer of light was now a clear square, only a little way above. I climbed up the ladder of pipes, reaching the light finally.

I squinted in the brightness after the gloom of the tunnel, frowning up through a large grid – not unlike the one in the dungeon – into a still room. At that moment a whistling figure strode into view, an apron splattered in blood covering his torso and his hands smeared red. I cringed backward, moving deeper into the darkness.

The man moved out of sight and returned a second later, carrying a massive leg of raw meat. With an audible sigh I realised he was only a butcher. As he disappeared again I grabbed the metal grating, searching for a latch of some kind with my fingers.

My search was met with four bolts, one for each corner. I started working on the first, my cold, wet fingers only a little less stiff than the bolts themselves. I pushed my fingers through the grid, holding one side of the bold, while I turned the other. Whenever the butcher returned I stopped, hunching over in the dark lest he see.

When the last bolt came loose at last, I pressed up on the grid carefully, wincing as it ground against the floor. Pushing it to the side I stood precariously on the pipe, squeezing my shoulders through the gap. It was larger than the ones in the dungeon but only barely. I wriggled out, breathing a sigh of relief to be in the open once more.

Sliding the grid back down over the hole, I stood. The cheerful whistling of the butcher came from behind a large rack of sliced meat, in the other direction lay two doors. I crept over to them, careful to keep the meat rack between me and the butcher.

One door was ajar and I peeked through, grimacing at the strong smell of blood. I pulled back from the sight of large hunks of dead cow and other creatures. Clearly that wasn’t the door I wanted.

I turned to the other door quickly, eager to get out. My movement was too rapid and my foot slipped on a stream of blood, sending me to the floor. The whistling stopped abruptly. I froze, knowing that the butcher would have heard the sound. Picking myself up, I grabbed the door handle, jerking it open and dashing out. I dived into the next door I saw, closing it as fast as I could.

Through the crack I saw the butcher half step out the door and look up and down the hall. He shrugged, turning back. I heard the sound of his whistle once more. I closed my eyes for a moment, tension draining from my body.

When I looked up again I saw a narrow stairway just ahead, twisting to the side within a few meters. I stepped off the landing onto the first step, something about the plain, nondescript appearance of the stairs told me that it was used only by servants.

Making my way down I met with only a few servants, and with these I managed to duck out of sight before they noticed the girl smeared with blood and slime. Eventually I emerged into a large room, empty but for a snoring squire, slumped in a chair.

I snuck past him, opening the door softly. Outside was the courtyard, a wide open space enclosed in the dark, looming walls. Stepping out, I clicked the door shut behind me. I slid along the wall toward the stream, keeping to the shadows. Where Maree and the others were I had no way of discovering, but Maree could plan an escape better than I could. I shrugged it off, they’d be fine.

I reached the stream and stopped, noticing a commotion on the walls. Soldiers were streaming down the stairs, rushing toward the main castle entrance, just twenty paces to my left. I ducked down, hiding in the shadows.

The men reached the gates with drawn swords and arrows on their bows. I frowned, trying to catch a glimpse through them to who they were after. The sinking feeling in my stomach persisted and I narrowed my eyes, urgently hoping to prove it wrong.

In a few moments the soldiers stopped, forming a large ring. As one man shifted his feet slightly I saw through the ranks to the center. Three figures stood there, Maree trying to shelter her brother and sister from every direction.

Elianna stepped away, facing the soldiers. “Ye go awey,” she shouted furiously. “I’m noot gonna let ye take her away agin.”

One of the men pointed his drawn bow at her. “You stay right where you are missy.”

***

1. I stepped forward from the shadows. “Get away from my friends,” I growled in a low but carrying voice.

2. The large doors of the castle swung open sluggishly, as if everything had been slowed down. A tall, broad figure stepped out, wearing full armour and an imperious smile.

3. Loud shouts started up on the walls again and I turned in spite of myself. My eyes widened at what I saw.

***

I do hope you enjoyed this fragment, have fun with voting! I'll be doing another post on Monday hopefully, so be sure to check back for that.

Fare Thee Well!

If Adventure Comes Your Way - Fragment Twenty-Two

Howdy!
Sorry for the lack of post on Monday, I just couldn't think of anything very interesting to talk about and I'm not 'officially' doing a post every Monday. Just randomly. When I think of something.

Last week option three took out the most votes, not surprising really. I reckon it was coolest too! And for today's Fragment my sisters and I had a really funny idea...As you read, it may not seem too funny for you unless you've read 'Redwall' by Brian Jacques. But I think that as you read further you will see the funny side.
And if you don't, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Except I'm not.

Note: the 'a' word must be read in an evil, snake-ish voice.

A low voice came down the tunnel, echoing off the walls in a malevolent tone. 

“Asssmodeusss…” the sound was hissing and malicious, seeming to come from the very darkness around us.

“Asssmodeusss…”

I stumbled backwards, my head hitting the low roof.

“Wh—what is thet?” Elianna whispered, her voice wrung with fear.

“I don’t know,” I managed. “Maybe it’s—”

“ASMODEUSSS!”

Elianna shrieked as the voice resounded down the tunnel, louder than before. “Can we go oot?” she gasped. “I’m scered.”

“There isss no essscape from the jawsss of Asssmodeusss…”

I bit my tongue to keep from crying out. The voice hissed around us, almost physical in the fear-thick air. “M—maybe we should find a different way in,” I said, backing slowly toward the opening.

“What tasssty morselsss…”

I looked up, searching the dark for the source of the voice. Water began creeping down into my shoes.

“Sssweet and juissssey…”

“Pleese can we go?” Elianna squeaked. Her whole body was shaking violently, but a thought occurred to me.

“Elianna, what if…what if that thing’s not actually in the tunnel? What if it’s in the dungeons? It might not be meaning us,” I swallowed nervously.

She didn’t reply and I spoke again. “What if it’s talking to—to my friend?”

A half strangled sound caught in her throat. “We’ll go een,” she whispered.

“You could stay outside,” I said quickly.

“Asmodeusss…” hissed the voice.

“N—no,” she said, her voice hiccupping with fear. “My brother m—might be there…too.”

I took a deep breath and stepped forwards, bending a little to keep from banging my head on the top of the tunnel.

“Asmodeusss…”

Closing my eyes I tried to work out which way the sound was coming from.  When I opened my eyes again I squinted into the darkness, making out a passage joining the main one. I limped forward, favouring my bruised leg. The water around my knees kept me off balance, and I reached out to steady myself on the wall.

Deep slime met my fingers and I jerked my hand back in disgust, wiping it quickly on my leggings.

“Asmodeusss…Asmodeusss…Asmodeusss…”

Elianna had her face buried in my hair, arm squeezing my neck so tightly it was beginning to be difficult to breathe, but I was glad of her presence. If I’d been alone, I’d have run from the tunnel at the very first hint of a whisper.

The darkness grew gradually deeper, until I could barely see my hand when it was directly in front of my face. The hissing voice continued steadily, barely pausing for more than a breath.

“Asmodeusss…The sssword isss mine…None daresss to fight Asmodeusss…”

I stumbled along the tunnel, nerves tense to breaking point, ready to run at the slightest warning. The voice was getting on my nerves, it grew gradually closer, and its words held nothing but terror.

Elianna was quivering on my back, jolting every time the ‘Asmodeus’ was switched for other hissed words, never any more pleasant than the malevolent name.

Water trickled along the channel, shallower than before, and always that voice continued. I could barely stand it for one second longer. I stopped, unsure whether to turn back or not.

Then the voice stopped, and a heavy sigh came down the tunnel. “Yees, I reeely deed like thet book. Asmodeus was the beest character, difinitely my fevourite. Pity ‘e died…” then the voice switched back to the low whisper, “Asmodeus….Asmodeusss!”

I stared blankly into the darkness. Maree? A laugh welled up in my throat, more from relief than of anything funny. I struggled to hold it in, stepping forwards again. The voice suddenly changed from a terrifying threatening to a welcome guide. I did wish that she’d switch to something else though.

“Elianna,” I whispered, “Don’t worry. It’s my friend.”

“W-why ees she saying thet?” she asked, her voice quavering.

“I honestly don’t know. She’s like that sometimes,” I returned, ducking under a low pipe.

The roof was a little higher and I groaned softly, finally able to stand up properly, also glad that the walls were no longer covered in slime. A spot of flickering light danced on the brown water, catching my eye, and I stepped forward, looking up. Just above my head was a small metal grid, about thirty centimeters square. I squinted in the light, trying to make out what was on the other side.

“Elianna, can you see what’s in there?” I asked in a whisper.

She craned her neck, and I took her hands, helping her climb up onto my shoulders. “There’s a man, I theenk,” she whispered back.

“Okay, we’ll move along, looking into all of them. Tell me when you see a girl with crazy brown hair.”

“Asmodeusss…”

“Or just follow to noise,” I added, hurrying along the passage, my feet splashing quietly in the ankle-deep water.

I stopped under a grid that the voice came from.

“Asmodeusss…”

For a moment I wondered if it really was Maree, but then shook myself. “Oy,” I hissed. “Maree?”

She broke off in the middle of an ‘Asmodeus,’ silence replacing the eerie whisper. I reached up and pushed on the grid, hoping to get it open.

Elianna pushed my hand away and grabbed a latch, tugging it hard. I slapped myself mentally and joined her. With a groan, it moved and the grid shuddered, swinging down on hinges at a last tug.

“Maree,” I whispered again.

With a rustle of fabric her face appeared in the gap. “Oh, eet reely ees you thees time,” she said, a smile breaking out across her shadowed features.

“Yes it is, who else was it going to be?” I asked, half angry.

The grin faded slightly. “Eet dinna matter,” she replied swiftly.

“We’ve got t’ get you out,” I said. “Have you got any ideas?”

“Do eet be soundin’ like eet?”

“Yeah, what was with all that evil whispering, you gave me the creeps,” I protested.

“Got bored,” Maree returned innocently. “I tried t’ git through the bars last toime, but eet didna work. So I knew noot t’ try today.”

Elianna tapped my head. “I coold try,” she said hesitantly.

“Can you fit up through that hole?” I asked.

“I theenk I coold.”

“I guess so,” I said slowly. “It’d be dangerous.”

She didn’t reply, but I knew what she was thinking.

“Alright then. Maree, Elianna’s going to try climb up.”

“Elianna?” Maree asked, a frown in her voice.

“Yeah, we met in the town,” I replied, not noticing the strange tone. “You’d better move out of the way a little bit.”

Elianna stood up on my shoulders slowly, holding onto the edges of the hole, her head sticking through it. In a few moments she scrambled up, disappearing through the gap.

“Can you fit through the bars?” I called up softly.

No reply.

With a tinge of uncertainty I grabbed onto the edges of the gap, scrambling my feet up the edge of the tunnel. I stuck my head through the hole, managing to brace myself with my arms on the prison cell floor.

Elianna was at the bars, squeezing through, Maree stood at the back of the cell, staring stupidly at her.

“Umm, Maree?” I asked. “Are you okay?”

Her eyes remained on Elianna, showing no sign of hearing me as the little girl wriggled through the bars, looking back at us.

“Where’d I find the keys?” she asked me.

I glanced at Maree before answering. “At the end of the corridor maybe?”

She disappeared, trotting out of my vision. I pushed my legs against the wall below me, taking the weight off my arms for a moment.

Elianna returned in a minute, carrying a large ring of three keys. “I found ‘em—” she stopped, then ran to the cell beside Maree’s. “Dael!” she cried, disappearing again.

“Elianna!” I called, annoyed at the low visibility from the hole.

“Louise, eet’s m’ brother!”

A wave of relief washed over me, and in another moment Elianna reappeared, now in the arms of the boy I’d crashed into in the alley just after leaving the old man’s house all that time ago.

The boy stopped in front of the cell, his eyes fixed on Maree. Elianna looked from him to Maree, eyes wide. He pulled the keys from her unresisting hands and fumbled to unlock the door. 

I frowned in confusion, I think I’m missing something.

The door swung open silently and the three stood staring at each other across a gap of a few meters. “M—Maree?” Elianna’s brother whispered.

There was a moment’s stillness and then Maree was across the cell and the two were wrapped in her arms. 

My frown deepened as my tired brain tried to piece it all together. The realisation hit me like a blow, and I literally fell down into the tunnel below. Dael. Of course, that was the name of one of Maree’s brothers. And Elianna? I slapped my forehead, I’d been travelling with her for two days but it had never occurred to me. Her accent was so similar to Maree’s, her eyes had the same look, and hadn’t she even told me about her older sister who used to give her piggyback rides?

I thumped my head softly on the wall, furious at my own idiocy. “Idiot, idiot, idiot,” I muttered. I pulled back, thinking hard. Now the responsibility lay even more heavily. I had to get Maree out safely, and Dael and Elianna, and preferably myself too.

I scrambled back up again, seeing Maree and her brother and sister still standing as I’d left them. There was no time to waste. Not even on family reunions.

***

1. “Maree,” I said. “Sorry, but we’ve got to get out now.”

2. Before I could speak, keys clanked from the far end of the passage, turning in a lock. The door opened.

3. Something slimy grabbed my dangling legs, and before I could shout in terror, I was jerked down into the tunnel again.

***

There we go. I hope you are all satisfied with that. :) I never actually planned on keeping any Freespirits alive, but after seeing the distraught face of one of my readers (who apparently is the leader of my fan club [which I was unaware existed] a.k.a. my dad) I resolved to do anything I could to make it so that they actually survived. I gave a few hints to anyone who felt like thinking about possibilities. Congratulations if you guessed! 

Fare Thee Well!

If Adventure Comes Your Way - Fragment Twenty-One

Twenty-one Fragments. I really doesn't seem that long ago since I started, but it has been 148 days. Or four months and 24 days to put it more simply. Or 21 weeks. Or 3,528 hours. Or 211,680 minutes. Or 12,700,800 seconds...Yeah, maybe that wasn't simpler.
Speaking of numbers, this happens to be my 100th post. Kind of interesting considering my sister recently got 500 on her blog. She had a giveaway, but me? It'd have to be organised to do that.

I would like to commend all who commented last week. I had to choose out of six good options, and it was a close call between a few of them, but I settled on one of Alice's: The girl raised her head and spoke in a barely audible whisper, “I can’t find m’ brother.” (I did change it slightly so the phrasing didn't sound out of place.) Thank you all so very much. I hope you like the options I thought up this week. :)

The girl raised her head and spoke in a barely audible whisper, “I can’t find m’ brother.”

Whatever response I had expected, it certainly hadn’t been that. “O-oh,” I stammered, unsure of what to say. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault,” she sniffed, rubbing her nose with a sleeve. “I jest ‘ope ‘e’s noot…” she hunched over again, burying her face in her hands.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you find him.”

Her green-brown eyes raised to mine. “Really?” she asked, a tinge of hope in her voice.

“Promise,” I assured her.

She straightened. “He disappeared same time a-as Granda…” she trailed off biting her lip.

“I know,” I said softly. “I saw. I’m so sorry.” I felt the prickle of tears behind my eyes, and I tried to steady my voice. “Where did you last see your brother?”

“He were jest in the alley near t’ the main gate wi’ me,” the girl sniffed. “But he told me t’ hoide an’ I-I did, but he didna follow me…he sayed he’d come back, but what eef.” Her young voice choked, “What if he wants t’ git avenge? They’ll catch ‘im.”

“My friend got caught too,” I took a deep breath. “I’ll help you find your brother then I’ve gotta go help her.”

“I can ‘elp you, too,” a small smile crossed the girl’s face. “You heelp me, and I’ll ‘elp you.”

I looked down into her hopeful eyes and couldn't help but feel lightened myself. I couldn’t let this girl down now that I’d promised to help her. “I’m Louise, by the way,” I said, suddenly remembering introductions.

“M’ name’s Elianna,” she replied softly.

“Elianna,” I mused, “That’s a nice name.”

“So’s Louise,” she smiled back.

I stood, helping Elianna to her feet. “We’ll follow the soldiers,” I said. “If they’ve caught your brother, he’s probably being taken to the same place as my friend.”

Her small hand slipped into mine and I turned to go back the way I’d come, but she tugged my arm. “Don’t go thet way,” she said. “I’ll show ye.”

I submitted meekly, allowing her to lead through the narrow back streets, never losing her way once.

We slipped unnoticed from the town shortly afterwards, making our careful way up a small rise towards the dark forest. Elianna walked steadily, showing no sign of weariness until we reached the trees themselves. Her feet began dragging but she refused to ask to stop. Eventually I stopped, sitting down off the side of the track

“I need a rest,” I said, pretending to sigh in exhaustion. Elianna nodded, slumping down beside me. I smiled at the sight of her determined face.

After a few minutes I turned to her. “We’d better keep moving before it gets too dark. Why don’t you ride on my back? That way you can keep me from falling asleep while I walk.”

“Aw, but I’d slow ye down terrible,” she protested.

“Nah, you won’t do any such thing,” I remonstrated. With a reluctance that went no further than the surface, she clambered up onto my back.

I stood and set off again. She clung to my shoulders, ducking when I walked too close to low branches. At first she seemed to be cheerful, telling me a story her Granda always used to tell. But then she fell silent, and at first I thought she was just enjoying the silence, but then I felt a wet drop fall onto the back of my neck and she sniffed quietly.

“Don’t worry,” I whispered. “We’ll find your brother and bring him back safe and sound.”

Another tear fell. “No, it’s not that,” she mumbled. “I were jest remem’rin’ somethin’.” She snuffled again. “M’ older sister used t’ give me rides like thees.”

“Oh?”

“She…she ain’t here anymore.” Elianna let go with one hand and rubbed the tears from her face.

I walked on in silence, but the sun had sunk below the horizon and the trees cast deep shadows all around. Finally I stumbled to a stop, lowering Elianna to the ground. She crawled to a tree and curled up in the roots, shivering in the cool of the night. I sat down beside her and she snuggled against my side. In moments she was asleep. 

That night was a waking nightmare.

I barely slept, every noise made me jump in fright. Elianna slept peacefully, but when I drifted I woke with a jolt from dreams of terror. Dreams which usually included the old man’s death replayed over and over in my mind. 

The next day we journeyed on through the forest, following the track worn between the trees. It was midday before we reached the looming fortress. 

After creeping through the gap in the rocks, we inched our way right up to the dark wall surrounding the castle. Elianna shivered when she caught sight of the gloomy building through the heavy iron portcullis. 

“Thet place looks horrid,” she whispered hoarsely.

“Which is why I brought you along, to think up an ingenious plan,” I said, trying to cheer her.

She looked at me with wide eyes. “We’ll ‘ave t’ git closer first. Try sneak in some’ow. The soldiers would a got ‘ere long time ago, so yer friend’ll be locked up somewhere by noow. An’ who knows what happened t’ m’ brother.”

“How will we do that without being seen?” I thought aloud. A vague memory came to the fore of my mind, something Sir Creighton had said. “The stronghold of Hacaz is not so strong as once supposed. There is a weak point.” The question was, what was the weak point?

“We’ll go onder the wall by the water gate,” Elianna said.

I looked at her in surprise, I hadn’t meant to ask her the question. “What water gate?”

“Jest over there,” she waved a hand to the left. “We went past a leettle while beck. It’s where the stream exits the castle grounds. Eef y’ look caref’ly you can see it at the edge o’ the courtyard. ‘t’s where they git their water froom.”

“I chose the right person for ingeniousness,” I said, raising my eyebrows.

I took Elianna’s hand again and headed left. In a few minutes I saw that she was right. A stream of water was flowing out from under the wall, exiting through a rusted metal grid. “So we can go in through there?” I asked hesitantly.

“The walls are quick thick so eet’ll be like a short tunnel,” Elianna explained.

I leant over the water carefully, peering into the dark of the low tunnel. “You’d better climb on my back again,” I said, wrinkling my nose. “No need for both of us to get wet.” The dirty water smelt none too pleasant.

Elianna mounted my back, wrapping her legs around my waist. I stepped forward into the water, swaying a little as the current caught on my legs. Grabbing onto the grating to keep my balance.

“How do I open it?” I asked, hoping there was some kind of latch.

Elianna was silent for a moment. “I’m noot sure,” she admitted.

I pressed my lips together and tugged hard on the rusted metal. It didn’t budge in the slightest. I tried kicking it. Still no movement. 

“Right theere!” Elianna exclaimed.

“Right where?”

“Eet’s covered in water agin, but I’m sure I saw a letch jest on the right side.”

I grimaced with distaste as I lowered my hand into the water, feeling for a latch. After a moment I felt something and yanked it hard.

It gave and I stumbled back as the gate swung open, smashing into my shin. I gritted my teeth and growled in pain, only just saving myself from falling.

Elianna’s grip was almost suffocating and she trembled slightly as I stepped closer to the black opening again. I bent down and frowned into the darkness. “I can see the light at the other side, I don’t think it’s too far.”

“How will we git oot the other side?” Elianna asked softly.

I shut my eyes tightly. “I dunno,” I groaned. An idea occurred to me, “Would the water run under the dungeons?”

Elianna didn’t reply by there was no need, my mind ran riot, imagining all the possibilities. If I could get under the dungeons by the waterway, then I could at least find out where Maree was.

“It might work,” Elianna said in a small voice. “Only…” she trailed off.

I realised something wasn’t quite right. “Only?” I turned my head in a useless attempt to see her.

“Only, I’m noot so sure I want t’ go een there,” she spoke a bare whisper.

“Don’t worry,” I assured her, squeezing her legs. “I’m going to be there too. It’ll be safer in there than it is out here.”

I felt her nod silently. “We’ll go in now, before anyone comes.” I ducked through the low opening.

***

1. Outside, a soldier strolled into view of the swinging water gate.

2. With a loud burst of squeaking, rats poured down from the roof. Jumping at us from every side.

3. A low voice came down the tunnel, echoing off the walls in a malevolent tone. 

***

Ah, that wasn't very hard, actually. I had lunch at an almost reasonable time. And Elianna was fun to write. I think we're getting close-ish to the climactic moment, but it's kind of hard to tell with this kind of thing. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to fix everything, but I am looking forward to the sequel...it's gonna be funny. I've got some characters that are going to be hilarious to write. 
Have fun commenting, just like normal again!

Fare Thee Well!

If Adventure Comes Your Way - Fragment Twenty

I've worked out a theory of why I listen to 'Superheroes' when I'm writing! It's 'cause the words are: "Every day, every hour, turn their pain into power." And I can definitely relate to that just at the moment...it goes for writers too (either that or writers are just superheroes because they do a lot of world saving).

So, we're up to Fragment Twenty. It hadn't quite connected in my brain that we were so far through! I don't have a clear view but I'm thinking we might have another month's worth before the end...give or take a thousand years or so.

Here is the story of my mind yesterday:

8:30: Started, got it all fairly well planned, but for some reason I don't feel like it's gonna work...
9: Oh this is hopeless, I've only got 100 words.
10: I've still only got 125 wooooordddss. Why is this being so hard? *groans quietly*
11:Noooooooooooooooo, two hundred...
12: I'm hungryyy, but I've got 969 words still unwritten. *groans loudly*
1: Lunch sound pretty good now...I'm more than halfway through. Only got 700 words left...Yay?
1:45: *Groans* *stomach joins in* Lunch is closer now, I've got to 1,000 words! I CAN DO THIS.
2: 1,200
2:15: 1227. Maybe they'll have to deal with a shorter fragment this time...But then again there's only 283 until I get my goal...
2:30: Meh, they'll just have to live with 1,247 words. LUNCH!!!
(Insert groans throughout the whole thing and that's basically it!)

I'm pretty sure it's bad when I feel more inspired to scribble led pencil on the back of my hand than I do writing...And it's definitely bad when it takes two hours to write 125 words. But I survived (just) and hopefully the fragment isn't too terrible. :P

Option one got voted in and...that's all I  can think of saying...except that I hope you're all feeling inspired today (more so than I've been) because I have a surprise for you at the end of the Fragment!

Up ahead, Maree jerked the head of her horse around, her eyes alight with an inner flame. She dug her heels into the horse’s sides and it took off at a gallop. Back toward the soldiers.

My jaw dropped as she charged past. What was she thinking? She couldn’t fight the soldiers on her own. My hands acted before I’d realised what was happening. My mount spun around, rearing on its hind legs and I only just managed to stay on by gripping a handful of mane.

Jack wasn’t so lucky. He shouted as he slid off backwards, landing with a thump on the ground.

I slapped the reins against the horse’s neck, urging it ahead. “Go get the king!” I yelled over my shoulder.

When I was halfway down the hill Maree met the soldiers with a whirlwind of movement, immediately going at it tooth and claw with half a dozen men at the same time.

I realised with a jolt that I had absolutely nothing to fight with. Not even a knife. Too late to reconsider, I plunged into the fray. A longbow flashed in my peripheral vision and I grabbed at it, jerking it from the surprised soldier’s hands.

Whacking a sword aside with the bow, I swung it down at the men below. There were too many all bunched up in one place so none had the room to properly swing a sword. My horse kicked out at the soldiers who came too close. I knew that it couldn’t last for long, it was only the surprise of our attack that left the soldiers helpless.

I looked up and located Maree just in front of me. She’d somehow managed to disarm a soldier and was wielding a sword with a fair amount of skill.

A heavy pull on my foot startled me, I jabbed the bow at the soldier pulling me and he ducked away with one final jerk. I clutched the horse’s mane and struggled to regain my balance.

At that moment my mount kicked its hind legs back, knocking a soldier to the ground. It was the last straw and I completely lost my grip, slipping off the side of the saddle. I landed on my shoulder, my teeth jolting closed on the inside of my cheek.

I rolled over, scrambling across the ground away from the soldiers. The taste of blood filled my mouth and a sharp rock on the cobbles cut my finger. I stood up in the shadow of a group of villagers a little way from the soldiers.

Craning my neck I strained to see Maree. I saw her in furious battle with a tall soldier. Her horse was some way away neighing loudly and charging around without directions. No one, soldiers and villagers alike, seemed certain as to what was happening, who the enemy was, or where I’d disappeared to.

Suddenly soldiers swamped around Maree and I lost sight of her. “Maree!” I yelled, jumping forward.

A woman blocked my way. “Run girl, you ‘ave t’ git away. You canna help your friend.”

Before I could reply she put an arm around my shoulders and hustled me away down a side street. “Go on,” she urged, pointing to another alley. “Find somewhere safe t’ hide, they’ll be lookin’ fer ye afore the eve is up.”

I stumbled blindly down the dark road. What if they’d killed her? What if she had called out for me to help but I hadn’t been there? There were so many what ifs that I walked right into a wall before realising I was walking anywhere.

My feet led me along the alleys but I paid no attention as to where I was going, walking in a dream. The sound of horses made me stop. Immediately alert, I ducked behind a rack of barrels, realising I’d walked in a circle and had come back onto one of the main streets once more.

I crouched behind the barrels, barely breathing as the soldiers rode past. Draped over the saddle in front of the man in the center of the unit, I caught sight of Maree’s limp body. I felt a moment of relief, they wouldn’t take a dead body so at least she yet lived, so there was still some hope. But she would be locked in Hacaz’s dungeons until she was killed, or died from her injuries. I’d have no chance of rescuing her myself.

The others couldn’t help, and they were hopefully on their way to the king by now. That was were the only sliver of hope lay. If they came in time.

The last of the soldiers trotted out of sight and I covered my face in my hands. Refusing to think about any more possibilities, shutting out the world around me.


Consciousness resurfaced, bringing the sound of loud voices. I lifted my head to see villagers clustered around, all looking at me and arguing. Not all the faces were friendly.

I stood slowly, and they feel silent. “Um, is there something I can do for you?” I asked hesitantly.
The argument broke out in force once more. From what I could understand half of them wanted to hand me over to the soldiers and the other half wanted to hide me. Two men started brawling a few meters away and the women in the crowd were shaking their heads and yelling violently at each other.

I decided that now would be a good time to ‘make myself scarce’ as Jack would say.

I jumped over a barrel and ran down the street. Most of the villagers were too busy arguing to notice my departure, and those who did obviously didn’t feel inclined to come chasing after me.

Not bothering to try and keep track of where I was going, I jogged along the alleys and backstreets, looking for some abandoned house where I could rest in peace. Rest and think.

The high buildings kept the alleys in deep shadow now that the sun had begun its downward journey, and the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. I looked over my shoulder, certain someone was watching from a darkened window.

A dog scurried out of a door and a dirty boy ran out after it, laughing. He caught sight of me and stopped, staring curiously, his eyes wide. I hurried into the next alleyway.

I realised as soon as I entered it that it was the very same street on which the old man had lived with his grandchildren. Guilt filled me and I started to turn away, but a low whimper stopped me.

The girl was sitting on the filthy ground, head buried in her hands, sobbing quietly. Last time I’d seen her had been just after I’d hidden in her grandfather’s chimney. In the few hours that had passed she had changed dramatically, her clothes were grimy and leaves and dirt filled the hair that hung in strings down her back. Another heart wrenching sob burst from her and I could stand it no longer. Either I could leave and go mad with the guilt, or I had to make things right.

Stepping forwards, I chose to help.

A sob shook the girl’s body as I approached and dropped to my knees beside her. I touched her shoulder gently. Her sobs silenced to an occasional hiccupping noise.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, knowing just how inadequate it was.

The girl raised her head and…

***

"Wait what?!" you say, "There's no options?" He he he he...nope. This is your surprise, you get to brainstorm what the little girl might do, and I get to choose my favourite... Feeling up to it?

For those of you who haven't been with me for long, I did this once before in May last year with Dusty Red Part 7 and it didn't work out too bad. Nowadays I have a few more followers and commenters so I'm hoping for a few more ideas.

It can be very simple: a few words or a couple of sentences, or just a general idea. It shouldn't be too hard, after all, I think up three every week...but I felt like a holiday yesterday, so...yeah.
If you really can't think of anything, I will think up a couple myself and comment them for your inspection, but I might resort to killing someone if I'm not inspired. You have the deadline of next Wednesday (Tuesday for Americans, I guess)...All the best! :)

Don't let this scare you away, it'll be back to normal again next week. And if your option isn't the one I choose, it is very likely to make a small appearance later on - I love knowing what my readers enjoy. :)

Fare Thee Well!