Strange Happenings - Bree

Bree here. =P I didn't have time for a longer one, so I did an five-ish minute one. >.>



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Ripples spread across the surface of the lake, drawing nearer as she watched from the shore. She absentmindedly reached for another stone, but this time, instead of throwing it, she got lost in thought, rubbing her thumb over the smooth top.

Why has my real father never given me his name? Why has he hidden me away? she wondered. Is there something wrong with me? That must be it. Maybe he wanted a boy.

She felt something wet run down her cheek. Tears. She choked back a sob. Did he cry when he handed me to Uncle Drinias? Or was his heart glad he was finally rid of me? Another tear rolled down her cheek and dripped onto the stone she held. Maybe he- a gasp leapt from her and she looked down.

Her rock was glowing! She held it up to her face. Was it just the sun reflecting off of it?

The glow grew stronger. It held a faint purple tint to it. It began to feel warm in her hands. Her eyes widened with wonder.

“What in all the lands?” she murmured, her eyes mesmerized by the strangeness of it. A soft humming music drifted towards her, like a signal sent by a lighthouse. Could it be the stone?

Had she been able to think clearly, she would have set the stone down, but… there was something about it that captivated her very soul. She couldn’t even tear her eyes from it.

It feels so good in my hands. So right.

 The small rock hummed again, and she sensed that it, too, was happy. Its glow brightened, the reflection of the light dancing across the skin of my hands and arms.

The Chase - Lace

Ripples spread across the surface of the lake, drawing nearer as she watched from the shore. She swallowed, lifting another stone to pitch into the water, so that her reflection would be drowned out in its waves. She never wanted to see her own face again—to see anything that reminded her of who she had been.

“I’m different now,” she reminded herself, turning from the water and making sure her sword was secure in its sheath over her shoulder. “I carry this sword to protect, not to destroy.” To give herself another reminder, she reached into the bag she carried and ran her hand across the rough leather surface of the book. “I have purpose now.”

“Hey. You.” The gruff voice, unfriendly in tone, echoed from the woods at the water’s edge. She froze, hand on the sword hilt.

“Who is there?”

A tall man with a dark beard and long dark hair that hung untidily on either side of his face stepped from the shadows. “Hand over the book and I might let you live.”

“Never.”

He drew his own sword, a heavy, two-handed weapon that glinted as black as the tunic he wore, the symbol s of the Chasers etched menacingly along the surface of the blade. “I know who you are, and you are not worthy to guard those words.”

“The Council chose me,” she replied, her voice tight at the reminder of before. “I am more worthy than you are, at any rate. I am not a thief. I did not seek to steal the book—”

“You are no thief, true,” the Chaser snarled, a cruel smile stretching across his pale face. “You are a murderer.”

The word set her shuddering. “I never killed except out of self-defense.”

“You killed my brother.”

“He was trying to kill me!” she protested, aware that her voice had grown far too shrill. As her mind spun, she realized that she had not yet drawn her sword, and sought to remedy that. The blade slid from its sheath with a whisper, the silver blade hopelessly light compared to the Chaser’s dark one.

“You killed him. Killers cannot be Guardians.”

“The Council disagrees.”

“We all know the Council lies.”

Her face grew white. She knew that the Council wasn’t perfect…but they always sought to do right, didn’t they? The few times they’d made mistakes, they had realized them and sought to correct them…at least, that was what she’d been taught. “They…they don’t lie,” she replied lamely. Don’t sound so nervous! she chided herself. You can’t afford to give him any ground!

The Chaser advanced several steps. “They told you that you could carry the Book. That is a lie. And therefore, any pawn of the council ought to be relieved of such authority. Hand over the book.”

“No!” There. That sounded strong enough.

With a roar of anger, the Chaser charged, his sword lifted. She swung her own blade up to block his, the clash echoing off of the tree trunks and across the lake. Her arms shuddered at the impact, and her sword creaked with the strain of the man’s blow.

Quickly she spun to the side, striking at him. He parried her blow and struck again, his swings wild. She easily dodged backward, using some of the stones on the riverbank as points to launch herself lightly backward. As the Chaser continued to advance, she continued to leap toward the lake, step by step, until her feet splashed into the small waves on the shore.

Suddenly she switched direction and sped forward, under one of his unbalanced strikes, and sped toward the trees. The Chaser shouted after her, regaining his balance and running after her, his boots impacting loudly on the hard-packed dirt. Faster…faster, she told herself, finally reaching the trees and ducking behind one of them. In that moment, when he could no longer see her, she withdrew a second book—identical to the first, but empty—from a hidden pocket, and traded it for the one in her satchel.  As the Chaser advanced once again, she spun out from behind the tree and flung the bag onto the ground.

“Fine! Fine! Take it!” She squeezed her eyes shut. Got to make this convincing. “I…I don’t want to die.”

The man chuckled. “Smart. I suppose I can give you your freedom. You won’t dare show your face in any of the cities again, I’ll wager.”

She bowed her head, feigning sorrow and anguish at her ‘failed’ duty. Then she turned and ran off, sword still in hand. She would have only a few moments before he discovered her ruse, but by then she might be able to find one of the Guardian paths—

The man’s cry of anger echoed, and she knew she was almost out of time. He had opened the book, then, and discovered its empty pages. Gritting her teeth, she sped forward, once again urging herself to go faster. There’s a path just over here…through these trees…this brush…over this stream…Ha!

A bit of backstory :P

Ripples spread across the surface of the lake, drawing nearer as she watched from the shore. The boat slowly neared the shore, carrying what few survivors were left from the battle. Her eyes darted frantically from face to face, hoping to catch a glimpse of her beloved. She knew she couldn't hope to see every face on the boat, but dearly hoped he would be on the deck. He was not. She ran to the dock as fast as she could, heart beating quick with fear. The sailors grimly secured the galleon, a few limping along the boat, a few of the healthier men swinging down and tying it to the dock. They lowered the plank and slowly, one by one, the warriors descended. Many were barely standing, and a few were even being carried by their fellows on stretchers- some as they let out strained breaths and grimaced in pain, and others as they lie still and cold, finally having accepted death’s embrace.

She ran to the commander, his arm a stump and a bandage covering his stomach. “Your… Your men… Is… Did Hedikan… Is he here? Where is he?”

The man looked at her sorrowfully. “Young lady… He… Hedikan was an honorable man. Braver than most of us, and a formidable soldier to be sure.” He looked down. “But out of the four hundred that I left with… only seventy three have returned. We meant only to put down the savages that inhabited our home, and start readying the land for our return…” He clenched a fist. “But… One of our own… On the path to battle…” he looked at the floor, teeth grit together in rage. “Our forward scouts… Only one of them did I have doubts about… And he was the one who betrayed us.” He looked up at her, eyes wide with fear unlike any she had seen before. “He looked human. He was one of us. But when that… That thing, appeared on his hand, that wound… He was no longer like one of us mortals. Hedikan was the first to attack him.”

“No…” she said quietly, taking a step back. “No… It can’t be…”

“He died bravely. We never even saw the savages. We only glimpsed our land. The scout killed over three hundred men before we could escape. And that only because of the wound Hedikan inflicted before he died.”

“I…” She broke down and sobbed. “That… What demon would…”

 “Aye… A demon indeed.” The commander said grimly before limping off. “What demon indeed...”

(Thinking of making this part of a flashback in my book :P)

The Second Son - Jamie

Jamie here. ;) Some prologue-ish glimpses from Eurivion...


Ripples spread across the surface of the lake, drawing nearer as she watched from the shore. Krista caught her breath as she peeked from behind the thick bushes to see what caused the ripples. A boat approached, rowed by four soldiers. In the stern of the boat sat, tall and sinister... the man who had murdered her oldest son, Arlion. So many years ago.

Krista stood up quickly, pulling herself completely out of sight behind the bushes. Her safe haven had been discovered! Panic thumped in her every heartbeat as she turned and ran through the meadow back to her cottage. For several weeks she had lived here with her children; a practical island. Hemmed in on four sides with nearly impassably thick forest, the lake was the only means of access.

Earvin! she called, mind-speaking to her husband, They've found us! What do I do? 

But there was no answer. Earvin must be asleep... she was on her own. Reaching her cabin, Krista took a few moments to calm herself before entering. It wouldn't do for the children to see her in a panic, now would it? With a deep breath, she pushed open the door and stepped in. Her eyes swept lovingly over her children for a few moments, and it was as if time paused and stretched out for hours within those few moments. Baula, the baby. Not such a baby anymore! Had they really celebrated her second birthday but a few months before? She lay so peacefully in the corner of the cottage, worn out by the morning's play. And Carri, such a little lady... seven years old, and sitting there reading a heavy tome as if she were already a great scholar.

Krista's eyes fell last upon Iydren as he sketched carefully. Was this the last piece of art he would ever draw into being? She caressed him with her gaze... ten years old. Just about the age Arlion had been... and unbidden, images which had long haunted her returned. The silhouettes dueling upon the hill as the sun set... the sounds of battle in the distance. It was her son up there! Fighting hand to hand with a grown man, a wicked duke. What was he doing up there?! Earvin was running up behind her. He saw. He knew. But before he had a chance to do anything about it... the smaller of the two silhouettes tripped. The sword came down. And the boy did not rise.

"Mother? Mother, is something wrong?" Iydren's concerned voice drew her back to the present.

Wiping away her tears, she put a hand on his shoulder and nodded, with new firmness. Yes, something was wrong. But all was not lost. Rovias... she prayed silently, protect my family. Keep my son far from his brother's murderer. Bring my daughters to a safe place. Hold my husband in your care as he completes his mission. And bring us all together as a family again in safety and peace. 

Welcome! - Jamie

This is Jamie here. ;D So, it would be a good idea to write out a lovely long post describing exactly what this is about and how it came about and how it will work. =D

...But we're not quite sure how it will work. xD Just testing it out.

Rules!

1) Post from your own account, if you have one.

2) If not, use the SS account, but don't leave yourself logged in when you're done... so we don't get locked out with a spam warning.

3) Don't forget to identify yourself if posting from the SS account. U_U (edit: And, on second thoughts, it might be a good idea to identify yourself at the beginning of your post anyway, so people don't have to scroll down to the bottom to see who it is. xD) (another edit: In fact, let's all just put our names in the title of our posts. ;D)

So, for this first prompt:

Lace is soapboxing for Jamie.
Josh is soapboxing for Lace.
Jamie is soapboxing for Cece.
Cece is soapboxing for Josh.

I wonder if we should be setting due dates or something? Um. Hopefully all the freewrites will have been posted and soapboxed before next Saturday, which is June 1st... that is, if we choose to do this weekly... which we may or may not. xD But I suppose that's good to start, yeah?

So, our first prompt comes from Cece! =D

Ripples spread across the surface of the lake, drawing nearer as she watched from the shore.