Saturday, March 26, 2011
First post of the new year
Saturday, October 30, 2010
BEEN a long time...long time lonely lonely lonely
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Society and its prejudices
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Love the all mighty and The Shithead
Monday, June 21, 2010
Second Half of the first chapter
Again subject to change later. Hope you guys are enjoying this. Let me know.
We walked several miles along the dirt roads which were dotted with trees that were imposing compared to us. As we walked there was a small trail of blood that was on the floor. Ewryn placed his hand in front of Ian and I. He sniffed the air as if he were an animal. “This blood is of human kind, somebody is injured” he said. Then, as if by chance we heard someone panting, a woman, it was coming behind one of the trees. All three of us ran to the sound and found a woman who looked to be pregnant; she had short brown hair that was up to her neck. She was sitting there, panting and breathing heavily. My brother was the first to speak. “Woman are you pregnant?” he said in a harsh tone. She nodded her head. “Yes…” her speech was interrupted by labored breathing. I quickly placed my hand on her shoulder. “Do you have a husband? Is he near?Do you have a son or daughter?” I said. She shook her head again. “Yes…but…. they…. died when those…” I looked up at Ian and Ewryn. “This woman is about to give birth, I know our most important thing right now is to protect the village, but I cannot allow her to give birth by herself, it wouldn’t sit right on me” I said. Ewryn groaned for a moment then spoke.
“I shall stay here and help her give birth, my mother was a midwife for my people, and I know the ways. You two shall travel to the next village; I trust that even without proper training you can move the swords that are at your waist.” He spoke very rapidly. I looked at my brother and he looked at me, “Okay, the woman will be safer in your stead anyway.” Ian said.
Without saying anything Ian and I walked away until we reached a small marsh which lead to the village. There was a large rock, we stood behind until either one of us could spot any movements. There was none. Slowly we stood up and walked toward one of the huts. “Has this village been driven out?”My brother said, “I don’t know Ian, but the silence irks me” I said.
We approached a home, my brother knocked furiously on the door. But nobody answered. He put a finger up against his mouth and pushed the door open. The smell of death reached my nose and I gagged. I looked and saw an old couple whose bodies were intertwined on top of each other, naked, making the beast with two backs. I turned my head and heaved which lead to me violently throw up on my brother’s boots. “This death was not due to those beasts that attacked us so callously, this was natural,” my brother said as if the bodies didn’t affect him at all.
As we left the home several of the villagers greeted us with faces of disgust. “You.... Get away from the elders home, you have no right to be there” one of them said. He was bulky in width, though rather short in height. “What is your business here?” he said. His voice was booming and as he spoke his large belly rumbled. I was much too afraid to speak, but my brother on the other hand was not.
“We are from the village of Kiya we have come here to look for survivors. Our village was attacked by the Dark Fathers .I assume you too have been impacted by those forces. Please join us; we could use your numbers for the defense.” My brother waited for their reply, the unmade bulky man turned to the others standing behind him. They whispered. Their whispering was interrupted by the sounds of hooves beating coming from the southernmost hill line. “They are coming back; need to find shelter. There is no way we can defeat them. Our skills are much too weak” the bulky man said. But before anything could be done the hoofs were close to the village. I looked at them. It wasn’t the Dark Fathers, but men wearing large horned helmets. “Who are they?” I asked. “They have come to rob the graves. They are powerful but weak minded men, let me handle this” the bulky man said. “Have you dealt with these men before, friend?” I asked. He looked at me and raised his eyebrows, “Of course, they come to our village to rob the graves, and they do not wish to kill or rape anybody”
But before I could have said anything they stopped and their horses whinnied as they stopped right in front of us. “Foolish villagers, why don’t you run in fear from us, aren’t your precious little children in danger” a man said. He seemed to be their leader. On his horned helmet there was an eye engulfed by flames at the front. Two ivory bull like horns stuck out the sides. He got off his horse and the other men did as well. They pulled out their swords, giving us eyes, then stopping. “You know the deal, don’t you?” he looked over at the bulky man twisting his wrist. He seemed to be a bit feminine for a man who was a warrior. He walked with a sort of twist to his body, and the fur coat he was wearing was lined with crystals and gems alike. He looked at me then at my brother and smiled revealing a set of amazingly white teeth. The two at the front curved always joining one another.
“Yes Enchor, take what you will from the new graves” the bulky man said. “Wait, why do you allow these men to rob you, have you no pride in the dead?” my brother said loudly. The man known to us now as Enchor looked at my brother and pushed him. He pushed him back. Enchor from his waist pulled out a jewel incrusted sword. My brother bravely pulled out his sword, a bulky broadsword.
“Do you know what you have done here, villager?” Enchor said. He pulled off his fur coat and handed it to one of the men who draped it over the hind of his horse.
“You are the grave robbers? You were going to go to the town of Kiya next?” my brother asked. He usually didn’t hold his temper in that well. Enchor now was swinging his sword back and forth as a proposition to fight.
“Have you the notion you will win this fight villager?” Enchor said. My brother smiled and raised his sword up in the air as if he knew exactly what he was doing. My heart began to race as the sound of steel against steel rang out. First my brother swung the sword clumsily and landed him in a pile of pig shit. The grave robbers began to laugh hysterically as he got back up. At that moment Enchor swung his sword nicking my brother on the arm causing a stream of blood to go down my brother’s arm and pool in his palm.
My brother may have been in very few sword fights if at all, but he wasn’t a weakling and he could handle any pain that obstructed him. This time instead of swinging the sword he jabbed it in the warrior’s direction. With a bit of ease the warrior dodged the sword. Then to show his skills off the warrior did a flip, jumped in the air and in one quick motion swung his jewel encrusted sword and chopped my brother’s hand off. My brother, at first, just stood there staring at the stump on his hand watching the dark blood flow out of it. Then it all settled in he started crying out in pain, I ran to him and tore off my shirt. I could feel the cold wind go down my back but it did not matter as long as I treated his wound. He looked at me as I held him in my arms dropping him slowly to the ground; the blood began to stain my shirt. “Do any of you know medical treatment!” I shouted. Tears started to roll down my face, but the other villagers just stood there silently watching, without saying anything. Either they were scared or they didn’t want to do anything. So I turned to Enchor. “You stupid fool, look what you did to my brother!” I shouted. He looked at me; his mean and arrogant smile became a grim frown, he placed his hand upon my shoulder at which time I removed it. “I know this may be hard for you to believe but I did not mean for this to happen. We graves robbers have honor, we do not kill the innocent, we only rob from them. I offer you my aide; here in our possession a potion we stole from a town about 200 miles from here. It is able to cure wounds. I was going to use it on my most injured men, but I see that your brother needs it more then I” Enchor walked over to the bag that had been draped around his horse and removed a small potion bottle that had a brass yellow color liquid in it. He handed it to me. I took it reluctantly and popped the brown cork on top of it. I smelled it, it smelled of a mixture of garlic and rosewater. “Why should I trust you?” I said with sternness in my voice.
“You shouldn’t, I do understand if you don’t villager” he gave a weak smile and paused for a moment then returned to his bag. He pulled out 3 small daggers. Though they were made of different shades of color; one a golden color, the other a silver color and the third a copper color. Each one had something in common, a flaming eye on the handle, exactly like the one that had been on his helmet.
“Take these daggers, they have been in my father’s family for centuries. If this aliment does not cure your brother, then you can keep those and sell them. But if it does cure your brother, then you shall return two of them, the third one shall be yours to keep.”
My brother lay still, I grabbed him and let him drink the aliment. He choked on it as it went down his throat. “Brother, how do you feel?” I said. He looked at me then at the stump on his hand.
“The pain, it is gone, I feel nothing there. It’s as if the Gods have removed my hand” he said. I gave him a hand to help him up, but he refused and used his knees to get up. His hand still lay on the ground gripping his sword. He gulped and pulled the sword out of his hand, holding it in his other.
“Do you still wish to battle me, Enchor?” he shouted. I grabbed him by the shoulder, but he shoved me off.
“No, you are an honorable man. You have earned my respect and the respect of these men that are in my band of grave robbers.” he said. Ian looked at the men then over at Enchor who now had his hand out for a proper handshake.
“You can trust him brother, he means no more harm” I said. I walked over to Enchor and handed him the daggers back. “Here you keep this, may the Band of the Fire Eye keep you safe,” he said.
“Why do you rob peoples graves, is there honor in that?” Ian said. This was like him. When he wished not to speak of anything anymore he changed the subject.
“No, there is no honor, no honor at all, there is just shame, but we must do what is good for my family that is why my brothers and I rob graves, The Band of the Fire Eye has been doing it since the time my grandfather was a child.”
“Enchor, you’re men are trained for battles are they not?” I asked
“Yes, yes, why do you ask?” he said.
“You must be on your way, or…”
“No, say your will” Enchor said.
“Do you know of the Dark Fathers?” I said. As I said those words his mouth dropped. His eyes dropped, and he fell to the ground.
“Yes, I know them all too well villager. What have you to say about them?” Enchor said.
“My brother and I, we do not live in this town, we live down the road in Kiya, the trading village. There the Dark Fathers attacked us, killing a few of our villagers. At this point we have some protection from the Children of The Feather who has offered to train the villagers, but they say they will return…in a few days” I spoke nervously.
“What my coy brother is trying to say is that we may need your expertise in fighting, if you wish you can stay in this village, and defend it,” my brother said.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
the first 5 pages of the first chapter of my novel
Chapter 1. The Village of Kiya
“Men are at war with each other because each man is at war with himself.”
George S. Patton
They stood in the northeast watching our every move. We are a peaceful village, we do not expect violence. The Dark Fathers are one of the most powerful and most barbaric hordes ever to walk the green ground on the Kiya Hills, and they stand so motionless. What are they waiting for? What have our people done? We are but traders, miners, and blacksmiths here.
We have weapons but they are no use to us, we know not how to use them. One of the reasons they could be watching us is due to our visitor, she is a prized possession of ours. My nephew found her injured crawling on the floor of the forest, bleeding from the ankles. The village doctor, Arthurus, has offered her cures for the pains in her ankles but she cannot walk. She claims to be a Child of The Feather.
“Lavin she has awoken,” my brother said quickly grabbing me by the shoulder. I was in the process of binding some hay together for the tradesmen that would go out into the woods.
“How is the stranger feeling, does she speak our tongue?” I asked. He shook his head, as we walked towards Arthurus’ house. “Her wounds, they embrace her mind” my brother said, “What do you….?” Before I could say anything more he opened the door, the stranger laid still except for her head was making some jerking movements, and her eyes were now glazed and crystallized with ruby red stones.
“Protect the children, protect them well, they will feast upon their souls and tonight when the moon is up they will gather the graves, and steal the bodies” the stranger spoke in broken tongue.
“Stranger who are these men and why do you speak of our children?” I said.
“Gather the swords and they will come” she said.
“Strange please aide us, you speak in puzzles, we are a peaceful trading village, we know not the purpose of war,” I said.
“Then we shall learn” my brother said with great assertion in his voice.
“The others will come at dawn. Do not fear, Children of the Feather do not walk alone” she said.
“She needs rest, she cannot train any villagers” Arthurus said. At that moment there was a sound of a trumpet being heard and a blood curdling sound of a woman screaming. I looked outside the hut; they had come down from the mountains and had slaughtered those who were roaming the outside. They stood at least 6 ft tall in height and the horses they rode on were not ordinary horses but large winged horses.
One of them was carrying a woman’s head in his hands as if it were a gift to a King. The axes they carried were made of black onyx and they wore sliver masks across their face. One of them who I assumed to be the leader wore a hood over his head. Upon his hands were golden gloves incrusted with jewels. He had grabbed one of the men and ripped him into two pieces; his spinal cord lay out and the Dark Father lifted his hood a showed his ugly vulgar features. Upon his face were two large black widow spiders which served as his eyes. His teeth green as the pastures in the hills and hair grew from his nostrils and his ears. His skin was crusted and looked to be melted. He feasted upon the dead man like a dog at raw meat. The others began to form around him. I looked up at the sky. It was dawn. The other Children of the Feather should be returning for their sister.
“They have come for me” the stranger screamed.
“We know not how to defend our village. Please stranger, aide us. If you do not these people will die” I said.
I had given up hope until I realized that the horde of men was running away in fear from someone. It was a mere group of 6 men and women on horseback carrying weapons. “I think the stranger spoke the truth, the men are leaving Ian,” I said. I opened the door and a woman whose skin was black as midnight smiled a white smile at me. Her skin was soft and her eyes matched the blue of the early morning sky. She wore a white vest across her chest, and bore a long pointed sword.
“You have our sister” she said.
“Will they return?” I asked
“Yes, I am afraid so but not for a few days. When they return they will outnumber your village, our sister is…. she okay?”
“Yes yes, please come in” I said.
She got off her horse and made a motion to the others who stayed on the horses and did not speak with us. “My name is Ayna. I am the Receptor of the Feather. She told us you were here” she said bringing out her hand. She shook it and then walked past me and to her sister. My brother looked at me and I shrugged. “Your doctors can not cure this injury. Her puzzles, they are due to the Dark Father, they have infected her” Ayna said. She stroked her sister’s cheek with the back of her fist and held her hand and kissed it gently. She gazed at her with admiration. My brother Ian spoke out of turn during the moment of family silence. “Will you stay with your people and help defend our village?” he asked. Ayna turned around and pointed outside to the others who stood still on horseback.
“I cannot stay. I must protect the Crowaven, but they will. They will train whatever villagers you have. My sister, when she is healthy, she is a good fighter, she will know what to do”
“But they return in a few days, will she be better?” I said.
“Yes, I will heal her, it will take energy out of me so I shall stay here for a night before I return” Ayna said.
“Ayna my sister, they wanted to kill me ,The Dark Fathers. They blend in. Do you not see them? They have spies if you do not find him. They will kill me. They will kill them all. Protect the children; at night the graves will be robbed”
“She speaks of two different groups. The Dark Fathers do not rob graves, they only feed upon children and the dead” Ayna said. She looked at her sister and sat down at the bed beside her.
“You must leave the room now or you shall be embodied by the Crowaven” Ayna said.
So the doctor, my brother Ian and I left the home. The morning sun was rising and still the other Children of the Feather were not speaking or moving; as if they were frozen in time. It wasn’t but a few minutes when Ayna exited the house, barely able to move. “She is Aware now” was her final word before she fell to the floor. I grabbed her and walked into the room. The stranger now was up and had left the sheets open for me to place her there. “My sister has cured me, I shall introduce myself now” she spoke clearly.
“The spy, who is the spy?” my brother said bluntly.
“My name is Cly, this spy you speak of was it during my time in your doctor’s abode?” she said
“Yes, yes you mentioned a spy who will kill us. Have you not any brains woman?” my brother said with a sharp tongue.
“I know not of this spy you say I spoke of, but if I spoke it in my daze it must be true. We must find whoever it is” Cly said. She looked at me and smiled, I smiled back with a sheepish grin. “You have a kind face, what is your name?” Cly said. “My name is Lavin” I said. She nodded.
“Your brother is a hard man to follow, but he is this village’s leader?”
“Yes he is a brave man, he knows what to do most of the time” I said
“Back to business, bring me the weapons you have and all the men and women between the ages of 18-40, the children will stay with the elders. I will make my brothers and sisters awaken.
I did as I was told and I brought the weapons from their shelter along with my nephew and his cousins. “Uncle Lavin we are going to fight” Cleory said. My nephew Cleory had broad shoulders and was very tall. He was 18 years old and eager to fight. He, like his father, is feisty. There were but 20 villagers that I gathered around her. She now placed swords and bows in each of their hands. They looked at them in awe, they weren’t really sure they were ready to fight much less defend their village. My brother stood up on a bucket and prepared them to learn how to fight.
“Villagers of Kiya, do not stand by our peaceful actions any longer, you now are to defend our village from the Dark Fathers. We no longer just make the weapons here but we will use them. All who wish us to parish and to fade into oblivion, we won’t have it. If we defend ourselves and die at least we died with honor. In the next two days you shall be learning to fight, so when the Dark Father hordes return we can fight. I too will be learning these things. I know we are supposed to live by peace, but we can no longer think like that. What happened in the nights past was too much; a mother and sister were killed and beheaded. We shall not let that happened again. Cly and her siblings will help defend as well, but it is up to us. They may have the numbers but we have the courage and the passion. If we do not defend well, they will feed upon the young…” He paused for a moment and glanced at Cly who smiled and giggled. Ian stepped off the bucket and helped her up to it.
“This man who you call Ian is right; he has the soul and heart of a warrior, as do the rest of you. When they come they will take up every side of this village, East, West, North and South. Some may even make their way through the forest there. We must not make haste” she pointed at my nephews. “You three I shall teach you how to be archers” they nodded.
“Master Ayna shall we send scouts, the Dark Fathers will have searched other villages before attacking this one” one of the other Children of the Feather stated. He was a blonde man with small russet brown eyes, whose face was sullen; he wore a braided ponytail in the back and on his wrist were two golden bracelets.
“Ewryn take Ian and Lavin and scout out the villages to the east, they may have been attacked, and if they have take any that are alive and bring them here, they can help us defend this village” Ayna said.
Being the trading town that we were scouting was obviously not our best point. I as well as my brother knew that the next town to the east was the village of Wyy. “You two follow me closely do not lag whatever the circumstances, I will lead. If any danger should arise, do not let fear overtake you, they smell fear. Do you understand? ” We were not given any horses, as they would make sounds. So we had to travel by foot. The Village of Wyy was about a half hour on foot. Ewryn did not speak much of the way, he was hard, he seemed as though something were on his mind. My brother too was like him, quiet.