That magical feeling

 

ILFIN of ARC excerpt: The Spire

 

HANNA PROVED TO be stubborn. She did not agree with Lyra, despite various explanations from her as the day wore on. Lyra did not blame her; it sounded fantastical even to her ears.

Thus, in the middle of the night, while Hanna was in deep sleep, Lyra slipped away. Hanna was able to track her, but she hoped her actions would force Hanna to pause and think. Hopefully, she would choose, in the morning, to go back.

As silent as she was able to, Lyra led Leaf away. A fair distance from their camp, she entered the river, praying she was far enough removed not to wake Hanna with the resultant splashing sounds, hoping also that the point of entry into the current was where Hanna lost her trail if she did come looking for her.

By mid-morning Lyra knew she was alone. Either Hanna lost her, or she chose to return as asked. Never had she felt this lonely. Thank the stars for Leaf. Her gentleness and warmth gifted Lyra hope.

Together they travelled without incident for days, and then the morning arrived when the peaks towered over them. Buried in clouds up there was a suggestion of a spike, a manufactured object.

Destination.

The Spire.

The ethereal Sassen said to search for a trapdoor. While Lyra did not trust her motives, about the entry point she did not think the woman lied. That was her hope. Much of what she now acted upon was based on faith.

In the end, finding it was easier than she believed it would be. In a dark glade, for the mountain threw a deep shadow, she found it.

Seeing the hidden entryway brought Damin to mind and other trapdoors they used back in Normur. She missed him with an ache that caused her stomach to roil. How she wished he was with her. His solid presence and mischievous smile would serve to strengthen her fading optimism.

Given the location, this was where she and Leaf needed to part ways. She removed her pack and water, and then unsaddled her. There was certainly enough for Leaf to eat and drink, but Lyra prayed she would be fine.

She had been a good friend.

 

~

 

SHE EXPECTED DARKNESS. The lower the metal ladder took her, the lighter it became, however. There was no light source other than the dwindling grey circle overhead and yet she was able to see. Perhaps it was a property of the ancient stone she descended into.

Her feet touched a paved floor. A surfaced tunnel weaved into distance, faintly glowing. She found that stranger than anything that went before, for it revealed a past, a people with the ability to delve and dress rock.

Light beings did not do this. Their slaves did. How long had it been since the first sanctuary seekers vanished into obscurity in this place? Here time itself pressed upon her.

Shouldering her pack, Lyra trod determinedly forward. Noting curves and rounds in the shadows, she realised the underground system was complex, potentially a labyrinth able to stymie direction. Now she wished she had not sent Hanna away; a companion would do much to lessen this burden.

Her footfalls echoed dully. Her heartbeat thundered loudly. Her breath left her in great gasps. She was afraid. She made so much noise, enough, she thought, to wake even the dead.

Go back …

Flinching, Lyra halted.

Danger!

Swallowing, she understood the voices were all around her. The dead were not only awake, but speaking.

“I have to do this,” she said, and her words rebounded akin to hollow bells. “I know why you seek to delay me, but too many will die if I stop now.”

Tricks and traps await you. Go back.

The other death is the easier death.

They lied!

She closed her eyes, seeking to ‘see’ the forms. A host swirled around her, all faceless. Her eyes snapped open. Thank the stars they had no faces.

“My brother will release you from this prison of waiting, but he must survive in order to do so.”

Silence surrounded her. The host was listening.

“Horin is a warrior. He will stand between us and them, this I swear. Help me now, please. Show me what to do. Show me how to save my people, and together we will save each other from the otherworld beings.”

She waited a long time, unmoving, and then she heard these words.

This way, my lady. Come this way.

Come, reader, join the great march today …

 According to legend, a paradise awaits across the plains, a sanctuary that has survived every impact and every battle. Known as Arc, it is a place of isolation, a place to restart civilisation.

 A fireball grows ever larger in the skies and ancient enemies wing through the spaces; the world Massin is the gathering place for every omen of disaster. Every resident soul faces a choice. Time now to march south to the sanctuary, from the eastern highlands and the western seas, there to escape apocalypse, and the renewal of the war between the Ilfin and Glonu, or stay behind, hoping for a miracle.

 An Elemental will find the sanctuary – Lyra is gifted – a Warrior will defend the dispossessed – the boy Horin will grow up fast – and a Marsh Devil will lead them – Damin spends years preparing for this epic event – but it is also true that a sanctuary is not always a haven. Has the legend lied? Will Arc protect them?

 Prepare for an adventure that will journey from ancient ways of living into high-tech environments. Ilfin of Arc is a dystopian Fantasy tale that flies into star filled spaces – strap in!

ILFIN of ARC

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Orphan Excerpt: Adin in the North

 

In wild places, no one is ever truly lost.

ADIN

SPRING ARRIVED PAINSTAKINGLY slowly, but when it was in full swing, the glory left Adin breathless.

Harry Wilson, reading in his young companion an affinity for the natural order, made a suggestion. He needed to see his brother, he claimed, his brother having been the subject of his winter dreaming, often to leave him as speechless and unmoving as the first time it happened with Adin present. He would be away some time and would appreciate it if Adin would stay in the cottage and look after things for him. Just until he returned. Then Adin was a free agent once more, but was welcome to remain as long as he wished.

No hurry, he said. “Will leave only after the spring melt. Roads too dangerous right now.”

He then watched Adin think. He saw the lad study the trees, the surroundings, and smell the air. As spring gradually gave way to the beginnings of summer, Harry knew the boy had fallen as hard for the wild spaces as he had as a much younger man. He knew what the answer would be long before Adin himself knew it with certainty.

“I’ll stay.”

“Good lad.” Harry gripped his shoulder. “Will make sure you have all you need before I go. Unless you wish to come into town with me, spy out the lay of the land there for yourself?”

“If they know I’m alone here, I won’t be here long.”

“Yeah, the do-gooders will want to save your sorry ass,” Harry chortled.

THUS IT WAS that Adin spent the summer alone and unfettered in the wild northern spaces. The beginnings of manhood to come settled into broadening shoulders and developing arm and leg muscles, growing height, as he traipsed the spaces endlessly, discovering new sights with every step.

Harry was right. One found oneself out there.

While he unleashed his physical self during the day, at night his spirit delved nocturnal spaces. His dreams intensified.

At first, while Harry was still around offering insight, his dreams didn’t change much, except for colour. The images were more vivid, and he remembered more detail upon waking. Now, with no one watching, he soared into the unknown.

His wandering became about more than simply seeking Sunflower. In fact, it became about more than mere ‘wandering’. Adin sought to know the realm of the spirit, and therefore flew into spaces both awe-inspiring and terribly dark. By his reasoning, the more he knew, the better equipped he was to aid Sunflower.

On the day he and Sunflower turned fourteen, he finally spoke to her.

An orphaned boy searches for a lost girl.

A woman abandons her new-born at a motel in the back of beyond. Adin grows up unloved, bullied, and no one remembers him. He doesn’t exist.

Until he sees a poster for a missing girl on a lamppost. There is an instant connection to little Sunflower, kidnapped for ransom, only to disappear after the money is paid. He exists because he must find her. Alone, he searches, a journey that takes him into the wild places, meeting along the way some interesting characters.

In dreams he speaks to her, for she is the one who will remember him.

THE ORPHAN

Yup!

 

Caturday: Art of Cat

 

Vellichor

 

Full Moons of 2024