Nav Logan's Blog - Posts Tagged "fantasy"
A snippet of a rough draft of Book Three of the Storm-bringer Saga: The Black Knights of Crom Cruach
The wisp of smoke drifted west over the rooftops of the city, defying the southerly breeze. Gliding lower, it slipped into a high window, and into the room beyond. The small flurry of smoke slunk along the walls, hugging the carpet as it crossed the bedroom and oozed silently under the closed door, into the hallway beyond. Slowly, it descended the grand spiral staircase, coiling around magnificently crafted balusters like a cobra slipping through dense forest. The smoke, however, was even more silent and deadly.
Reaching the ground floor, the smoke changed colour, blending with the cream marble of the mansion's flooring as it made its way through the house. It passed guards and servants alike, and none noticed its passing. Finally, it eased through the open doors of the grand dining hall, where the celebrations were in high humour. Music and laughter filled the room, people dancing and eating, dressed in all their finery.
The eddy of pale smoke coiled around an immense marble pillar and slowly crept higher, coiling upwards until it reached an overhanging balcony. Here, ladies fanned themselves and old people pretended to be watching the event below, whilst secretly dozing behind their masks.
The vapour settled within the shadow of the ugly face of a gargoyle and seeped into the unseeing granite eyes.
Far, far away from the city, a slim young woman sat, shrouded in incense, chanting softly. Her features were hidden beneath the cowl of the loose robe she wore, and defied the flickering light of the solitary candle within the chamber. Only her hands were visible, revealing the coiling snakes and intricate knotwork of the multi-colour tattoos the crept up her sleeves.
Deep within the dark hood, her eyes opened, but she did not see the candle or the room in which she sat in asana pose. Instead, he eyes looked out upon the great banqueting hall of Manquay, and studied the figures upon the raised dais at the far end of the hall.
She watched the new king of the Dragons, noting how well he hid his discomfort. Her eyes briefly passed over the faces of the High King and Queen of Tir Pect, reading the sullen but silent fury within the eyes of Queen Medb Ni Béar and the tension around the eyes of the king, Conchubhar MacTíre.
Sweat broke out on her brow, and ran slowly down her cheeks. It also ran down her back as she continued the ancient chant. Exerting her will over such a great distance was difficult and tiring work, and she must finish soon before exhaustion consumed her. The shadowy eyes within the gargoyle swivelled and studied the things that others would not see; the darker shadows, within the shadows, the places where guardians lurked in silence. So it was true then. The young aspirer to the throne of the High King of Dragania was well watched. This would explain why they had come to her. They had failed and failed again. Forewarned, the young dragan was securely beyond the reach of her would-be employers. A contract had been taken and they had failed to certify his death. She wondered idly, how many men they had spent before they finally accepted the inevitable. By acting rashly, they had denied the one chance at getting close enough to kill the young man, and now, he was beyond their reach.
She had seen enough and the shadowy smoke around the gargoyle drifted off and dissipated, as she released it. She rushed across the astral plane and returned to her body, within the blink of an eye. Finally, the chanting stopped and she lay back and breathed deeply. Her mind replayed all that she had seen, analysing every detail and storing it away.
Time passed as she lay still, her mind a whirl of activity, while her body lay reposed. In one graceful movement, she rose and walked over to the candle, snuffing out the flames with her fingertips, and disappearing into the darkness. She disappeared from sight, and only the soft swish of the door announced her departure from the sacred chamber.
Some time later, a raven flew from the high tower that perched on the very edge of the castle on the peninsula of the isolated island, overlooking the vastness of the Sea of Hunger. It headed away from the sun, gaining height as it travelled towards the distant mountain range. Attached to its ebony leg, was a small silver clasp, and within the clasp, a small piece of parchment. The note contained no words, merely a number. Her would-be employers would weep and wail and gnash their teeth when they read the note, but they would not be surprised at the cost. They would have known the cost before they contacted her. Eventually, they would pay and the young king would die. In the meantime, the king would live, breathe another day and perhaps spawn another generation of Dragan kings, if he was lucky. It would take time to gather such an enormous amount of hard cash, even for the most wealthy, and the price was always paid, in advance. The legendary Shadowy Hand of Macha did not preform her art on the mere word of a merchant, or even that of a king. Gold and precious gems were her only bond of trust. She would wait patiently and prepare herself, waiting for the galley to deliver her price, in full, to her little dock at the edge of the known world.
In the meantime, she had more important things to consider. She had a children's birthday party to prepare for. She had promised her oldest girl something special this year. Her daughter was growing fast, and soon would be old enough to begin her training. It would soon be time to put away the dolls and toys, and take up the family business, just like she had done and her mother before her, going back over countless generations.
Reaching the ground floor, the smoke changed colour, blending with the cream marble of the mansion's flooring as it made its way through the house. It passed guards and servants alike, and none noticed its passing. Finally, it eased through the open doors of the grand dining hall, where the celebrations were in high humour. Music and laughter filled the room, people dancing and eating, dressed in all their finery.
The eddy of pale smoke coiled around an immense marble pillar and slowly crept higher, coiling upwards until it reached an overhanging balcony. Here, ladies fanned themselves and old people pretended to be watching the event below, whilst secretly dozing behind their masks.
The vapour settled within the shadow of the ugly face of a gargoyle and seeped into the unseeing granite eyes.
Far, far away from the city, a slim young woman sat, shrouded in incense, chanting softly. Her features were hidden beneath the cowl of the loose robe she wore, and defied the flickering light of the solitary candle within the chamber. Only her hands were visible, revealing the coiling snakes and intricate knotwork of the multi-colour tattoos the crept up her sleeves.
Deep within the dark hood, her eyes opened, but she did not see the candle or the room in which she sat in asana pose. Instead, he eyes looked out upon the great banqueting hall of Manquay, and studied the figures upon the raised dais at the far end of the hall.
She watched the new king of the Dragons, noting how well he hid his discomfort. Her eyes briefly passed over the faces of the High King and Queen of Tir Pect, reading the sullen but silent fury within the eyes of Queen Medb Ni Béar and the tension around the eyes of the king, Conchubhar MacTíre.
Sweat broke out on her brow, and ran slowly down her cheeks. It also ran down her back as she continued the ancient chant. Exerting her will over such a great distance was difficult and tiring work, and she must finish soon before exhaustion consumed her. The shadowy eyes within the gargoyle swivelled and studied the things that others would not see; the darker shadows, within the shadows, the places where guardians lurked in silence. So it was true then. The young aspirer to the throne of the High King of Dragania was well watched. This would explain why they had come to her. They had failed and failed again. Forewarned, the young dragan was securely beyond the reach of her would-be employers. A contract had been taken and they had failed to certify his death. She wondered idly, how many men they had spent before they finally accepted the inevitable. By acting rashly, they had denied the one chance at getting close enough to kill the young man, and now, he was beyond their reach.
She had seen enough and the shadowy smoke around the gargoyle drifted off and dissipated, as she released it. She rushed across the astral plane and returned to her body, within the blink of an eye. Finally, the chanting stopped and she lay back and breathed deeply. Her mind replayed all that she had seen, analysing every detail and storing it away.
Time passed as she lay still, her mind a whirl of activity, while her body lay reposed. In one graceful movement, she rose and walked over to the candle, snuffing out the flames with her fingertips, and disappearing into the darkness. She disappeared from sight, and only the soft swish of the door announced her departure from the sacred chamber.
Some time later, a raven flew from the high tower that perched on the very edge of the castle on the peninsula of the isolated island, overlooking the vastness of the Sea of Hunger. It headed away from the sun, gaining height as it travelled towards the distant mountain range. Attached to its ebony leg, was a small silver clasp, and within the clasp, a small piece of parchment. The note contained no words, merely a number. Her would-be employers would weep and wail and gnash their teeth when they read the note, but they would not be surprised at the cost. They would have known the cost before they contacted her. Eventually, they would pay and the young king would die. In the meantime, the king would live, breathe another day and perhaps spawn another generation of Dragan kings, if he was lucky. It would take time to gather such an enormous amount of hard cash, even for the most wealthy, and the price was always paid, in advance. The legendary Shadowy Hand of Macha did not preform her art on the mere word of a merchant, or even that of a king. Gold and precious gems were her only bond of trust. She would wait patiently and prepare herself, waiting for the galley to deliver her price, in full, to her little dock at the edge of the known world.
In the meantime, she had more important things to consider. She had a children's birthday party to prepare for. She had promised her oldest girl something special this year. Her daughter was growing fast, and soon would be old enough to begin her training. It would soon be time to put away the dolls and toys, and take up the family business, just like she had done and her mother before her, going back over countless generations.
First review of The Gathering of the Clans
5.0 out of 5 stars Really liked book 2!, 17 Jan 2014
By
Pafos2109 "pafos2109" (Scotland) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What is this?)
This review is from: The Gathering of the Clans (The Storm-bringer Saga) (Kindle Edition)
Bought this after reading book 1, Maerlin's Storm which I had thoroughly enjoyed. This was also a great read. Even if the book gave me a few curve balls in the direction the story went it kept me hooked and I really enjoyed it. I still hold out hope that one aspect of it will go the way I think in book 3, but that's the romantic in me lol! New characters are colourful especially Sile and Malachi who add to the story but my favourite is still Cull. I look forward to Book 3 later this year. I don't like to give too much away in a review as it can spoil it for readers but I have to say this was a very enjoyable read.
By
Pafos2109 "pafos2109" (Scotland) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What is this?)
This review is from: The Gathering of the Clans (The Storm-bringer Saga) (Kindle Edition)
Bought this after reading book 1, Maerlin's Storm which I had thoroughly enjoyed. This was also a great read. Even if the book gave me a few curve balls in the direction the story went it kept me hooked and I really enjoyed it. I still hold out hope that one aspect of it will go the way I think in book 3, but that's the romantic in me lol! New characters are colourful especially Sile and Malachi who add to the story but my favourite is still Cull. I look forward to Book 3 later this year. I don't like to give too much away in a review as it can spoil it for readers but I have to say this was a very enjoyable read.
Paperback edition update
I got a pleasant surprise this morning- after the initial shock of the phone call from the delivery man at 9am whilst I was still sick in bed- It was the draft paperback version of Maerlin's Storm. The book looks great, and at first glance the only change needs to be to the map (which I'll get around to as soon as my flu finds a new home)
It's taken Eleven years to get this far, with it sitting discarded on the shelf for many years and the last 13 months the book has been through two complete editing and proofreading cycles and multiple small changes, but its finally close to perfection...or as close as it will ever be. I should be available to buy as a paperback shortly, so I'll keep you all posted. Also, I'm about to begin the whole process again with he second book The Gathering of The Clans.
Now that I have the book, all I need is a swanky coffee table to casually place it on..
It is a 6" x9" glossy cover on creme paper and with my own personal ISBN numbers, I am not only the Author, but also the publisher. Printing was done by Createspace and I think will cost $15.99 USD, £9.99 GBP or £11.99 in yoyo's. The book is 366 pages long plus bumph so I hope that works out as value for money. I'm sure it won't warm the house like a bag of coal but you might spend a happy hour snuggled up to a good book.
Many thanks
Nav
It's taken Eleven years to get this far, with it sitting discarded on the shelf for many years and the last 13 months the book has been through two complete editing and proofreading cycles and multiple small changes, but its finally close to perfection...or as close as it will ever be. I should be available to buy as a paperback shortly, so I'll keep you all posted. Also, I'm about to begin the whole process again with he second book The Gathering of The Clans.
Now that I have the book, all I need is a swanky coffee table to casually place it on..
It is a 6" x9" glossy cover on creme paper and with my own personal ISBN numbers, I am not only the Author, but also the publisher. Printing was done by Createspace and I think will cost $15.99 USD, £9.99 GBP or £11.99 in yoyo's. The book is 366 pages long plus bumph so I hope that works out as value for money. I'm sure it won't warm the house like a bag of coal but you might spend a happy hour snuggled up to a good book.
Many thanks
Nav
Moon-fire Sacrifice
A little bit of fantasy for the weekend.
Moon-fire Sacrifice
e breeze.
Moon-fire Sacrifice
e breeze.
