Patreon Launch Countdown – 7 Days

Woo hoo!  Everything is finally ready.  A week from today, Monday, September 5th, my Patreon goes live.  And two weeks after that comes the release of my first piece of serial fiction, “Wilde Borne.”

I am super excited guys!

And here’s how I’m celebrating.  Because I’m a writer, and I love not only writing my stories, but also sharing them.  Over the next week, I will be releasing a mini-serial, building up to Patreon Live Day!

Jali, a young hunter, was charged to bring down the orne, the magical creature that has plagued her village for months, because she appeared to be immune to his magic.  Now several injured, Jali must make a deal with a monster to save no only herself, but those she loves.  

“Mortal Wounds” Part 1

A whimper escaped Jali’s ragged throat, sore from screaming for so long.  Through blurry vision she stared at the massive boulder that crushed her foot.  She would never walk normally again; would never attend the village hunts.

Would never bring down the orne, the creature that had plagued her village for months.

Bitter tears ran down her cheeks.  Her brother, Evam, and amata, and half a dozen villagers all dead.  Gone by the curse of orne, and more would die because she had failed.

Only Jali remained immune to the creature’s magic.  Only she so far had seen the orne and not fallen ill and wasted away.  So the village had elected her, a young, untried hunter, to bring down the beast.

She had failed.

She jabbed her knuckles into the rock, and clenched her teeth against the scream that longed to break lose.  More screaming would do her no good.  With all her strength, she pushed the boulder.  Her muscles burned, her arms shook.  Sweat poured down her face.

The boulder budged the tiniest fraction.  Just the smallest brush of air on Jali’s foot sent fire through her leg.  She fell back with a sob.

A chuckle drifted down from above.

A few yards up the slope sat the orne.  Naked, male, veins starkly visible beneath bone white skin.  Stag horns rose from his head, a crown that looked far too heavy for such a skeletal creature to bare.

He wore a human-like face, impossibly wide mouth peeled back in a rictus grin.  “Little, wounded hunter.  You gave me a merry chase.  The best I’ve had in a long while.”  He craned his neck at an unnatural angle and stared into Jali’s eyes as if he could see right into her soul.  “Now I shall feast from you.  Drain away your life.”

Jali stiffened, hand going for the knife at her belt.  The creature leapt, spun in midair, and landed beside her with a soft thump all before Jali could unsheathe her weapon.  A long fingered hand closed over her wrist, holding her with a strength she would not have imagined.

The orne leaned closer and caught her again with his sky blue eyes.  Magic prickled Jali’s skin.

****

Let me know what you think in the comments.  Cheers and Jali and I will see you tomorrow.