McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Writers round table
seradhe:
--- Quote from: Kristine on March 03, 2008, 06:17:09 AM ---
"how can I assist you?" I croaked.
--- End quote ---
I had a brief moment of clarity, staring up at the man before me. For a moment I understood my place in events, everything clicked into place, and the truth that the fate of more than just earth might be resting on my shoulders, all of it depending on the choices I made.
But then the sheer amount of events focused solely upon me flooded over my thoughts, and I found myself just as lost as before. My mind reeled. was that flash the wildflower telling me to be careful? was the wildflower sentient? so many questions and it seemed the only people with the answers wanted to use me and keep me dumb.
The king smiled widely. I could imagine that sharks had that smile when they knew they had the slower, stupider fish. "My boy, you do not merely 'assist' the king," he spoke in silky smooth words. I looked over to see Reza practically swooning, just from the sound of his voice. "You serve the kingdom, and I, as the agent for the needs of the kingdom, will be the one directing you to better aid us."
It took effort to hide me wincing. I mean, he just said "you're my slave" in a very roundabout way. I guess if his voice had the same affect on me as it seemed to have on the rest of his subjects (even D'vaisa seemed to be teetering on her many legs), I might already being pledging my allegiance to him... er, the realm.
I tried my best to look lost (which was pretty easy), the last words of Andre and Debbie were ringing in my head. "I....I need some time to rest" I said softly, "may we speak again soon?" I tried to give him puppy eyes. I mean, if he was going to treat me like a stupid child, then I can use that to my advantage.
The kings smile faltered, turning almost into a scowl before he seemed to recover. "Of course, my boy, the resources of my castle are yours to use, until you are of sufficient health to start your duties to the Realm". with that he turned and flowed, no stepping, it was like he glided, out of the room.
Kristine:
--- Quote from: seradhe on March 03, 2008, 07:25:07 AM --- "Of course, my boy, the resources of my castle are yours to use, until you are of sufficient health to start your duties to the Realm". with that he turned and flowed, no stepping, it was like he glided, out of the room.
--- End quote ---
(click to show/hide)sorry all got carried away so this was a long one.
I tried not to show that I breathed a sigh of relief when he left. D'vaisa seemed to regain her balance again but almost twittered with excitement. "Fortunate you are Young Master that the King will help you with the direction of the wildflower. He is..." she paused and seemed to quiver with the very thought of him, "an extraordinary man."
The only thing I had see that was extraordinary about him was his magical power to influence other people (and maybe that floating-out-of-the-room thing). "Sure." I nodded but I wasn't able to keep all the sarcasm out of my voice and Reza scowled at me before she caught herself.
"His Highness was generous to give you time to recuperate after your foolish actions in the helicopter that caused you to come to harm." she grated,"use it wisely to get some sleep so that you may serve the kingdom tomorrow."
D'vaisa missed the threat, "Oh he will be ready to rise and move around tomorrow. Not maybe all day but some time." she nodded assessing my health honestly. Reza smiled like a serpent to a mouse and stood up and looked down at me, "Till tomorrow then, human Joey." she purred and sauntered out of the room. I watched her go until she had closed the door behind her and couldn't hear what was about to happen next. Something had occurred to me and so far D'vaisa had been so honest about everything else.
"D'vaisa?" I caught her attention, "Why did the spider poison work when the wildflower was supposed to protect me?"
The many segmented healer pushed back the stray red hair that had come loose from her bun. "The Wildflower will do what it needs, to get you where you are needed, to do what is needed, as it's focus young Joey." she tilted her head as if I was asking her to explain why people had feet.
I nodded as if I understood this cryptic crap, "and what does it need?"
She smiled again and I wanted to shake her "It needs balance, it needs order and chaos, good and evil, awe and cynicism, magic and technology to have equal parts in the world." She squinted into the distance, "Young master you come from a world that has little magic and the Emperor comes from a world where magic powers everything. You are two sides of the same blade. The magic connects everything and you as a pure human have the least connection. You can not burn with it, you simply channel it. It passes into you and through you without ... making you something else. You will never hold it in your mind and body but you will, eventually be able to grasp it and push it."
Now I was very confused, "I thought It will do what is needed?"
She nodded as if I had finally understood something, "Yes, yes, light a candle - cast a shadow. Where there is darkness it will make you it's light, where there is light you will be darkness. And if things are kept in balance then no power will present itself to you." she smiled again, "the king will keep you in neutral areas until you are needed then, will send you where balance is needed."
Somewhere in my philosophical ignorance a lightbulb went on, "so if I stay in balanced areas I will never have access to this power. I'll never learn to use it."
She laughed as if I said something funny rather than something disturbingly chilling, "The king is a great man, he will find a use for you, and no place is completely balanced in all things."
I fervently hoped that I would get to balance things enough to escape the king's machinations. I had a feeling the balance of power was sadly lacking in much of the world of Wildfire to force someone like me to take a role in things.
meg_evonne:
I awoke early the next day, just before sunrise. D'Vaisa had laid out clothes for me. Proper clothes, if not a little fancy. Some tights that were impossible to get on, knee bloomers that fastened just below my kneecaps. The shirt was a rich, elegant nubbed silk of some sort. A wide leather belt, the same as had been given to me in the helicopter held everything in place. There was also a hat, with a ridiculous feather in it. I left it on the bed, when in Rome rules had limits after all. Soft jerkin boots that reached mid-calf felt worn and comfortable to my feet. I wouldn't be getting blisters at least.
On the table where Wildflower lay, was the leather shoulder harness and an intricately worked metal scabbard. The soft tooled leather harness carried impressed gold runes which were meaningless to me but probably warded off evil or something. I slipped it over my head and left shoulder, which would grant me access to Wildflower's hilt with my right hand.
As the sun slipped into through the nearby window, it reflected on the saber, laying upon a side table. For the first time I could see and touch the thing that had set my life on such an improbable path. It looked like a ceremonial sword. When needed, it had glowed with powerful energy that had made my hair stand on end, but it also possessed real shape and form, not just energy. Now it lay domant, shining in the morning sun without the energy but still looking beautiful & deadly.
To test the blade, I ran my finger over it's sharp edge and blood was drawn with surgical efficiency. The business end was smooth, gently curving without nick or scratch. The blade end nearest the hilt carried etchings that bore deep into the metal. Looking closer, I could make out a series of wild flowers intermixed with unknown runes. I touched them gently. It didn't roar to life as it had when I had needed it's power but the individual wild flower did light from within and a soft tone emitted. I touched the others, seven total, each carrying a color of the rainbow. When I experimented running my fingers up the entire side of the blade they streaked color outwards. In doing so, I felt an eighth, hidden half under the simple metal guard. When I touched it, the light blazed white, lighting up the still shadowy corners of the room with its brillance. The white carried no audible tone, to my ears at least. I was sure that the colors meant something, that they denoted perhaps various magical abilities within the sword. If nothing else, the white light would mark my path into the darkest dungeon or the blackest of caves.
The hilt guard was so simple, as to not be non-existant. I doubted it was terribly efficient in parrying a thrust from an opponent, but what did I know about swords? Looking closely, I realized that there was a small retangular cut next to the blade along each side of the guard. Perhaps it was designed to "catch" the opponet's weapon in some way? I shook my head, I didn't know enough about sword design and I didn't think I'd get a chance to google it anytime soon.
From past usage, I knew that the handle molded itself perfectly to my grip but I didn't take it up. Soft brown leather wrapped it. Gold had once embelished it, but it was worn now, barely noticeable to my eye. The end--a bud shaped carved metal ball. The unblemished beauty of a rosebud for a virgin? Okay, let's not dwell on that yet.
I finally picked it up in my right hand and felt it humm with a soft resinating power that filled me with a sense of confidence and a healthy contentment. It did not glow, but the power was there for me to call when needed and it physically indicated that to me. I guess better to say, when it called me into service. I slipped it into the sabbard, where it settled with smooth familiarity. I pulled it out several times and thrust it back in. There was a slight catch between the leather inside the metal scabbard and the metal of the hilt--a physical rubbing or griping that held it securely in place & that resisted only slightly when I pulled it out.
D'Vaisa still not awake or perhaps already gone, I opened the front door of the stone hut and exited into the stone thorofare outside where morning merchants were pulling handcarts filled with food stock and trinkets for a morning market. No one took heed of my presence. I wondered just how far I could make it outside the area around the fortress before someone, or something stopped me. I hadn't gone far, when I saw a glint off a mirror perhaps up in a tree that settled on my face. Looking up, I saw Debbie and Andre--I'd rather they were miles away and safe. One, I didn't really trust them to have my benefit at heart and I saw no way that they could help me without coming to peril themselves. Still they were there and I hoped would remain out of sight.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mameluke_sword)
seradhe:
--- Quote from: meg_evonne on March 06, 2008, 11:24:29 PM ---I hadn't gone far, when I saw a glint off a mirror perhaps up in a tree that settled on my face. Looking up, I saw Debbie and Andre--I'd rather they were miles away and safe. One, I didn't really trust them to have my benefit at heart and I saw no way that they could help me without coming to peril themselves. Still they were there and I hoped would remain out of sight.
--- End quote ---
The marketplace was unlike anything I could have expected. Beings of every shape and size moved amongst each other, stopping in front of stalls to barter for goods. But the entire place was oddly quiet, in fact the only voices I heard were usually the Vendors to their help, or amongst the people not currently shopping.
It wasn't until I got close enough to a stall that I saw why. The buyer would point out an object, and the vendor would place it on the table between them. The buyer would then place his money (I could only assume the small, moss green gems everyone had was money) or wares on the opposite end, and both sides would then move their contents closer to the center, or pull back depending on what was added or removed to their respective piles. When both piles were in a stripe painted bright yellow down the center of the table, did they shake hands and the barter was considered done.
The fact that this was all done without a word spoken mesmerized me, and I was threatened away from several bartering tables after watching the transactions for hours. Silently I untucked my shirt and let it fold loosely over the jeweled pommel of the wildflower, silently praying it was still the plastic FX lightsaber that began it's life with me.
A flash of light came from another tree down the way. I squinted into it and Saw Debbie and Andre, mouthing something at me. Suddenly they tilted the mirror up, and i heard a gasp behind me. I turned fast, hand on my blade, but all I saw were a couple of guys squinting as Debbies mirror blinded them.
Then they blurred a bit, nondescript robes gave way to military looking uniforms and rather nasty-looking maces. But then the light was gone, and the two figures were just another pair of shoppers. I tried to not stare and quickly turned a corner. Debbie and Andre were gone from their perch. So I was being followed.
GWiz:
--- Quote from: seradhe on March 08, 2008, 07:00:12 AM ---Debbie and Andre were gone from their perch. So I was being followed.
--- End quote ---
Of course. It made sense that the King would want to keep an eye on me or maybe send some goons to fetch me to him. So far, the two soldiers seemed to be keeping their distance, so I was guessing that their mission was observe and report. A thought struck me as I watched the two disguised men walk by my alley slowly, heads swiveling back and forth as they searched the street for me. I was looking for a chink in the disguise, an imperfection or telltale sign that would alert me whenever I encountered a disguised person, but nothing disrupted the look of an average joe out shopping for lizard entrails or finger symbols or whatever the hell it was people bartered for here. My dilemma became one of not just watching out for these two. Unless I wielded the Wildflower, which I was sure would give me the light I needed to penetrated the disguises, I had no way to tell if anyone I saw was just a normal person or someone in disguise. What I needed was a good flashlight.
I felt a weird tingling sensation over my whole body. You need no flash of light. They will not notice you now. It took me a few seconds of turning and looking around frantically before I realized that the Wildflower was speaking to me.
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