The Shadow of Vale’s third draft now sits just over 23k. I found a few new characters and some plots that will be filling in some of the blank spots I still had which is good.
Most importantly though, I had so much fun writing this week. Reminds me that even if I never get to the point where I am ready to publish, this is just so much fun to do. I hope other’s will enjoy my work as much as I enjoy creating it.
Slightly longer except this week just because it was fun. It’s rough as most of what I wrote was chaotic and it is unedited for the most part. I cleaned it up a little for clarity.
Enjoy Pyre and Zuriel meeting properly for the first time:
“Is the-” Zuriel broke off as his mind was suddenly bombarded with images and emotions. He let out a cry and fell to his knees, vaguely aware that the other’s were surrounding him calling his name. Somewhere in the mess that his mind became, he could hear Halvar, but it was quickly washed away by image after image of a red naim man and the blue dragon Pyre. He saw flashes of himself and Aila and a shattered stone.
The force that swept through his mind withdrew suddenly and he gasped as his other senses returned.
“Sheild! Sheild!” Someone yelled.
He looked up as a wave of warmth washed over him. A longing. Before him Pyre approached along with the green dragon and two others, one purple and a second green dragon he’d never seen before. Pyre let out a roar and spread his wings wide as he slowed his decent and landed with more grace than Zuriel thought possible for something so large.
“He chose you?” Lonan looked at Zuriel wide eyed.
“What?” Zuriel frowned and looked up at the dragon who was headed straight for him.
Zuriel tried to scramble back, but fell as another assault of images and emotions swept over him. Flashes of the red naim, a pale man in a black robe, the naim, a battle field filled with naims and others he didn’t recognize, all garbed in armor. The images flashes and overlapped, some with sound, others mute, as waves of emotions raged through him. Loss, pain, joy, hope, anger, rage.
He gasped and scrambled to his feet as the force released him again.
As he found his feet, he looked up to find Pyre was close enough that he could reach out and touch him with ease. Terror gripped him as the dragon opened his mouth and took hold of the front of his vest with his teeth, yanking him forward.
He let out a cry and clutched at the vest, then the dragon’s face, as his feet left the ground. The images came again, along with a sense of possession and pride. The images ceased as the dragon tossed him into the air. He screamed as he pinwheeled his arms and legs. His stomach lurched as he fell toward the dragon who had swooped beneath him to catch him between two of the spikes on his back.
Zuriel’s scream cut off as the air was forced from his lungs. He grabbed frantically at the spikes as he felt his body sliding on the rough, warm scales of the dragon.
