FRANCES GOW
I have been writing for about six years and since joining the Workshop three and half years ago, I have completed two novels and a handful of short stories. When I'm not writing, I look after my two sons (age four and six), which is as much of a challenge, if not more, as writing; both of which stretch my imagination to the brink of reality and beyond. The following piece is the opening scene of my first novel "Blood Feud".
CHAPTER ONE - ENEMY SIEGE
Keri snapped open her eyes as a hand roughly gripped her shoulder and shook. She recognized Lyselle, wide-eyed and frightened, a mass of blonde curls tumbling in disarray around her shoulders. It took a moment for Keri to realize what was going on before her sleepy state of mind registered the look of stark panic on Lyselle's face.
"They're here," she cried and without another moment lost to the task of waking her friend, darted out of the sleep chamber. For an instant, Keri froze in confusion. Then she sat up in bed and ran a hand through her long red hair. Oval shaped eyes, wide and cat-like penetrated the darkness of the room. High cheekbones and an angular face gave her an ageless look, which belied her twenty-nine years. The last of the sleepers had vacated the chamber and she was left alone. In the distance, she heard shouts and the thundering rumble of a great many people on the move. She turned her head slowly towards the crude window chiseled into the outer wall of the chamber and her heart began to thump out a steady rhythm, which picked up speed and rushed to her ears with deafening amplification. Outside in the oppressive black of the night sky, a torch of flame began its descent into the canyon that housed the caverns of the Rebel stronghold. A sickness welled in the pit of her stomach as she moved closer to the window with an unhealthy fascination. Sweat dripped from the end of her nose and her eyes began to well with tears.
"Dear gods... not again."
She stumbled blindly across the room, groping for a pair of trousers and staggered out of the door to join the throng of people heading towards the deepest parts of the labyrinth of Algar Cavern. She slid deftly into the trousers, tied her shirttails into a knot at the waist and stepped into the corridor. In vain, she pushed against the flow of the crowd trying to get to a cluster of sleep chambers on the opposite side of the cavern.
Kas. She had to find Kas. The more she pressed forward, the more she was carried back with the traffic. A hysterical woman, still dressed in night robes, stopped right in front of Keri and sat down. She wailed in shrill cries like an abandoned baby and the crowds ignored her in their haste to escape the terror that had seized the community. Keri lifted her up and slapped her sharply around the face. The woman stopped shrieking and stared at Keri, stunned. Her face abruptly changed as though her mind had suddenly switched tracks and she darted off into the crowd.
A man grabbed Keri roughly around the shoulders and she was about to knee him in the groin, when she recognized Jiril. He was dressed in army attire, heavy trousers, stout tunic and a short black coat which bore the symbol of the rebel warrior - winged creature of freedom; the Shuttlebird. He pinned her down with his eyes.
"It's Runix all over again. Keri... you're going the wrong way." His voice was desperate and he tried to urge her in the opposite direction.
"It's Kas. I have to find him..."
"Kas will be long gone by now, all those chambers are empty. They are gathering anyone in the Bay who can ride to launch a counter attack. Put your skills to good use, Keri, come with me."
She slipped easily from his grip and took off once again, losing Jiril in the crowd. She could not contemplate going into battle, knowing that Kas was alone somewhere in this mayhem. She inched her way further along the corridor, scrutinizing faces that swept past nearly knocking her down.
Reaching the entrance of the first sleep chamber, she darted inside and began to search the room. An overwhelming sense of deja-vu engulfed her as she searched for bodies. Tears of desperation streaked down her face as she realized her stupidity; the enemy had barely even reached the canyon, she needn't yet be searching for bodies. She kicked the stony wall and shrieked her frustration as her foot began to numb with the pain of impact.
Hobbling towards the entrance, she watched the crowds begin to thin. Wherever he was, there was nothing she could do now; their future lay in the hands of the Rebel Army. She had already lost Kas's father in the clash at Runix Cavern, she prayed to whichever god might be listening that her son would survive the bloody carnage that would undoubtedly ensue. She stepped back out into the thinning masses and continued towards the end of the corridor. Glances of confusion and disbelief were cast at her in generous measure but they did not really understand the enormity of what was happening. Keri had been there before; she had seen it all come to a messy end at Runix. She knew with a sick certainty that if the enemy made it into the cavern, none of them would stand a chance of survival. So what was the point of running? There was a viewing ledge at the end of the corridor. It overlooked the canyon and the many tiered caves of Algar Cavern; a perfect place to watch the battle and face the future.
From somewhere below Keri's line of vision, she heard the almighty thunder of the winged beasts, the Shuttlebirds, as one by one they shot up into the sky to meet with their enemy. Golden plumed and primed for action, they rose in fleets crying out their shrill defiance. Riders sat clinging to the saddled beasts as they ascended into the darkness above like a glittering array of stars. The glint of steel enhanced the dazzle of the fly-by as every army rider wielded his weapon of war, the Yari, in readiness for the onslaught.
The fire seemed to come from nowhere. It lit up the sky with a blazing intensity that made Keri squint and turn her head to one side. The stench of death and rancid meat brought bile to her throat, as the sky was suddenly awash with enemy beasts. They descended upon the army in waves of black venomous hatred, penetrating the heart of the Rebels. She had seen the remnants of the last raid, she knew only too well what devastation could be wreaked by such creatures. They stank like raw sewage and pumped poison into their victims through lethal, razor sharp talons. Blasting the sky with their fire-breath, they ignited whole chunks of the army sending blackened lumps of rebel falling from the sky. If the roasting did not kill them, then the drop to the floor of the canyon certainly would. Keri choked back tears as she watched the rebel numbers fall.
They had no riders. Just black winged monsters of another man's making. No mortal could survive contact with the pointed needles that scaled the backbone of the Scout. Scarlet eyes, which sparkled in the sky like a thousand rubies, swept the scene looking for a way into the cavern. Their numbers were vast enough to try ramming their way through the wall of Shuttlebirds protecting the entrance to the cavern. Some of the birds went down, followed by their riders, stunned by the impact. However, the resistance was stronger than the enemy had anticipated. An enemy Scout fell, unceremoniously spouting black poison, a Yari speared through its neck. The remaining Scouts reeled back for another try. They attempted to blast their way through the shield with their flames and more riders fell like human fireballs. Yet still for every misplaced Shuttlebird another would automatically take its place.
It was true enough that Algar had the finest army of all the rebel strongholds, yet Keri could keenly feel the loss of lives and stood in morbid terror of the beasts which had once destroyed her life at Runix Cavern. A Scout launched itself without warning like a cannonball and hurtled towards the open ledge where Keri was standing. Hissing with hatred, it streamlined its body for a direct attack. Keri froze. Inches before her eyes, the spear end of a Yari sliced its way through the beast's breastbone, splitting it down the middle like a rack of ribs. Black blood spurted and caught Keri's arm as it fell with a strangled wail.
Her arm began to sting as she frantically rubbed the poison down her trouser leg. She looked up in time to see a weaponless rider sweep past the ledge waving her back. She recognized the Rebel Leader, Andar Sorell, as he rose into the sky circling the battle from above, looking for a weakness in the enemy tactics. Several other riders throwing Yari with exceptional precision, slicing chunks out of the Scouts' line of attack joined him. The advantage shifted, as it became clear to Keri that whoever controlled the enemy beasts had vastly underestimated the strength of the Rebel Army at Algar.
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