I think my genres (types) of writing is Science Fiction and Fantasy. I like science fiction because of all the starships and cool gadgets and machines and nebulas and so on, and I like Fantasy because of the magic (white magic, that is) and sword-fighting, and all that stuff. What genre is your favorite?
Izori
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Jane Austin Character Quiz
Saw this on one of my friend's blogs and liked it. I'm not a huge Jane Austin fan, but that's maybe because it's not my type (no sword fights. I really like a good sword fight) and because I read it when I was ten or nine. Or eleven. By the way, I didn't even know who Elinor Dashwood was until I asked my mom. :-)
Izori
Izori
The March to Mahal (Chapter 9 of The Other Side of the Creek
According to the voting polls, naming my chapters won out. So...
9. The March to Mahal
Ben felt a little dizzy, like he was going to faint. Behind him, Kaela sucked in a rapid breath. "Who could have locked the door on us?" He asked.
Learka's mouth was a straight line. "It was probably just some well-meaning follower traveling down the main route when they saw this door unlocked. Naturally, they would lock it. Now the question is, how are we going to unlock it from the inside?"
"How did the ogres unlock it?" questioned Kaela.
"They must have brought skrakilae with them." Learka supposed. Seeing Ben and Kaela's look of confusion, he explained. "Skrakilae is plural for skrakil. They're a special kind of ogre. Daran uses those in his army as many things. They can shape-shift into a shadow and seep through really little cracks, and then turn back into ogres and unlock the door."
"Oh." said Kaela. "So I guess we can't use that method to get out."
"I thought of one. It's a little obvious." Ben announced.
Kaela and Learka looked at him. "What is it?"
"We ask Adonai to get us out."
Learka slapped his forehead. "Oh, well, that was obvious. And whatever happens, it's Adonai's will that it happens that way. He always has plans." He bowed his head. "Let's pray, shall we."
Ben and Kaela bowed their heads too, and Learka began speaking. "Adonai, if it's your will, please let us to get out of the Helinga Passageway. Your army will be marching soon, and Ben and Kaela might be needed. Please also let us not to grumble and think you're uncaring if for some reason you don't get us free immediately. Amen."
"Amen." Ben and his sister finished in unison.
Holding his breath, Learka tried the door. To everyone's immense joy, it swung open. As Ben stepped out with the other two into the main route, he had never felt so relieved. What he said aloud was, "Wow. Praying really worked!"
"That was so easy!" remarked Kaela. "All you have to do is ask."
"That reminds me of a part of the Book of Prophesies that my father read aloud to me and Yev." Learka said. "Knock, and the door will be opened. It's amazing that so many verses from it are similar to our situations."
"It is." Ben agreed. "Now, which way leads back to our dwelling? I always get mixed up in these tunnels."
"It would be to the left." Learka answered. "Come on."
They reached Klii and Yev a few minutes later and told them of their adventures.
Klii raised his eyebrows. "That was such a long time ago, when we closed the doors of Helinga. But while you three were gone, we got a message from Nolan. We are marching now for Mahal. The followers are supposed to meet in Great Oak Hollow as soon as we can."
Klii and Yev grabbed their swords (Ben, Kaela, and Learka already had theirs) and Learka and Yev also carried with them the weapons they had been working on for the past few days. Then they started out for Great Oak Hollow.
They gathered with the other followers at the designated meeting place, and mixed with the crowd for a little bit. Ben and Kaela were talking with Yersi and his twin sister when Klii walked up to them. "Ah, there you two are. Nolan wants us to come with him to the front of the room again."
Ben, Klii, Kaela, Learka, and Yev joined their leader at the front. Nolan addressed Klii. "I haven't quite thought of it until now, but what will the women and children do while we are fighting. Should they come with us on the campaign, or stay here. I would be a little worried at leaving them undefended though, and we haven't got enough numbers to split up."
Klii nodded. "I've been pondering that too. From what I remember of the southern tunnels, there are quite a few dwellings there that with a little bit of dusting can be quite inhabitable. They can follow along but stay in the tunnels while we go out and wage war. That way they'll be close so we can protect them."
Nolan raised his eyebrows. "I'll have to make you chief advisor. You're very wise."
"I guess there's a silver lining to growing old." Klii smiled. "The people are waiting for you to give out orders."
The leader turned to the followers. "We are going to be marching very soon. Everyone brought some long-lasting provisions for themselves, I hope."
Ben looked at Yev. He hadn't heard this part of the message. She winked to tell him that he didn't have to worry; she had taken care of it.
"Alright, Captains Gawain and Sam, come forward."
Gawain and Sam came to the front of the room and saluted. "Gather your lieutenants and men." He commanded.
Immediately a flock of men gathered around their officers. Now only the women, children, and old ones were standing where before a large crowd had been. "Because we would rather have our civilians close to us just in case there is an ogre attack, they will follow. I am told there are dwellings in the tunnels that they can stay in. I know that many are great praying warriors, but we must not be rash."
Nolan turned around to Klii, Ben, and their little group. "Klii, are you and Miss Yevelina counting yourselves as soldiers?"
"Adonai has spoken to me about this matter," the old man said. "Yev and I are to travel with you, Learka, Ben, and Kaela, but we will remain for now praying warriors."
"Very well, then. Come with me."
Nolan, Klii, Ben, Learka, Yev, and Kaela walked toward where Great Oak Hollow became a tunnel again. Then Nolan turn back. "Follow me!" he cried. "We march now!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There you go. Happy reading!
Izori
9. The March to Mahal
Ben felt a little dizzy, like he was going to faint. Behind him, Kaela sucked in a rapid breath. "Who could have locked the door on us?" He asked.
Learka's mouth was a straight line. "It was probably just some well-meaning follower traveling down the main route when they saw this door unlocked. Naturally, they would lock it. Now the question is, how are we going to unlock it from the inside?"
"How did the ogres unlock it?" questioned Kaela.
"They must have brought skrakilae with them." Learka supposed. Seeing Ben and Kaela's look of confusion, he explained. "Skrakilae is plural for skrakil. They're a special kind of ogre. Daran uses those in his army as many things. They can shape-shift into a shadow and seep through really little cracks, and then turn back into ogres and unlock the door."
"Oh." said Kaela. "So I guess we can't use that method to get out."
"I thought of one. It's a little obvious." Ben announced.
Kaela and Learka looked at him. "What is it?"
"We ask Adonai to get us out."
Learka slapped his forehead. "Oh, well, that was obvious. And whatever happens, it's Adonai's will that it happens that way. He always has plans." He bowed his head. "Let's pray, shall we."
Ben and Kaela bowed their heads too, and Learka began speaking. "Adonai, if it's your will, please let us to get out of the Helinga Passageway. Your army will be marching soon, and Ben and Kaela might be needed. Please also let us not to grumble and think you're uncaring if for some reason you don't get us free immediately. Amen."
"Amen." Ben and his sister finished in unison.
Holding his breath, Learka tried the door. To everyone's immense joy, it swung open. As Ben stepped out with the other two into the main route, he had never felt so relieved. What he said aloud was, "Wow. Praying really worked!"
"That was so easy!" remarked Kaela. "All you have to do is ask."
"That reminds me of a part of the Book of Prophesies that my father read aloud to me and Yev." Learka said. "Knock, and the door will be opened. It's amazing that so many verses from it are similar to our situations."
"It is." Ben agreed. "Now, which way leads back to our dwelling? I always get mixed up in these tunnels."
"It would be to the left." Learka answered. "Come on."
They reached Klii and Yev a few minutes later and told them of their adventures.
Klii raised his eyebrows. "That was such a long time ago, when we closed the doors of Helinga. But while you three were gone, we got a message from Nolan. We are marching now for Mahal. The followers are supposed to meet in Great Oak Hollow as soon as we can."
Klii and Yev grabbed their swords (Ben, Kaela, and Learka already had theirs) and Learka and Yev also carried with them the weapons they had been working on for the past few days. Then they started out for Great Oak Hollow.
They gathered with the other followers at the designated meeting place, and mixed with the crowd for a little bit. Ben and Kaela were talking with Yersi and his twin sister when Klii walked up to them. "Ah, there you two are. Nolan wants us to come with him to the front of the room again."
Ben, Klii, Kaela, Learka, and Yev joined their leader at the front. Nolan addressed Klii. "I haven't quite thought of it until now, but what will the women and children do while we are fighting. Should they come with us on the campaign, or stay here. I would be a little worried at leaving them undefended though, and we haven't got enough numbers to split up."
Klii nodded. "I've been pondering that too. From what I remember of the southern tunnels, there are quite a few dwellings there that with a little bit of dusting can be quite inhabitable. They can follow along but stay in the tunnels while we go out and wage war. That way they'll be close so we can protect them."
Nolan raised his eyebrows. "I'll have to make you chief advisor. You're very wise."
"I guess there's a silver lining to growing old." Klii smiled. "The people are waiting for you to give out orders."
The leader turned to the followers. "We are going to be marching very soon. Everyone brought some long-lasting provisions for themselves, I hope."
Ben looked at Yev. He hadn't heard this part of the message. She winked to tell him that he didn't have to worry; she had taken care of it.
"Alright, Captains Gawain and Sam, come forward."
Gawain and Sam came to the front of the room and saluted. "Gather your lieutenants and men." He commanded.
Immediately a flock of men gathered around their officers. Now only the women, children, and old ones were standing where before a large crowd had been. "Because we would rather have our civilians close to us just in case there is an ogre attack, they will follow. I am told there are dwellings in the tunnels that they can stay in. I know that many are great praying warriors, but we must not be rash."
Nolan turned around to Klii, Ben, and their little group. "Klii, are you and Miss Yevelina counting yourselves as soldiers?"
"Adonai has spoken to me about this matter," the old man said. "Yev and I are to travel with you, Learka, Ben, and Kaela, but we will remain for now praying warriors."
"Very well, then. Come with me."
Nolan, Klii, Ben, Learka, Yev, and Kaela walked toward where Great Oak Hollow became a tunnel again. Then Nolan turn back. "Follow me!" he cried. "We march now!"
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There you go. Happy reading!
Izori
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Thinking Up Names- part 2
Okay, the first time I covered this I didn't get everything in. So, onto methods of thinking up names.
4) Find letter sounds that you like (like L or E) and make a name around them. Examples: Lila (I don't think that's made up though) Laela, Elera, Esreel,etc
5) If you already have an idea of what the character is like and all you need is a name, think up one that reminds you of his or her personality. If they are spunky and energetic, Ani or Cassie could be good. If they are quiet and reserved, then Sarai or Calia are suggestions. If they are an elf, then something like Elad or Chloe might do.
Izori
4) Find letter sounds that you like (like L or E) and make a name around them. Examples: Lila (I don't think that's made up though) Laela, Elera, Esreel,etc
5) If you already have an idea of what the character is like and all you need is a name, think up one that reminds you of his or her personality. If they are spunky and energetic, Ani or Cassie could be good. If they are quiet and reserved, then Sarai or Calia are suggestions. If they are an elf, then something like Elad or Chloe might do.
Izori
Chapter 8 of The Other Side of the Creek (Locked In)
Because the voting poll for naming chapters is still going on, I'll just stick to my normal not naming them for now.
(Note: On April 3, 09, I decided to name the chapter)
Chapter 8
"You know," Learka said thoughtfully as he whittled. "I wonder how the ogres got in when they attacked us." He set down his knife and the stick he was carving into an arrow. "Because if however they got into here is still accessible, they could sneak right back in."
It was one or two days after Nolan had become leader. Nothing exiting had happened, just the usual training for battle. The follower army was almost ready to march underground to Mahal, but were waiting a little bit while people collected weapons. So far Yevelina had made several slings with ammunition, and Learka was carving arrows and making bows.
"That's a thought," Yev agreed as she swept the dirt floor. "I'm surprised it hasn't occurred to anyone else,"
"If there still is an opening, do you have any idea where it could be?" Ben asked. He was helping Learka by waxing bowstrings.
The older boy nodded. "The people that live below and to the left have commented on their house starting to become chilly. That would only happen if someone came up from the Helinga Passage."
"What's the Helinga Passage?" Kaela cocked an eyebrow.
"It's a passage that starts at the surface and goes down really deep underground through a natural cave. It leads up to the main route, but it got closed off some time ago due to it being dangerous. There are doors along the way that are supposed to remain closed, but if they got left open there would be a draft."
"Would we be able to use that way to get to Mahal?" Ben questioned.
Klii shook his head. "No. Mahal is farther south, the Helinga Passage comes above ground north of here. It would take us farther away." He turned to his son. "Are you thinking of exploring that?"
Learka nodded. "If we didn't, we'd be taking the risk of leaving a clear path for the ogres. I'll start out...soon. Should I tell Nolan?"
"Definitely." Klii advised. "That way he knows to be on the look-out just in case any ogres do come up."
Learka stood up. "All right. Ben and Kaela, you guys want to come?" he asked as he grabbed his sword.
"Sure." Kaela picked up her weapon and handed Ben his. "I like caves."
Ben took his sword from Kaela without saying his thoughts on caves. To tell the truth, he was scared to death of them, but he decided that if his nine year old sister could do it, he could too.
The three of them entered the main route and walked a little ways. Then Learka, who was leading the party, halted in front of another wood door to the side. He knocked, and it was opened by a woman in her early thirties. "Yes?"
"Can we speak to Nolan?" Learka asked.
The woman, who was Nolan's wife, nodded and held the door open wider. "Certainly. Come on in."
They entered the dwelling. It looked a lot like theirs, a fire-place, a stove, a table, and so on. The only difference was that four children were busy playing on the floor with some stones and sticks, and Nolan sat at one of the chairs, reading a copy of the Book of Prophesies. He looked up as Learka, Ben, and Kaela came in.
While Learka explained to Nolan what was going on, Ben watched the children. The oldest was a boy, slightly younger than Kaela, with a mop of curly auburn hair. The next oldest was another boy, this time with brown hair, a button nose, and a dimple that made him look a little mischievous. Then were two girls; they looked like twins. They weren't identical, but they looked similar, with gold curly hair and brown eyes. The game they were playing looked a little like bowling. They would set the sticks up leaning against the wall, and then they would take turns rolling stones at them to see who knocked down the most.
When the visitors had come in the children had stopped making a lot of noise, but sometimes one would say, "See, I knocked down all of them!" or, "I beat you, Cassie!" "No you didn't, you knocked down three. I knocked down two." "She actually did beat you, Jon. The point it to knock down the most."
Learka had finished explaining by now, and Nolan gave his consent. "Alright, you can go, but are you sure you don't want to take more men with you?"
"I'm sure. Helinga Passage is a little bit unstable. We'll need more lighter people to go on it."
"Okay. May Adonai be with you!"
Learka, Ben, and Kaela left Nolan's dwelling and walked down the main passage way some more until they came to a short side tunnel leading to the left. A few feet past the beginning of the side-tunnel was a solid door, that looked like it was supposed to be locked. Instead it was slightly ajar.
"Here is the entrance to the Helinga Passage." said Learka. "Ready?"
Ben gulped, but he said along with Kaela, "Ready."
Learka cautiously opened the door all the way. It let out an eerie creak that almost made Ben jump. He glanced nervously at Kaela and saw that her eyes were wide. Well, at least I'm not the only one afraid. He gripped his swordhilt harder and hoped that there wasn't anything lurking in the shadows beyond.
Learka stepped forward into the passageway and drew his sword. To Ben's surprise, it let off a glow that illuminated the tunnel before them.
"I didn't know the swords could do that," Kaela commented, saying what was on Ben's mind.
"Well, they can." Learka said as they walked. "There are more things about the swords that you'll discover in time. There are many things about them that have not been discovered yet."
Ben looked around as they walked. Spider webs hung from the walls and cielings. Thankfully, there were no visible spiders, because if there were, Ben knew that Kaela would be really scared. Spiders and bats were Kaela's main fears. It was wasps and caves that Ben didn't like.
As they got further down, it got colder, and Ben noticed that there were no tree roots. Also the walls were less dirt and more rock. Then they came to another door, also left open. Learka was starting to look grim. "They definately came this way," he said firmly. "The last people down here almost ten years ago was me, my father, and Yev. I was around Kaela's age, and Yev was a year younger. Father locked the doors and rechecked them almost twice. No way they could have opened on their own."
Ben was starting to get the creeps, especially when Learka added, "You two best draw your swords."
They did so, and Ben discovered that both of their's glowed with an inner light. Oh, wait a minute! I have seen glowing swords before! he reminded himself. The time of the ogre attack, the leader then had a glowing sword! It wasn't a brilliant uncovering, but Ben was happy that he had at least put the two together.
Learka stepped through the doorway, his sword extended. Ben and Kaela followed, and then gasped. They stood in a huge room, bigger than Great Oak Hollow even. Stalactites dangled from the cieling, and there were stalagmites all around on the floor. The whole cave was made out of stunning rock formations; some looked like frozen waterfalls, and some like chandaliers. It reminded Ben of some cavern his family had toured a little while ago, Luray Cavern, he thought it was called.
Then their attention was drawn to a shadow moving behind a group of stalagmites a distance away. It paused behind one of the formations, and then slipped on to the next.
Learka's sword flared brighter, revealing the strange creature. It was an ogre, from the splayed feet to the hunched back and the un-intellegent looking head. It let out a low roar from inside it's throat and drew a pike out from behind another stalagmite.
Ben's, Learka's and Kaela's swords all suddenly shot out a strong beam of light. It stuck the ogre directly in the chest, and it roared and fell down dead.
The three cautiously approached, swords at the ready for any more ogres. They didn't come within a foot of the ogre they had just killed, not for any particular reason. Black blood was slowly forming a puddle on the stone floor.
Finally, Learka stirred and said, "We'd better look around and see if there are any more ogres." He promptly turned and started inspecting the stalagmites.
Ben and Kaela teamed up, neither really wanting to be groping around in the semi-darkness alone after what had happened. No one found anything, so they moved on. They began traveling on a path leading out of the cavern (Learka called it Helinga Cavern) and slanting upward. As they continued, the ground leveled off, but the actual pathway kept on going, like a ramp.
Ben began to notice that the path was shaking a little bit. Learka must have noticed too, because he stopped. "It's not safe to go any further." he cautioned. "There's another door ahead--I can barely see it from here--but it looks closed and locked. Do any of you have good eyesight?"
"I sort of do." Kaela said. She squinted forward. "Yeah, it's locked."
"Good." The party turned around. Ben, who had been at the end of the line originally, was now the leader, since the ramp was too narrow for Learka to get ahead. He held out his sword, which was still providing illumination, and started walking down.
Everything went well for a few minutes, until suddenly Ben stepped on a seemingly harmless part of the ramp. It collapsed under him, as well as some more parts of the ramp. Learka and Kaela were too far behind to fall, but Ben, unfortunetely, wasn't quick enough to jump away.
Ben got the feeling that he had left his insides back on the ramp as he fell. He got one glimpse of the stone ground rushing up to meet him, and then yelled right before he hit it.
He wouldn't have been surprised in the least if he had been knocked unconcious, but all that happened was that he saw stars as he slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position.
"Ben! Are you okay?" Kaela called down from up above, sounding concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He looked up at the sides of the ramp. There was no way he'd be able to climb back up to Kaela and Learka. "I'm just going to continue on this level until the ramp is even with the ground!" He called back up.
Learka nodded. "Good idea. Meet you there!" Ben saw him and Kaela cautiously leap over the unstable place in the ramp and continue down. Then he climbed to his feet and walked to meet them.
A little while after that they all met at where the ramp touched the ground, and then they kept going through Helinga Cavern and on up through the tunnel. When they came back through the doors Learka firmly shut and locked them.
They reached the door leading out to the main route, but then Learka stopped. Ben looked around the older boy to see what the matter was. The door had already been shut!
Learka tested the door gently at first, but then more urgently. He turned around to face Kaela and Ben. "It's locked."
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I had no idea where that would go when I began typing this chapter.
Izori
(Note: On April 3, 09, I decided to name the chapter)
Chapter 8
"You know," Learka said thoughtfully as he whittled. "I wonder how the ogres got in when they attacked us." He set down his knife and the stick he was carving into an arrow. "Because if however they got into here is still accessible, they could sneak right back in."
It was one or two days after Nolan had become leader. Nothing exiting had happened, just the usual training for battle. The follower army was almost ready to march underground to Mahal, but were waiting a little bit while people collected weapons. So far Yevelina had made several slings with ammunition, and Learka was carving arrows and making bows.
"That's a thought," Yev agreed as she swept the dirt floor. "I'm surprised it hasn't occurred to anyone else,"
"If there still is an opening, do you have any idea where it could be?" Ben asked. He was helping Learka by waxing bowstrings.
The older boy nodded. "The people that live below and to the left have commented on their house starting to become chilly. That would only happen if someone came up from the Helinga Passage."
"What's the Helinga Passage?" Kaela cocked an eyebrow.
"It's a passage that starts at the surface and goes down really deep underground through a natural cave. It leads up to the main route, but it got closed off some time ago due to it being dangerous. There are doors along the way that are supposed to remain closed, but if they got left open there would be a draft."
"Would we be able to use that way to get to Mahal?" Ben questioned.
Klii shook his head. "No. Mahal is farther south, the Helinga Passage comes above ground north of here. It would take us farther away." He turned to his son. "Are you thinking of exploring that?"
Learka nodded. "If we didn't, we'd be taking the risk of leaving a clear path for the ogres. I'll start out...soon. Should I tell Nolan?"
"Definitely." Klii advised. "That way he knows to be on the look-out just in case any ogres do come up."
Learka stood up. "All right. Ben and Kaela, you guys want to come?" he asked as he grabbed his sword.
"Sure." Kaela picked up her weapon and handed Ben his. "I like caves."
Ben took his sword from Kaela without saying his thoughts on caves. To tell the truth, he was scared to death of them, but he decided that if his nine year old sister could do it, he could too.
The three of them entered the main route and walked a little ways. Then Learka, who was leading the party, halted in front of another wood door to the side. He knocked, and it was opened by a woman in her early thirties. "Yes?"
"Can we speak to Nolan?" Learka asked.
The woman, who was Nolan's wife, nodded and held the door open wider. "Certainly. Come on in."
They entered the dwelling. It looked a lot like theirs, a fire-place, a stove, a table, and so on. The only difference was that four children were busy playing on the floor with some stones and sticks, and Nolan sat at one of the chairs, reading a copy of the Book of Prophesies. He looked up as Learka, Ben, and Kaela came in.
While Learka explained to Nolan what was going on, Ben watched the children. The oldest was a boy, slightly younger than Kaela, with a mop of curly auburn hair. The next oldest was another boy, this time with brown hair, a button nose, and a dimple that made him look a little mischievous. Then were two girls; they looked like twins. They weren't identical, but they looked similar, with gold curly hair and brown eyes. The game they were playing looked a little like bowling. They would set the sticks up leaning against the wall, and then they would take turns rolling stones at them to see who knocked down the most.
When the visitors had come in the children had stopped making a lot of noise, but sometimes one would say, "See, I knocked down all of them!" or, "I beat you, Cassie!" "No you didn't, you knocked down three. I knocked down two." "She actually did beat you, Jon. The point it to knock down the most."
Learka had finished explaining by now, and Nolan gave his consent. "Alright, you can go, but are you sure you don't want to take more men with you?"
"I'm sure. Helinga Passage is a little bit unstable. We'll need more lighter people to go on it."
"Okay. May Adonai be with you!"
Learka, Ben, and Kaela left Nolan's dwelling and walked down the main passage way some more until they came to a short side tunnel leading to the left. A few feet past the beginning of the side-tunnel was a solid door, that looked like it was supposed to be locked. Instead it was slightly ajar.
"Here is the entrance to the Helinga Passage." said Learka. "Ready?"
Ben gulped, but he said along with Kaela, "Ready."
Learka cautiously opened the door all the way. It let out an eerie creak that almost made Ben jump. He glanced nervously at Kaela and saw that her eyes were wide. Well, at least I'm not the only one afraid. He gripped his swordhilt harder and hoped that there wasn't anything lurking in the shadows beyond.
Learka stepped forward into the passageway and drew his sword. To Ben's surprise, it let off a glow that illuminated the tunnel before them.
"I didn't know the swords could do that," Kaela commented, saying what was on Ben's mind.
"Well, they can." Learka said as they walked. "There are more things about the swords that you'll discover in time. There are many things about them that have not been discovered yet."
Ben looked around as they walked. Spider webs hung from the walls and cielings. Thankfully, there were no visible spiders, because if there were, Ben knew that Kaela would be really scared. Spiders and bats were Kaela's main fears. It was wasps and caves that Ben didn't like.
As they got further down, it got colder, and Ben noticed that there were no tree roots. Also the walls were less dirt and more rock. Then they came to another door, also left open. Learka was starting to look grim. "They definately came this way," he said firmly. "The last people down here almost ten years ago was me, my father, and Yev. I was around Kaela's age, and Yev was a year younger. Father locked the doors and rechecked them almost twice. No way they could have opened on their own."
Ben was starting to get the creeps, especially when Learka added, "You two best draw your swords."
They did so, and Ben discovered that both of their's glowed with an inner light. Oh, wait a minute! I have seen glowing swords before! he reminded himself. The time of the ogre attack, the leader then had a glowing sword! It wasn't a brilliant uncovering, but Ben was happy that he had at least put the two together.
Learka stepped through the doorway, his sword extended. Ben and Kaela followed, and then gasped. They stood in a huge room, bigger than Great Oak Hollow even. Stalactites dangled from the cieling, and there were stalagmites all around on the floor. The whole cave was made out of stunning rock formations; some looked like frozen waterfalls, and some like chandaliers. It reminded Ben of some cavern his family had toured a little while ago, Luray Cavern, he thought it was called.
Then their attention was drawn to a shadow moving behind a group of stalagmites a distance away. It paused behind one of the formations, and then slipped on to the next.
Learka's sword flared brighter, revealing the strange creature. It was an ogre, from the splayed feet to the hunched back and the un-intellegent looking head. It let out a low roar from inside it's throat and drew a pike out from behind another stalagmite.
Ben's, Learka's and Kaela's swords all suddenly shot out a strong beam of light. It stuck the ogre directly in the chest, and it roared and fell down dead.
The three cautiously approached, swords at the ready for any more ogres. They didn't come within a foot of the ogre they had just killed, not for any particular reason. Black blood was slowly forming a puddle on the stone floor.
Finally, Learka stirred and said, "We'd better look around and see if there are any more ogres." He promptly turned and started inspecting the stalagmites.
Ben and Kaela teamed up, neither really wanting to be groping around in the semi-darkness alone after what had happened. No one found anything, so they moved on. They began traveling on a path leading out of the cavern (Learka called it Helinga Cavern) and slanting upward. As they continued, the ground leveled off, but the actual pathway kept on going, like a ramp.
Ben began to notice that the path was shaking a little bit. Learka must have noticed too, because he stopped. "It's not safe to go any further." he cautioned. "There's another door ahead--I can barely see it from here--but it looks closed and locked. Do any of you have good eyesight?"
"I sort of do." Kaela said. She squinted forward. "Yeah, it's locked."
"Good." The party turned around. Ben, who had been at the end of the line originally, was now the leader, since the ramp was too narrow for Learka to get ahead. He held out his sword, which was still providing illumination, and started walking down.
Everything went well for a few minutes, until suddenly Ben stepped on a seemingly harmless part of the ramp. It collapsed under him, as well as some more parts of the ramp. Learka and Kaela were too far behind to fall, but Ben, unfortunetely, wasn't quick enough to jump away.
Ben got the feeling that he had left his insides back on the ramp as he fell. He got one glimpse of the stone ground rushing up to meet him, and then yelled right before he hit it.
He wouldn't have been surprised in the least if he had been knocked unconcious, but all that happened was that he saw stars as he slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position.
"Ben! Are you okay?" Kaela called down from up above, sounding concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He looked up at the sides of the ramp. There was no way he'd be able to climb back up to Kaela and Learka. "I'm just going to continue on this level until the ramp is even with the ground!" He called back up.
Learka nodded. "Good idea. Meet you there!" Ben saw him and Kaela cautiously leap over the unstable place in the ramp and continue down. Then he climbed to his feet and walked to meet them.
A little while after that they all met at where the ramp touched the ground, and then they kept going through Helinga Cavern and on up through the tunnel. When they came back through the doors Learka firmly shut and locked them.
They reached the door leading out to the main route, but then Learka stopped. Ben looked around the older boy to see what the matter was. The door had already been shut!
Learka tested the door gently at first, but then more urgently. He turned around to face Kaela and Ben. "It's locked."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had no idea where that would go when I began typing this chapter.
Izori
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Thinking Up Names part 1
Here are some tips for thinking up names.
1) Don't. If you look in the Bible, there are a lot of really interesting names like Solomon, Manasseh, Naomi, Aquila, etc. You can also look at different languages, and find names from them, like Cailin (girl in Irish), or Zoro (Spanish for fox minus an r). Also modern, English names are good, like Sophia, Anna, or Lilian.
2) Scramble up words or names. Like the name Kara spelled backwards is Arak, a very good boys name.
3) say a line of random jibberish to yourself aloud and if there are any syllabyles you like in there, make it into a name. For example, Dol laia hil shrig thraki chri broai. One of my favorite syllabyles in there is Laia. (A good name for a bug is Shrig. That's the name I just gave to the beetle I found in one of my folders. LOL)
I think there are more methods, but I have to go now. Hope this helps anyone who is stuck on a name.
Izori
1) Don't. If you look in the Bible, there are a lot of really interesting names like Solomon, Manasseh, Naomi, Aquila, etc. You can also look at different languages, and find names from them, like Cailin (girl in Irish), or Zoro (Spanish for fox minus an r). Also modern, English names are good, like Sophia, Anna, or Lilian.
2) Scramble up words or names. Like the name Kara spelled backwards is Arak, a very good boys name.
3) say a line of random jibberish to yourself aloud and if there are any syllabyles you like in there, make it into a name. For example, Dol laia hil shrig thraki chri broai. One of my favorite syllabyles in there is Laia. (A good name for a bug is Shrig. That's the name I just gave to the beetle I found in one of my folders. LOL)
I think there are more methods, but I have to go now. Hope this helps anyone who is stuck on a name.
Izori
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Chapter 7 of The Other Side of the Creek (A Leader)
Finally...
Chapter 7
They made their way down the winding tunnel ways once again, and came to Great Oak Hollow. Just like before, it was full of followers. They waited expectantly as Ben and the others came to the front of the great room.
"People," Klii's voice had a faint echo to it. "As you know, we have already called a meeting a few days ago and decided that we will attack Daran very soon. The battle last night has not stopped our plans at all, rather, it is a reason to act even quicker before Daran hears of our victory and realizes that we are stronger than he thought. But to attack, we need an earthly leader, one who will follow Adonai's commandments as much as sinful humans are able to do. So far we have hastily picked a leader when we needed one, but we cannot do that anymore. And this leader that we pick will also be an earthly king when we have won. So we must be wise in this decision."
Klii was about to say more when some voices called out, "Let's have Klii as our leader! He would be good!"
"Yes!" more agreed. "Klii for leader!"
The old man raised his hand to stop them. "No." he said. "Adonai has told me who our leader, and later king, is going to be. We will trust his judgement, as he knows a whole lot more than we do." he paused, looking around at all the faces waiting on his words. Ben leaned forward, wondering what he was going to say.
"Nolan, come up here please." Klii instructed.
Very pale, Nolan stepped up beside Klii, who laid a hand on his shoulder. "This is the one that Adonai has sent to be our leader."
Ben raised his eyebrows in suprise. He hadn't expected the slightly shy Nolan to become a leader and king.
Klii looked around at the crowd. "Does anyone object to it?"
No one said anything, so Klii turned to Nolan. "Now, do you swear that you will lead this people by the will of Adonai, and later be king over them also by his will?"
"Yes, sir."
Klii turned back to the followers. "And do you swear to follow Nolan, under Adonai, and to encourage him, pray for him, and help him? If you do, raise your right hand."
Everyone in the group, including Learka, Yev, Ben, and Kaela, raised their right hand.
"Very well, then." said Klii. "In the Book of Prophesies, Adonai promised that he himself will come to earth to kill death. He is the true king, and will always rule over everything. Under the True King, Nolan will rule us."
Klii addressed Nolan. "As our leader, what will we do now?"
Ben could see Nolan hesitate for a moment. "Uh, well we should have officers that each command a unit of soldiers, so that we can have a little bit more order and that I won't go crazy."
The followers chuckled at that part.
Nolan went on. "Let's see. Gawain and Sam, do you mind being Captains?"
Gawain and Sam, solid and sensible brothers in their thirties, stood and saluted. "Not at all, sir."
"Then come up here, please."
Gawain and Sam came up and stood beside Klii, who was beside Nolan. Yev, Learka, Ben, and Kaela were behind them all.
"And Lerikan, Guelo, Elad, and Meri, can you be lieutenants?"
They saluted and came up front, standing beside the two captains.
"Now, how many followers who will be in the army are there?" Nolan turned back to Ben and Kaela. "Would you kindly go around and take a count of the fighting ones, sir and lady?"
Ben was taken by surprise to be called a sir, but he said, just a little squeakily, "Yes, sir," and then he and Kaela quickly milled around in the crowd for a little, counting. Then they came back and Kaela gave the report. "Three hundred ninety one, sir, not counting the captains, lieutenants, Learka, Ben and myself."
Nolan smiled at them. "Thank you." Then he looked back toward the crowd. "The number is three hundred ninety one. So that would mean--" he did some quick math in his head. "--196 of you are under Captain Gawain's command, and 195 of you are under Captain Sam's command. Lerikan and Guelo, you will be under Captain Sam. Lerikan will command, uh, 97 soldiers, and Guelo will command 98 soldiers."
Ben was impressed by Nolan's skill in mathematics.
"Elad and Meri, you are under Captain Gawain. Each of you will command...98 soldiers. Gawain and Sam, will you please divide the troops?"
While the Captains were assigning the men, Ben worked up the courage to address Nolan. "What will we do, sir?"
"You and your sister, as well as Learka, will be aides to me. Are you willing?" he asked all of them.
"I am." answered Learka.
"So am I," Ben and Kaela agreed in unison, and then smiled at each other.
In that short time, the Captains had grouped the soldiers. They all stood in front of Nolan and then Gawain asked, "Now what shall we do, sir?"
"Each man remember his lieutenant and captain." Nolan instructed. "You are dismissed." he walked away to his family, who was eagerly waiting for him.
Ben, Klii, and the others were about to go back home when the very old man who had spoken out last meeting, named Jarod, hobbled up, still leaning on a cane and the young boy's arm. "That was a good choice Adonai made, picking young Nolan," he commented to Klii.
"Yes, I agree," answered Klii, and the two men immediately launched into a discussion of battle strategies.
As they talked, Ben found himself studying the boy's face. He had brown eyes and light brown hair, with a wide mouth and a turned up nose. He may have been twelve or thirteen, Ben couldn't quite tell. No older than fourteen, probably.
Because he was stationary, Jarod had let go of the boy's arm. Now the boy came over to Ben and Kaela, so he could talk to them without interrupting Klii and Jarod's conversation. "Hello," he said. "My name's Yersi. I don't remember anyone mentioning either one of your names."
Ben nodded. "My name's Benjamin, but most call me Ben. This is my sister, Mikaela, but she prefers Kaela." Apparently, he's not very shy, he told himself.
"I'm thirteen. How old are you?" Yersi inquired.
"I'm thirteen, too." This time Ben let Kaela speak for herself.
"I'm nine. But I'll be ten soon."
Yersi nodded. "Where do you guys come from? I'm just from around here."
"We're from Prince William County, Virginia." Ben hesitated. "You wouldn't know where that is, would you?"
"Never heard of it. Is it up north?"
"No, I don't think so. More south-ish, but it's not really near here."
There was a slight pause, and then Yersi asked for sake of conversation, "So, do you have any other brothers or sisters?"
Kaela shook her head. "No. Do you?"
"I have a twin sister. We both live with our grandpa--" he gestured toward Jarod. "--because our parents got captured by Daran for being followers of Adonai."
"Oh, I'm sorry." sympathized Kaela.
Just then, Yev tapped Ben and Kaela on the shoulder. "Time to go, guys."
"Alright. Bye, Yersi."
"See you!" Yersi offered his arm to his grandfather again, and they walked away. Meanwhile, Klii, Learka, Yev, Ben, and Kaela started back for home.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I agree with Ben, Nolan's math skills are very good. I needed my calculator to figure everything out!
Izori
PS. Feel free to post comments about my story! Suggestions, etc. are appreciated!
Chapter 7
They made their way down the winding tunnel ways once again, and came to Great Oak Hollow. Just like before, it was full of followers. They waited expectantly as Ben and the others came to the front of the great room.
"People," Klii's voice had a faint echo to it. "As you know, we have already called a meeting a few days ago and decided that we will attack Daran very soon. The battle last night has not stopped our plans at all, rather, it is a reason to act even quicker before Daran hears of our victory and realizes that we are stronger than he thought. But to attack, we need an earthly leader, one who will follow Adonai's commandments as much as sinful humans are able to do. So far we have hastily picked a leader when we needed one, but we cannot do that anymore. And this leader that we pick will also be an earthly king when we have won. So we must be wise in this decision."
Klii was about to say more when some voices called out, "Let's have Klii as our leader! He would be good!"
"Yes!" more agreed. "Klii for leader!"
The old man raised his hand to stop them. "No." he said. "Adonai has told me who our leader, and later king, is going to be. We will trust his judgement, as he knows a whole lot more than we do." he paused, looking around at all the faces waiting on his words. Ben leaned forward, wondering what he was going to say.
"Nolan, come up here please." Klii instructed.
Very pale, Nolan stepped up beside Klii, who laid a hand on his shoulder. "This is the one that Adonai has sent to be our leader."
Ben raised his eyebrows in suprise. He hadn't expected the slightly shy Nolan to become a leader and king.
Klii looked around at the crowd. "Does anyone object to it?"
No one said anything, so Klii turned to Nolan. "Now, do you swear that you will lead this people by the will of Adonai, and later be king over them also by his will?"
"Yes, sir."
Klii turned back to the followers. "And do you swear to follow Nolan, under Adonai, and to encourage him, pray for him, and help him? If you do, raise your right hand."
Everyone in the group, including Learka, Yev, Ben, and Kaela, raised their right hand.
"Very well, then." said Klii. "In the Book of Prophesies, Adonai promised that he himself will come to earth to kill death. He is the true king, and will always rule over everything. Under the True King, Nolan will rule us."
Klii addressed Nolan. "As our leader, what will we do now?"
Ben could see Nolan hesitate for a moment. "Uh, well we should have officers that each command a unit of soldiers, so that we can have a little bit more order and that I won't go crazy."
The followers chuckled at that part.
Nolan went on. "Let's see. Gawain and Sam, do you mind being Captains?"
Gawain and Sam, solid and sensible brothers in their thirties, stood and saluted. "Not at all, sir."
"Then come up here, please."
Gawain and Sam came up and stood beside Klii, who was beside Nolan. Yev, Learka, Ben, and Kaela were behind them all.
"And Lerikan, Guelo, Elad, and Meri, can you be lieutenants?"
They saluted and came up front, standing beside the two captains.
"Now, how many followers who will be in the army are there?" Nolan turned back to Ben and Kaela. "Would you kindly go around and take a count of the fighting ones, sir and lady?"
Ben was taken by surprise to be called a sir, but he said, just a little squeakily, "Yes, sir," and then he and Kaela quickly milled around in the crowd for a little, counting. Then they came back and Kaela gave the report. "Three hundred ninety one, sir, not counting the captains, lieutenants, Learka, Ben and myself."
Nolan smiled at them. "Thank you." Then he looked back toward the crowd. "The number is three hundred ninety one. So that would mean--" he did some quick math in his head. "--196 of you are under Captain Gawain's command, and 195 of you are under Captain Sam's command. Lerikan and Guelo, you will be under Captain Sam. Lerikan will command, uh, 97 soldiers, and Guelo will command 98 soldiers."
Ben was impressed by Nolan's skill in mathematics.
"Elad and Meri, you are under Captain Gawain. Each of you will command...98 soldiers. Gawain and Sam, will you please divide the troops?"
While the Captains were assigning the men, Ben worked up the courage to address Nolan. "What will we do, sir?"
"You and your sister, as well as Learka, will be aides to me. Are you willing?" he asked all of them.
"I am." answered Learka.
"So am I," Ben and Kaela agreed in unison, and then smiled at each other.
In that short time, the Captains had grouped the soldiers. They all stood in front of Nolan and then Gawain asked, "Now what shall we do, sir?"
"Each man remember his lieutenant and captain." Nolan instructed. "You are dismissed." he walked away to his family, who was eagerly waiting for him.
Ben, Klii, and the others were about to go back home when the very old man who had spoken out last meeting, named Jarod, hobbled up, still leaning on a cane and the young boy's arm. "That was a good choice Adonai made, picking young Nolan," he commented to Klii.
"Yes, I agree," answered Klii, and the two men immediately launched into a discussion of battle strategies.
As they talked, Ben found himself studying the boy's face. He had brown eyes and light brown hair, with a wide mouth and a turned up nose. He may have been twelve or thirteen, Ben couldn't quite tell. No older than fourteen, probably.
Because he was stationary, Jarod had let go of the boy's arm. Now the boy came over to Ben and Kaela, so he could talk to them without interrupting Klii and Jarod's conversation. "Hello," he said. "My name's Yersi. I don't remember anyone mentioning either one of your names."
Ben nodded. "My name's Benjamin, but most call me Ben. This is my sister, Mikaela, but she prefers Kaela." Apparently, he's not very shy, he told himself.
"I'm thirteen. How old are you?" Yersi inquired.
"I'm thirteen, too." This time Ben let Kaela speak for herself.
"I'm nine. But I'll be ten soon."
Yersi nodded. "Where do you guys come from? I'm just from around here."
"We're from Prince William County, Virginia." Ben hesitated. "You wouldn't know where that is, would you?"
"Never heard of it. Is it up north?"
"No, I don't think so. More south-ish, but it's not really near here."
There was a slight pause, and then Yersi asked for sake of conversation, "So, do you have any other brothers or sisters?"
Kaela shook her head. "No. Do you?"
"I have a twin sister. We both live with our grandpa--" he gestured toward Jarod. "--because our parents got captured by Daran for being followers of Adonai."
"Oh, I'm sorry." sympathized Kaela.
Just then, Yev tapped Ben and Kaela on the shoulder. "Time to go, guys."
"Alright. Bye, Yersi."
"See you!" Yersi offered his arm to his grandfather again, and they walked away. Meanwhile, Klii, Learka, Yev, Ben, and Kaela started back for home.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I agree with Ben, Nolan's math skills are very good. I needed my calculator to figure everything out!
Izori
PS. Feel free to post comments about my story! Suggestions, etc. are appreciated!
Pictures
Hi,
I took some pictures of the flowers in our front yard and I couldn't resist posting them. I love flowers (especially when they've just been rained on.)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Names I made up
Hi,
My mind has gone blank for the time being, so I'll list some more of my names. Not in alphabetical order, I might add. You can use them for your own books if you want. (if your writing a book)
Mannaseh
Lilian
Reela
Laerun
Ilia
Arili
Naomi
Venus
Chloe
Maera
Learka (sound familiar?)
Maria
Aykelsa
Ani
Meri
Lisha
Jarael
Taelri
Sam
Elad
Jethro
Matthias
Mahal
Jon
Larkin
There you go.
Izori
My mind has gone blank for the time being, so I'll list some more of my names. Not in alphabetical order, I might add. You can use them for your own books if you want. (if your writing a book)
Mannaseh
Lilian
Reela
Laerun
Ilia
Arili
Naomi
Venus
Chloe
Maera
Learka (sound familiar?)
Maria
Aykelsa
Ani
Meri
Lisha
Jarael
Taelri
Sam
Elad
Jethro
Matthias
Mahal
Jon
Larkin
There you go.
Izori
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Chapter 6 of The Other Side of the Creek (Adonai)
I haven't thought up anything for this chapter, so I'll just see what Ben and Kaela do.
Chapter 6
Ben, Kaela, and the others had fallen asleep where they sat, too tired to crawl onto their sleeping mats after the battle. Ben was slumped in his chair, snoring (just a little) when he was awakened for the second time that night, this time by a bright light in the room.
He started awake and almost fell off his chair. There, standing almost right in front of him, was a man. The light was coming from him, and it was almost blinding. The man looked neither old nor young, and he had deep brown eyes that seemed to pierce right through Ben. Without being told, he knew this was Adonai.
"Hello, Ben." Adonai's voice was deep and rich and friendly, yet also majestic at the same time. "Welcome." he then turned to Kaela and immediately, she woke up with a start.
"Who--Adonai!" she cried, and then to Ben's astonishment, flung herself into his arms. "It's so nice to see you again!"
Again? She's seen him more than once?
Seeming to know what Ben was thinking, Adonai looked at him. "I appeared to her the night you two first arrived in Elandai." He paused and cocked an eyebrow at Ben. "Well, are you going to hug me?"
Ben giggled, without knowing why, and then wrapped his arms around the ageless man. "I'm sorry I didn't believe when I first came here."
"Everything has a reason," was all Adonai replied. Then he said, "Now, I am here to tell you what will happen in the battles ahead. I will not tell you everything, but I will give you both a word of advice." He looked at Kaela. "You will have to go on a mission that will be very dangerous. Stay with the light. And Ben,"
"Yes, Adonai?"
"You will also be challenged, but when you are, remember that things are not as they seem. And both of you, I will be with you always, even though you will not always see me. Goodbye!"
The man faded from view, and then Ben found himself back in his seat, with his eyes closed. He jerked them awake, and looked around. There was no sign of Adonai anywhere. Was it a dream? He wondered.
Ben saw Kaela, also fast asleep in her chair. Or so it seemed. The next instant, she woke up and stared back at her brother.
"Oh, Ben, I had a dream! Adonai came, and you were there too! He gave us each a bit of advice. He said--"
"--he told you to stay to the light--" Ben interrupted.
"--And he told you to remember that things are not always as they seem! Ben, did you have the same dream?"
"Yes, I did! It was so awesome! He also told both that he will always be with us, though we won't see him."
"Yeah. I wonder what my dangerous mission is going to be. I hope it doesn't involve spiders." Kaela shivered at the thought. "Or vakir."
Learka jerked awake suddenly. "What? Vakir? Where?"
Klii and Yev woke up when Learka spoke. "Vakir?" exclaimed Yev. "Huh?"
Ben and Kaela explained about Adonai's coming to visit them. When they were done, Yev sighed. "I wish I'd been awake. I haven't seen Adonai in ages."
Klii agreed. "Yes, it would have been wonderful. Maybe he'll come soon."
Learka nodded. "Same here. But what time is it? It must be morning, at least."
Yev climbed up to the hatch and cracked it open a little bit. "Oh, it's about...nine o'clock. We've really slept in. I'd better make breakfast."
She flew to the stove top and got busy cooking, while Ben and Kaela practiced their swordsmanship. Then they hurriedly sat down to breakfast.
"Later today we'll meet at Great Oak Hollow again, and decide the leaders of our little rebellion." Klii said thoughtfully during breakfast. "After that we're going to begin the march to Mahal. So right after breakfast we'd better leave for the meeting place."
They finished the meal, buckled on their swords, and then started out for Great Oak Hollow.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, Ben and Kaela were pretty active in that one!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Izori
Chapter 6
Ben, Kaela, and the others had fallen asleep where they sat, too tired to crawl onto their sleeping mats after the battle. Ben was slumped in his chair, snoring (just a little) when he was awakened for the second time that night, this time by a bright light in the room.
He started awake and almost fell off his chair. There, standing almost right in front of him, was a man. The light was coming from him, and it was almost blinding. The man looked neither old nor young, and he had deep brown eyes that seemed to pierce right through Ben. Without being told, he knew this was Adonai.
"Hello, Ben." Adonai's voice was deep and rich and friendly, yet also majestic at the same time. "Welcome." he then turned to Kaela and immediately, she woke up with a start.
"Who--Adonai!" she cried, and then to Ben's astonishment, flung herself into his arms. "It's so nice to see you again!"
Again? She's seen him more than once?
Seeming to know what Ben was thinking, Adonai looked at him. "I appeared to her the night you two first arrived in Elandai." He paused and cocked an eyebrow at Ben. "Well, are you going to hug me?"
Ben giggled, without knowing why, and then wrapped his arms around the ageless man. "I'm sorry I didn't believe when I first came here."
"Everything has a reason," was all Adonai replied. Then he said, "Now, I am here to tell you what will happen in the battles ahead. I will not tell you everything, but I will give you both a word of advice." He looked at Kaela. "You will have to go on a mission that will be very dangerous. Stay with the light. And Ben,"
"Yes, Adonai?"
"You will also be challenged, but when you are, remember that things are not as they seem. And both of you, I will be with you always, even though you will not always see me. Goodbye!"
The man faded from view, and then Ben found himself back in his seat, with his eyes closed. He jerked them awake, and looked around. There was no sign of Adonai anywhere. Was it a dream? He wondered.
Ben saw Kaela, also fast asleep in her chair. Or so it seemed. The next instant, she woke up and stared back at her brother.
"Oh, Ben, I had a dream! Adonai came, and you were there too! He gave us each a bit of advice. He said--"
"--he told you to stay to the light--" Ben interrupted.
"--And he told you to remember that things are not always as they seem! Ben, did you have the same dream?"
"Yes, I did! It was so awesome! He also told both that he will always be with us, though we won't see him."
"Yeah. I wonder what my dangerous mission is going to be. I hope it doesn't involve spiders." Kaela shivered at the thought. "Or vakir."
Learka jerked awake suddenly. "What? Vakir? Where?"
Klii and Yev woke up when Learka spoke. "Vakir?" exclaimed Yev. "Huh?"
Ben and Kaela explained about Adonai's coming to visit them. When they were done, Yev sighed. "I wish I'd been awake. I haven't seen Adonai in ages."
Klii agreed. "Yes, it would have been wonderful. Maybe he'll come soon."
Learka nodded. "Same here. But what time is it? It must be morning, at least."
Yev climbed up to the hatch and cracked it open a little bit. "Oh, it's about...nine o'clock. We've really slept in. I'd better make breakfast."
She flew to the stove top and got busy cooking, while Ben and Kaela practiced their swordsmanship. Then they hurriedly sat down to breakfast.
"Later today we'll meet at Great Oak Hollow again, and decide the leaders of our little rebellion." Klii said thoughtfully during breakfast. "After that we're going to begin the march to Mahal. So right after breakfast we'd better leave for the meeting place."
They finished the meal, buckled on their swords, and then started out for Great Oak Hollow.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, Ben and Kaela were pretty active in that one!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Izori
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Chapter 5 of The Other Side of the Creek (Ben's First Battle)
I would have posted earlier, but our computer was really slow. Anyway...
Chapter 5
Ben jerked awake in the middle of the night. He lay on his mat for a moment, wondering what had woke him up. He glanced around at the others. They were all peacefully asleep on their own mats. Then he heard a noise from above, a sort of rustling noise. It sounded like someone (or something, Ben thought with a shudder) was above the dwelling, trying not to make noise but not succeeding. That was what woke me up he realized.
The noise came again, only louder. It sounded as if there were more than one things above. Ben held his breath, starting to get a little nervous. He looked at the rug that covered the door leading to the dark, mysterious passageway, and wondered what scary creature could come out of it. He considered waking Learka or Klii, but then decided against it. Probably just my imagination. Then again, that's what I said when I saw the ogres.
He pushed himself up into a sitting position, and then glanced up at the hatch in the ceiling. To his shock and horror, the hatch budged slightly. Ben looked toward Learka, who still was soundly asleep and snoring a little bit. Then he looked back at the hatch. It creaked and opened up a little more. From the darkness outside he could see the glint of an eye reflecting the dying fire in the hearth.
This time, Ben made up his mind. "Learka," he hissed.
The older boy cracked an eye open. "What?"
"There's someone opening the hatch!"
Learka was on his feet immediately and grabbed both his and Ben's sword. Giving Ben his, he gripped his own in his right hand and moved cautiously toward the hatch. Yev, Klii, and Kaela also woke up at the noise and grabbed their own swords.
Learka was about to thrust his sword through and spit the person outside when a man's voice hoarsly called, "Psst, Learka! Don't make a noise and don't kill me for goodness sake! Tis I, Nolan!"
Learka lowered his sword and spoke in a whisper. "Nolan! What are you doing in the Dead Forest at this time? Why didn't you come by the tunnels, or send Larkin?"
Nolan, a wiry man with starting-to-gray hair and a sword on his hip, dropped into the dwelling. "That's just it, Learka." He said as he nodded to everyone else. "The tunnels have been found out and invaded by the ogres. And Larkin is missing, as is almost every member of the squirrel tribe. There were no talking birds to be found either. I've come to warn you; we will flee soon. The ogres have invaded several of the smaller tunnels. We need every fighting male, now." he glanced at Ben. "Would he be considered a fighting male?"
Learka looked at Ben, and then at Klii. "What do you think? He can't use light yet..."
Klii nodded. "He should go. Adonai has told me that this will build his faith. Also, Kaela will go."
"Me?" protested the nine year old. "I'd hardly be called a 'fighting male'!"
"Women too, can be warriors of Adonai." Klii wisely responded. "Though it is rare Adonai calls a woman to fight in a battle. They usually fight by different means, like men and Yev. We will fight, too, but by prayer."
Nolan said, "Will you two be safe if the ogres come to your dwelling?"
"We have our swords," answered Yev. "And we can pray."
Then to Learka, Ben, and Kaela, Nolan ordered, "Come on. We will make our way above ground until we get to the part where the main follower army has gathered."
The four of them clambered up the hatch and out into the dark night. It was cold out, but not the crisp, fresh, coolness that many winters bring. It was more of the clammy, threatening cold. Ben shivered and clutched his sword harder.
They made their way down a little path, Nolan leading. The trees seemed to close in on them, and shadows darted around. Kaela stuck close to Ben, and no one said anything. The moon shone down, though sometimes it was covered by dark clouds.
After a good amount of minutes they arrived at where several hundred followers were gathered around one man, who seemed to be the leader. There were only a few women in the crowd; many had chose to fight by staying at home and praying. Nolan, Learka, Ben, and Kaela mixed in with the group.
They had arrived just in time to hear the man in charge saying, "We cannot strategize in good detail, for the ogres are already raiding the homes of followers. There is no time to spare, so I can only say, listen for the advice of Adonai, and follow me!"
The man drew his sword, which shone with an inside light, and then charged toward an opening in the ground leading to the network of tunnels. The followers came after him, each with swords drawn.
Ben found himself running through the labyrinth of passageways with the followers, alongside Learka, Nolan, and Kaela, and hoping that the ogres had already gone home. He hoped in vain, however, for suddenly the head of the charging followers collided with a large group of ogres.
The ogres started slashing their way through the followers, and worked themselves deep into the crowd. Everyone was still running along, and they came out of the narrowed passage into Great Oak Hollow meeting place. There the main battle took place.
Ben was in the middle of thrashing, kicking ogres and followers when an ogre singled out him to fight. It took up stance in front of him and held out it's ugly, long, stone knife, stabbing at Ben. He retaliated by blocking the thrust and driving his sword toward the ogre. They continued parrying and thrusting, dancing up and down, until the ogre finally got the advantage of Ben. It tripped him up, and then pounced on him while he was on the ground.
I really wish this had come a day later, Ben thought. I need more sword training, bad. He saw the knife coming down toward his throat, and in a split second prayed. Adonai, I'm sorry I've doubted you. Please don't let me die! It wasn't the most eloquent of prayers, but it worked. The ogre's hand stayed for a few moments, allowing Ben to get on his feet and and point his sword at it. He was about to run it through, when a shininess passed along the sword blade, and the ogre collapsed, pierced through by a ray of light. Ben himself felt a thrill pass through him. I guess I really believe, now.
In a momentary lull he glanced around to find where Kaela was. He located her, in the middle of blasting a big, two headed ogre with light. He also saw Learka surrounded by several of the ogres, fighting valiantly. Ben decided to help him out.
He came up behind an ogre and pointed his sword at it. The ogre fell, his back hit with a burst of light. Ben lopped the head off another one, and Learka easily finished the other two.
"Thank you." Learka said to the younger boy. "I noticed you shot one with light. Do you...?"
Ben grinned and nodded. "Yes, I do. And your welcome."
The fight didn't last much longer. The ogres were all destroyed, and all that were left from them were bodies with pools of black blood all over Great Oak Hollow. Ben, Learka, and Kaela helped some of the followers set fire to the ogre bodies, and then headed back to their dwelling.
They came through the door into the main room, and saw Klii and Yev, both on their knees, praying ferverently. They both looked up when the returned warriors entered.
"Oh, your back!" exclaimed Yev joyously. "You won the battle, right?"
Ben nodded. "We sure did! And guess what else!" he told Klii, Yev, and Kaela (who hadn't found out yet) that he finally believed in Adonai.
"That's great, Ben!" Kaela congratulated her older brother.
"It is," agreed Klii. "Now Adonai will do wonderful things with your life, and teach you many great things. But now, let's inspect injuries."
Learka had a gash on his calf, Kaela had a jagged cut from a knife from her cheek to her ear, and Ben's left wrist was slightly fractured. Yev prepared soothing poultices for them all, and then they sat around the table, having a late night/early morning snack.
"What do you think we'll do now?" Learka asked Klii. "Will we continue the attack on Mahal?"
Klii nodded. "Almost certainly. We can't give the ogres time for recuperating, and we have to strike before Daran knows of the defeat. He isn't going to be very happy, that's for sure."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
That was another fun chapter. Enjoy.
Izori
Chapter 5
Ben jerked awake in the middle of the night. He lay on his mat for a moment, wondering what had woke him up. He glanced around at the others. They were all peacefully asleep on their own mats. Then he heard a noise from above, a sort of rustling noise. It sounded like someone (or something, Ben thought with a shudder) was above the dwelling, trying not to make noise but not succeeding. That was what woke me up he realized.
The noise came again, only louder. It sounded as if there were more than one things above. Ben held his breath, starting to get a little nervous. He looked at the rug that covered the door leading to the dark, mysterious passageway, and wondered what scary creature could come out of it. He considered waking Learka or Klii, but then decided against it. Probably just my imagination. Then again, that's what I said when I saw the ogres.
He pushed himself up into a sitting position, and then glanced up at the hatch in the ceiling. To his shock and horror, the hatch budged slightly. Ben looked toward Learka, who still was soundly asleep and snoring a little bit. Then he looked back at the hatch. It creaked and opened up a little more. From the darkness outside he could see the glint of an eye reflecting the dying fire in the hearth.
This time, Ben made up his mind. "Learka," he hissed.
The older boy cracked an eye open. "What?"
"There's someone opening the hatch!"
Learka was on his feet immediately and grabbed both his and Ben's sword. Giving Ben his, he gripped his own in his right hand and moved cautiously toward the hatch. Yev, Klii, and Kaela also woke up at the noise and grabbed their own swords.
Learka was about to thrust his sword through and spit the person outside when a man's voice hoarsly called, "Psst, Learka! Don't make a noise and don't kill me for goodness sake! Tis I, Nolan!"
Learka lowered his sword and spoke in a whisper. "Nolan! What are you doing in the Dead Forest at this time? Why didn't you come by the tunnels, or send Larkin?"
Nolan, a wiry man with starting-to-gray hair and a sword on his hip, dropped into the dwelling. "That's just it, Learka." He said as he nodded to everyone else. "The tunnels have been found out and invaded by the ogres. And Larkin is missing, as is almost every member of the squirrel tribe. There were no talking birds to be found either. I've come to warn you; we will flee soon. The ogres have invaded several of the smaller tunnels. We need every fighting male, now." he glanced at Ben. "Would he be considered a fighting male?"
Learka looked at Ben, and then at Klii. "What do you think? He can't use light yet..."
Klii nodded. "He should go. Adonai has told me that this will build his faith. Also, Kaela will go."
"Me?" protested the nine year old. "I'd hardly be called a 'fighting male'!"
"Women too, can be warriors of Adonai." Klii wisely responded. "Though it is rare Adonai calls a woman to fight in a battle. They usually fight by different means, like men and Yev. We will fight, too, but by prayer."
Nolan said, "Will you two be safe if the ogres come to your dwelling?"
"We have our swords," answered Yev. "And we can pray."
Then to Learka, Ben, and Kaela, Nolan ordered, "Come on. We will make our way above ground until we get to the part where the main follower army has gathered."
The four of them clambered up the hatch and out into the dark night. It was cold out, but not the crisp, fresh, coolness that many winters bring. It was more of the clammy, threatening cold. Ben shivered and clutched his sword harder.
They made their way down a little path, Nolan leading. The trees seemed to close in on them, and shadows darted around. Kaela stuck close to Ben, and no one said anything. The moon shone down, though sometimes it was covered by dark clouds.
After a good amount of minutes they arrived at where several hundred followers were gathered around one man, who seemed to be the leader. There were only a few women in the crowd; many had chose to fight by staying at home and praying. Nolan, Learka, Ben, and Kaela mixed in with the group.
They had arrived just in time to hear the man in charge saying, "We cannot strategize in good detail, for the ogres are already raiding the homes of followers. There is no time to spare, so I can only say, listen for the advice of Adonai, and follow me!"
The man drew his sword, which shone with an inside light, and then charged toward an opening in the ground leading to the network of tunnels. The followers came after him, each with swords drawn.
Ben found himself running through the labyrinth of passageways with the followers, alongside Learka, Nolan, and Kaela, and hoping that the ogres had already gone home. He hoped in vain, however, for suddenly the head of the charging followers collided with a large group of ogres.
The ogres started slashing their way through the followers, and worked themselves deep into the crowd. Everyone was still running along, and they came out of the narrowed passage into Great Oak Hollow meeting place. There the main battle took place.
Ben was in the middle of thrashing, kicking ogres and followers when an ogre singled out him to fight. It took up stance in front of him and held out it's ugly, long, stone knife, stabbing at Ben. He retaliated by blocking the thrust and driving his sword toward the ogre. They continued parrying and thrusting, dancing up and down, until the ogre finally got the advantage of Ben. It tripped him up, and then pounced on him while he was on the ground.
I really wish this had come a day later, Ben thought. I need more sword training, bad. He saw the knife coming down toward his throat, and in a split second prayed. Adonai, I'm sorry I've doubted you. Please don't let me die! It wasn't the most eloquent of prayers, but it worked. The ogre's hand stayed for a few moments, allowing Ben to get on his feet and and point his sword at it. He was about to run it through, when a shininess passed along the sword blade, and the ogre collapsed, pierced through by a ray of light. Ben himself felt a thrill pass through him. I guess I really believe, now.
In a momentary lull he glanced around to find where Kaela was. He located her, in the middle of blasting a big, two headed ogre with light. He also saw Learka surrounded by several of the ogres, fighting valiantly. Ben decided to help him out.
He came up behind an ogre and pointed his sword at it. The ogre fell, his back hit with a burst of light. Ben lopped the head off another one, and Learka easily finished the other two.
"Thank you." Learka said to the younger boy. "I noticed you shot one with light. Do you...?"
Ben grinned and nodded. "Yes, I do. And your welcome."
The fight didn't last much longer. The ogres were all destroyed, and all that were left from them were bodies with pools of black blood all over Great Oak Hollow. Ben, Learka, and Kaela helped some of the followers set fire to the ogre bodies, and then headed back to their dwelling.
They came through the door into the main room, and saw Klii and Yev, both on their knees, praying ferverently. They both looked up when the returned warriors entered.
"Oh, your back!" exclaimed Yev joyously. "You won the battle, right?"
Ben nodded. "We sure did! And guess what else!" he told Klii, Yev, and Kaela (who hadn't found out yet) that he finally believed in Adonai.
"That's great, Ben!" Kaela congratulated her older brother.
"It is," agreed Klii. "Now Adonai will do wonderful things with your life, and teach you many great things. But now, let's inspect injuries."
Learka had a gash on his calf, Kaela had a jagged cut from a knife from her cheek to her ear, and Ben's left wrist was slightly fractured. Yev prepared soothing poultices for them all, and then they sat around the table, having a late night/early morning snack.
"What do you think we'll do now?" Learka asked Klii. "Will we continue the attack on Mahal?"
Klii nodded. "Almost certainly. We can't give the ogres time for recuperating, and we have to strike before Daran knows of the defeat. He isn't going to be very happy, that's for sure."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
That was another fun chapter. Enjoy.
Izori
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Title
Hi,
I think I finally thought up a good title for my story! (At last). How does 'The Other Side of the Creek' sound?
Izori
I think I finally thought up a good title for my story! (At last). How does 'The Other Side of the Creek' sound?
Izori
Chapter 4 of Unamed Book (Great Oak Hollows)
Okay, I really have to think up a title, now. Writing the fourth chapter is a good sign that you'll probably continue the story.
Chapter 4
Ben opened his eyes and stared up at the earth ceiling for a moment, wondering why he was not staring up at his bedroom fan. Then he recalled yesterdays events. That's right, I'm in Elandai. He stretched himself and sat up.
Yev, Klii, and Laerka were already up. Yev was making breakfast, Learka was whittling something, and Klii was reading to himself from an old looking leather-bound book. The old man looked up and saw that Ben was awake.
"Good morning," he greeted. "You're just in time for breakfast. Wake up your sister, please."
Ben walked over to Kaela and shook her. She rolled over and groaned sleepily. "S'not a school day, Ben. Mus' be 'bout 5:30."
"Come on, Kaela. We're in Elandai, remember? Almost time for breakfast. And I don't think it's as early as that. What time is it, anyway?"
"It's almost 8:30." Klii informed them. "You guys slept in late."
Kaela sat up and her eyes opened. "Huh? Well, it feels like 5:30." She stood up and rolled up her sleeping mat. "Breakfast smells good, Yev."
Yev turned from cooking some sausage and smiled. "Thanks. Could you and Ben set the table?"
Ben and Kaela quickly did so, and then breakfast was ready. It was scrambled eggs, some of yesterday's bread turned into toast, and sausage. Laerka set aside his whittling and hastily sat down at the table, looking very hungry. Klii carefully put down his book and came to attention as Yev placed the sausage in the middle of the table. Ben glanced at the book, only to find that it had no title on the front of it.
Klii noticed his gaze and said, "That's the Book of Prophesies. It contains all the promises of Adonai."
Ben nodded. He still didn't get the whole Adonai thing.
Klii said the blessing, and then they all commenced eating. During breakfast, Klii mentioned, "I've sent word to the other followers through Larkin and his tribe. We will meet in the Great Oak Hollow at noon."
"Who's Larkin?" Kaela asked.
"He's a squirrel," Laerka explained. "Very talkative fellow, but can get downright serious in the discussion of nuts. Can you pass the eggs, Yev?"
"Talkative?" exclaimed Ben. "Does he talk?"
Yev nodded as she passed the eggs to her brother. "Of course! Don't the squirrels in your land do the same?"
Ben and Kaela shook their heads. "No," said Kaela. "No animals talk in our world."
Laerka stared openmouthed (thankfully he was not in the middle of chewing) at the children. "No talking animals? Why, almost every animal in Elandai does! There are a few exceptions, but most of them carry on a conversation quite well."
"Well, Cun the Eagle doesn't talk too much, though he knows how," reflected Klii. "But some, like the butterflies, talked your ear off. Before they left, that is."
"Why did they leave?" Ben questioned.
"When Elandai got turned into a waste-land." replied Klii. "But some animals stayed and they live with the followers in their underground homes."
Ben was about to ask more questions when Yev stood up. "If we want to get to Great Oak Hollow, we might want to start soon." she started to clear the dishes.
The rest helped, and then they prepared for the council. Yev, Ben and Kaela packed lunches and Klii flipped open the Book of Prophesies again. Learka continued whittling. When the lunches were packed, everyone grabbed his or her sword.
Learka walked over to a wall which had a rug hanging on it, covering some of it. He lifted the rug, and beneath it was a thick wooden door. He opened it, and Ben stared into a narrow, black, hallway. Yev handed out the lunches, all in packs, and then lit a torch. She gave it to her brother, who nodded his thanks and then led the way down the hall.
Ben looked around as he walked. The hallway was made all out of dirt, and dead-looking roots from the trees above dangled down, some brushing Learka's head. There were a few cobwebs, and the hallway looked like it was out of a movie. There were some smaller halls branching out from the main one, but the group didn't turn off. Eventually the hallway widened out until five could walk abreast with some room to spare.
They must have walked a good amount of miles before they came out into a great big room, lit by many torches on the walls. The roots of a very large tree hung from the cieling, and people were milling around, chatting. This must be Great Oak Hollow. Ben told himself. He was surprised that almost everyone wore swords at their sides, even some of the little ones.
Klii, Learka, Yev, Ben, and Kaela made their way to the front of the room, and then stood for a second. "Can I have your attention?" Klii called.
Some people paused and looked in his direction, but the majority continued talking.
Klii tried again, and then put his fingers to his mouth and whistled piercingly. That got everybodies attention. "Thank you. Before we begin, let's pray."
Everyone in the room bowed their heads, and Klii said a simple prayer, asking for wisdom in the council. Then everyone straightened, and Klii began. "The reason you all were called here was that Adonai has finally sent his help from above. These are what he sent."
Laerka pushed forward Ben and Kaela, who shuffled their feet and looked slightly shy with all the people staring at them.
"Now that our help has finally arrived, we need to consider how we are going to attack Daran. I am very open to suggestions, so please tell your thoughts."
Someone called out, "We should attack quickly while we have the element of surprise!"
Klii furrowed his brow. "Yes, I agree, but how will we attack? Will we go directly for Daran's main castle, Mahal, and put it under siege, or should we concentrate on the small outposts he has, first?"
An old man stepped forward, leaning on a cane. A boy Ben's age was holding onto the man's arm, probably to keep him from falling. "We should definately aim first for Daran's headquarters!" he advised in a very aged and wise voice. "'Cut off the head and the snake will die,'" he quoted.
"But do we have enough force to do that?" A younger man questioned.
The old man turned so abruptly to view the speaker that the boy had a hard time keeping up. "Obviously we have enough force!" he said, his white eyebrows scrunching together in a fearsome way. "'With Adonai, who can stand against us?'" Ben had a feeling the man liked to quote.
Many in the crowd nodded, and a few called out, "Wisely said, Jerod!"
"So," Klii said, "Are we all agreed on attacking Mahal directly?"
A chorus of aye's followed his words.
"Well, then, when should we attack?" a woman's voice asked.
Learka stepped up. "Why not we do it a few days from now. We can meet here, and then make our way by the tunnels as close to Mahal Castle as we can. There's a few days march from the end of the tunnels to the castle, and then we can put it under siege."
"Can't Daran call in his patrols to fight us from outside if we do a siege?" a member of the crowd asked.
Learka frowned. "Well, I suppose we could send some fast, strong men ahead to dig the tunnels further until they're almost all the way up to Mahal. Then we can attack by day when less vakir are out, and hide in the tunnels by night. The digging will go very fast if Adonai approves of our plan."
Ben listened to the discussion, amazed. Everyone talked about this Adonai person as if he was actually in control of all this. He also watched Kaela, and was suprised to see that when the old man had said, 'With Adonai, who can stand against us', Kaela nodded in agreement. He made a mental note to ask her about that later.
Everyone seemed to agree with Learka's strategy, as it was the only one that made sense. Several strong looking men were sent off down the tunnels, on the mission of advancing the halls up to Mahal, pausing before leaving only for a prayer. Then the rest of the followers, as Klii, Learka, and Yev called them, drifted off to their individual dwellings.
Ben and the others were one of the last to leave. They walked back to their small room, with only some talking on the way. The council had taken longer than Ben had thought it had, and he was getting tired.
When they got home, Kaela and Ben got in some sword practice, and then everyone fell asleep.
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That was a fun chapter to write. I like battle strategies.
Izori
Chapter 4
Ben opened his eyes and stared up at the earth ceiling for a moment, wondering why he was not staring up at his bedroom fan. Then he recalled yesterdays events. That's right, I'm in Elandai. He stretched himself and sat up.
Yev, Klii, and Laerka were already up. Yev was making breakfast, Learka was whittling something, and Klii was reading to himself from an old looking leather-bound book. The old man looked up and saw that Ben was awake.
"Good morning," he greeted. "You're just in time for breakfast. Wake up your sister, please."
Ben walked over to Kaela and shook her. She rolled over and groaned sleepily. "S'not a school day, Ben. Mus' be 'bout 5:30."
"Come on, Kaela. We're in Elandai, remember? Almost time for breakfast. And I don't think it's as early as that. What time is it, anyway?"
"It's almost 8:30." Klii informed them. "You guys slept in late."
Kaela sat up and her eyes opened. "Huh? Well, it feels like 5:30." She stood up and rolled up her sleeping mat. "Breakfast smells good, Yev."
Yev turned from cooking some sausage and smiled. "Thanks. Could you and Ben set the table?"
Ben and Kaela quickly did so, and then breakfast was ready. It was scrambled eggs, some of yesterday's bread turned into toast, and sausage. Laerka set aside his whittling and hastily sat down at the table, looking very hungry. Klii carefully put down his book and came to attention as Yev placed the sausage in the middle of the table. Ben glanced at the book, only to find that it had no title on the front of it.
Klii noticed his gaze and said, "That's the Book of Prophesies. It contains all the promises of Adonai."
Ben nodded. He still didn't get the whole Adonai thing.
Klii said the blessing, and then they all commenced eating. During breakfast, Klii mentioned, "I've sent word to the other followers through Larkin and his tribe. We will meet in the Great Oak Hollow at noon."
"Who's Larkin?" Kaela asked.
"He's a squirrel," Laerka explained. "Very talkative fellow, but can get downright serious in the discussion of nuts. Can you pass the eggs, Yev?"
"Talkative?" exclaimed Ben. "Does he talk?"
Yev nodded as she passed the eggs to her brother. "Of course! Don't the squirrels in your land do the same?"
Ben and Kaela shook their heads. "No," said Kaela. "No animals talk in our world."
Laerka stared openmouthed (thankfully he was not in the middle of chewing) at the children. "No talking animals? Why, almost every animal in Elandai does! There are a few exceptions, but most of them carry on a conversation quite well."
"Well, Cun the Eagle doesn't talk too much, though he knows how," reflected Klii. "But some, like the butterflies, talked your ear off. Before they left, that is."
"Why did they leave?" Ben questioned.
"When Elandai got turned into a waste-land." replied Klii. "But some animals stayed and they live with the followers in their underground homes."
Ben was about to ask more questions when Yev stood up. "If we want to get to Great Oak Hollow, we might want to start soon." she started to clear the dishes.
The rest helped, and then they prepared for the council. Yev, Ben and Kaela packed lunches and Klii flipped open the Book of Prophesies again. Learka continued whittling. When the lunches were packed, everyone grabbed his or her sword.
Learka walked over to a wall which had a rug hanging on it, covering some of it. He lifted the rug, and beneath it was a thick wooden door. He opened it, and Ben stared into a narrow, black, hallway. Yev handed out the lunches, all in packs, and then lit a torch. She gave it to her brother, who nodded his thanks and then led the way down the hall.
Ben looked around as he walked. The hallway was made all out of dirt, and dead-looking roots from the trees above dangled down, some brushing Learka's head. There were a few cobwebs, and the hallway looked like it was out of a movie. There were some smaller halls branching out from the main one, but the group didn't turn off. Eventually the hallway widened out until five could walk abreast with some room to spare.
They must have walked a good amount of miles before they came out into a great big room, lit by many torches on the walls. The roots of a very large tree hung from the cieling, and people were milling around, chatting. This must be Great Oak Hollow. Ben told himself. He was surprised that almost everyone wore swords at their sides, even some of the little ones.
Klii, Learka, Yev, Ben, and Kaela made their way to the front of the room, and then stood for a second. "Can I have your attention?" Klii called.
Some people paused and looked in his direction, but the majority continued talking.
Klii tried again, and then put his fingers to his mouth and whistled piercingly. That got everybodies attention. "Thank you. Before we begin, let's pray."
Everyone in the room bowed their heads, and Klii said a simple prayer, asking for wisdom in the council. Then everyone straightened, and Klii began. "The reason you all were called here was that Adonai has finally sent his help from above. These are what he sent."
Laerka pushed forward Ben and Kaela, who shuffled their feet and looked slightly shy with all the people staring at them.
"Now that our help has finally arrived, we need to consider how we are going to attack Daran. I am very open to suggestions, so please tell your thoughts."
Someone called out, "We should attack quickly while we have the element of surprise!"
Klii furrowed his brow. "Yes, I agree, but how will we attack? Will we go directly for Daran's main castle, Mahal, and put it under siege, or should we concentrate on the small outposts he has, first?"
An old man stepped forward, leaning on a cane. A boy Ben's age was holding onto the man's arm, probably to keep him from falling. "We should definately aim first for Daran's headquarters!" he advised in a very aged and wise voice. "'Cut off the head and the snake will die,'" he quoted.
"But do we have enough force to do that?" A younger man questioned.
The old man turned so abruptly to view the speaker that the boy had a hard time keeping up. "Obviously we have enough force!" he said, his white eyebrows scrunching together in a fearsome way. "'With Adonai, who can stand against us?'" Ben had a feeling the man liked to quote.
Many in the crowd nodded, and a few called out, "Wisely said, Jerod!"
"So," Klii said, "Are we all agreed on attacking Mahal directly?"
A chorus of aye's followed his words.
"Well, then, when should we attack?" a woman's voice asked.
Learka stepped up. "Why not we do it a few days from now. We can meet here, and then make our way by the tunnels as close to Mahal Castle as we can. There's a few days march from the end of the tunnels to the castle, and then we can put it under siege."
"Can't Daran call in his patrols to fight us from outside if we do a siege?" a member of the crowd asked.
Learka frowned. "Well, I suppose we could send some fast, strong men ahead to dig the tunnels further until they're almost all the way up to Mahal. Then we can attack by day when less vakir are out, and hide in the tunnels by night. The digging will go very fast if Adonai approves of our plan."
Ben listened to the discussion, amazed. Everyone talked about this Adonai person as if he was actually in control of all this. He also watched Kaela, and was suprised to see that when the old man had said, 'With Adonai, who can stand against us', Kaela nodded in agreement. He made a mental note to ask her about that later.
Everyone seemed to agree with Learka's strategy, as it was the only one that made sense. Several strong looking men were sent off down the tunnels, on the mission of advancing the halls up to Mahal, pausing before leaving only for a prayer. Then the rest of the followers, as Klii, Learka, and Yev called them, drifted off to their individual dwellings.
Ben and the others were one of the last to leave. They walked back to their small room, with only some talking on the way. The council had taken longer than Ben had thought it had, and he was getting tired.
When they got home, Kaela and Ben got in some sword practice, and then everyone fell asleep.
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That was a fun chapter to write. I like battle strategies.
Izori
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Chapter 3 of Unamed Book (Sword of Light)
I really need to think up a title for my book before I get further.
Chapter 3
Klii walked across the room and picked up two swords. He handed one to Ben and the other one to Kaela. "Now, describe these swords,"
Kaela eyed the weapon resting in her hands. "Well...it's a sword, with a gold whatever-its-called,"
"A hilt." Learka reminded.
"Thank you. A gold hilt, with a purple stone in the middle of the hilt. I think it's called a pommel stone."
"My pommel stone is green." Ben informed them.
Klii nodded. "Very good. Now, you can use these swords two ways. One is the 'normal' way of fighting, when your sword comes in contact with the enemy's weapon. We'll teach you how to use your sword that way, but there is another way to use it. It will shoot out light."
The man picked up a red pommel-stoned sword. "Watch," he said, and then pointed the sword at the wall. Immediately, a beam of white light shot out from the sword's tip and disappeared into the earthen wall. "You will find this much more useful than the first method. Now you two try."
Ben hesitated slightly. "How do you get it to shoot the light?" he asked.
"Faith in Adonai. He controls your shooting." Klii responded simply.
That wasn't quite the answer I wanted. Ben thought, but he turned his sword to the wall. Nothing happened.
"As I said, you must believe in Adonai before you can use your sword the second way." Klii reminded him.
Then Kaela tried it, and got a shimmer of light to pass down her sword. "Wow," she exclaimed. "These swords are so much better than the ones we have at home. Do you think I'll have faith so I can shoot light soon?"
Klii smiled. "You might. But first, you have to learn much. Ignorance is very dangerous. First, before we get started on training, Yev can show you two some simple stuff."
At that point, Yev took over, and she showed Ben and Kaela where their sleeping places were and other necessities. She stressed in whatever you do, try to avoid going outside into the 'Dead Woods' as she called it, without having a sword handy. Then Klii began teaching them for a little while on using the swords for actual contact fighting.
"It's going to be hard to teach two students at a time, because I taught Learka and Yev one on one, so I could 'battle them'." Klii said. "I'll try...oh, I have it! Learka, why don't you teach Ben to contact fight, and I'll teach Kaela."
Learka got up from where he was sitting, observing all the goings on, and grabbed a blue pommeled sword. Then he turned to face Ben. "Now, do you know anything at all about sword-fighting?"
Ben shook his head. He had a feeling Learka thought that he didn't know much.
"Alright. Now, first of all I'll teach you how to spin your sword. It's a good warming up exercise."
Learka and Ben worked on the spinning exercise for a good amount of minutes while Klii taught Kaela the same thing. Then Yev, who had been diligently doing house-work the whole time, spoke up. "I hate to interrupt, but it's time for supper. Why don't you all take a break? Ben and Kaela look pretty worn out."
It was true actually. Ben had not thought of sword-fighting as requiring much energy, and Kaela looked tired. They all pulled up chairs to the table and sat down. Yev had made chicken soup, hot and steaming, and fresh bread. Cider was also on the table.
Ben was ready to dig in, when Klii said, "Let's give thanks for the food, shall we?"
Learka, Klii, and Yev bowed their heads, and Ben and Kaela followed their example. Klii spoke. "Adonai, thank you very much for providing food for this meal, and always providing for us throughout these hard years. Thank you for sending help from above, and please let us to always do your work. Amen."
Yev dipped a ladle into the chicken soup and stirred it. "Bowls, please?"
Everyone passed her their bowls, and she filled them up with soup and gave them back. Ben's eyes popped open and his mouth watered as he saw the contents of his bowl. Man, this sure beats fast-food.
"So, Father, are we going to hold a counsil meeting soon?" Learka asked as he dipped a piece of bread into his soup.
"I suppose we should." Klii responded after taking a swig of his cider. "They have to know about Ben and Kaela, and then we can make some strategies."
"A council meeting?" Ben repeated. "With who?"
"With the other followers of Adonai, of course. We haven't had a meeting in a while."
"That's right," Yev agreed. "The last one was almost two months ago. I never heard why we haven't been meeting. Was there a reason?"
"Probably because Daran had somehow found out our meeting place and sent ogres to intercept. And vakir." Learka supposed.
"Oh, vakir!" Yev shuddered. "Those...things were horrible!"
"And what are vakir?" Kaela asked.
"They're almost like bats, except much bigger. Some have wingspans of fifteen feet." Klii explained. "Daran uses them a good deal."
Kaela shivered. "I don't like bats." she said.
Yev sympathized with Kaela. "I know. The small ones are bad enough."
Learka set down his empty bowl and stood up. "That was a good meal, Yev. Thanks for making it."
Yev smiled. "Thank you and your welcome, Learka." She began to clear the table, and Ben and Kaela pitched in to help. They were done soon.
"We should get some shut-eye," Klii suggested. "I will see about having a council meeting tomorrow."
They lost no time in curling up on their sleeping mats by the fire. Before dozing off to sleep, Ben vaguely wondered what he would be doing at home at this time of night.
Speaking of home, Ben thought, I wonder what's going on. We've been gone for a long time by now. Mom and Dad will start to wonder what happened to us.
He drifted off to sleep.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Izori
Chapter 3
Klii walked across the room and picked up two swords. He handed one to Ben and the other one to Kaela. "Now, describe these swords,"
Kaela eyed the weapon resting in her hands. "Well...it's a sword, with a gold whatever-its-called,"
"A hilt." Learka reminded.
"Thank you. A gold hilt, with a purple stone in the middle of the hilt. I think it's called a pommel stone."
"My pommel stone is green." Ben informed them.
Klii nodded. "Very good. Now, you can use these swords two ways. One is the 'normal' way of fighting, when your sword comes in contact with the enemy's weapon. We'll teach you how to use your sword that way, but there is another way to use it. It will shoot out light."
The man picked up a red pommel-stoned sword. "Watch," he said, and then pointed the sword at the wall. Immediately, a beam of white light shot out from the sword's tip and disappeared into the earthen wall. "You will find this much more useful than the first method. Now you two try."
Ben hesitated slightly. "How do you get it to shoot the light?" he asked.
"Faith in Adonai. He controls your shooting." Klii responded simply.
That wasn't quite the answer I wanted. Ben thought, but he turned his sword to the wall. Nothing happened.
"As I said, you must believe in Adonai before you can use your sword the second way." Klii reminded him.
Then Kaela tried it, and got a shimmer of light to pass down her sword. "Wow," she exclaimed. "These swords are so much better than the ones we have at home. Do you think I'll have faith so I can shoot light soon?"
Klii smiled. "You might. But first, you have to learn much. Ignorance is very dangerous. First, before we get started on training, Yev can show you two some simple stuff."
At that point, Yev took over, and she showed Ben and Kaela where their sleeping places were and other necessities. She stressed in whatever you do, try to avoid going outside into the 'Dead Woods' as she called it, without having a sword handy. Then Klii began teaching them for a little while on using the swords for actual contact fighting.
"It's going to be hard to teach two students at a time, because I taught Learka and Yev one on one, so I could 'battle them'." Klii said. "I'll try...oh, I have it! Learka, why don't you teach Ben to contact fight, and I'll teach Kaela."
Learka got up from where he was sitting, observing all the goings on, and grabbed a blue pommeled sword. Then he turned to face Ben. "Now, do you know anything at all about sword-fighting?"
Ben shook his head. He had a feeling Learka thought that he didn't know much.
"Alright. Now, first of all I'll teach you how to spin your sword. It's a good warming up exercise."
Learka and Ben worked on the spinning exercise for a good amount of minutes while Klii taught Kaela the same thing. Then Yev, who had been diligently doing house-work the whole time, spoke up. "I hate to interrupt, but it's time for supper. Why don't you all take a break? Ben and Kaela look pretty worn out."
It was true actually. Ben had not thought of sword-fighting as requiring much energy, and Kaela looked tired. They all pulled up chairs to the table and sat down. Yev had made chicken soup, hot and steaming, and fresh bread. Cider was also on the table.
Ben was ready to dig in, when Klii said, "Let's give thanks for the food, shall we?"
Learka, Klii, and Yev bowed their heads, and Ben and Kaela followed their example. Klii spoke. "Adonai, thank you very much for providing food for this meal, and always providing for us throughout these hard years. Thank you for sending help from above, and please let us to always do your work. Amen."
Yev dipped a ladle into the chicken soup and stirred it. "Bowls, please?"
Everyone passed her their bowls, and she filled them up with soup and gave them back. Ben's eyes popped open and his mouth watered as he saw the contents of his bowl. Man, this sure beats fast-food.
"So, Father, are we going to hold a counsil meeting soon?" Learka asked as he dipped a piece of bread into his soup.
"I suppose we should." Klii responded after taking a swig of his cider. "They have to know about Ben and Kaela, and then we can make some strategies."
"A council meeting?" Ben repeated. "With who?"
"With the other followers of Adonai, of course. We haven't had a meeting in a while."
"That's right," Yev agreed. "The last one was almost two months ago. I never heard why we haven't been meeting. Was there a reason?"
"Probably because Daran had somehow found out our meeting place and sent ogres to intercept. And vakir." Learka supposed.
"Oh, vakir!" Yev shuddered. "Those...things were horrible!"
"And what are vakir?" Kaela asked.
"They're almost like bats, except much bigger. Some have wingspans of fifteen feet." Klii explained. "Daran uses them a good deal."
Kaela shivered. "I don't like bats." she said.
Yev sympathized with Kaela. "I know. The small ones are bad enough."
Learka set down his empty bowl and stood up. "That was a good meal, Yev. Thanks for making it."
Yev smiled. "Thank you and your welcome, Learka." She began to clear the table, and Ben and Kaela pitched in to help. They were done soon.
"We should get some shut-eye," Klii suggested. "I will see about having a council meeting tomorrow."
They lost no time in curling up on their sleeping mats by the fire. Before dozing off to sleep, Ben vaguely wondered what he would be doing at home at this time of night.
Speaking of home, Ben thought, I wonder what's going on. We've been gone for a long time by now. Mom and Dad will start to wonder what happened to us.
He drifted off to sleep.
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Izori
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Chapter 1-2 of Unnamed book (Cross the Creek) and (Sent from Above)
I guess I should start writing a book, since that's what my blog is supposed to be about.
Unnamed book: Chapter 1
Ben Wilson woke with a start as his alarm clock suddenly blared. he groggily blinked and squinted at the clock. It read 6:00 AM.
Six AM? Why--oh, I forgot. I promised Kaela that we'd get up early and go exploring. The Wilson's had just moved into their house, which backed to woods. Ben and his sister, Mikaela (or Kaela, as everyone called her) had lived in the city all their lives and were willing to get up early to see what adventures the forest contained.
He jumped as he heard a clock go off in the room next to his. That would be Kaela's alarm. Her clock was exactly thirty seconds later than his. Ben quickly dressed and then went down to the kitchen, only to find his sister had beat him there. She was very punctual, even though she was nine, four years younger than him.
"Mom left bagels out for us." Kaela told him. "With cream cheese and jam, too."
Ben licked his lips. "We can always depend on Mom to feed us well." he remarked, and then plopped down at his seat. Kaela sat down across from him and spread her bagel with a thick layer of cream cheese. Ben and her were alike not only in their love of bagels, but also in coloring. Both had blond hair, though Kaela's was more dark, and blue eyes. They were both 'string-beans' as some people call long and thin people.
Ben was reaching for the jam when he noticed a piece of paper lying on the table. He picked it up and noticed it was from Mom. It read:
Ben and Kaela,
Have fun out in the woods and remember to cross the creek. Go left on the big path until you get to a ford. Cross there.
Love,
Mom
Ben read it out loud to his sister. She cocked an eyebrow and looked at him. "Why does Mom specifically want us to cross the creek? She even gave us directions to get there!"
"Well, maybe there's something really neat over there. She did live here when she was a kid, and she could have explored yesterday when we were at Grandma and Grandpa's."
"True," pondered Kaela. "But she talked a lot about the cliffs and the caves." she gulped down the rest of her orange juice. "C'mon, Ben, let's go already. We'll find out why when we get there."
The siblings raced out the back door and looked at the woods for a moment from their backyard. The woods was in two layers, the first was more sparsely wooded, but had a lot of long grass. The other one, which was further back, was more thick. They were separated by a large dirt path that was half overgrown with grass.
They scrambled through the grasses of the first layer to get to the path. When they reached there, Ben stopped for a moment to breathe in the fresh morning air. A solitary bird twittered from a branch on the skirts of the deep woods.
"Hurry up, Ben!" ordered Kaela starting down the path to the left. "Don't you want to find out what's on the other side of the creek?"
"Hold, on. I'm trying to find out which way is north. Let's see, there's the sun; that's east. So if we go left we'll be heading almost due north."
Kaela had given up on her brother's slow pace and had started running on the path. Ben sighed and tried to catch up with her. She was very fast, and played a lot of sports, but Ben still outdistanced her by a few minutes.
"Alright." he said presently. "Around here is probably a ford." he took note of the surroundings. As they had been running, the deep woods (which they had been traveling parallel to) had thinned out until they could see that the creek had been behind it. They were now standing almost on it's bank, and they could both see that they had reached the ford. A long line of rocks marked the shallow area.
Ben and Kaela climbed down the bank and paused at the edge of the water. "Whose going first?" asked Kaela.
"I guess I will," replied Ben and stuck his foot in the creek. He was wearing boots, but he could feel the chilliness of the water. He looked down and could see bright green algae waving with the current, attached to the dark rocks. A few clam shells were scattered along the bed. He glanced back and could see beyond the bank and the trees were houses. He could hear some far-off trucks from the subdivision, and there was a bright yellow spray-painted board propped against a tree.
He reached the other side and scrambled up the bank. He looked at Kaela, who was almost across. When she reached the shore he helped her out and up. Then he looked back at the side they had been on just a few minutes ago. He inhaled sharply.
The houses and board had completely disappeared! Ben blinked twice, and then looked again, but they were still gone. "That's strange," he commented.
Kaela peered at him. "What's strange?" she asked.
"Last time I looked on that side, there were houses and other modern stuff. Now there aren't any. I could hear trucks, too."
"I can't hear any trucks, and I don't see the houses."
"I know, neither can I. And it's not like I can't see them from this angle. I should be able to see them better, if anything."
Kaela frowned. "Could that be what Mom was talking about? That we're isolated from the modern world on the other side of the creek?"
Ben shrugged. "Maybe. What d'you think we should do? Go on and explore this side of the creek, or go back. I'll let you choose."
Kaela pondered for a moment. "I think...we should explore. We're already on this side."
"Alright. Which way?"
She looked both ways. There were three paths. One led to the left, the other to the right, and the last straight ahead. They all met where the siblings were standing. After a few seconds of thought, she said, "Straight."
Ben and Kaela stepped forward and began walking.
Chapter 2
Ben glanced around as they walked. They were going through a woods now. For some reason that he couldn't explain, the woods felt...evil. The trees were all crooked and dead, and there was no grass or flowers. No birds, either. It was unnaturally silent. Neither of the children talked, and they walked almost on tip-toes.
He happened to glance to the side in time to see a dark shape, passing from tree to tree, following them. He blinked and then it was gone. I must be imagining things, he told himself. But it looked sort of human.
Ben watched the woods anxiously, keeping a sharp lookout for the dark shape. Kaela, walking beside him, asked "Ben, what's the matter?"
"Shh." he shushed her. "I thought I saw something."
Kaela shuddered. "Was it a bear?" she whispered.
"I don't think so. Oh, there it was!"
Kaela turned her head in time to catch a glimpse of the shadow. She gasped and whimpered, "I'm not really liking this... that looked like an ogre!"
"Don't be silly, Kaela. Ogres aren't real. You're just over-imagining."
"I'm sure it was an ogre, or at least what I've always thought they were like. They're sort of hunched over, and they walk flat-footed. I think they are ogres."
"Well, you can think what you like. They aren't--"
Ben was interrupted by a whoosh, and an instant later, a quivering arrow buried itself into one of the twisted trees, nearly clipping his ear. They froze for a second, and then another arrow landed inches from Kaela's foot.
The arrows were coming from the direction of the creek, so there was no way to go back that way. As one, the siblings began sprinting down the path, headed nowhere but hoping it was somewhere without arrows.
Ben risked a glance behind as they ran. Several dark shapes stood on the path behind them, all with bows bent and arrows on the string. They were hunched over and their feet turned outward, just like Kaela said. He managed to get a glimpse of their faces and knew immediately that his sister had been right. They were ogres.
One of the ogres fired his bow, and Ben swerved. The arrow missed and fell in front of him. He tripped slightly on it, and then continued running for dear life.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Ben and Kaela's feet swung open, and they fell down into a hole, clumps of dirt and rocks falling in with them. They landed with a thud at the bottom.
Ben looked around to find that he and his sister were in an underground room. It was small, containing only a table, three mats, and some chairs, as well as several swords propped against a wall. A lamp was on the table, and Ben could see by it's light that they were not alone. An old man with a flowing white beard sat in one of the chairs, and a man and a young woman, both maybe in their twenties at the latest, had just leapt out of their seats in surprise. They all were staring at Ben and Kaela.
The woman suddenly started. "Learka, quick--help me!" she yelled as she grabbed a sword and climbed up the earthen wall with amazing agility. The man also picked up a sword and followed her, and they disappeared from view when they got out of the hole in the ceiling. (As Ben watched them he saw that the hole was actually a hatch with a wooden door. His and Kaela's weight had must have triggered it somehow to open up) There were several flashes of light from above, followed by deep, gurgling yells. Then all was silent.
The man and the woman climbed back down into the hole, closing the hatch behind them. They propped their swords back against the wall, and then the woman addressed Ben and Kaela. "Good day," she greeted. "I am Yevelina Taelri Mahal Ka'amia Daria, but you can just call me Yev. The young man over there is Learka. He's my brother. And this is my father, Klii. Are you, by any chance, from other worlds?"
Ben, still slightly stunned by the rapidity of events, wondered, From other worlds? Oh no. We aren't in another world are we? Not a big surprise, actually. I sort of guessed that with the disappearing houses and the ogres. "I guess you could say we're from other worlds. I am Ben, and this is my sister, Mikaela. Very pleased to meet you."
This time the old man, Klii, answered. "And I, you. I must say, you are an answer to our prayers."
Learka looked strangely at Klii. "You aren't saying that they--" here he gestured at Ben and Kaela. "--sent from Adonai?"
"Learka," Klii said patiently. "It is written that help from these circumstances will fall from above. It did not say that Adonai would send warriors. And Ben and Kaela certainly did fall from above."
"Wait," Kaela frowned. "How are we an answer to prayer, who is Adonai, and where are we?"
Klii turned to the children. Ben got the immediate impression that he was very wise, expecially from his bright pale blue eyes. They held a spark of merriment, but also a solemnity. "Children, years ago, our beatiful land called Elandai, was a wonderful place to be. The forest that you passed through used to be green and living. Adonai is it's maker, and he made it as a paradise for his people.
"Unfortunetely, those people rebelled against Adonai, led by the evil one, Daran. They changed Elandai into a wasteland. There are some people whose hearts have changed and they follow Adonai, and the followers are greatly persecuted. They live underground, waiting for Adonai to come back and overthrow Daran. Adonai has promised that help will come, and he has said that it will fall from above. Like you did."
Ben nodded. "I get it. The dude called Adonai got overthrown and the dude in charge isn't that great, so you're planning a take-over."
Klii looked shocked. "No, you don't get it. Adonai is still in power, but he is a just ruler. In the beginning, he told the people that if they obeyed his statutes, they would live without death and so on. If they disobeyed, they would have to be punished with death. It is really our fault."
"Our fault?" Kaela asked. "I didn't rebel against him."
"Whenever we do something wrong, child, we rebel against Adonai. But, there is a way to escape death. Adonai has promised that he will send someone who will conquer Daran."
"Are we those someone's" Ben questioned.
"No. That someone has to be perfect, to carry out all the statutes, like we failed to do. You two, on the other hand, were sent to help prepare the way. Do you understand?"
Ben pondered for a moment, and then realized that yes, he did understand. He and Kaela nodded.
Klii smiled. "Good answer. Now, before you start your work, you must be trained. We will start immediately."
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There. The first chapter(s) of my story. Warning: I might not continue it. The funny thing about inspiration is that for a few days you work hard on a story, thinking This could be the one! and then after the first excitement that you're actually writing a book has passed, it sort of fades out. I do that a lot. The majority of my stories end up in the trash.
Izori
Unnamed book: Chapter 1
Ben Wilson woke with a start as his alarm clock suddenly blared. he groggily blinked and squinted at the clock. It read 6:00 AM.
Six AM? Why--oh, I forgot. I promised Kaela that we'd get up early and go exploring. The Wilson's had just moved into their house, which backed to woods. Ben and his sister, Mikaela (or Kaela, as everyone called her) had lived in the city all their lives and were willing to get up early to see what adventures the forest contained.
He jumped as he heard a clock go off in the room next to his. That would be Kaela's alarm. Her clock was exactly thirty seconds later than his. Ben quickly dressed and then went down to the kitchen, only to find his sister had beat him there. She was very punctual, even though she was nine, four years younger than him.
"Mom left bagels out for us." Kaela told him. "With cream cheese and jam, too."
Ben licked his lips. "We can always depend on Mom to feed us well." he remarked, and then plopped down at his seat. Kaela sat down across from him and spread her bagel with a thick layer of cream cheese. Ben and her were alike not only in their love of bagels, but also in coloring. Both had blond hair, though Kaela's was more dark, and blue eyes. They were both 'string-beans' as some people call long and thin people.
Ben was reaching for the jam when he noticed a piece of paper lying on the table. He picked it up and noticed it was from Mom. It read:
Ben and Kaela,
Have fun out in the woods and remember to cross the creek. Go left on the big path until you get to a ford. Cross there.
Love,
Mom
Ben read it out loud to his sister. She cocked an eyebrow and looked at him. "Why does Mom specifically want us to cross the creek? She even gave us directions to get there!"
"Well, maybe there's something really neat over there. She did live here when she was a kid, and she could have explored yesterday when we were at Grandma and Grandpa's."
"True," pondered Kaela. "But she talked a lot about the cliffs and the caves." she gulped down the rest of her orange juice. "C'mon, Ben, let's go already. We'll find out why when we get there."
The siblings raced out the back door and looked at the woods for a moment from their backyard. The woods was in two layers, the first was more sparsely wooded, but had a lot of long grass. The other one, which was further back, was more thick. They were separated by a large dirt path that was half overgrown with grass.
They scrambled through the grasses of the first layer to get to the path. When they reached there, Ben stopped for a moment to breathe in the fresh morning air. A solitary bird twittered from a branch on the skirts of the deep woods.
"Hurry up, Ben!" ordered Kaela starting down the path to the left. "Don't you want to find out what's on the other side of the creek?"
"Hold, on. I'm trying to find out which way is north. Let's see, there's the sun; that's east. So if we go left we'll be heading almost due north."
Kaela had given up on her brother's slow pace and had started running on the path. Ben sighed and tried to catch up with her. She was very fast, and played a lot of sports, but Ben still outdistanced her by a few minutes.
"Alright." he said presently. "Around here is probably a ford." he took note of the surroundings. As they had been running, the deep woods (which they had been traveling parallel to) had thinned out until they could see that the creek had been behind it. They were now standing almost on it's bank, and they could both see that they had reached the ford. A long line of rocks marked the shallow area.
Ben and Kaela climbed down the bank and paused at the edge of the water. "Whose going first?" asked Kaela.
"I guess I will," replied Ben and stuck his foot in the creek. He was wearing boots, but he could feel the chilliness of the water. He looked down and could see bright green algae waving with the current, attached to the dark rocks. A few clam shells were scattered along the bed. He glanced back and could see beyond the bank and the trees were houses. He could hear some far-off trucks from the subdivision, and there was a bright yellow spray-painted board propped against a tree.
He reached the other side and scrambled up the bank. He looked at Kaela, who was almost across. When she reached the shore he helped her out and up. Then he looked back at the side they had been on just a few minutes ago. He inhaled sharply.
The houses and board had completely disappeared! Ben blinked twice, and then looked again, but they were still gone. "That's strange," he commented.
Kaela peered at him. "What's strange?" she asked.
"Last time I looked on that side, there were houses and other modern stuff. Now there aren't any. I could hear trucks, too."
"I can't hear any trucks, and I don't see the houses."
"I know, neither can I. And it's not like I can't see them from this angle. I should be able to see them better, if anything."
Kaela frowned. "Could that be what Mom was talking about? That we're isolated from the modern world on the other side of the creek?"
Ben shrugged. "Maybe. What d'you think we should do? Go on and explore this side of the creek, or go back. I'll let you choose."
Kaela pondered for a moment. "I think...we should explore. We're already on this side."
"Alright. Which way?"
She looked both ways. There were three paths. One led to the left, the other to the right, and the last straight ahead. They all met where the siblings were standing. After a few seconds of thought, she said, "Straight."
Ben and Kaela stepped forward and began walking.
Chapter 2
Ben glanced around as they walked. They were going through a woods now. For some reason that he couldn't explain, the woods felt...evil. The trees were all crooked and dead, and there was no grass or flowers. No birds, either. It was unnaturally silent. Neither of the children talked, and they walked almost on tip-toes.
He happened to glance to the side in time to see a dark shape, passing from tree to tree, following them. He blinked and then it was gone. I must be imagining things, he told himself. But it looked sort of human.
Ben watched the woods anxiously, keeping a sharp lookout for the dark shape. Kaela, walking beside him, asked "Ben, what's the matter?"
"Shh." he shushed her. "I thought I saw something."
Kaela shuddered. "Was it a bear?" she whispered.
"I don't think so. Oh, there it was!"
Kaela turned her head in time to catch a glimpse of the shadow. She gasped and whimpered, "I'm not really liking this... that looked like an ogre!"
"Don't be silly, Kaela. Ogres aren't real. You're just over-imagining."
"I'm sure it was an ogre, or at least what I've always thought they were like. They're sort of hunched over, and they walk flat-footed. I think they are ogres."
"Well, you can think what you like. They aren't--"
Ben was interrupted by a whoosh, and an instant later, a quivering arrow buried itself into one of the twisted trees, nearly clipping his ear. They froze for a second, and then another arrow landed inches from Kaela's foot.
The arrows were coming from the direction of the creek, so there was no way to go back that way. As one, the siblings began sprinting down the path, headed nowhere but hoping it was somewhere without arrows.
Ben risked a glance behind as they ran. Several dark shapes stood on the path behind them, all with bows bent and arrows on the string. They were hunched over and their feet turned outward, just like Kaela said. He managed to get a glimpse of their faces and knew immediately that his sister had been right. They were ogres.
One of the ogres fired his bow, and Ben swerved. The arrow missed and fell in front of him. He tripped slightly on it, and then continued running for dear life.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Ben and Kaela's feet swung open, and they fell down into a hole, clumps of dirt and rocks falling in with them. They landed with a thud at the bottom.
Ben looked around to find that he and his sister were in an underground room. It was small, containing only a table, three mats, and some chairs, as well as several swords propped against a wall. A lamp was on the table, and Ben could see by it's light that they were not alone. An old man with a flowing white beard sat in one of the chairs, and a man and a young woman, both maybe in their twenties at the latest, had just leapt out of their seats in surprise. They all were staring at Ben and Kaela.
The woman suddenly started. "Learka, quick--help me!" she yelled as she grabbed a sword and climbed up the earthen wall with amazing agility. The man also picked up a sword and followed her, and they disappeared from view when they got out of the hole in the ceiling. (As Ben watched them he saw that the hole was actually a hatch with a wooden door. His and Kaela's weight had must have triggered it somehow to open up) There were several flashes of light from above, followed by deep, gurgling yells. Then all was silent.
The man and the woman climbed back down into the hole, closing the hatch behind them. They propped their swords back against the wall, and then the woman addressed Ben and Kaela. "Good day," she greeted. "I am Yevelina Taelri Mahal Ka'amia Daria, but you can just call me Yev. The young man over there is Learka. He's my brother. And this is my father, Klii. Are you, by any chance, from other worlds?"
Ben, still slightly stunned by the rapidity of events, wondered, From other worlds? Oh no. We aren't in another world are we? Not a big surprise, actually. I sort of guessed that with the disappearing houses and the ogres. "I guess you could say we're from other worlds. I am Ben, and this is my sister, Mikaela. Very pleased to meet you."
This time the old man, Klii, answered. "And I, you. I must say, you are an answer to our prayers."
Learka looked strangely at Klii. "You aren't saying that they--" here he gestured at Ben and Kaela. "--sent from Adonai?"
"Learka," Klii said patiently. "It is written that help from these circumstances will fall from above. It did not say that Adonai would send warriors. And Ben and Kaela certainly did fall from above."
"Wait," Kaela frowned. "How are we an answer to prayer, who is Adonai, and where are we?"
Klii turned to the children. Ben got the immediate impression that he was very wise, expecially from his bright pale blue eyes. They held a spark of merriment, but also a solemnity. "Children, years ago, our beatiful land called Elandai, was a wonderful place to be. The forest that you passed through used to be green and living. Adonai is it's maker, and he made it as a paradise for his people.
"Unfortunetely, those people rebelled against Adonai, led by the evil one, Daran. They changed Elandai into a wasteland. There are some people whose hearts have changed and they follow Adonai, and the followers are greatly persecuted. They live underground, waiting for Adonai to come back and overthrow Daran. Adonai has promised that help will come, and he has said that it will fall from above. Like you did."
Ben nodded. "I get it. The dude called Adonai got overthrown and the dude in charge isn't that great, so you're planning a take-over."
Klii looked shocked. "No, you don't get it. Adonai is still in power, but he is a just ruler. In the beginning, he told the people that if they obeyed his statutes, they would live without death and so on. If they disobeyed, they would have to be punished with death. It is really our fault."
"Our fault?" Kaela asked. "I didn't rebel against him."
"Whenever we do something wrong, child, we rebel against Adonai. But, there is a way to escape death. Adonai has promised that he will send someone who will conquer Daran."
"Are we those someone's" Ben questioned.
"No. That someone has to be perfect, to carry out all the statutes, like we failed to do. You two, on the other hand, were sent to help prepare the way. Do you understand?"
Ben pondered for a moment, and then realized that yes, he did understand. He and Kaela nodded.
Klii smiled. "Good answer. Now, before you start your work, you must be trained. We will start immediately."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There. The first chapter(s) of my story. Warning: I might not continue it. The funny thing about inspiration is that for a few days you work hard on a story, thinking This could be the one! and then after the first excitement that you're actually writing a book has passed, it sort of fades out. I do that a lot. The majority of my stories end up in the trash.
Izori
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Random Starting Information
Hello,
I guess for my fist post on the blog I'll list off all the names that I have made up. I really like making names up when I have nothing to do. Some of them I borrowed from the Bible (Maki, Jethro Solomon), others I borrowed from the real world (Sam, Jerad, Sophia) and some I completely made up. (Like Izori :-) Here they are:
Aerim
Aera
Alydur
Arbulam
Betha
Cara
Caroc
Cori
Daria
Darius
Ehra
Enochi
Garo
Ghahiri
Gawain
Gloifong
Gnomi
Haluga
Ilga
*Izori
Jerad
Kaia
Kari
karo
Khiri
Lamorak
Lafael
Leela
Lerikan
Lorik
Maki
Mared
Masari
Mina
Nisoni
Ophelia
Rama
Rubi
Sarai
Serpa
Solomon
Sophia
Shotaka
Thyra
Tristan
Zara
Those are the only ones I've arranged in alphabetical order. Of course as soon as I arranged them meticulously on a piece of paper I thought up more and I was too lazy to get them alphabetically organized.
I guess for my fist post on the blog I'll list off all the names that I have made up. I really like making names up when I have nothing to do. Some of them I borrowed from the Bible (Maki, Jethro Solomon), others I borrowed from the real world (Sam, Jerad, Sophia) and some I completely made up. (Like Izori :-) Here they are:
Aerim
Aera
Alydur
Arbulam
Betha
Cara
Caroc
Cori
Daria
Darius
Ehra
Enochi
Garo
Ghahiri
Gawain
Gloifong
Gnomi
Haluga
Ilga
*Izori
Jerad
Kaia
Kari
karo
Khiri
Lamorak
Lafael
Leela
Lerikan
Lorik
Maki
Mared
Masari
Mina
Nisoni
Ophelia
Rama
Rubi
Sarai
Serpa
Solomon
Sophia
Shotaka
Thyra
Tristan
Zara
Those are the only ones I've arranged in alphabetical order. Of course as soon as I arranged them meticulously on a piece of paper I thought up more and I was too lazy to get them alphabetically organized.
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