|
OK, this is the beginning of the prologue (rofl) of a book which is being written. The author wishes to remain anonymous but has asked me to put this up so ya can give me opinions ;). A map of the world can be found here. Please e-mail comments to [email protected] 2.4.04 Espírito The puddles expanding inwards from the sides of the road rippled as the heavy drops of rain from the torrential downpour reached the Earth and added their essence into the reflecting pools. An occasional shaft of tinted light filtered through gaps in the wooden shutters of the stone dwellings to either side of the road upon which the traveller road. Sounds of laughter and merriment echoed in the dark and dispersed into the howling wind which invaded the town of Grayhaven. The sound as the metal shod hooves of the riders horse hit the cobbled lane was barely audible above the whistling of the wind. The riders face was hidden by the dark and the cowl which he had drawn round his head to offer slight protection from the stinging rain, if it could have been seen however, no-one would fail to note the femininity of the features. Her cloak streamed in the wind behind the rider and beads of rain dribbled down the flanks of the mighty stallion upon which she sat. A pleading clawed hand stretched out towards her from a shape she had mistaken for a shadow. She slowed her horse and looked into the beggars face, his features were old and had a ravaged look, he was frail and had only a patched and dirty cloak to protect him from the harsh weather. His mouth opened to speak but whatever frail voice he had was carried away by the wind. She pulled some coins from her pouch and placed them in the offered hand without looking at them, careful to keep her features hidden. Light from a nearby window caught the coins which glinted gold, the beggar looked up with gracious thanks just in time to see a silhouette disappearing into the dark night. The wind swept into the Governors compound and swept the dirt into large swirls effectively obscuring view. This was lucky as the rider was able to proceed through the gate without being challenged by the guards huddling round a little fire in the tower at the end of the gate. The rider dismounted in the courtyard, removing her cloak and placing it over the horse offering some scant protection, she advanced to the central door only to find it locked. Holding the handle down she put her weight against the door and pushed, as the lock broke she waited to make certain she was not discovered and then entered, shutting the door soundly behind her. Pale light filtered in from a hole in the roof twenty feet above her and by this she navigated through the furniture to the foot of the wide sweeping stairs. As in all Velionese houses, the bedchambers of the owners would be on the upper floors, those of the servants on the lowest. She climbed the stairs, making no noise with her leather soled slippers, to find herself at the end of a large corridor bending round to the right where the bedchambers were situated. Losing no time she swiftly found the door she was looking for, having a large green oak and three bees skilfully included in the door itself. Finding the door unlocked she muttered a prayer to her Goddess and entered the room, locking the door from the inside. Immediately she spotted the door which led to the bedchamber and she made her way towards it, half way there however she stumbled on a dog, hidden in the near dark which began to bark raucously. Swearing aloud to that Goddess whom she had recently thanked she rushed to the door she had spotted previously, without the time to discover whether the door was locked she threw her whole weight against it, breaking it open. A majestic bed filled the room she found herself in, covered by luscious red quilted covers. Drawing her daggers she fell upon the body lying in the bed, slitting throat and wirsts before stabbing the heart, making sure her victim couldn't live. Turning the corpse over however she found to her horror that she had not as she'd thought killed the Governor of the Velion province but her own mother. ******* The same torrential rain fell on the hills surrounding the city of Felar and soaked the ranked men, noiselessly standing in the dark night. The only light came from the city itself and the Commanders ahead of the army who were talking in muffled voices. Reaching an agreement, the three men rode back to their respective troops, each signalling to their bugler to sound the advance. Franketh was an ordinary man, he had a loving and rather plump wife and two children, equally plump. They lived in their own house near the West Gate of Felar which had two bedrooms a kitchen, and its own toilet. He knew he was lucky to have this, many men didnt and so worked hard in order to support his small family which had earned him the rank of Captain. Tonight however he was regretting his decision to join the City Guard as he sat huddled in the guard tower, blankly looking out over towards the hills with the wind lashing his face and the rain soaking his uniform. Thinking instead about his family and the delicious meal his wife would have waiting for him when he returned home he was startled when he saw figures moving down the hills towards the city. He rubbed his eyes but the figures were still there, and more were coming into view over the ridge of the hills. It was too late for travellers so who could they be? Then he noticed something which had been nagging at his mind - the figures moved in ranks, it was an army! Losing no time he lit the watch fire, for the first time in the history of Felar and blew a long low note on his horn. Quickly, more fires were lit around the walls and bells in the city began to toll a warning to the citizens of the city. Running down the slippery walls he was glad to see the gates being closed, atleast they wouldnt be caught offguard by the advancing army. He signalled to a young soldier and told him to rouse the General, saluting the soldier ran off up hill, towards the centre of the city. Looking out from the walls Franketh saw the army had approached the city walls and were beginning to scale them. A huge booming sound notified Franketh that rams were in place and beginning to pound the gate. Finding the men under his command he began to proceed down the wall, pushing away the ladders and chopping down men who had reached the top of the wall with his sword. The defenders were severely outnumbered and quickly overwhelmed, allowing the aggressors to acquire a foothold on the wall. Catapults manouvered into position and began bombarding the walls, hurling large boulders into the mélee. Half of Frankeths men had died before he reached the severity of the fighting, his last thoughts before instinct took over were of his wife and children, and he wished he could buy them enough time to escape.
| |
