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Here’s the next chapter:
Marcurious was fighting to stay conscious.
The poison had the world swirling dizzily around him, and the ceiling became the floor as the room was inverted. He was barely aware of the Traitor sitting at a large computer typing obnoxiously.
His eyelids closed halfway.
No! Have to stay…..awake…..
Just before they closed completely, the door opened to reveal a young girl. Her strawberry blond hair cascaded down her shoulders in copper waves. Dirt was smeared on her face, and scars studded out almost everywhere on her skin. She seemed to be short, however, anyone would look so next to the abnormally tall cruel looking woman she was with. The girl’s skin was pale, however red birthmarks blotched across her arms, face, and neck. Her eyes were a shade of red-orange-pink. And then the realization hit him. Oh, no, no, no. She’s part Azer, he realized with a sinking feeling.
Well, I’m dead.
***
Ottoline stared at the boy with a feeling of horror. What had they done to him? His caramel brown eyes had the mark of hopelessness, defeat. He sagged in his chair, held upright by purely the strength of the chains and straps. As his eyes fluttered closed and he moaned, then went limp, Ottoline’s breath caught in her throat. Is he dead?
“Go on,” Selena glowered at her, roughly shoving her forward a few steps. Following Ottoline’s transfixed gaze, she scoffed. “He’sss not dead,” the corners of her mouth tilted up in amusement. “Though, he will wish he wasss any moment now.” Ottoline swallowed hard.
As if on cue, the boy began to tremble violently. He whimpered as the color drained from his face, and his eyes remained closed. Ottoline quickly averted her eyes. She did not understand why they were forcing her to witness such an atrocity.
She was used to people being cruel to her, but she hated watching the Pythonos hurt others. As the boy continued to cry out, she could take it no longer.
“Stop hurting him! Hurt me instead, just please stop!” she must have said it louder than she intended because Selena looked down at her in disgust, and then struck her across the mouth.
“Scissst your mouth, girl.” Selena said it with such force and with such contempt that Ottoline flinched. Her cheek burned. “Have a ssseat,” she shoved Ottoline towards a small metal chair adjacent to the boy. “He’ll be done in a few momentsss,” Selena laughed, a cold and heartless sound. Done as in dead? Ottoline felt a sick feeling of horror. They were going to make her watch him die? She did as she was told with a sense of dread. She fixed her eyes on the floor underneath her bare feet.
Finally the boy stopped shaking. He had a contorted look on his face and then went limp. Oh no. No no no no no. Ottoline felt like she was going to be sick.
“Is he-”
“No.” Selena frowned. “Unfortunately for him.” It was then that Ottoline noticed the Pythonos sitting at the computer behind the boy’s chair.
Her stomach dropped. It was the Traitor himself.
The Traitor was the Pythonos in charge of the whole complex. He gave the orders, he was the highest and most powerful Pythonos in history. And Ottoline was standing right before him.
This cannot end well.
They called him the Traitor because he was one. He was a backstabber who called you friend while slipping a knife between your ribs. He had taken charge of the Pythonos, and later, all of Andromeda. For the most part, he left the other branches alone, as long as they did not sympathize with Paynes or attempt to help them whatsoever. He let them live ordinary lives. It was not so for the Paynes. The Traitor seemed to have a real intolerance for the Paynes. He stole their children as soon as they took their first breath, treated them like dirt, and forced them to be his slaves in his work camps.
Never had Ottoline dreamt that she would meet him. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She had nightmares. But she never thought-
Her train of thought was interrupted by the boy’s obnoxiously loud screech.
The sound made even the Traitor start. The sound resembled the cry of a dying waterfowl, mixed with nails on a chalkboard. The boy opened his eyes, and she could see the amusement held within.
“Scared you?” The boy smirked. His voice was weak, and his hands trembled a bit, but he lifted his chin, and wet his lips with the determination of a warrior, shaking his mess of black hair out of his eyes.
“Thank you for your time,” the Traitor said flatly, turning to the boy. “Rrath will take you back to your cell, now.” Oh, no, Ottoline sucked in a breath, Not Rrath. Please, not him.
As if on cue, Rrath entered the room. With the efficiency of a robot, he removed the boy’s chains and hoisted him to his feet. Ottoline kept her head down. She recognized Rrath. She would know him anywhere. He and Jraldath enjoyed tormenting her and beating her when they had become drunk with their love of violence and the blood of their innocent victims. Which occurred all too frequently. She hoped he would not recognize her. Her shame made her cheeks flush red.
Rrath dragged the boy from the room. Ottoline felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. He was with Rrath, who was twice as worse as Jraldath. She would know. She hoped that Rrath would go easy on the boy, as he was new, but that was next to impossible.
Rrath knew no such thing as mercy.
I agree with Esther.
Lukas&Livia
#Lalbert
Sef&Chase
#HOTTOLINE
LEFSE FOREVER!!!!!! <333AWWW!! I’ve missed Ev and Ami!!! ❤
I rolled the log over and underneath was a tiny little stick and I was like, "That log had a child
What’s the plot of you WIP? I remember you talking a little about Ev and Ami, but I love them so much I want to know everything about them, lol. If you post the first book on KP (or anything else about your charries), can you tag me?
Lukas&Livia
#Lalbert
Sef&Chase
#HOTTOLINE
LEFSE FOREVER!!!!!! <333Okay, I’ll have to read them! I’ll add them to the list, haha.
Lukas&Livia
#Lalbert
Sef&Chase
#HOTTOLINE
LEFSE FOREVER!!!!!! <333Ok, Marcurious sounds like a really cool character. 😁
Aww, thanks girl! I guess I haven’t really shared much writing on here lately. But I’ve started on the first draft of the second book, so I’ve been getting a lot more actual writing done. (Instead of just editing… editing… editing… 😂)
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
Thanks so much!!
Yeah, for sure! I do have the first draft of the first book posted somewhere on here, but it’s changed a lot since then. I’m actually planning to post the third draft as I edit it soon.
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
Oh and you asked for the plot 🤦🏻♀️ Oops. XD Here’s the blurb for the trilogy:
They’ve been trapped inside The Orb for twenty years. It covered all of Aletheia. But it slowly closes in on the nation. The people stuck inside have no way to communicate to those outside. Families are separated. But the people have gotten used to The Orb. Until it is down to one district… only a few cities… Amidala Nadir is content with staying with her family in their corner of the district, but Everton Barlowe is determined to destroy the man who first placed The Orb over Aletheia. He joins a rebel group that is planning a coup on Bayron Len, the man who instituted the Orb. When the coup is performed successfully, a celebration is held throughout the city. But The Orb didn’t just disappear. Amidala was the only one who heard Len’s last words… and the truth is hidden in his riddle. Amidala and Everton understand enough of his puzzling statement that they know they have to take Len’s place. Len was holding back a much greater evil from corrupting their nation than they ever would have guessed. Will they be able to fulfill his role? Can they work together to push back the evil? They know what they must do, but it could cost their lives. Will they succeed? Or will the darkness subdue them all?
The plot has kinda changed a little from the blurb, I just haven’t taken the time to rewrite it yet. But that’s the basic idea of it. 🙃
Write what should not be forgotten. — Isabel Allende
Okay, sounds cool!
Ok, Marcurious sounds like a really cool character. 😁
I love him <3 he’s one of my favorites
Lukas&Livia
#Lalbert
Sef&Chase
#HOTTOLINE
LEFSE FOREVER!!!!!! <333You write beautifully! I love your story
"You need French Toast."
#AnduthForever (hopefully 💕)Thanks so much, girl! (Lately I’ve been second guessing myself, lol)
If you want to read the whole thing, here’s the link:
https://editor.reedsy.com/s/p8SdhuQ
(Of course you don’t have to if you don’t want to, haha)
Lukas&Livia
#Lalbert
Sef&Chase
#HOTTOLINE
LEFSE FOREVER!!!!!! <333@esther-c @savannah_grace2009 Thanks.
@anyone
ATTEMPTNG JR., TELL ME WAHT YOU THINK>>>
The door of Krogen’s base burst open at my command. I basically fell down the stairs out of excitement. Maybe I did, since I remember banging both knees. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened. When I was younger and less alert, Krogen had tripped me on those stairs before, though that time the doctors said I almost got a concussion except I’ve got something called a ‘hard head’.
After my flight down the stairs, I remember Krogen giving me the customary surprise attack greeting, but I was well-versed in his ways of attack and he was soon swordless and giving me a ‘well done’ from the floor before he could say ‘powwow.’ That was when everything went black.
When my eyes finally fluttered open, my face was wet…with Dolant swamp water.
“Krogen, I’ve found it!” Krogen tilted his helmet and most likely gave me a suspicious look through his visor.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah fine!”
“Jr, are you okay?” He lifted his helmet and gave me a deep glare with those one-shade alien blue eyes.
“Since when were you concerned with my welfare?” I countered him. It’s true, Krogen could ‘accidently’ stab you and act like he cared about you as much as if he had just stabbed a piece foam. Of course, if you know Krogen, you know he really does care. He just wants you to think he doesn’t. I hope I never end up in an army of Fettians if they all act like him.
“Since you didn’t scream at me for using swamp water. Since you didn’t yell that I wasn’t playing fair by making a new contraption without telling you. Since you didn’t try to kill me for using you as a guinea pig for said new contraption. Since you started sounding as chipper as a bird in early morning after being knocked out for the first time in a long time! That’s since when!”
“Well, wipe away that concern, cuz guess what? I’m going to Meglena.” Krogen waved his armored hand in front of my face.
“Jr! Jr! Are you in there?” I attempted getting up past Krogen, but my head still felt a little dizzy. Would Krogen ever let me go to Meglena after making such a simple mistake? I wasn’t thinking when I came down the stairs, but I should have been, and Krogen would point it out. Actually, he already was pointing it out, I just wasn’t listening.
“Krogen, never mind about all of that, I’m going to Meglena with or without you.”
“Never mind! Never mind! Jr., are you out of your mind! That went against almost all that I’ve been training into you since, since I don’t remember when.”
“Yes, and this trip will challenge everything I know and have been taught since I was a toddler! Will you hear me out?” Krogen pulled a chair over and sat down, the backwards way.
“Okay, Morning Bird, you have twooo minutes.” Krogen held up two fingers and waved them so I could see them. Like he needed to do that. Though, the first time I heard him say “two” I did argue that he really didn’t mean two digits from zero on the number line, since he said it as “twooo.”
“Foggy, eerie, mysterious. We don’t even know what lives there. Whatever it is, it’s either got tons of minions, or can do a lot itself. There’s something that lives there that makes the entire moon like it is. Something living. Something sentient. Most likely even something rational. Five expeditions to the planet by the Realn, and only one succeeded in looking at the thing. Only one of that group survived.”
Krogen, it even gets better. The one who led that exploration was Aden Florlana.” Krogen looked at Jr., confused. “You don’t know who he is, do you? He’s a Master of Lore. One of those with pure High Blood, and with the foresight of the immortal. Even his powerful magic could not withstand the mightiness of this thing that dwells on Meglena. The one who survived the encounter has never been able to clearly describe what happened. Some believe that the Thing and Aden entered a battle of power. Whatever happened that day, the one who survived has been broken in mind ever since. The Florlana clan have named the thing, Nisaden, ‘Aden’s bane.’”
“And your going there? Why?”
“Krogen! Were you listening before? This is the ultimate, if I succeed in finding, maybe slaying the monster and still remain whole in mind and body, I shall be the best of all Realn. This is a challenge worth reaching for.”
“More like the most foolish of all Realn. I don’t remember you ever getting taught magic and how to go into battles of power.”
“I was taught some from Master Finra, and he said I was a natural.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well? Are you coming, now that you know that you could easily die?”
“Well, I can’t sit here all day, can I?” Krogen got up and shouted directions to his AI companions. It was time for the ultimate test.
Note: these are some snapshots of Krogen from my first draft of my book>>>
“…Well I knocked out the kings guards and captured the king. We did the same to the Qim king and held them hostage until they agreed not to war each other.” Noranay glanced at Nahim. His head rested against the side of his bunk, his eyes closed. She looked at Krogen and crossed her arms.
“That wouldn’t work. That’d start a war between them and the Realn.”
“Exactly. That’s why we didn’t do it!” Nahim mumbled,
“As soon as we reported to Read, he pulled us out, said it was now an internal matter.”
Note: It starts with Krogen speaking. Nahim is only half awake so only the last part is him.
Next one>>>
Nahim’s mind was stuck on dragons. When he got down to Krogen’s base he didn’t pay any attention to what Krogen was doing and got thrown, hard. When the darkness cleared, Krogen stood over him or two of him, maybe three. Nahim’s eyes couldn’t focus, but his brain’s focus locked and he started talking in the language stuck on him, Dragonic. Krogen was lost and thought, well…Krogen shook Nahim hard.
“Nahim! I guess I not only knocked out your consciousness but also your sense! You’re supposed to be concerned!” Nahim stopped talking and tried to get up past Krogen over him.
“Huh?”
“Remember? You said you would only be concerned if I knocked you senseless. I have and you’re babbling about borrowing Betsy, budgets and dragons! Nahim I can’t stand you!” Nahim tried to push Krogen aside.
“To busy to be concerned or upset by anything, but delay and failure.” Krogen helped Nahim up and pinned him against the wall.
“How’s your head? Can you see straight? Do you feel anything weird?”
“To busy to give a report on personal health. So can I take Betsy or not?” Krogen gave Nahim a stare.
“You ain’t going’ nowhere ’till yu tell me.” Krogen said this in a commanding Dragonic (yes, Fettians know Dragonic.) Nahim huffed.
“All right, all right already. I’ve got a headache and I’m seeing kinda double and I feel weird in that I’m concerned on winning a war and you’re concerned about what I should be concerned about.”
“Well this is worrying.” …
"You need French Toast."
#AnduthForever (hopefully 💕)Yeah, sorry, it’s kinda long.
"You need French Toast."
#AnduthForever (hopefully 💕)“All right, all right already. I’ve got a headache and I’m seeing kinda double and I feel weird in that I’m concerned on winning a war and you’re concerned about what I should be concerned about.”
“Well this is worrying.” …
Haha that’s funny
Lukas&Livia
#Lalbert
Sef&Chase
#HOTTOLINE
LEFSE FOREVER!!!!!! <333@rae @hybridlore @mineralizedwritings @esther-c
I’ve been working on this chapter this morning…and it feels a little clunky to me. Do you guys have any input that you think would make it run smoother?
Chapter 14
The air was pleasantly cold, nipping the tip of Sef’s nose as she walked in step with Lilitu. The sound of leaves crunching beneath their feet as they walked gave her a pleasant thrill, and there was no wind. Birds twittered in the distance.
It was a perfect Andromedan afternoon, and Sef couldn’t think of anyone she’d rather spend it with than her best friend, Lilitu.
She remembered the carefree days of their youth that had taken place on such mornings, and longed to return. The times they’d play “castle” beneath the boughs of the whispering willows were still fresh in her mind. Sef would be the princess, Cassian her prince, Lilitu the homeless crippled beggar that doubled as a sidekick, and Eloy the wicked Traitor. The Traitor would kidnap the princess, whisking her away to his lair behind the boulders, and just before she was forced to give him her hand in marriage, Cassian would charge in on his steed, rescue the princess, and they would live happily ever after, but not before a great battle between the Traitor and the prince would take place. They swung beautiful blades crafted from twigs, parrying, thrusting, and the like. Often the clamor of the battles could be heard all the way in the slums.
When they had become exhausted, Cassian would set Sef on his shoulders, and Eloy would carry Lilitu on his back. They would carry on this way until they reached home. Neveah and Indie would always be waiting for them with hot cocoa, warm pie fresh out of the oven, and a fire in the hearth. They did not have much, but they made do with what they had. Oftentimes, Sef and Neveah would stay for supper until the wind began to beat at the windows, the moons rose high in the sky, and the owls began to announce the beginning of the night. Then, and only then, would Neveah help Sef into her too-small coat, don her own, hug Azazel and Indie and Cassian and Eloy and Lilitu goodnight, take Sef’s small hand, and return home.
Those were the nights that Sef remembered the most, the memories she clung to when her world seemed dark and she had no mother to hold her hand.
“Do you ever have dreams?” Lilitu suddenly shattered the quiet and pulled Sef back to reality.
“Yes,” was her reply. She had had plenty of dreams since her mother and sister had been kidnapped, and they were never good. She had visions of Neveah holding out her arms, saying “Come, my child, come, I want to hold you one last time…” Sef would always run towards her, but she was never quick enough. Like a mirage, Neveah would vanish, like a vapor in the wind she would disappear, leaving Sef alone. Leaving her an orphan.
“But do you ever have dreams that you think have meaning, like there’s some hidden message you are about to grasp, but not quite? Something important?” He looked at Sef, and her heart skipped a beat as their eyes locked.
“I’m not sure,” she shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“Last night, I had a dream…” Lilitu began. They stopped walking in a clearing. “I saw this girl…” he shook his head. “She was crying. She looked so sad, and hopeless…And it was so vivid. I could feel her pain, her suffering, and there was nothing I could do.” His voice was strained. Is he crying? Sef wondered. He sucked in a breath, and his eyes began to tear up. “Her pain was like-like a sharp knife. And I was helpless! I couldn’t do anything! Do you-do you know what that feels like?”
“Yeah,” Sef whispered. Her stomach felt like she got sucker punched. How could he know? “What-what was your dream about?” She dreaded his reply. Lilitu wiped away a tear from underneath his eye.
“The girl was backed into a corner, and then this man was beating her, over and over again…” he kept an even tone, but Sef could read Lilitu like an open book. She knew that this was no ordinary dream. And not just because of his reaction. He was telling her that he had dreamed about the events that had happened to her that very night. Thinking back to last night, she held back tears of her own.
It had been a hard night.
***
“Sef!”
Sef heard the door crash open upstairs and began to panic. It was late, and the odds that Iver had not been drinking were next to impossible. She knew she should answer, she knew that hiding would only make him worse, but she was paralyzed with the cold hands of fear.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Iver mocked her. His speech was slurred, his voice dangerously low. Sef fought back a sob. He had only to come down the stairs, to look under the bed…and he would find her.
She closed her eyes and curled into a fetal position in the dirt under the bed.
“I’m going to count to five,” Iver growled. “One,” the sound of glass breaking reached the trembling girl under the bed. She covered her ears, willing to blot out the sounds, and the world, which had not been kind to her. Bile rose up into her throat. He had definitely been drinking, and not just a little. Her whole body convulsed with fear until she was sure he could hear her from the floor above her. Iver swore and something else shattered, evading Sef’s hands covering her ears. She knew that she would be the one cleaning the mess up the next morning. “Two,” a door slammed. “I’m going to find you, you know,” he whispered in a singsong voice that was meant to coax Sef out of hiding, but Sef couldn’t have done so even if she wanted to with all her limbs a quivering mess and frozen in fear. “Three,” Sef heard his heavy boots as he descended the steps.
“Please, no,” she whimpered.
“Four,” Sef dared to open one eye and stifled a scream as she found Iver’s cruel grin inches from her face. “Five,” Iver caught her wrist and dragged her out from underneath the bed. Sef squeezed her eyes shut as Iver shook her by the shoulders until her teeth knocked against each other with surprising force and her neck got whiplash. She felt urine trickle down her leg as Iver continued to shake her violently. “I told you to come out,” he screamed at her, and he cursed again. Sef forced a quick nod, but it was too late. As if in slow motion, she saw Iver pull back his fist to swing.Lukas&Livia
#Lalbert
Sef&Chase
#HOTTOLINE
LEFSE FOREVER!!!!!! <333
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