Chapter 13.

So, quick update. It's now November which means I'm doing NaNoWriMo again. I'm attempting to finish last years novel and get a good ways into it's sequel by the end of this month.

Dark Circus, which is last years novel, is nearly finished. I have had some real trouble with my characters this go around. Perhaps it's just because I left them lying dormant for so long but they keep trying to ruin things. I had a nice neat outline all ready to go and so far have not touched it once because my characters keep running away with my story/fingers.

The book up until now has been something like a cross between Christopher Moore and Holly Black. This chapter that I am currently writing however has taken a drastic turn in style. I believe it's mostly because this is the first real chance you get to meet the villain, which is sad because I think this is the final chapter in the book. Anywho, I thought I would post this chapter. You don't really need to know anything about the story to get what's going on here. It's pretty self explanatory. Just thought I would share.


Chapter 13: In which something does in fact go horribly, horribly wrong.

A voice called Oliver out of his sleep. He could see the sky and a light emanating from something just out of his periphery. He was lying in long unkempt grass and dry brown leaves crunched under him as he shifted. He propped himself up on one elbow and picked a couple of stray leaves from his hair as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. “Where are we?”

“We are on the outskirts of the city near a very old, very deep lake called The Sea of Moons.” The voice was cold and slick like a river rock in shallow water.

Oliver turned his head a little and saw that the light he had previously noticed was coming from a small tinder lantern. There was a soft padding sound around the edge of the lanterns light.

Oliver knew what was there.

“The lantern is just for you. I can see perfectly well without it. I thought it would be good for you to finally get a good look at me. After all, our first meeting was a bit,” there was a short pause, “informal.” The wet sounding voice became more unnerving with every syllable that passed though its possessor’s mouth.

Oliver watched a hand move into the circle of light and was reminded; as he watched the fingers move down into the grass, of his grandfather’s hands, the hands of a man who had worked hard his whole life. The skin though, the skin was different. It was gray and flat looking even in the flickering orange light of the lantern as if the light was trying to keep from touching what was now whispering Oliver's name.

“You have no idea what I had to endure after you escaped that night, boy.” Another hand moved into the light and a small breeze caused the flame in the tinder lamp to sputter a little. The breeze died, the flame steadied and Oliver could now see the forearms of his captor. They were covered in a thin slimy looking fur with long tendrils of seaweed the hung limply off the wrists.

Oliver looked up and squinted through the dome of light from the lantern. Where the darkness began he could just barely make out the long lines of a horse’s head. The light caught in two milky eyes that reflected back a sickly yellow dancing glow.

The aughisky moved the rest of the way into the light. Another small breeze swept up from behind him making already strange firelight shadows dance eerily over his body.

As Oliver looked over the beast in front of him he caught a smell on the breeze. The smell of something that was damp and dying, sweet and utterly repugnant. It was nearly all to much for him and he waivered on the edge of fainting.

“You have caused me a great deal of grief since we last met.” Ondrot shifted a little so that the boy could better see his low set haunches that were now marked with welts and newly scabbing wounds. “Your disappearing act, as you can see quite plainly now, has been most troublesome for me. So tell me boy, what would you do if the tables were turned and it was your back that was marked because of my doings?”

Oliver only looked on in fright and panic as the aughisky moved a little closer to him. “I don’t know,” he managed finally.

“Do you want to know what I would do?” Ondrot only gave Oliver a moment to answer and when no reply came the aughisky leapt at him knocking Oliver flat on his back once more.

Oliver stared up and saw the face of something that only malice itself could have created. A sickeningly cold touch oozed up the side of his neck and damp fingers and strands of seaweed began to wrap themselves around his throat. Oliver dropped out of consciousness and retreated as far back into his own head as he possibly could.



....so yes, the chapter is not finished yet but like i said before, just wanted to share.

If you'd like a reference for the characters involved in this scene you can go HERE for picture of Oliver and HERE for a picture of the villain, Ondrot.