A little Peak at Chapter 11 of In the Shadows

 I'm still writing Chapter 10; but this scene just came to me on my walk home and felt like sharing some of it after writing it up this morning.
__________________________________

Part of Chapter 11

   Kaari stood as tall as the five foot nine Renadel, whom she forced backwards across the castle courtyard.  She smiled a little smug with herself.  She knew that this would be the day that she proved she could handle herself on the battlefield.  She had been training with Captain Renadel since she was fourteen, and she was almost twenty now.   Her arms were muscled as only those of a swordsman, lithe and full of long muscles in her arms, shoulders, and legs.  Despite this slight build up of muscles she had a comely face that favored her mother's Unndalg heritage, but in every other aspect she resembled her father, the King of Norens. 

   Then out of the corner of her light blue eyes she caught sight of her mother on the balcony.  Her attacks began to falter some under that glowering green eyed gaze, and got even worse as the scowl of disapproval deepened in the slight wrinkle across her mother's brow.  She soon found herself falling backwards onto her butt.  She let out a yelp after she had fallen. 

   Renadel scolded her, "You let your guard down.  If you really want to fight on the battlefield you can let nothing distract you.  Your mind must always be on the battle, and your surroundings.   You will find that if you can hone this skill it will benefit in more ways then you can understand right now."

    She turned her gaze back to the balcony to see her mother grinning, as if to say that her failure in that round against Captain Renadel was proof that the art of war was not a woman's duty to learn.  The Crown Princess then turned her attentions back to Renadel.

   Kaari pouted her luscious red lips, "It's only practice.  We are using wooden swords after all."
    "Even a wooden sword can be a dangerous tool in trained hands."  he struck her shoulder hard but she did not cry out.  She pushed back the tears she felt raising to her blue eyes.  She didn't want to appear weak before her combat master.  Crown Princess Kaari was learning more then swordsmanship from Captain Renadel, but all the arts of the warrior; archery, daggers, hand to hand combat, swordsmanship, and how to properly wield a pole-arm. 

     "Why didn't you block?"  Renadel inquired.

    "I didn't think to block."   Kaari replied honestly.

    Renadel sadly shook his head, "You need to think fast in a real fight.  Remember that."

    Kaari raised up her hand as she so often did after she had lost a round.  Renadel only stood there staring at that outstretched hand.  Kaari asked meekly, "Aren't you, a gentlemen, Renadel?  Will you not help a Lady to her feet."

    Renadel took her hand and then as she began to raise she felt the wooden sword stab hard into your stomach, "Dead again, Princess.   You can't trust your enemy to always hold to your code of honor.  The important thing to remember is that it's easy to die, the real aim of any fight is to ensure that the poor bastard that's your opponent is the one that dies and you live.

More on Chapter 10

Slow going on rewriting Chapter 10.  I'm halfway through Chapter Ten of In the Shadows.  I only need to finish writing the Margan scene and then after that I have the scene between Nadja the Mordrek and Rudal and I think that should round off Chapter 10 fairly well.  Hopefully I get In the Shadows done with soon.  Then I can go through the whole pain of really trying to save up money for an artist to commission for the cover of this thing.   I'd also like to be able to afford to put in black and white pictures at some of the chapter starts; but I doubt myself having the kind of money for that kind of thing.  Secondly because I'm thinking of changing where the first book ends and the second one begins that I might have to rethink my original idea of the cover illustration for the first book.

Chapter Ten and a little peek at what I wrote

I'm still working on Chapter Ten of In Shadows. I thought for those interested in this current project I'd share a little of my new favorite character I'm writing. Here is a little scene from Chapter 9 involving, Z'ren the Emissary from the jungle kingdom of Nargoth. But please keep in mind this is not going to be the finished product as I may go over this scene again to make grammar and any other corrections to it I see fit.

Out of the shadows of a passage a figure emerged with both his arms gripping the other in the the opposite sleeves of a fine pale blue silken robe. The fifty year old man with a full head of long gray hair and black emerald eyes smiled, "What a most unexpected surprise to find the return so swiftly of the Nathrak Emissary. I thought you would not be here for my final session of the Taine Court. I am honored, though I am sure you did not rush your return as I have only recently received the news that my Queen requires my presence elsewhere."

Lady Betlinde thinking quick on her feet was the first to reply, "Your advice and counsel shall be dearly missed, old friend."

Z'ren smiled at her as he gave a nod of his head towards her, "Ah Lady Betlinde, I shall miss your charm. Indeed Taine is so fortunate that there is only one of you."

She inquired unsure if he had heard their conversation or not, "And to what remote corner is the Queen of Nargoth sending her little jewel?" and she would not bring the matter up in the event that he had heard little of her conversation with the Nathrak Emissary. She did not trust Emissary Z'ren. His motivations and way of speaking all seemed far to foreign to her mind. Worst was the rumor that he took certain herbal practices that altered the brain as others took to alcohol, yet she had never seen him suffering the side effects of such herbal recreations. She did not know if these allegations were unfounded or not.

He withdrew an arm and held it somewhat melodramatically and on purpose against his head, " 'Tis a sad fate, oh beauteous princess of a house of nobility so ancient it begins to crumble. I am to be sent into even colder climes then fair Taine. The Kalyuune Mountains shall be my new home for many months until the cruel Queen sees the wisdom of sending me to a far warmer locale. I hope you shall pray for such a more pleasant fate for me to your Golden Gods. I am a mere heathen after all, and my worshiping and prayers belonging to the capricious nature of the cruel and rare benevolence of the God King and God Queen of Nargoth, and thusly you a devout follower of your Golden Gods shall have more favor with said Gods then I."

"Don't you mean Goddess Queen?" Lady Betlinde remarked offhand and without thought.

"Such distinctions are not so important in Nargothese, my lady." He said dismissively as he returned his arms back into the opposite sleeves to overlap onto the arms already in them.

Chapter 10 and onto sort of new material

I finished transcribing Chapter Nine last night. I started work once again on Chapter 10 and introducing new material from the previous version as drawing out the first book more to give the characters more time to develop/play in the world I've created. I am particularly pleased with a new character I created from the Kingdom of Nargoth. He is most amusing to write. At least he is to me. Sadly he will most likely only have that one scene in the first book to appear later once a few of the pivotal characters arrive in the Kalyuune Mountain Range of my story. So I got lots of stuff I need to put in chapter ten and even to add another new character in the form of the Mage for the Eastern Commander of Norens. Not much more to say on my writing so I'll talk more later. Oh yes, almost forgot I may or may not be helping a friend translate a manga into English for our own amusements. It might be fun or aggravating or both. Type more later.

Chapter Eight Transcribed

I have finished transferring over Chapter Eight from my typewritten pages to Nook Press, and I am quite pleased with it. I feel like the cat that has caught the canary as I have only more chapter to transfer over onto my PC. Then I shall be able to work on new material for the book. Which I believe is shaping up better then I thought it would. Especially since it feels like a work of my own and not the sources I was drawing from to create this little series I call Ashes of the Fallen. Not much else to say so I'll type more later.