Category Archives: Writing

Power’s Shadow: Chapter 13, Part 4

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Powers-Shadow-Rough-3Fall down go boom.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 13, Part 4

The two archers placed their shields at either side of the entrance to the shelter, using their feet to prop them in place. One shield was hit immediately and another arrow buried itself in the dirt, but the two men both drew and loosed almost at the same time and there was no answer from the overhang right away. Sela darted out and returned with the second arrow.

“Lady Sela, what are you—“ Dolan began, but she cut him off.

“Highness, whoever they are, it’s safe to assume they have more arrows than we do, so we might need every one we can get. Besides, I’m not a fool–by the time any of them can mark me, I’ll be out of sight.”

“Yes, but—“

“Highness, she’s right,” Dolan’s bodyguard said. “They’re not bad archers, and we’re certainly in danger. But I haven’t seen anything to convince me that we have any masters among them. Kev and Loken are in more peril, and poor Akan is stuck under the wagon.”

“We can’t stay here,” Marta said. “And if we try to leave we’ll get picked off. As your bodyguard pointed out, Highness—they’re not bad archers.”

Dolan frowned. “True, but we’re safe from arrows in here and they don’t dare a direct assault, even if they can get down here. Only four? Feh. Kian could handle that many by himself, and he won’t be alone.”

Marta was a little embarrassed to think that she only now knew the names of their companions other than Kian, but there were more pressing concerns, as Kian was quick to point out.

“Your Highness flatters me, but all our supplies are in the wagons which we can’t reach. The bandits—for so I presume they are–can wait longer than we can. But at least we know now who was responsible for the murder.”

“Sir Kian? I understand your scout discovered a killing?”

“In here, in fact. Look at the dirt by the entrance, Lady Marta.”

Marta did so. What she saw was that it had been disturbed. Further into the shelter, the floor became rock, but the first few feet were bare earth, and it looked as if someone had turned it with a spade. Bonetapper hopped down to the ground, gave a sniff, and fluttered back up to Marta’s shoulder.

“Blood,” he said. “No bodies buried, but there was definitely blood. Human.” Continue reading →

Word Processors I Have Known and Loved(?)

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The God of Small TroublesWord processors I have known and loved: Wordstar. Vi. Emacs. Paperclip. WordPerfect. Pause now for a bit of nostalgia. It may seem odd to some of you, now that the creation of text on a page can be divided into the camps of 1) MS Word and 2) Everything else, but for a good long while in the Great Word Processor Wars, the outcome wasn’t always so clear. MS won. I won’t say that Word actually won, since it was more marketing muscle than merit that got it to where it is today. There were once a lot of contenders, and the heaviest hitter of them all, imo, was WordPerfect. Continue reading →

Progress Update, Part Whatever

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November Sunset2First, and for whatever it may be worth, here’s where things stand at this time. I’m on the final push to finish Power’s Shadow. I’m about three chapters ahead of what’s been posted here, and by my estimation there are less than 10000 words left to complete the rough/first draft. I don’t expect this to take me terribly long, so I’ll probably hit the finish line before these installments catch up to where I am. When that happens the plan is to discontinue the installments in favor of me using the time to get the manuscript in shape to publish. That has to be my priority because of Part Next– Continue reading →

Power’s Shadow: Chapter 13, Part 3

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Powers-Shadow-Rough-3Trapped.

 

 

 

Chapter 13, Part 3

“I’m thinking that we may not have a choice.”

When Prince Dolan returned, he confirmed both Bonetapper’s report and Marta’s own suspicions—the pass was simply too narrow where they were to turn the wagons around until they reached the way station. “It’s against my better judgment, but I think we have to go on, and assess the situation at that point,” Marta said. “Unless you think we can back the wagons all the way to the border?”

Dolan nodded. “Not really, so I’m inclined to agree. All my men know to stay alert regardless, but especially so now.”

When he had rested for a bit Marta sent Bonetapper back up the pass, with instructions to scout but otherwise keep below the level of the cliff, as he had also reported that there were many nesting birds of all sorts established there who did not take kindly to ravens in their territories and were more than willing to demonstrate that opinion en masse.

“They’d do the same thing to any raptor in the area, I’d wager,” Marta said. “Such things do sometimes curtail Bonetapper’s freedom of movement.”

“So a goshawk wouldn’t have been any more useful,” Sela said.

“Rather less, considering the goshawk,” Marta said dryly. “At least Bonetapper generally does as he’s told.” Continue reading →

Power’s Shadow: Chapter 13, Part 2

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Powers-Shadow-Rough-3Snakes, metaphorical and less so.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 13, Part 2

 

“Once we get inside, you’ll find out.”

The answer to why it was called the Snake Pass was indeed clear once they were well into the pass. Unlike a high mountain pass mapped along a route of least resistance, the Snake Pass followed a natural defile almost at ground level, but it was never a straight trail. It followed an undulating course like its namesake as it worked through the mountains. Sheer cliffs formed the walls reaching up several hundred feet, with the mountains on either side rising higher still. At its widest point, no more than two wagons could travel side by side, and it sometimes narrowed even further. As the day wore on, however, Marta and Sela were grateful to find that there were occasional side branches. They never reached very far into the mountains and none were even wide enough to accommodate a wagon, but they did make convenient and private places to answer nature’s call.

They rode until early afternoon, and down in the pass the shadows were already gathering.

“Snake Pass indeed,” Sela muttered.

Prince Dolan rode beside the wagon. He raised his voice a bit to be heard over the creaking of the wheels.

“It’s presumed that the pass was created by some great cataclysm in times past, but if so it’s not in anyone’s living memory. Look up there,” Dolan said, pointing ahead to where a giant boulder the size of a house had fallen off the cliffs only to become wedged perhaps thirty feet above the narrow road. “We’ll pass under several of those along the way. I know they’ve been there for centuries, but I always cringe. “

“What happens when a smaller one blocks the pass?”

“Stonecutters and masons are engaged from either side depending on where the block occurs. They break up and take anything that reaches the ground. They gain building materials and the path is kept clear.”

“I suppose one could invade either way through this, given enough time,” Marta said.

Sela looked doubtful. “I wouldn’t think so.”

“Why not?” Prince Dolan asked, though Marta had the feeling that the prince already knew the answer. Continue reading →