Today’s the day!
Well, tomorrow’s the day, really. But you get the point.
Today’s the day that the week of giveaways begins, and tomorrow is the
day that the third book in the Druid Novels, Dwr: People in the Water, finally hits shelves! You have no idea
how excited I am. Seriously. Don’t even try to guess, cause you won’t know. I’m
so freaking stoked right now.
All week long, instead of our regular posts, I’m going to be sharing
mini excerpts from my books (Coetir, Cedwig, and Dwr). Then, at the end of the day, I’m going to 1) ask you a
question about said excerpt, 2) ask you to share a post for me, or 3) ask you
to write a review and post it online. You’ll all then have twenty-four hours from
the time of that post to perform said task, and out of those of you who
complete it, I’ll choose one to win a FREE autographed and personalized copy of
the book in question!
Seriously. I’m so stoked for this week.
So let’s get all the blasé out of the way, and get started!
Going Swimming
A Coetir Excerpt, by Rani Divine
© Copyright RAD Writing, 2015
“Those aren’t militia uniforms,”
I told Qida after she described the men to me. They’d been wearing normal
street clothes. A militia soldier would never have left the village wearing
only that.
“Then what were they?” she snapped as she paced in front of me.
We were waiting just outside the village of the healers, waiting for them to let us know how my brother was doing. Neither of us doubted that he would be fine, but we were still on edge. The fact that the humans had entered the woods so soon after the death of Svi meant that they were ready for a fight. Their defeat by Qida didn’t make much difference.
But I knew that those men were not part of the militia. Lionel wouldn’t have sent them out into the woods yet. By now he knew that Isaiah was missing, but he would have them continue to search the village for at least another day before he assumed that the boy had been taken.
I’d figured it out, during the night. It wasn’t Lionel who had malice in his blood, who desired so much pain in others. It was his second—my brother. I’d seen it in his eyes, when he’d waited for Svi to die.
Plus, Lionel was old. He wouldn’t be able to stand up to anyone in a fight, much less an army of trained Coetir warriors.
“You said there were three of them?” I asked.
She nodded.
She’d just finished explaining to me that all the Coetir knew how to fight. Even the children knew how to fight. It was something that the Vartes had given them in their creation, instilled by the rebellion of the humans.
The Vartes had created the humans to take charge of the world, to care for the created, to live the lives the creator demanded of them. Instead, they—we?—had all turned away. The creator had no choice but to create another people group, the Dewin, to be the stewards, the caretakers, until humans were ready to take up their place.
I sighed lightly and leaned my head against Elim when I felt his arms wrap around my waist. “He’s going to be fine,” he whispered in my ear.
“May I see him?” Qida asked before I could reply.
“No females until he is rested,” Elim said.
She sighed and continued her pacing.
“Would you like to rest?” Elim asked me. “It’s been a long day.”
“Let’s go for a walk,” I suggested. “I don’t think I want to be around people right now.”
“Alright.” I could almost hear a smile in his voice. “Come on.” He released me and took hold of only my hand. “I’ll show you the arfordir.”
I smiled up at him, and he led me away from the village. We didn’t stop and tell anyone where we were going, we simply left. I didn’t watch where we were going; I only followed where Elim led me. I didn’t even bother to ask what arfordir meant.
The ground was covered in leaves, the branches above us were naked, and there was a chill in the air. Winter was about to be in full bloom, and I would spend my first cold season with the Coetir.
As we walked, I let my mind go blank. There were no outside influences, just Elim and me walking through the trees. All that I saw was the woods and the land that surrounded us, and all I felt was Elim’s hand in mine. I wouldn’t allow myself to think of my brothers, or my sister-in-law, or even Qida. All I wanted to think about was the here and now, to forget about the world around me, and to enjoy my time with Elim.
It was something I hadn’t truly been able to do yet. There was always something to stop me from focusing on myself.
“What is that?” I asked when a distinct white noise started to fill the area. It was almost like a constant hissing, but it waxed and waned every few seconds. I’d never heard anything like it before.
“It is the arfordir.” Elim smiled down at me, and he gently squeezed my fingers. “Come, we’re almost there.”
We picked up the pace as we moved through the trees, and the sound grew even louder.
In the distance, I saw only sky. It was as though the woods came to an abrupt end, and there was only sky left beyond it. If I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve said that this was the edge of the world, and that if we weren’t careful we could fall off.
Just before we reached the edge, Elim wrapped his arms around me, lifted me off the ground and started to run. I wrapped my arms tightly around him and closed my eyes. I didn’t know what to expect.
Whatever it was, it was the arfordir.
“Hold your breath,” he whispered in my ear.
The next thing I knew, we were falling. I did my best not to scream, and I clutched even tighter to Elim, all the while holding my breath.
When we landed, we were surrounded by water. The liquid rushed up around us, enveloping both of our bodies and causing my clothes to stick to my skin. Never in my life had I even imagined seeing so much water, much less being covered in it.
It wasn’t until I felt Elim’s legs start to kick beneath us that I realized I had no idea how to keep myself afloat.
I opened my mouth to tell Elim, and salty water flooded inside. At least I knew better than to swallow something that tasted so wretched. Instead, I expelled it from my mouth and closed my lips, still keeping my eyes closed. I could feel that we were moving, that Elim was propelling us somewhere, but I didn’t want to risk opening my eyes to find out where or how. I was having a hard enough time even imagining the expanse of water I was now within, without opening my eyes to look at it.
A moment later both our heads reached the surface, and I gasped a breath of air.
“Where are we?” I asked as I opened my eyes to look into Elim’s.
“The môr,” he said, smiling back at me.
“I don’t know how to swim,” I whispered, my limbs still clutching to his body.
“I know.” He laughed. “I won’t let you fall.”
“You already did!” I laughed.
“No,” he replied. “I jumped, with you in my arms.”
“Fine.” I wrinkled my nose at him before turning to look out at the blue water that surrounded us. “We’re in the ocean, aren’t we?” I asked.
Several feet above us, I saw the edge of the treeline. There was a cliff, which must have been where Elim and I had been only moments ago. The cliff tapered down on both sides, leading to beaches of white sand that glistened in the afternoon sun.
“Can we go over there?” I tried to point at the beach without releasing my hold on him.
“Of course.” His smile brightened.
Somehow, he moved me onto his back so that I could wrap my arms around his neck while he swam us to shore. It was amazing, the way that he moved through the water. I hoped that someday I would be able to learn to swim, if only so that I could stay in the water for hours on end. I loved the feel of the salty liquid against my skin.
Elim brought us to the shore, and we lay on the sand just inside the reach of the gentle waves. “There is another village here, just beyond the trees.” He pointed passed the beach, into the woods. “We can stay there for the night.”
I nodded, lay my head down on the soft white sand, and stared up at the sky. The sun was already on its way down and the clouds had parted to make way for the stars.
My eyes closed when Elim laced his fingers with mine. I could practically feel his eyes, watching me as I lay there before him. I wished that I could’ve looked him in the eye, that I could’ve spoken to him the way that my heart wanted me to, but I couldn’t. I kept my eyes closed and I savored the feel of my hand in his and the sand on my back and the waves caressing my skin.
It was all that I could do.
When I did finally open my eyes, it was already well after dark. The stars twinkled above us, and the moon made the sea glow white. I braced my torso up on my elbows, and I looked out over the water. I’d fallen asleep—I didn’t know how long ago the water had stopped reaching us.
“How did you sleep?” Elim whispered.
“I don’t remember the last time I slept that well,” I said.
“I’m glad.”
We were quiet again, after that. There was no point in speaking. I had a feeling that we both knew it wasn’t yet time.
I had seen the Vartes in my dreams, the past few nights. Or at least, I had heard the voice of the Vartes. I had so many questions, and the creator was only just starting to answer them. But the biggest question I had was Elim, and it seemed to be the only question the Vartes was unwilling to answer. I asked every night before I slept, and I woke still not knowing what to do.
“Then what were they?” she snapped as she paced in front of me.
We were waiting just outside the village of the healers, waiting for them to let us know how my brother was doing. Neither of us doubted that he would be fine, but we were still on edge. The fact that the humans had entered the woods so soon after the death of Svi meant that they were ready for a fight. Their defeat by Qida didn’t make much difference.
But I knew that those men were not part of the militia. Lionel wouldn’t have sent them out into the woods yet. By now he knew that Isaiah was missing, but he would have them continue to search the village for at least another day before he assumed that the boy had been taken.
I’d figured it out, during the night. It wasn’t Lionel who had malice in his blood, who desired so much pain in others. It was his second—my brother. I’d seen it in his eyes, when he’d waited for Svi to die.
Plus, Lionel was old. He wouldn’t be able to stand up to anyone in a fight, much less an army of trained Coetir warriors.
“You said there were three of them?” I asked.
She nodded.
She’d just finished explaining to me that all the Coetir knew how to fight. Even the children knew how to fight. It was something that the Vartes had given them in their creation, instilled by the rebellion of the humans.
The Vartes had created the humans to take charge of the world, to care for the created, to live the lives the creator demanded of them. Instead, they—we?—had all turned away. The creator had no choice but to create another people group, the Dewin, to be the stewards, the caretakers, until humans were ready to take up their place.
I sighed lightly and leaned my head against Elim when I felt his arms wrap around my waist. “He’s going to be fine,” he whispered in my ear.
“May I see him?” Qida asked before I could reply.
“No females until he is rested,” Elim said.
She sighed and continued her pacing.
“Would you like to rest?” Elim asked me. “It’s been a long day.”
“Let’s go for a walk,” I suggested. “I don’t think I want to be around people right now.”
“Alright.” I could almost hear a smile in his voice. “Come on.” He released me and took hold of only my hand. “I’ll show you the arfordir.”
I smiled up at him, and he led me away from the village. We didn’t stop and tell anyone where we were going, we simply left. I didn’t watch where we were going; I only followed where Elim led me. I didn’t even bother to ask what arfordir meant.
The ground was covered in leaves, the branches above us were naked, and there was a chill in the air. Winter was about to be in full bloom, and I would spend my first cold season with the Coetir.
As we walked, I let my mind go blank. There were no outside influences, just Elim and me walking through the trees. All that I saw was the woods and the land that surrounded us, and all I felt was Elim’s hand in mine. I wouldn’t allow myself to think of my brothers, or my sister-in-law, or even Qida. All I wanted to think about was the here and now, to forget about the world around me, and to enjoy my time with Elim.
It was something I hadn’t truly been able to do yet. There was always something to stop me from focusing on myself.
“What is that?” I asked when a distinct white noise started to fill the area. It was almost like a constant hissing, but it waxed and waned every few seconds. I’d never heard anything like it before.
“It is the arfordir.” Elim smiled down at me, and he gently squeezed my fingers. “Come, we’re almost there.”
We picked up the pace as we moved through the trees, and the sound grew even louder.
In the distance, I saw only sky. It was as though the woods came to an abrupt end, and there was only sky left beyond it. If I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve said that this was the edge of the world, and that if we weren’t careful we could fall off.
Just before we reached the edge, Elim wrapped his arms around me, lifted me off the ground and started to run. I wrapped my arms tightly around him and closed my eyes. I didn’t know what to expect.
Whatever it was, it was the arfordir.
“Hold your breath,” he whispered in my ear.
The next thing I knew, we were falling. I did my best not to scream, and I clutched even tighter to Elim, all the while holding my breath.
When we landed, we were surrounded by water. The liquid rushed up around us, enveloping both of our bodies and causing my clothes to stick to my skin. Never in my life had I even imagined seeing so much water, much less being covered in it.
It wasn’t until I felt Elim’s legs start to kick beneath us that I realized I had no idea how to keep myself afloat.
I opened my mouth to tell Elim, and salty water flooded inside. At least I knew better than to swallow something that tasted so wretched. Instead, I expelled it from my mouth and closed my lips, still keeping my eyes closed. I could feel that we were moving, that Elim was propelling us somewhere, but I didn’t want to risk opening my eyes to find out where or how. I was having a hard enough time even imagining the expanse of water I was now within, without opening my eyes to look at it.
A moment later both our heads reached the surface, and I gasped a breath of air.
“Where are we?” I asked as I opened my eyes to look into Elim’s.
“The môr,” he said, smiling back at me.
“I don’t know how to swim,” I whispered, my limbs still clutching to his body.
“I know.” He laughed. “I won’t let you fall.”
“You already did!” I laughed.
“No,” he replied. “I jumped, with you in my arms.”
“Fine.” I wrinkled my nose at him before turning to look out at the blue water that surrounded us. “We’re in the ocean, aren’t we?” I asked.
Several feet above us, I saw the edge of the treeline. There was a cliff, which must have been where Elim and I had been only moments ago. The cliff tapered down on both sides, leading to beaches of white sand that glistened in the afternoon sun.
“Can we go over there?” I tried to point at the beach without releasing my hold on him.
“Of course.” His smile brightened.
Somehow, he moved me onto his back so that I could wrap my arms around his neck while he swam us to shore. It was amazing, the way that he moved through the water. I hoped that someday I would be able to learn to swim, if only so that I could stay in the water for hours on end. I loved the feel of the salty liquid against my skin.
Elim brought us to the shore, and we lay on the sand just inside the reach of the gentle waves. “There is another village here, just beyond the trees.” He pointed passed the beach, into the woods. “We can stay there for the night.”
I nodded, lay my head down on the soft white sand, and stared up at the sky. The sun was already on its way down and the clouds had parted to make way for the stars.
My eyes closed when Elim laced his fingers with mine. I could practically feel his eyes, watching me as I lay there before him. I wished that I could’ve looked him in the eye, that I could’ve spoken to him the way that my heart wanted me to, but I couldn’t. I kept my eyes closed and I savored the feel of my hand in his and the sand on my back and the waves caressing my skin.
It was all that I could do.
When I did finally open my eyes, it was already well after dark. The stars twinkled above us, and the moon made the sea glow white. I braced my torso up on my elbows, and I looked out over the water. I’d fallen asleep—I didn’t know how long ago the water had stopped reaching us.
“How did you sleep?” Elim whispered.
“I don’t remember the last time I slept that well,” I said.
“I’m glad.”
We were quiet again, after that. There was no point in speaking. I had a feeling that we both knew it wasn’t yet time.
I had seen the Vartes in my dreams, the past few nights. Or at least, I had heard the voice of the Vartes. I had so many questions, and the creator was only just starting to answer them. But the biggest question I had was Elim, and it seemed to be the only question the Vartes was unwilling to answer. I asked every night before I slept, and I woke still not knowing what to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment