Raivyn

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I have to say, I’m really enjoying this short series. It’s been fun to show you the early stages of my art, and it’s always fun to share some excerpts with all of you. So today we’re talking about my mum’s favorite character in Cedwig...

Raivyn

Yes, I admit it, I have a fondness for adding an I next to an A in girl’s names of this nature. I don’t know why. I always have.

In honor of my mum, and the fact that this is her favorite character, I also picked Mum’s favorite scene involving Raivyn… and possibly her favorite scene in the book. It’s a good scene: I’ll give it that. It was a very fun scene to write, and one that's left a permanent image of Raivyn inside my head. That's always fun to come across. 

Enjoy, my friends. Enjoy.

Excerpt #2 from Cedwig: People in the Vines by Rani Divine

©Copyright RAD Writing, 2016

 Raivyn had done everything in her power to ignore the shouts, and she couldn’t take it any longer. She’d finally convinced Carol to allow her some time alone in the forest, picking berries to eat with their dinner. She wasn’t allowed to stray far away from where the men were gathering their supplies, but she didn’t need to go that far. She only wanted to get far enough away that the forest would drown out the noise.

Interrogation methods weren’t her forte, but she knew that this was wrong. Neil had hardly been allowed to move in hours, and she’d seen more blood in the past day than she’d seen in all her time as an adult woman. She couldn’t stay in earshot any longer.

Now, she walked through the trees, carefully stepping over roots and brambles to reach the berry bushes. This was the first time she’d truly been allowed to enter the forest, aside from being sent to ask questions of the men. She had to admit, since they’d moved into the field, the forest seemed was much more appealing. If it were possible, she would’ve asked that her family move into a smaller clearing, some distance away from the main field. But even if she could find a suitable space, she knew that her family would not be willing to go through with it. At the very least, mother would want to remain in close proximity to other people. The woman was a socialite, if ever there was one.

When she finally reached a bush containing thousands of tiny red berries, she dropped to her knees and plucked the nearest berries from their stems. Her task, many times, had been to clean the fruits and prepare them for dinner—and she knew that it would be no different this evening. With that in mind, she took her time, finding the plumpest of berries and plucking them completely from their stems before she placed them into her basket.

It was surprising that they hadn’t thought of her for such a task before. She wasn’t afraid to be in the forest, her limbs were small enough that she could reach into the thorny brambles without getting stuck, and she knew very well how to tell a ripe berry from a sour one. She couldn’t say the same for many of the others.

In the plains, they’d only bought their food. Their mothers hadn’t thought to teach them how to tell between ripe and raw. But Raivyn’s mother was a gardener. She’d taught her daughter everything that she knew, despite Raivyn’s insistence that plants would never be her metier. No matter how hard she’d tried, Raivyn couldn’t grow anything. But she knew how to pick fruits, and she knew how to tell when something was poisonous, especially when it came to mushrooms.

Carol had been begging Raivyn’s mother to come out and look for mushrooms, but the woman was far too afraid of everything that moved. None of them had stopped to think that Raivyn might be good at it, or that she wouldn’t mind looking.

As soon as her basket was half-full, she turned to one of the other girls, Sera, who’d been searching for fruits up in the trees. The girl looked more terrified than a fly caught in the web of a spider. “How much have you found?” Raivyn asked her, trying to remain civil though she wanted to explain to the girl that the trees in which she searched were not fruit-bearing at all.

Sera trembled and shook her head, turning her basket upside down. Empty.

“Take this back to the others.” Raivyn sighed as she reached her own basket out toward the girl. “Tell Carol I’m going to look for some mushrooms, and I’ll be back before the men leave the forest.” She groaned quietly when the girl curtly nodded and walked away, leaving her own basket on the ground at Raivyn’s feet. Women like Sera should never have been brought to a place like this.

Raivyn picked up the basket and walked back around the berry bush, not bothering to ensure that any of the men were in sight. She knew how to take care of herself, should anything come up.

She plucked a small handful of berries from the bush and placed them in the bottom of the basket, in case she wanted something to eat while she searched the ground.

Using the skills her mother had taught her, she walked into an area that seemed untouched and untrampled by the men—exactly what she was looking for. She smiled brightly as she set her basket down and got onto her knees, lifting fallen vines and branches in search of her prize. If only she could find something, anything, that would be of more sustenance to them, maybe Carol would begin to think of her as someone who could go out into the forest and look for things. Maybe she would start to be useful around camp for a change.

When she finally found a cluster of mushrooms, she pulled the pocketknife from her bosom and cut them from the ground, one by one. In the dense forest, it was difficult to tell whether this species was edible or not. But she knew once she got it back to the field, she would be able to tell. If not, mother would surely know.

Her brow furrowed when the wind swirled above her, in a pattern it hadn’t been moving before. It seemed to move toward her, rather than up through the tops of the trees.

Raivyn lifted her eyes to look up into the branches, and she had to stifle a gasp when she saw the creature perched there. From the look on his face, he hadn’t yet noticed her. He was looking in the opposite direction, likely watching some of the men. But that meant the men were close, and if they found her here, away from everyone else, she could be in the same position as Freia.

Not that she would’ve minded seeing her brothers tied up in the stocks, after everything they’d put her through over the years.

Smiling, she picked up a berry from her basket and threw it toward the creature, striking his shoulder.

He turned toward her, an inquisitive look in his black eyes.

She’d never seen one so close before. But now that she had, she saw why the others feared them. His teeth were sharp and pointed, his nails like claws, his entire body toned and fit, as though at any moment he could become a weapon. And he was wild. She knew that, just by looking him in the eye. The way that he perched in the trees revealed his inhumanity, his body contorting in a way that no human’s ever could.

But she was not afraid.

In fact, there was only one question she had, now that she looked the creature in the eye.

“Are these safe to eat?” she whispered, hoping that he could hear.

Surely, the creatures had a way to understand basic. Freia had joined them, so they must have had some way to communicate. It wasn’t as though she would’ve run off into the forest to be with a people that she couldn’t even understand. Freia wasn’t that type of person.

The creature tilted his head to the side and leapt through the wind, landing directly before her. He squatted at her side and looked beneath the vines at the mushrooms, his eyes glancing back and forth between her and them. “They are safe,” he said finally. “Though I do not like the taste.”

Raivyn lifted her fingers to her lips, trying to stifle a laugh. That was the last thing she’d expected him to say.

“Are there ones that taste better?” She smiled brightly.

“Across the river.” He nodded.

“I can’t go there.” She shook her head, automatically reaching out to place her hand on his scaly arm. “What about here?”

“You would do better to eat the leaves.” He reached up, plucked one of the darkest vines from the trees, and gently tore away a few of the leaves from its stem. “Taste.” He placed one into her hand.

She did as he said, placing the greens into her mouth. She didn’t even bother to taste it, she only chewed and swallowed.

The longer she stood there, beside one of the creatures, the more she understood Freia’s fascination. They weren’t human, no, but they were beautiful. This man seemed to genuinely care whether or not she liked the taste of the leaves. And what’s more, he could speak her language. He knew how to communicate with her, right from the start.

Why, then, were Jonas and the others so afraid?

“It’s good,” she whispered after a moment.

He smiled brightly and reached back up into the branches.

“Where’s Freia?” she breathed, before he could leave.

“Safe,” he whispered, lifting a finger to his lips. “They come.”

She nodded, cutting the last of the mushrooms from the cluster before quickly making her way back to the berry bush. If anyone asked, she’d only gone to the other side of the bush, to gather mushrooms from beneath some vines. She hadn’t ventured far enough away that the men wouldn’t have been able to hear her—and at least that part was the truth.

Freia

Last week was all about Coetir, in case you hadn’t noticed. Logically, that means this week is Cedwig-centric! And today, we’re starting with the most primary character of the book, my super sweet first-person narrator who still reminds me how to write beautiful women.

Everyone, meet Freia

I feel like I’m getting better at drawing… What do you think? her hair needs work, and I need to figure out how to draw a neck yet... but her face looks nice!

The scene I picked out for you today is a classic Freia scene, from before she really comes into her own in the story. It’s from the beginning, so there’s very little chance of spoilers. Don’t worry. And it's also one of the more interesting scenes in the story, because it's where things are starting to take shape and come together.

Excerpt from Cedwig: People in the Vines by Rani Divine

©Copyright RAD Writing, 2016

It was hard to believe what I was doing, and yet it all seemed like the most normal thing in the world. Eirian held my hand, and we ran through the trees. We hadn’t stopped except for him to help me over obstacles and tell me where we were going next. He’d shown me some of the animals, those that used to live in the field but had been moved when my people entered the picture. He’d told me the names of many of the trees we passed, and explained their relation to each other. They were all of his people—the trees. I didn’t entirely understand, but I wanted to know everything that I could about these people, about their world. No, it wasn’t a want in my mind anymore. I needed to know everything about this place. In my heart, I already called it home.

Eirian smiled as we ran across the river, his hand holding tightly to mine to keep me steady on my feet. I couldn’t help but laugh at the sensation of the water between my toes, rushing over my feet, soaking the hem of my dress. I didn’t even know why, only that I wanted to laugh.

“What do you see?” Eirian asked when we reached the other side of the river and stared out into the night.

He stepped behind me, his hand still holding to mine, so that there would be nothing between myself and the forest. Before me were thousands of trees, more than I had ever imagined. We stood atop a hill, looking down over the forest my people had so recently made their home. The trees practically glowed in the moonlight, swaying gracefully in the gentle breeze. But it was more than that. I wasn’t sure if it was my mind playing tricks on me or if I actually saw the people sitting in the treetops. Some of them spoke with each other, others stared up at the sky, still others ran through the trees, creating the illusion of the breezes, smiles bright on their faces.

They all looked like Eirian: vines for hair, dark skin with black spots, they even had tails.

“Beautiful,” I whispered under my breath as I took a step forward.

“Careful,” Eirian said, tugging on my arm to pull me away from the brink.

We stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a valley, if I wasn’t mistaken. The cliff itself disappeared into the forest around me, most of it covered by vines and moss.

I moved back, and found myself leaning against my new friend. Never in my life had I been so close to a man who wasn’t of my family, and yet I felt no apprehension. Eirian was a friend—or maybe he was more than that, maybe he was like my family. One of his arms wrapped around my shoulders, and in his hold I felt safe. This new world was full of things my imagination could not have created, and it seemed to me that his arms would keep it all at bay, that they would allow me to take it all in at my own pace. They were not threatening to me, those arms. They were nothing more than a comfort, the touch of a father or a brother, and I did not want them to let go.

“What do you see?” Eirian whispered in my ear.

“Your people,” I replied.

“We are called Cedwig,” he said. “We are of Dewin, created of the Vartes.”

“What am I?” I laughed as I turned to look him in the eye.

“You are called human.” He smiled. “Created of the Vartes, to be in unity with the people of the Dewin.” He ran his fingers through my hair, his eyes marveling once again at the texture of the strands. I supposed that he had never seen anything like it, aside from the fur of the animals.

This was the first that any human had been in within the limits of the forest. My people had always stayed away before now, many believing the place to be haunted, I assumed, by the very creatures who now held a part of my heart. I did not see how such creatures could have been thought of as haunting, except perhaps in their beauty. Eirian was beautiful in every possible way. He had emotions, like us. He had feelings, fears, beliefs—just like a human. Not like the animals, not something to breed for labor or food. Eirian had a soul, one that belonged here in the forest. The way he looked at the trees, I knew this place was more than just his home. It was his life. The design of this place had him and his people in mind. His very life always tied to the forest, and vice versa.

The way that the others interacted with the trees was exactly the same. This place was more to them than just a home, a place to live. It was their very existence.

“Come,” Eirian said, gesturing to the horizon. “It will be dawn soon.”

My heart sank. I didn’t want to go back to the clearing, to the people who had filled my life up to this point. I didn’t want to work alongside Carol, to wash clothes and cook dinners and take care of the men. I wanted to stay here, with Eirian. I wanted to learn about the Cedwig, about the Dewin and the Vartes. My mind spun with all my imaginings about these people, all the questions I held about them. I needed answers, and I knew that I wouldn’t get them when I went back to papa.

If it were up to him and the others, I would never have left the clearing in the first place. But deep in my heart, I knew that it would be best to return. If I were to stay, my people would fear for my life. They would search the woods, and they would tear down everything in their paths in an effort to find me. I knew Jonas well enough to know that. If anyone went missing, even me, he would search the woods until he found them.

I nodded, and Eirian released all but my hand.

“Let me show you something,” he said.

He helped me up onto his back, my arms grasping around his shoulders and my legs holding tight to his waist, and he ran. Just like I had seen the others do in the tops of the trees, Eirian ran. His feet landed lightly everywhere they found purchase, propelling him at a speed faster than humanly possible. Wind breezed through my hair, over my skin, the sensation like nothing I’d experienced prior. He climbed up into the highest branches at the same rate, his tail helping to balance us along the way. Even with me on his back, he was fully capable of traversing the whole of the woods at this pace, so that the cliff disappeared behind us at a nearly alarming rate.

My eyes scanned over everything we passed, over the tops of the trees, the animals resting in the vines, the moonlight bouncing off the leaves and shimmering in the night sky—all of it a blur, and yet my eyes were able to pick out even minute details of the things we passed.

We even moved close to another Cedwig, sitting at the top of a tree, staring up at the moonlight. The woman glanced at us and smiled, and Eirian said something to her in his language, words that I doubted I would ever understand. He’d only spoken it to me once before, and even then it had sounded impossible to decipher.

Within moments, we stood in the trees just beyond the clearing my people now possessed. From where we stood I saw them, still sleeping in their circle. Even the guards were still unconscious, unaware of the fact that I’d left them during the night.

The sky began to lighten. There was no point in hoping that my people would sleep through the first few hours of day. Jonas insisted that everyone be up at dawn and that they work until the light had faded from the sky. After all, it was the only way that we would have homes built before winter set in. No one knew how cold that time of year would be.

“I should go,” I whispered under my breath, my arms still holding tight around Eirian’s shoulders.

He nodded and slowly climbed down through the branches, dropping to his feet in what looked like the exact place he’d found me.

I slid down off his back, and he turned to face me. “Thank you,” I breathed, smiling sadly up at him. My brow furrowed as his skin lightened in the ever-brightening light.

Eirian reached up and pulled a flower from one of the vines. He wrapped the stem tightly around and around something else he’d found in the trees, and fastened the bracelet around my wrist. “I will return, young one,” he told me. “Remember.” He smiled.

My eyes were fixed on the bracelet that now adorned my wrist. “It’s beautiful,” I said.

He laughed lightly and ran his fingers through my hair. “Go back,” he said. “I will return.”

I looked up at him and smiled brightly. “When?” My brows rose.

“Soon,” he replied. “I will give you a sign.” He lifted my hand and played with his homemade jewelry, his eyes still staring straight into mine. “Go,” he breathed.

I nodded slowly and stepped away from him, my heart tearing as I did so. The trees were more home to me than this clearing would ever be. They were safety, shelter, security. They were home. Even without Eirian, I had always felt at home within the trees, entrapped by the vines and tangles of branches. Nothing could reach me, when I was deep enough in the trees. Not even Jonas’s rules could find me when I was there.

My feet deftly carried me back over the tops of my people, until I settled back in beside Carol.

Almost as soon as I laid my head down and closed my eyes, the guards stirred. They wouldn’t tell Jonas they’d fallen asleep.

I slipped Eirian’s bracelet from my wrist and placed it in the pocket of my dress. No one could know where I had been. I didn’t know what would happen if they found out, and I didn’t want to test it. For now, it was safer for everyone to think that I had been here, beside Carol, all night long. But in my heart, I knew where I was meant to be. The forest called to me from all around, begging me to return to its arms.

“Soon,” I whispered under my breath.

Raichel

Okay, so now you've officially met Fari and Ellya, and there's one more character from Coetir who I'd like you to meet.

The ever-so-lovely, Raichel

Yes, I was experimenting with necklines when I drew her. :-P

You'll know Raichel as the wife of Tomas, sister-in-law to Ellya, and all-around beauty who steals the heart of *ahem* no spoilers here. Nope. Nothing doing.

Now, I'll have you note that this is actually not the scene of Raichel's that I wanted to share with you. But the one that I wanted to share contained a huge spoiler to something that changes the rest of the book, and I thought it best to stay away from that one. Some of you may know what moment I'm referring to. If you've read the book. *wink*

So, here you have it. A shorter scene from Raichel, but a scene that deeply defines her relationship with another very pivotal character. And one that helped me to really get to know her as a person. She liked to keep everything from me. Very annoying. It was like pulling teeth with that one.

Excerpt #3 from Coetir: People of the Woods, by Rani Divine

© Copyright RAD Writing, 2015, All rights reserved

Raichel sat on the ground a few meters outside the village, cradling Lettie’s baby in her arms. He still hadn’t been named, but she’d been calling him Alexander. It was the name she’d always wanted for her own son.
     Tears slid down her cheeks as she watched the baby boy sleeping in her arms. She couldn’t help it. All her life, she’d wanted to be a mother. It wasn’t until after she’d wed Tomas that she learned he was unable to bear children. There had been an accident when he was a lad, and his parents told him when he came of age that if he wanted children he would have to seek a couple to adopt from.
     She hated him for not telling her until after their match.
     The boy was so beautiful, sleeping in her arms. His light violet skin almost shimmered in the bright afternoon light, and he already had a head full of dark hair and deep green vines.
     “Why are you crying, little elain?” Saeth said as he appeared beside her.
     “Why do you call me that?” she asked, automatically reaching up to wipe the tears from her face. She ordinarily wouldn’t have let anyone see her like this, but there was nowhere to go.
     Beyond that, Saeth seemed to be everywhere.
     He smiled and sat beside her on the ground. He gently caressed the baby’s head, but his eyes remained fixed on Raichel’s. “It means fawn, in your tongue,” he replied. “It is my people’s equivalent to your name.”
     She smiled slightly, more tears sliding down her face.
     “Don’t cry, little one.” He reached up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Walk with me,” he said. “I will help you.” He held out his hand toward her, and she took it.
     She stood, being careful not to wake the baby in her arms.
     “You’re holding an Eiriol child,” he said as he led her away from the village.
     “He’s Lettie’s,” she whispered. She hoped he wouldn’t have a strange name for her too.
     “The human?”
     “Yeah.”
     “And why has his care been left to you?” he asked. “Should that not be the duty of the mother?”
     “She’s asleep,” she replied. “I wanted to hold him.”
     “He makes you sad,” he observed.
     “I want a baby,” she breathed. She didn’t know why she said it. She’d never been so candid with anyone in her life—not even Tomas. He bore the brunt of her anger because he couldn’t give her a child, and she never spoke to him like a normal human being. She’d shut everyone else out since she was a young child.
     Why then did she trust Saeth so much?
     “You do not have a mate.” He nodded slowly.
     “I do,” she whispered. “But he can’t…” her voice trailed off.
     “This was a poor choice of mate, if a child is your desire.” The clouds darkened the sky above them. She wondered what it was about Saeth that caused the reaction in the sky.
     “That’s not how it works.” She shook her head.
     “I see,” he whispered, his fingers tightening around hers.
     “Why are you here? With me I mean,” she asked, turning to look him in the eye.
     “Little elain.” He shook his head and smiled. “You are the reason I am here.”
     “Me?” Her brow furrowed.
     “In time,” he replied. “Come with me to the river.” He smiled slightly.
     “Okay.”
     She walked beside him through the trees, all the while cradling the baby boy in her arms.
     Somehow, Saeth made her feel better. Her eyes no longer begged to release bitter tears, and her heart no longer ached so badly. All she felt now was simple curiosity as to where they were going and what Saeth wanted to show her.
     As the sound of the river grew louder, he turned to her and lifted a finger to his lips, and she nodded. If silence was what he wanted, silence he would have.
     He pointed beyond the water, and she saw a group of humans walking through the trees. One of them continually marked the trees that they passed, trying to keep track of where they had been. She’d heard of people doing that before, in the past, when the humans were allowed to enter the woods.
     “The protectors are here,” Saeth whispered under his breath as he stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her and the baby.
     They watched in silence as one by one the humans began to fall. She couldn’t see what was happening to them—it was all moving too quickly. All she knew was that something was happening to them, and they were falling before they even knew something had hit them.
     She guessed that they’d been killed.
     “We will keep you safe, little elain,” Saeth whispered in her ear. “Do you believe me?”
     “I do,” she breathed.
     The baby whimpered, and Saeth released her. “May I?”
     She furrowed her brow as she turned toward him, but she couldn’t think of a reason why he shouldn’t be allowed to hold the child. He was Coetir, after all. He couldn’t do anything to harm one of the Eiriol. So he took the child from her arms, and the boy quieted almost instantly. Saeth cradled the boy against his chest, and he smiled down at him. “He is beautiful,” he whispered. “I can see why you enjoy being with him.”
     “Everyone always told me I was a mother without a child,” she breathed.
     “You will have a child,” he told her, lifting his eyes to look into hers.
     “I can’t.” She shook her head. “Tomas…” She shook her head again, tears filling her eyes.
     “Come,” he breathed, reaching out to cup the back of her neck with his hand. “We should return him to his mother, so that you may be alone.”
     “Thank you,” she breathed.
     “I will keep you safe, little elain.” He smiled down at her. “I promise you that.”