For various reasons, I’m going to post the first chapter of the novel I’m working on. It’s not finished obviously, and anywhere you see asterisks it means that I’ve not decided on a final name/word to put there. There’s not even a working title for the book; I simply refer to it as “Dream Novel.” I’m planning on doing the National novel writing thing in November… I love the blog site layout that I use for general purposes, but I don’t think it works particularly well for sharing a novel, so pardon me if the format doesn’t make it as appealing as it would be on a bigger layer or page. Thanks to all for reading and feel free to comment…
These dreams go on when I close my eyes,
Every second of the night I live another life….
Heart – These Dreams
David knew this would be the final time in her sleepworld – at least the last without her being aware of his presence. Over the last eight years or so he’d spent many hours watching over Hannah, usually as protector, but, if he were being totally honest, also because he cared deeply for her. She’d barely entered her teen years when he was first introduced through his daughter. Hannah and his beloved Sari had been close friends at times, a closeness long since abandoned. Even before he knew her name, he was aware that she was Skilled. Anticipating her Skills’ manifestation, he’d been waiting for the ******* to make him aware that it was time for her to begin training. This long delay in the manifestation, ending after her 20th birthday, was a clear indication of the extraordinary powers she was likely to possess. A noise and a slight pressure in his left temple drew his attention away from her sleeping form and toward a darkened corner of the room. He wasn’t the only one who knew of Hannah’s newly burgeoning talents and she’d been under attack from corners he thought unaware of her. Unfortunately, this final visitation would not be peaceful, and there were some nightmares from which he could not protect her. Knowing what she was about to go through, and that he had no recourse against those responsible without showing himself and endangering them both, he vanished into incorporealness…
***********************
“Oh, no. Not again.”
Her eyes jerked open, and she stared from her bed upwards into the silent, crimson eyes of her tormentor. These bouts had increased over the last few months, and it was now a rare blessing to make it through a week without one. Hannah strove to control her revulsion and terror.
“It’s not real.”
If only she could MOVE. A hand. A finger. And eyelid, for crying out loud! But movement was never an option. Fighting the fear, Hannah tried to blur her visions against the red embers that bored into her brain, now less than two feet above her chest.
“Die, you hell-spawn.”
It looked at her. The presence was formless, but dense and heavy to the point of making it impossible to breathe as she felt her chest being restricted, crushed. The attacks never lasted long when measured by the ticks of a clock, but they felt like an eternity as they occurred. Maybe this one would pass quickly. As long as it didn’t….
“Oh, no…please,” she whispered in her mind. If she could have cried, a tear would have slid down her cheek. She sensed the creature move its weight across her body and despite the desperate screams in her mind, she could feel her body begin to respond….
Closing her mind and eyes against her body’s betrayal, she tried to dissociate from the transpiring events. This type of attack was rare since her mid-teens, but not unknown.
Suddenly, it stopped.
***************************************
On another continent, in another country, in a city known for its art and finery, Engel Alrich found himself brought suddenly into reality as he tumbled backwards from his reclining position. The black leather lounger clanged noisily against both the wall and the floor is it deposited him onto the dark carpeting.
“Idiot!” spat the slender, brunette woman who’d dumped him out of his reverie. “You’ve been told not to get sexual.”
Uncoiling from the position in which he landed, he stood and blatantly adjusted himself in front of her. With an accent owing clearly to his upbringing in Cologne, he replied, “Mercedes. Your timing, as usual, leaves much to be desired.”
Speed, born of a self-awareness of her own savage capabilities, carried her across the span between the two. With iron grip, she laid purposeful claim to his still obvious excitement. “You clearly do not understand the expectations of you.” Her 5’2”, petite frame, combined with a slight British accent gave the statement an air of refined dignity, but the savage glare from her brown eyes and the pain reflected in them from the face of the big, muscular German underscored the deadly seriousness of the statement.
In a tone striding the boundary between deference and insolence, Alrich responded quietly. “Yes, Mercedes.”
Releasing him, she turned toward the row of windows that overlooked Cologne. It was 9:00 am and she could see the Hohenzollern Bridge in the distance, tourists stirring in couples and groups. The sights of the city, once a source of enjoyment to her, no longer made an impression. Even the stone spires of the great Cologne Cathedral failed to register. Barely into her twenties, she’d become jaded quickly as her steadfast devotion to the Cause had grown and led her down increasingly dark paths, paths violent enough to leave little fear of the big man she’d just brought to heel.
“Was anyone else in the room?” she asked.
“Not that I saw.”
“So, we don’t know then, do we Mr. Alrich?” In a rare moment of wisdom, the man opted for silence. No matter how well she knew her fellow ********, and no matter their level of familiarity towards her, she never addressed them beyond their last names. A formal response to everyone helped keep things focused on business. Alrich’s abilities seemed not to extend into any of the Perceptions. Blazes save her from Broadcasters, no matter how refined their Skill.
“Our local talent is ready to begin the process.”
Still taking in the view from the row of windows on the third floor, she rolled her eyes in impatience at Alrich’s ability to state the obvious; “No, not until she passes Stage 1.”
Losing his wise inclination for silence, the German took a chance: “If we just take her now…”
Mercedes Traye was not in the mood for an opinion. She turned slowly toward the other person in the room with a deliberation that stopped him in mid-sentence. Eyes locked in silence for seconds bordering on eternity, she finally spoke.
“Go. Now. Find Aurica and ask her to meet me in my room.”
This time wisdom prevailed and Mercedes was left alone.
Copyright 2014 Casnal Publications.
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