Cold Spell - Chapter One
Yes, here is it, for one time only, Cold Spell. The first chapter, in 'really not polished but at least all the major plot elements are there' form. After this draft I need beta readers, so I might be begging for volunteers! Anyway, chapter one is here for everyone, but because of copyright issues and first publishing rights regs all subsequent chapters will be friends and family only, so if you like what you read just add me as a friend :o).
So, without further delay, I give you my 2007 NaNo - Cold Spell:
Before the Veil, before time, before even the Spirits, there were the Forces. Four great beings, all the power of the universe within them. But they were lost, and alone. They wandered the emptiness, each unaware that there were others like themselves, until at last they found something they never dreamed existed. A new world. And there they found each other, and were joyous that their lonely journey had come to an end. The Forces settled together, and they called the new world Home. "Before the Veil," said Mrs Tinker, smiling at the magical effect those words seemed to have on suddenly silent children, "a beautiful, enchanted kingdom sat upon the Frozen Mountains. And what was that kingdom called?" "Taleira," seven little voices chorused. Mrs Tinker thought this suspicious as eight children sat before her on the carpet. "Flora," she said sternly. Twenty years of caring for orphaned and unwanted children had taught her a few things. One was when a child snatches their hand back as quickly as the young red-head did when they hear their name they were doing something wrong. Actually seeing the crime was not always necessary. "Any monkey business from you during this story and there will be no treat for you tonight, young lady." Flora tightly folded her arms across her chest, sighing dramatically as she slumped heavily backwards into the child behind her. Luckily it was Bryn, and he usually took his younger sister's sulks with good spirit. "Yes, it was Taleira," Mrs Tinker went on. "And the people of Taleira were very happy, for they had a good and wise king and their land was prosperous. But that wasn't the only reason the people loved the king so much. The Frozen Mountains were a dangerous place to live, but the king had incredible powers over the ice, and used them to keep the kingdom safe from the constant blizzards. But though the king was kind, he grew sad. He and his wife were getting older, and they had no children of their own." "Aww," said a couple of the children. Flora simply pouted."They could have had one from here," she grumbled. "Sshh!" hissed Bryn. "It was soon to be the queen's birthday." A quick glance at Flora didn't reveal any more interruptions brewing, but it was hard to tell with that one. "The people of the kingdom wished for her to be as happy as they were, so they each went to her and asked what gift she desired. 'A child,' was the only answer she would give. But the people loved their king and queen, so they all prayed to the spirits to bless the Queen with a baby. The spirits heard their pleas, and on the day of the Queen's celebration she discovered that she was with child. "That winter, the Queen gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, with hair dark as the moonless night and eyes as blue as the noon day sky, and the kingdom rejoiced. They named the child Issa, and as the young price grew the King taught him the ways of magic. "The years went by and Issa grew more skilled by the day, and the King and Queen were happy that he could protect the kingdom. But someone else was not so happy with the young prince's progress. The dark spirit of the north looked upon the kingdom with fury. For too long the King had flaunted his power, and now Prince Issa looked set to surpass his father in strength. The spirit would regain her reign over the mountain at any cost." The children stared up at her in expectation. Even Flora's best attempts to feign disinterest were let down by the way she sat perfectly still, listening carefully to each word. "When at last she could stand it no more the spirit sent a beast of ice and snow to destroy them all. The King heard the cries of his people and climbed to the highest turret of the royal palace, where he summoned all of his power to battle the monster. "The fight between man and demon went on long into the night, but the King was growing old and his strength was not what it once was. The beast dealt a fateful blow, and a shard of ice penetrated the chest of the King. He knew he was on the edge of death, so forced what was left of his life energy into a final devastating enchantment, and the ice demon crumbled. A cheer rang up from the people below as the remains of the creature fell like flakes of snow, but the Queen ran to the side of her husband. "Tell Issa that the duty is his now," he told her, before closing his eyes for the last time. Blinking away tears, she left the King and ran as fast as she could to her son's room. "The screams of the Queen halted the revelry of the people below the castle. The prince was gone, taken by the dark spirit while the castle was distracted. The spell of protection broken, the storms closed in on the kingdom. The Queen returned to the King's side on the highest tower and stood looking out in a vigil for her only child. She never moved from that place, even when the blizzards came and encompassed all that remained of her husband's domain. With the whole kingdom frozen, the spirit of the north returned the prince to the castle and encased him in ice in the throne room for all time." The children leaned forward in uneasy silence. "Then what happened?" Bryn finally asked. "Well, they say the prince is still there to this day, slumbering under the ice until the spirit has a use for him. I did warn you this was the last Taleira story before we began," Mrs Tinker reminded them on seeing the distress growing in their faces. "That's a stupid story," said Flora. "I would have fought the spirit," said Bryn, leaping round fighting some invisible foe with a make believe sword. "Like this!" The general whining about the unsatisfactory conclusion to the tale quickly ebbed away when Rachel, the girl Mrs Tinker hired to help with the children, came in with the tray of warm milk and biscuits. She watched carefully as they each took their turn selecting their treat, making sure no one took extra. Just when they had settled down and she was sure that the rest of the evening would pass without incident, a pair of shrill cries broke the peace. "Flora!" The girl leapt sharply back from where Molly and Wendy stood huddled together in tears. "What did I tell you? Give me your biscuit and go straight to bed, miss," she commanded. Flora dragged herself over, purposefully crushing her treat into several pieces before dropping it back on the tray and skulking off upstairs to the girls' room. "What did she do this time?" Rachel asked, a half smile on her lips. Though they didn't condone them, the two ladies couldn't help but be amused by some of Flora's antics. It did keep things interesting. Keen to find out the answer herself, Mrs Tinker gave the girls a motherly cuddle. "Oh, there there, now. Dry those eyes. Whatever is the matter?" "Flora...*sniff*...gaved us invisidible bikket," Molly told her, holding out her empty hand as evidence. "Well that doesn't sound all that bad," Mrs Tinker told them. The girls shook their head. "No, she said they were magic. Traded them for our boring old biscuits," Wendy explained. "But she didn't say they had invisible flavour too." "Ahh," said Mrs Tinker as images of Flora gobbling up two biscuits under the covers while having a good giggle at them filled her mind. "What am I going to do with that girl?" "At least she's smart," said Rachel. "She'll probably grow out of the petty tricks." "I suppose you're right," she sighed. "The girl's bound to get tired of it sooner or later." Twelve Years Later... Flora gazed into the spirit sphere nestled in the silk scarf on the table. These mystical artefacts could supposedly see through the Veil into the Spirit Realm, allowing the spirits to show the seeker something important about their future. The only thing Flora could see in this one was the reflection of the candles surrounding it. Not that she'd ever seen one working before. "What do you see, wise one?" asked the girl sitting across the table. The thin blond looked hopefully into the glass ball, no doubt deluding herself that there were mysterious images that only a witch could see. Through the flickering candlelight and the heavy red hue of the sun shining through the coloured tent fabric the mind could easily play tricks. "I see love, my child," Flora said, squinting at the ball like she was trying to focus on something. "There's a man in your life." It was a fair enough guess, seeing half the population was male. "Well, there is someone I like," she said. "Of course there is, my dear," said Flora, grateful for the predictability of simpering young blonds seeking out spirit guidance. "And he can be yours, but if you do not act quickly he will slip from your grasp." The girl's face dropped. "But, what must I do?" "Fear not, little one," she said, speaking in a distant, floaty voice. "I have just what you need to win his heart." Flora drew a small vial of liquid from the folds of the black cape she wore. The woman peered at it eagerly. "What is it?" she asked. "This, my child, is a magic potion," Flora told her. "A few drops in the tea of your beloved and he'll be in your arms by the time he has finished the pot." The woman's eyes widened as she reached out to take the bottle. "Will it really work?" "Of course, my child. I guarantee it. That will be 10ems by the way," she added casually, as though the money was just an afterthought. Her customer nodded and handed over the coins, gazing at her purchase in wonder. "Thank you so much, oh wise one." Flora smiled sweetly. "Mention it not, my child. If you need me again you know where my tent is." Another satisfied customer left through the front flap. Flora took a moment to adjust the black hair that fell out from under her hood before called the next person looking for the guidance of a witch. She quite surprised when the next head through the flap belonged to Bryn. "Flora, we've got a problem," he said. "We have to leave." "What? Why?" she protested. "There's lots of people waiting to see the witch." "Yes, but the real witch is on her way back, and she's got the town guard!" Flora leapt to her feet and poked her head out to look. Sure enough, an irate looking middle aged woman wrapped up in a blanket practically dragged a guard down the street, animatedly waving her arms around and gesturing to the tent. She looked quite ill, and Flora suddenly realised why the tent had been empty that day. To make matters worse, some familiar faces from earlier in the day were shouting in his other ear, showing him little empty potion vials. "You're right, time to shut up shop!" She ran to the back of the tent, grabbing the spirit sphere and stuffing it in her bag on the way past. Bryn lifted the fabric at the back for them to get through. "I've moved the horses to behind the Silver Swan," Bryn told her. Flora heard yelling from inside the tent as their pursuers discovered they had come too late. It wouldn't take a genius to work out which way they had gone. "Quick," she said. "Down here." They ducked into the alleyway and Flora shed her cloak and black wig. Later, the guards would find the disguise and kick themselves. Everyone would swear blind that an elderly dark-haired woman with a hunch had impersonated a witch and sold them the dodgy love potions, and they would never be able to link the crime with the flame-haired girl that had ridden out of town with the muscular blond man at a heck of a pace earlier that day. The sun already hung low in the sky when they finally came to a stop. The roads twisted and turned between the hills through the valleys here, so they were shielded from the eyes of anyone on the road behind them. Bryn dismounted and got water for the horses. "Do you think we'll make it to the next coaching in before night?" he asked. "Should do," said Flora. "It's only another mile or so." She jumped off to stretch her legs for a spell. Riding always made her cramp up. "That was a close one. Worth it though. We made 70em off the potions and 13 from the readings. Witching isn't such a bad business." "Maybe it would be better if the potions actually worked," Bryn suggested. "I didn't make any false claims," Flora insisted, rubbing her face with her sleeve. "I said the potion would get their loved one in their arms and it does. Do I still have coal dust on my face, by the way?" she asked, looking at the dark streaks she'd transferred to her clothes. Normally some strategically placed dark lines wouldn't be enough to make her look older, but in the dim light of the tent it had worked a treat. "You forgot to tell them that their loved one would be throwing up half the time and unconscious in their arms for the rest of it," said Bryn. "And yes, you do." "They didn't ask," Flora said dismissively, giving her cheeks another hard rub. "How about now?" "You missed a spot, Flora," said a voice that definitely didn't belong to Bryn. A wall of a man stepped around the bend. He had a good foot on Bryn in height and probably another half in width. He wore a smart looking black suit, but the fabric stretched under the strain of his muscles. He stared at her impassively, but he wasn't the one that spoke. A much smaller man, that is he looked small in comparison to the Wall, emerged from behind him, waving a small flintlock pistol at Flora. She'd only seen him once before, and that had been enough. "You're never going to hit me from there with that little thing, Harvey," said Flora, slowly backing away. The crack from the Walls knuckles as he crunched his fist echoed down the valleys. The pistol may not fire that far, but she thought Harvey's backup could probably do a lot of damage by throwing it at her. "Where's the money, Flora?" asked Harvey. "Don't worry. Grady's going to get his money," she said, edging ever closer to Bryn. Her brother may not have gun but the sword at his belt put a lot of people off giving him any trouble. "I just need a bit more time. You know, I've got a couple of things going on and they're already paying off. I'll have the rest in a jiffy." "Really?" In unison both men strode towards them. "Mr Kole doesn't like to be kept waiting, Flora. I think we're going to need some assurance that your scheme is going to deliver, or we'll have to resort to alternative repayment schemes." Bryn sheathed his sword and picked up Flora's bag. "Some of them broke," he said, checking inside, "and I think the potion is trying to eat your bag. And we don't have any money now." "Oh, don't we?" said Flora, pulling her boot off. "You don't think I managed to keep hold of a little bit?" She tossed the boot to Bryn. It jingled. "We've still got 13ems." "At least we don't have to sleep outside then," said Bryn. "Well, if we find a place with some good games we might be able to lay a wager and get enough to replace..." "Don't you think gambling has got us into enough trouble already?" Bryn said. "All right, all right, don't panic," she said. "I know what I'm doing." Flora put her boot back on and started to walk. "So, we've still got some potions, and some cash. All we need is a really clever way to make a lot of money very quickly so we can pay Grady back." "Oh, if that's all we need then there's nothing to worry about," said Bryn, starting to walk down the road. "Have a little faith," she said, trotting along beside him. "Something will come along, you'll see." He tripped and fell again, exhausted from running all night. He didn't know where he was going, or even where he was running from, just that he didn't want to be there. He picked himself up again and crawled to the peak. Maybe over this one. Each time he climbed a hill he just saw another one beyond it, but it couldn't be hills all the way. It just couldn't. There had to be somewhere else. Home couldn't be far. He reached the top and his heart sank. Another hill. No. He sat on a rock, ready to sleep right there, when he heard a curious sound. Hoof beats. With renewed hope he searched for the source of the noise. Below him a road snaked between the hills. He saw a team of horses pulling a wheeled carriage behind them. He tried to call out for help, but his voice cracked and faltered, as though he had not used it in some time, and before long the carriage was just a dot far ahead on the road. He took a deep breath and picked himself up. that road had to go somewhere. He could follow it. Perhaps it went home. He began the careful climb down the hillside, not once looking back for what he ran from, so he did not see the frost trail that followed where he stepped.
Flora had heard stories of Grady Kole's 'alternative repayment schemes', but never from someone who had actually experienced them first hand. That suggested to her that the stories were probably true. "Look, I made 60ems already, just today, so if you'll just stand aside we'll hit a few more towns and Grady will have his money in a month. Six weeks tops," she said, her voice steadily getting higher as the Wall got closer, until they were both right on top of them.
"Hand it over, Flora," Harvey said, holding the barrel of the pistol in front of her face. "Or do you think I can't hit you from here?"
Flora heard the sliding of metal and Bryn's sword was out and in his hand. "Leave her alone," he said firmly.
"I suggest you keep your lackey in order, Flora," said Harvey calmly, completely unfazed by the threat of Bryn's blade. This was a man used to getting what he wanted. This was Grady's man. Flora slammed the coin purse into his hand with much more force than was necessary and watched longingly as it disappeared from view into Harvey's pocket. "And the rest of it," he said.
"Rest of what?" she asked, but he wasn't buying it. He gave the Wall some unspoken signal and before Flora could finish the sentence a pair of huge hands were running over her clothing. "Hey, don't get fresh, big guy. You're not my type," she said. The Wall smiled.
"Are you going to get that out yourself or shall I do it for you?" Evidently the Wall did speak after all. Flora cursed loudly and pulled a smaller bag out from under her top.
"Happy now? Or do you want blood too?"she said, throwing it at Harvey.
"Don't tempt us, Flora," he said. "Load up the horses," he instructed the Wall.
"Hey what are you doing?" Flora yelled.
"Just a security deposit," said Harvey. "You can have them back when you pay Mr Kole his money." The Wall started to lead the horses away.
"Wait, I need my bag! I can't make any more money without my supplies," she pointed out. They seemed to take this into consideration and threw the bag at her feet, which landed with a chorus of tinkles as the glass vials knocked into each other. Damn, she though. If the merchandise was broken they'd be in real trouble.
They watched helplessly as their trusty steeds were tied to the men's horses. "You'd better get moving, said Harvey as he urged the horses into motion. "It's getting dark, and it's a long walk to the next inn. We'll be seeing you very soon, Flora."
They disappeared around the bend long before their hoof beats echoed into nothingness.
Now sure they were gone, Flora kicked a rock very hard, not realising it was actually attached to the hill. "Damn it!" she yelled in a hybrid of pain and frustration. "They must have been waiting her for us."
