Poisoned Wells, Imaginiers Save Us From (Serialization 028)

*This installment is a continuation of the last section. I wanted these moments to have space and breath to truly feel the loss. I hope you all continue to read. *

Eivyn Maeve did not let Peter feel the emptiness of Karfa’s last breath. Instead, she grabbed the boy and held him in her arms. Tightly, she hid him from the world. His calls, which were frantic and full of rage for being abandoned, were muffled, yet still managed to cut the women worse than any steel in battle.

Arjun and Mari removed the sword from Inye’s body, then wiped the blood and dirt from her face. Meroc and Roeze did the same for Karfa.

Caragris stood trembling, barely registering Thea’s hands on his shoulders, but he managed to say, “What now?”

“We give them the honor of Zejiin. We mourn our warriors. We bury them. We sing their praises. We hope they are sent to their loved ones.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I mean what happens now to Peter? What do I…how do I…he’s broken and I’m a weakling. I couldn’t spare him from this pain. How do I fix him?” He asked through tears.

Thea hugged him and said into his hair, “Caragris, there is nothing for us to do but feel. We must face this. Do not deny my warriors their honor or pain. Don’t deny Peter his pain.”

“But how do I—”

“You just do it, Cara. The best you can. You simply make him as comfortable as possible. There is no written alchemical formula to this. You’re his best friend. You’ll make him smile again. Just love him.”

“But all I know how to do is read stories, Eivyn Sun. Love is—”

“Crying because your best friend is hurting?” She pulled away to look at Cara’s tear stained face. She smiled weakly. “So you are a reader. Then read to him. We’ll find stories that you can read to Peter. We will give you stories to read to him if that is what will help the two of you.”

“But that would mean…” Cara wiped the tears from his face. Then he wiped the tears off Eivyn Sun’s. Will all of you tell me how you all became earth soldiers?”

“Peter has been curious about that, no? I’ll find you ink and paper. Come.”

Poisoned Wells, Imaginiers Save Us From (Serialization 027)

*Sorry for the delay in this installment. Actually, as you read this section, I am working on the epilogue of Poisoned Wells. It’s unreal that I’m writing the last few pages of this story in my notebook. It was much longer than I anticipated. And ya’ll have some sections to go before the end. After I post the ending, I’ll definitely post some afterthoughts and revision notes. But for now, enjoy this next section. We left off with the wraiths turning the demi-liches to stone and the dust settling to find Karfa dying in Peter’s arms. *

Looking at her face, it was hard to see anything wrong with Skala Karfa. She looked as serene as she had been as an ordinary maiden bathing in her village lake. Not a stitch of pain contorted her face. Earth soldiers were good at hiding the hurts of war, no? Though betraying her was the sound of her voice, which was raspy. And though her mouth was coated with blood and thick with saliva, she did her best to soothe Peter’s tears. Ending his pain was what mattered at the moment.

But there was no doubt that she was dying. She could feel the curved sword. Had felt it slide from the side of her stomach upward to only reappear right under her armpit. Really, she was surprised she was still breathing even though filling her lungs burned and made her want to rip her skin to shreds, but she had little strength left and it needed to be given to Peter. She felt how his fingers held her hair tightly, less like a solider to a sword and more like a baby grasping for his mother.

Each person is born from a woman. Therefore, each person will have the torturous grief of a mother’s death.  It is written for every being. Even Death suffered the loss of her mother, no? No one can avoid it. Peter’s mother died before he could’ve known her. In his heart, there had been no memories of this woman that birthed him, so he believed he would be spared such heartbreak. Who could possibly take that place in his heart? He was safe, no?

He clung to Karfa as if she’d created the sun for him, as if her screams had awakened him to life. His were the tears shed for a mother. It almost made Karfa want to laugh—she had thought she’d be safe from that too, but she felt her heart tremble as Peter’s tears ran down her forehead. He kissed her face softly, hoping she would find the strength to swat him away. He begged her to get up…that it was just a scratch. Please get up.

Karfa tried to form words to give to the boy but her eyes were drawn to a figure she’d lost seven years before and she knew her end would come with the next exhale. How different he looked without his armor. How serene. How beautiful. She cried tears that she thought would never fall, hadn’t for so long. And here she was, a warrior crying. Magic clearly existed, no?

In her hair, her tears mingled with Peter’s. And then she was still.

Gone.

Poisoned Wells, Imaginiers Save Us From (Serialization 026)

*Enjoy this installment. *

First a strong wind.

One that moans and bangs from frustration before unleashing gusts of howls. Howls that in their lives, ghosts were unable to let out…to let them out would’ve been undignified but after death, emotions are weighed far differently by the world’s witnesses.

These were howling winds that clawed at bodies, wrenching steel from hands, demanding tears, and the falling to one’s knees.

Then shadows: the burden of death so that souls could fly.

Hovering. Chanting: a long dead language—no, a language only the dead could even know or use. The shadows chanted the verses from the tome of Nabos, the poet of the dead. He who spent his wait as a scribe writing, fervently and with reverence, the many whispers of Saravia’s realm: the chants she crooned to soothe souls lost without the notion of time or narrow sight to guide them.

And behind the shadows? Weaponless because they were wholly weapons: Death’s wraiths.

They held the faces of once kings that then blurred rapidly into black pulsing pits only to return to a jigsaw semblance of once flesh. Their skin smelled burned. And the skin that was visible was branded with Death’s symbol. But there was not a stitch of pain on their faces. Simply determination.

They did not chant.

They walked directly towards their targets. Directly towards the demi-liches and with a gentleness that is only ever saw between lovers, the wraiths brushed their thumbs across the papery flesh of their once brethren. They stood like stone and watched as the demi-liches turned to stone—trapped for a thousand years until Death came, herself, to end their penance.

Not one of the earth soldiers dared touch the polish stone, to lash out at it with steel, knowing the searing pain they would encounter. A wraith’s touch trapped and bound pain. And that was what was inside those statues: agonizing, searing and scorching pain—a pain that would cleanse the tar from hearts. Then earth soldiers gave what were once demi-liches  a wide berth as they sank unto grateful knees to regroup and mutter thanks.

The wraiths now finished with their tasks were no longer blind and all of them tipped their eyes to the blue sky above. Then wordlessly as they arrived, they bowed to a vision only they saw and soon became part of the morning mist; with them they took the dust of battle to reveal a crying boy cradling the head of the dying Eivyn Karfa.

February Book List 2016

Here is a list of the books I’ve read this month in the order I read them. There were some false starts in between but these are the ones I read in their entirety. While most of the books I read from start to finish have value in some way, any starred titles are the month’s top recommendations.  Anything with + means I have a few things to say about the particular book at the end of the post.

Feel free to comment about any of the books on the list or if you want more info, I’ll post a mini review.

Jem & The Holograms #11

*The Gun Seller–Hugh Laurie*

Queen of Songs and Souls–C.L Wilson+

The Natural History of Unicorns–Chris Lavers

Crown of Crystal Flame–C.L Wilson+

+My reading list this month was much shorter than normal. The reason for this is because I read C.L Wilson’s fourth and fifth  installments of the Tairen Soul series. These books are soul books, in the sense that I can only read a few pages at a time because there are so many emotions that bubble up for me. Anyone into fantasy should read this series. DO NOT JUDGE THE BOOK BY ITS COVER. The series was published under paranormal romance and is placed in the romance section of bookstores, but it truly is a world that should stand with the fantasy greats like Jaqueline Carey and Patrick Rothfuss. The world is richly developed, the creation of Fae language would make Tolkien smile and Ellie would make a wonderful date to Gaiman’s Death. So yes, the covers are terrible, but what is inside is remarkable.

These books honestly make me realize I have shied away from the romance section because I have been judging based on covers. There are some great fantasy books that are under terrible and cheesy romance covers. This has happened before with the Kushiel series, but Carey’s work was in the fantasy section. I am happy to be proven wrong. And honestly, why the hell should I be self conscious about what strangers think about MY reading habits. They’re my books. I love them. And if you get it, then we can have a conversation. If you snub your nose at my reading selection then oh well. Too bad. You’re spending more time criticizing my reading habits when you should be forming your own, no?

Has there ever  been a book that you love but have hidden the cover on the bus or train because you felt people would judge you? Let’s start a judge me not reading list. We might find some great reads, no?

Let’s read all the books!+