December has been here for a few days now and I've been soaking up the beginnings of the holiday season. With December, besides Christmas, always comes the end of NaNoWriMo, which I am happy to say I won this year! Yep, yep, yep, Counterblow hit 50,000 words! Well, actually, over that many. I've still got a little to add, but I'm just gunna say it's in the "editing" stage at this point. That means that we all can look forward to reading the second installment of Lawrence's adventures in 2013! (I don't have any actual date yet, but I'm thinking February...) After that, I have a whole repertoire of stories to choose from for my next endeavor. I'm thinking of tackling either Evil Queen, or finally finishing that rewrite of The Journal... Do you know what I'm talking about when I toss around those titles? Of course not. Maybe I'll throw in some descriptions of those... but not now. Now is the time of Counterblow.
Also, it is the time where everyone is thinking about what gifts to give on the 25th, and I feel it is time for me to do a little product endorsement. Why not give the gift of reading this holiday with a copy of Zone-E or Happenstance? Just click the title to be taken straight to the CreateSpace e-store! (NOTE- Yes these are available on Amazon as well, but the links to CreateSpace are more handy...)
And, hey, if you like the books and want some nifty merchandise like a t-shirt or stickers, I've set up a store on Zazzle! Link ensuing: http://www.zazzle.com/samanthataylormerch
That's all for now. Enjoy the holidays, play some music, put up some decorations, and enjoy this except from Counterblow! (Be warned, I have not edited this. Also be warned that reading this is sort of a spoiler if you have not read the first book):
The alien sound of
an engine roared up the road to Miner's Hollow. As it's headlights
hit the first buildings of the small town, the strange machine was
revealed to be a fancy, black car. The residents peeped out of the
pulled back corners of curtains as they watched the contraption with
wide eyes.
Cars weren't often
seen in these parts. Such technology was only found in the big cities
– well the only two there were: Spokepsie and Rimarosa. Most towns
were content with staying behind in the times, but suddenly Miner's
Hollow was thrust into a strange combination of the two.
The engine went
silent. The lack of noise seemed eerie in the abandoned streets. The
headlights on the car died, and all the onlookers let out the
smallest sigh of dissapointment. Those, who had only moments before
stood glossy-eyed as they took in the strange spectacle, turned away
uninterested. The town went back to their nighttime business.
The sound of one of
the car's doors opening was largely ignored, as was the fact that a
tall, dark figure emerged from the vehicle. The shape of the stranger
showed that he must be a man. A beam of light emerged from him. What
would have at first seemed like a strange phenomenon soon proved
itself to be a flashlight as the figure maneuvered it around in one
hand so he could shine it's light on a scrap of paper. Once whatever
was written was taken in, the man began to move towards the
buildings, shining the light from his flashlight towards each one in
turn as if in search for something in particular. He finally stopped
before a house that seemed somehow different than all the others. It
wasn't any shabbier than the others. It seemed to be as much of a
dump as the rest of the buildings in fact. It was one story and made
out of wood so old that parts of it were rotting away by the roof.
The front door was a dark color that the man couldn't place until he
touched it. He soon found that it was caked in some kind of dirt. The
man shivered in disgust. But, this was the place he was looking for.
He would have to suck up his pride. His hand disappeared into his
dark coat for a moment and re-emerged with a white handkerchief.
After wrapping his right hand in the white cloth, he used it to knock
on the door.
It took a moment,
but soon footsteps could be heard coming up behind the door. Finally,
a slot that the man hadn't noticed before was pushed aside and two
beady, black eyes looked at him. "Yes?" the owner of the
eyes hissed. His voice was strange, obviously not human. It sounded
raspy, and each word had a hiss to it. The man had not been expecting
this. He showed his distaste in the fact by moving backwards a
little, his eyes glinting with the slightest bit of worry. "Yes?"
it hissed again, sounding rather impatient.
The man seemed to
snap back to reality. "I am looking for the sorceress, Madame
Mastik."
The creature behind
the door sniffled and narrowed his eyes. "And who is it that's
looking for her?" he snapped.
"Tell her
Undermire is here. She'll know the name. I previous contacted her by
letter." Undermire did his best to sound as condescending as he
could while he spoke. This creature – whatever it was – was
beginning to grate on his nerves. He wasn't to be suspected here. He
was to be respected. He was in charge after all. Everyone would come
to see that in time.
The creature's eyes
remained narrowed. "Wait here." The slot snapped shut once
more, and the creature's footsteps could be heard as they died away.
Undermire took a
deep breath. He unwrapped his handkerchief from his hand as he had
forgotten to do so previously. He mopped his forehead before anyone
could see that light sweat that had popped out on it. It was another
few minutes before the sounds of the creature returning hit
Undermire's ears. He quickly placed the handkerchief back where it
belonged and straightened up. He hoped his face was a blank slate.
Undermire knew that if he kept that up, the fear it instilled would
easily give him complete control. "Either that or my wallet,"
he thought. Instead of the slot opening this time, the door itself
swung inwards. The room was dim and not much could be seen at first
glance. Still, Undermire was determined to show no hesitation. He
sauntered inside with his head held high. Once he was inside, the
door was slammed shut behind him. Undermire stopped in his tracks,
not sure where he was supposed to go next.
The creature began
to walk up to him from behind, making sniffing noises as it got
closer. Undermire turned his head to examine it, tired of wondering
what it was. The creature was a human-sized rat. Its grey fur looked
grimy and clung close to the its body. Luckily, most of the body was
covered in a tattered brown suit, so not much of this had to be seen.
"And who do we
have here," a voice mused from ahead of Undermire. Unlike the
rat's, this voice was smooth, almost seductive. The owner of the
voice moved from it's spot in shadow where it had been leaning
against the wall, so it could get a closer look at Undermire. In
doing this, it revealed itself to be a large, black cat. It's
sparkling yellow eyes focused on Undermire, and he walked over to him
with a heir of grace. He wore a black suit much like Undermire's –
but much more shabby, Undermire mused – that helped him to blend in
with the shadows. "Scared?" he purred as he reached
Undermire, making sure to press his face as close to the newcomer's
as possible. He revelled in making those around him uncomfortable.
"Not in the
slightest," Undermire said, his voice calm. "Where is the
sorceress?"
"What? You
don't like us?" the cat purred, showing off a few of his claws.
His heart was set on finding a way to intimidate their new guest –
as was his goal for all who came to see the sorceress.
"Boys," a
voice erupted from further back in the room. "Leave him alone.
He's not like our usual guests. He brings very important business."
Undermire tried to
focus his eyes on where the voice had come from. As he searched, a
sudden burst of blue light brightened the room for a second. It had
looked just like lightning. As it faded away, candles that lined the
walls all the way to the back of the room were burning in its place.
The flames that adorned them even matched that same blue color. Many
of these candles were blobs of wax on their last bit of wick. The dim
flickering they gave off was just enough to light the room. It was
then quite easy for Undermire to locate the voice. Lounging by the
back wall was a woman. She sat in a large, wooden chair with her
feet, covered in boots that dissappeared up into the folds of her
dark skirts, propped on the old table that sat before her. Taking her
in for the first time, she wasn't anything extraordinary. In fact,
Undermire was a bit disappointed. He had expected an elegant woman
with a great and terrible beauty that would fit a queen – all with
the magic to match. Instead, he was faced with this woman. Madame
Mastik had pale, pasty skin. Her hair was a flat brown that looked
very dull and lanky as it fell past her shoulders and down her back.
Her face was a bit pinched looking and her nose too long (at least
for Undermire's taste). She was young, so her face was free of the
lines of age. Still, the only thing about her that could have been
considered fasinating looks-wise was her violet eyes that seemed to
glow in the candlelight.
"Welcome, Mr.
Undermire. May I ask you what has you so in need of coming to see me?
The letter you sent me wasn't very explanatory. Usually, I don't have
meetings under those circumstances, but your promises of compensation
are... tempting." Her voice had a lower tone than most of the
high-pitched ones Undermire had noticed in women, yet he couldn't
help comparing it to the Cat's, musing that the Cat's voice was much
more alluring than hers.
Undermire smiled,
focusing his ice blue eyes straight into the sorceress' purple ones.
"I need your help. You see, I've lost something that I want back
very badly, something very powerful. I have proved unable to get it
back on my own, and after much research, you have proved yourself to
be the exact help I need." His teeth glittered as he moved
closer to the sorceress. "As I said in my letter, all you have
to do is name your price. I will refuse no sum."
It was now Madame
Mastik's turn to smile. This was what she had been waiting for. She
moved her position so her feet were on the floor, and she was leaning
forward on the table. "What's your starting number?"
Undermire continued
to grin as he reached inside his coat. He pulled a bag out and threw
it into the table. It slid over to Madame Mastik and stopped right
before her nose. She grabbed it and opened it up. Inside was a
glittering pile of gold – enough gold to keep her living
comfortably for years if not her whole life. She waved to her
companions to come closer to her. As she held out the bag so they
could see it's contents, she said, "well boys, what do you say?
Are we in business with Mr. Undermire here?"
The two animals
both looked to the bag, to each other, and finally to the sorceress.
"Most definately," the cat purred. The rat nodded in
agreement.
"Splendid,"
Undermire replied.
The sorceress
motioned towards a chair that sat opposite her. "Shall we
discuss the details?"
Undermire wasted no
time in sitting down. "The sooner the better."
"So, what
exactly do you need us to retrieve for you?" Madame Mastik said
as she waved the cat and the rat away to go sit in the corner
somewhere.
"It is called
the 'Precious Stone,'" Undermire began.
"Quite
unoriginal if you ask me...," the sorceress interrupted.
"Well, I
didn't," Undermire snapped. "Now, back to the Stone. It is
currently with a man who goes by the name of Lawrence Habberdash. Sir
Lawrence if you really want to be picky about it... He currently
lives in this stupid little town called 'Olaia.'"
"Never heard
of it," Madame Mastik remarked.
Undermire was
losing his patience. "I know. It's a new town that he founded. I
doubt it's even a year old yet. Its near enough to Spokepsie that you
can't miss it. Anyway, I need you to bring me back either just
Lawrence, so he can reveal the location of the Stone, or," he
leaned forward, "if you bring me back both Lawrence and the
Stone, I'll pay you even more. A bag more that's even bigger than the
one you have now."
Madame Mastik
licked her lips. "When do we start?"
