Freshly Dusted

Update: Hello everyone! You may have noticed that updates have been farther between than normal, but that is because I have been working on a book called The Road to Requiem, for Camp NaNoWriMo this month! I am currently 30,000 words through the story after 23 days of writing it. Because I have been so busy working on this book, I have not been able to write as many short stories as I usually do.

That said, I am extremely passionate about my characters and my plotline for this novel, and I am looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

Here is an excerpt from my (unedited) prologue and a temporary cover design to hold you over until I get to writing a more official blurb/synopsis. :)

Enjoy!

Excerpt:

Ayla Wilmot, the Caretaker of the Universe, studied the malcontents before her with a steady gaze. "Do you know what kind of chaos open borders would cause to the universe?" she asked them, meeting each of their eyes before finally settling on LightWind, their leader, a representative from Sordi.

"Open borders would not cause chaos," LightWind said. He choose his words carefully, as if he knew that Ayla would leap on every hole he gave her. "Open borders would allow the universe to thrive by sharing valuable resources, magic, and technology."

Ayla considered the man, before glancing out over the waving fields she guarded. The World Between Worlds had many forms, mainly serving as a vantage point for research and approved inter-world travel. Occasionally, Ayla could intercede on behalf of God or Satan, but she tried to keep the number of people she sent back for a second chance at life to a minimum.

"LightWind, you have studied these worlds for centuries, and I can only imagine at how much your urge to travel to them has overcome your better reason. However, you know better than anyone here that there are unfinished and dangerous worlds out there, as well as worlds that could overthrow all known life in moments if they had an access point," Ayla said.

"We could keep borders closed to potentially dangerous worlds," LightWind replied.

"You would only allow underdeveloped or destroyed worlds to participate in your open borders act? What would you gain from such an action?"

"We would help them."

"With what? The representatives gathered here are from impoverished nations, scarcely surviving. Earth," and she paused, pointing to the person from the world, "Is in the middle of the Dark Ages, and no growth has been created in 500 years. If we open borders among worlds, should we expect that planet's superstition and uncleanliness to remain solely on that world? No. Those are not habits we want to spread to other worlds, especially underdeveloped ones," Ayla said.

LightWind fell silent, and as she swept her gaze across the others in the crowd, Ayla wondered if she might finally be getting through to them.

"We would need to open the doors to friendly realms of magic and heavy technology as well to allow for the underdeveloped nations," he finally said. Behind him, his followers shifted uneasily, and Ayla allowed herself a faint sensation of pleasure.

"And how do you propose that you are going to have the necessary skills to barter with extreme worlds? You are a researcher who has never traveled beyond your home world of Sordi and here. Do you have experience as an ambassador?"

"I don't, but those behind me do," LightWind said confidently. Someone cheered, and it felt like the dam gates had been broken, sending reaffirming energy surging through the crowd.

For the first time, Ayla felt uncertainty, studying the crowd and glancing back in LightWind's direction. "Do you truly believe that open borders will shape the universe for the better?" she asked him.

"Yes," he said. The others behind him murmured in approval.

Ayla sighed, and turned around, putting up a hand to keep the others from following her. "I don't trust that you are devoted to your cause," she said.

"I assure you that we are," LightWind said.

She closed her eyes to keep back the tears that threatened to fall. LightWind was a good man. "Would you die for your dream?" she asked, lifting her head as she waited for an answer.

A long moment of hesitation came, and when Ayla turned back to face the crowd, she saw that they were whispering among themselves, and he was unsure of what to say. She had ensnared him, but he should have known better than to take his grievances against the Caretaker of the Universe, second only to God and Satan.

Although, LightWind's blunt honesty had been what inspired respect in others more than anything else. His straightforwardness was why she had liked him in the first place. Her thoughts rebelled, and Ayla struggled to rein them back in. He wasn't dead yet.

Finally, LightWind stepped forward, distancing himself from the group behind him. "I can not speak on behalf of others when it comes to such a serious topic, but as for myself, I will gladly die for the next generation to have open travel and relationships among worlds."

Not even a second had passed before another individual, this time a representative from Terratretishtes stepped forward. "I will gladly die for this cause as well. And if it be a fool's errand, than so be it, and we will have learned for our history and for our future."

Edward, Earth's chief inter-world researcher, approached next. "England has no hope, yet I have found hope in the rest of the universe. I will die for this dream."

One after another, members began to step forward, until the crowd was about equally divided. Some teetered on the edge of proclaiming their undying support, and Ayla felt it important to issue a warning.

"Do not step forward if you are not truly willing to die. You will die." That decided them, and even a couple of the researchers who had approached began to look uneasy.

"Is this all?" Ayla asked. LightWind paused, turning to survey the group, counting, even as she had, under his breath.

Finally, he turned back to Ayla and nodded, to which she answered with a tightly pursed expression. "Very well. The rest of you are to return to your stations or your worlds, and allow me to speak with the others privately."

Though they seemed reluctant and disappointed, LightWind went to them, encouraging each of them to head back to where they had come from, thanking them for coming, and otherwise convincing each that they were the most important person in the World Between Worlds.

For the most part, they left in disappointment, yet with hope in their eyes and anxious glances back towards those condemned to die...the ones who shifted uneasily where they stood.

Ayla waited patiently until LightWind rejoined them, at which point she gestured for them to step back. "I'm about to offer you a deal," she said. "I will give you one chance to refuse. If you decline, go find the others out there and consider your life spared."

None spoke, so she continued. "To prove that you are serious about your cause, that you would make good ambassadors to foreign worlds, and that you have what it takes to spread your dream beyond the immediate generation, I will send you to one of four worlds, one which you are not familiar with."

Some stirred, some flinched, and satisfied with the reaction, Ayla continued. "You will never be able to leave these worlds alive again. You will have two goals. The first is to spread the word of the existence of other worlds to the people present within these four locations and study their reactions. Truly examine how they would react to information of this magnitude. Your second goal will be to appoint a successor. The successor must be a person born in the world you travel to, someone who is as passionate about your cause as you are, and is willing to take on your mantel when you die."

"You will die in these worlds, but you will have plenty of opportunities to live a full life."

"And what do we gain in return?" LightWind asked, voice catching on a nearby breeze.

"When you have convinced me that you are passionate about your cause, I will surrender these shackles to you," Ayla stated, holding up the bracelets that held the prominent sources of her power. One, white flecked with specks of gold, had been given to her by God Himself, while the other was black and streaked with grey, bestowed to her by the devil.

The price of failure for her would be high, but she had to create a bait that LightWind would not want to refuse.

LightWind smiled, confident in his choices, stepping forward. "I accept your offer."

"As do we!" someone called from behind him, and as one, the crowd roared in agreement.

Ayla closed her eyes, searching in the earth beneath her for solid stone. Moments later, the ground began to shake, and a large pillar pierced the wheat-filled fields, climbing higher and higher until it disappeared into the night sky. The others watched in awe, but Ayla had not finished.

Three more pillars climbed from their rocky home, crusting in new decorations and carvings. The four formed the points of a perfect square, equidistant from each other. "These will be the sign of our contract," Ayla said. "And by them, your descendants will know of the deal we have made."

Touching her bracelets together, she created an Opening in the universe, which she touched to the pillar, twisting as it entered the stone. The chiseling shifted accordingly, and at the bottom, the word, "Earth" appeared.


"You wanted to help underdeveloped worlds, and so I give you Earth," Ayla said. Striding towards the next pillar, about twenty feet away, she opened a second Opening, again shoving it into the stone.

The words at the bottom twisted to read, "Requiem."

"You wanted to help destroyed and warring worlds, and so I give you Requiem, a land teeming with civil war and on the verge of destruction."

Glancing at LightWind, she smiled, plucking the idea for the third world from her mind. "You said you needed to convince countries of great magical or technological power to lend their support for inter-world travel, so I give you Sordi, a combination of both."

Finally, she approached the fourth pillar, hands trembling as she opened the fourth Opening. "You vowed that you could convince the nations that could destroy the universe. I give you Widow's Mourning."

When Ayla was 100% confident that the Opening had been safely secured in the stone, she walked to the middle of the square, gesturing for LightWind to step forward. "You have one last chance to forget this entire encounter. By touching any of these portals, you accept the deal. And you can not choose Sordi, as you come from there."

"I would not have wanted it," LightWind replied. "I choose Widow's Mourning." He took a step towards the fourth pillar, lifting his hand to touch the object and thus enter the world. He hesitated, as any sane man would, but with only a last look at the sky, as if to remind himself of his dream, LightWind pressed his hand against the pillar and was sucked through the Opening.

One by one, Ayla began to assign others to the various worlds, creating a roughly equal number of people going to each. When the last woman pressed her hand against the stone of Requiem, nine people had been sent to each world, with an extra in both Widow's Mourning and Requiem.

The new silence of the World Between Worlds echoed in her ears, and Ayla crouched in the middle of her newly made square, the pain of what she had done causing what would have passed for tears from anyone else.

She had done far worse things than to lie to those who stood up to her though.

Directing her gaze to the sky, Ayla wondered what God would say about her actions, whether He would approve or disapprove. Although she had learned the most from Satan, she respected the Ruler of the World Above Worlds way more.

"I'm sorry, LightWind," she whispered into the night, before allowing a self-made breeze to carry her words and all reminders of her actions far away.

From a window in the bank she saw a furtive figure dart across the alley. In the alley he eyed her face in the window. She pursued, he led and suddenly . . . they met. Why should Loki, the god of mischief, bother arguing with a teenage mortal? What are his motives? How much time does she have left to live?

Excerpt (Prologue)

“What am I?” the formless creature thought into the glowing vapor around it, “Where am I?” It struggled to recall any ideas from its past. What was a past? Did it have one? If not, where might it find one? It should start looking. The creature moved, slowly, through the blue vapor, stumbling awkwardly on it's two legs. Looking down it saw these limbs and a thought flashed across its blank and benumbed mind.

“I am a human!” with it there came a single memory. A voice, speaking softly, its accent curious but tone warm and soothing,

“Mortal child, did you think you could defeat me? No, boy, you are too weak a being.”

“I am a boy!” the creature gasped, a rush of thoughts – some memory, other merely dream – engulfing its awakening mind. Again and again the voice returned, saying different things, each word equally precious the boy grasped hold of them and refused to let go.

“Try again. Think deeper, you are nearly there . . . Why can you not obey? . . . Forgive me . . . I understand your passion . . . That is not what I meant . . . You are a tool in my hands . . . Well done . . . Do you believe there is more to this universe than your Earth? . . . Shh, I am here . . . You are my heir . . . Trust me . . . A son to me . . .”

A sudden, blinding pain roared through the boy's consciousness as another memory, vivid and terrible, rose in his mind. He fell to his knees, gasping in the thin stillness, his mind engulfed by the memory. Dark shadows and a blazing agony. The figures of men, cloaked and masked. A sudden cry. Stillness. The sound of a man breathing. Footsteps running. A blow to the head. Swift passage of days and nights. Pain, endless pain. All of a sudden the noises and sensations ceased, making way for one last memory.

“Open your eyes. Alekos, open your eyes,” the voice said softly.

With a weak flutter the boy's eyes opened. Looking up his gaze met that of a man whose blue-green eyes shone faintly in the surrounding darkness. Little could the boy see of this man's face, yet he remembered that he loved it. A name formed on his lips, but he was too weak to say it.

“Shh, Alekos,” the man said, “I am here, I will not leave you.”

For a moment Alekos believed him. For a moment he trusted and a smile lit his face. Then a sudden deafening roar shattered the stillness and everything went black. A flash of blue lights, pain, cold, death. Alekos could feel himself falling as if into deep, ice-cold waters. There the voice followed him with one last cry.

“Fraxinus!” it screamed, then became soft once again, “I will come for you.”

And the memories ceased. Alekos, weary with the recalling of them, sank slowly to the cold ground. With a weak breath the boy repeated those words into the stillness.

“I will come for you,” the creature sighed with contentment, sinking away, once more, into an oblivion of swirling lights.