first glimpse at my writing

Wed, 07 Jun 2006 17:55:35 GMT

Prologue

Secrets Untold

“Where is it, Phoenix?”

“I’m sorry, my lord… it…”

“Don’t tell me that girl has it, Phoenix. You know the consequences I set up if you should happen to let it fall into her hands…”

“I know my lord, but-”

“But what?!”

“… she has powers, my lord. Strange powers, ones that neither you nor I possess.”

“… bring her to me, then. We shall see what power it is you speak of. Then we will take back what is rightfully mine.”

“Yes, my lord.”

~

“Lilith Aether Tiaret!”

Lilith groaned. Whenever her godmother used her full name, nothing good followed… “Yes, Aislen?” she shouted, running down the hallway, her long gown trailing on the floor, long forgotten at the sound of Aislen’s angry screech.

Aislen frowned at her. “Look at you!” she growled, “Your hair is tangled, you let your gown drag all over the floor, and… is that dirt on your cheek?!” Lilith rubbed her cheek quickly, her face flushed with her hurriedness and obvious embarrassment. “I can’t believe this! I told you just last night that we were expecting company today, a good friend of mine, and yet, here you are, a mess from head to toe!”

Lilith toed the ground, biting her lip. She hated spending her days at the Wellspring Manor. Every time her parents went off to Gaia to meet with the royal family, she was stuck with Aislen and her equally sullen husband. Aislen also had no children, which made Lilith’s time in Atlantia even less enjoyable.

Sometimes being an only child was a real inconvenience.

“I’m sorry, Aislen. I’ll go wash up before he gets here,” she answered quietly.

Aislen sighed. “Just go quickly. He’ll be here soon…”

Lilith picked up her gown and trotted back down the hall to the guest room, where she was staying for the time being. Shutting the door behind her with a soft click, she breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Aislen seemed more worried about the arrival of her guest rather than her appearance, leaving Lilith by herself.

She raised a hand to her head and with a small flick of her wrist, her hair smoothed and styled itself into an elegant knot at the nape of her neck. A few more small flicks later, her gown was hemmed and the dirt erased from her face. Thankfully her door had a lock lest Aislen walk in on her.

For generations, the Tiaret lineage had had a history of strange, unexplainable powers. Ones that had eventually ended in the death of various ancestors, but the more recent generations had become careful about them, due to the controversy of black magick, which was rampant now in southern Scotland. If Aislen ever saw her performing wandless magick, her mother wouldn’t be around to erase her memory.

She gave herself a once-over in the full-length mirror, then ventured back out into the hallway, only to hear an unfamiliar voice coming from the parlor. Seemingly, Aislen’s guest had already arrived. “Bloody hell,” she muttered, tiptoeing through the kitchen, straining her ear to listen in on the conversation.

“So, Aislen, I heard that your business has flourished quite well over these past few weeks,” a deep voice drawled.

Aislen laughed airily. “Yes, it has been quite successful. Many of the other villagers here in Atlantia have rather enjoyed our baskets. You know, my goddaughter, Lilith, is quite the basket weaver…”

Lilith rolled her eyes. She had never been one to agree to sitting still and weaving or doing needle point like other girls her age.

“That’s wonderful,” the voice commented, “I would love to meet this goddaughter of yours.”

“Oh! Lilith, dear, come here, please!” Aislen said suddenly. Lilith grimaced, mentally kicking herself for not concealing her form better. She plastered a smile on her face and walked into the parlor.

“Lilith,” Aislen began again, “I would like you to meet our guest, Phoenix Worthington.” Lilith paused a moment, then curtsied.

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” she said in an elegant tone. Aislen motioned for her to join them, so she sat gingerly in the Victorian armchair across from them.

“So,” Phoenix cleared his throat, “Miss…”

“Tiaret,” she answered for him.

“Ah, yes, Miss Tiaret. I have heard so much about you. And your parents of course. Good friends to the royal family of Gaia, am I right?”

She nodded. “Yes, that’s right…” She looked at him suspiciously. That name, Phoenix Worthington, sounded oddly familiar. Plus, few people knew about her parents’ involvement with the royal family. How had this man known when she knew nothing of him?

Phoenix gave her a look over, making her squirm uncomfortably. She could see Aislen flinch at her discomfort from the corner of her eye, but she couldn’t help it. This man was making her feel odd. Finally he said, “You look so much like your mother. Your eyes, the hair… you even have her facial expressions.”

“Pardon me,” she said in a rushed tone, getting up and exiting the parlor unceremoniously. As she left, she could hear Aislen apologizing for her behavior. She bustled around the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water and trying to slow her now pounding heart. It was clear now why his name was so familiar. Her mother’s previous consort was in the room opposite her. The one she knew for a fact scared her mother to death for reasons unexplained. She knew well enough not to ask when it made her mother so worked up.

Whatever he had come for, it couldn’t be a good thing. Her mother had never had many words to describe Phoenix, and when she did, they were not good ones. For several reasons, Lilith had felt that he was untrustworthy. This time was no different.

As quickly and quietly as she could, she scurried out of the kitchen and back to her room. Waving her hands about in a frenzy, she transformed her gown into a villager’s dress and, after considerable thought, grabbed her mother’s sapphire jewelry box and shoved it into the sachet tied to her waist belt. Then carefully, she opened her shutters, leaned on the windowsill and cautiously stepped onto the thick, gnarly branches of an old oak tree set right outside her room.

Save for a few minor mishaps and a hole in her apron, she managed to climb down the tree in one piece. She brushed herself off and turned to venture into the wood when she ran into a tall, dark figure.

“And where do you think you’re going, Miss Tiaret?” Phoenix smirked, backing her into the oak. Lilith glared at him.

“What did you come here for?” she demanded, “My mother is gone remember?”

In one swift motion, Phoenix grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, sneering as she yelped and struggled against his grip.

“Oh no, I came not for your mother, Miss Tiaret… I came here for you.”

I'm open to any and all creative critisism. *smiles*

- Ammy*

writing quotes

Wed, 07 Jun 2006 16:49:31 GMT

You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you. ~Ray Bradbury

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow

I try to leave out the parts that people skip. ~Elmore Leonard

If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison

Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say. ~Sharon O'Brien

The wastebasket is a writer's best friend. ~Isaac Bashevis Singer

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth

- Ammy*