Labotomy of a Writer

Happy Monday everyone! How was your Thanksgiving for my fellow people in the States? Black Friday go okay? I was safe (and smart) and stayed inside on Friday! Besides, I'm not a shopper type of person anyway.

Now, on to the real reason of this post! Yesterday from midnight to midnight, a few of my new friends and I participated in the 10K in a Day Blogfest on Twitter. It was a lot of fun! Today, we are posting excerpts from what we wrote yesterday!

Guess what? I got an amazing 10,122 words written yesterday!!!! That brings my NaNo total to 53,549 and I still have a few days left!

How did you guys do?

Here is my excerpt! I hope you enjoy! Remember it's first draft so don't rip it to shreds too much!

Excerpt from "Tutelage of Mortality" Book 2 of The Faery's Tale Saga

Drache lifted his head to gaze into her eyes. He balanced his weight on one elbow, and smoothed her hair with his hand. Her blue and green eyes looked at him in adoration. She was absolutely beautiful. He ached to be at home with plenty of faes running around the castle. Faes with blonde hair and blue-green eyes like hers. Her chime-like laughter and bright smile.

"I love you."

The corner of her mouth curled up. "You do?"

He nodded. "Very much so."

"I love you too."

His lips brushed over hers in a feather light kiss. He gently nipped her bottom lip before deepening the kiss. Her lips tasted sweeter than anything he had known before. She definitely was addictive; but he did not mind the addiction.

The door to their room burst open, banging against the wall. Ten year old Karina raced into the room giggling madly. She froze in the center of the room to stare at her brother and his wife.

"Are you kissing? That's so gross!"

Drache burst into laughter. "Why is that?"

Karina's face turned serious as she leaned forward. "Cooties," she whispered.

Drache and Rosyani both laughed, clutching each other in their amusement.

The young fae put her hands on her hips. "Well, it's true."

"Maybe I want cooties." Drache chuckled.

"Gross!"

Drache and Rosyani continued to laugh as they sat up and threw their feet to the floor. "Now what were you giggling about when you rushed in?"

"Uncle Cadmus and I are playing tag."

Cadmus jumped into the room and growled. Karina screamed in delight and raced under his legs out of the room. Cadmus shot them a cheesy grin before he ran after the young fae.

Go check out the other excerpts posted by everyone that participated!

Hi everyone! You read the title right, it's a blogfest of sorts (and a Twitter party)! In honor of this being my 150th post, I just had to have a party, so here is a great blogfest that's sure to be lots of fun!

The rules are very simple!

1. Sign up with the Mr. Linky below.
2. At midnight on Nov 28, start writing! (Start at midnight YOUR time)
3. Try to reach 10,000 words by midnight! (literally 24 hours of writing!)
4. On Nov 29, post an excerpt (small scene) from what you wrote on your blog! Don't forget to post your count for the day!

On the 28th, join me on Twitter as I post updates and encouragement! Use the hashtag #10KInADay. My Twitter name is @AVPergakis. If you want, leave your twitter name in a comment below so everyone can follow you!

Don't put too much stress on reaching 10,000 words in one day. Perhaps you can only get 5,000, that's great too! This idea originally started by Dawn Embers during NaNoWriMo to get going with meeting word count. I joined her in the challenge and it helped me get caught up! Use this blogfest as chance to get caught up on NaNo (or even just get a huge lead on your writing!) Just have fun with it!

Don't forget to sign up below and join us on Twitter on the 28th!



Thanks Christopher for the suggestion to make a button! Here it is! Enjoy!

It has been a while since I participated in a blogfest! I missed them but I always seem to be running late lately!

Anyway, this wonderful blogfest is hosted by Cheree Smith. The purpose of this blogfest is to put the spotlight on the side characters for a little while. One of my favorite side characters is an elf name Jardel. He's just so spunky! So, this scene is something I wrote a while back in his POV but not sure if it will stay in the book or not. (Jardel is from "The Kinir Elite Chronicles")

As expected from me - it's a long entry, but hey. Side characters need a little time in the spot light too, so Jardel can take over this blog post for a while. (For those that don't know, Jardel is an elf warrior. In this scene he and the team are going into the dwarf mines to rescue their Captain and team mate - who are the MC's in the story.)

Dawn was breaking. Jardel smiled to himself. He loved being a member of the Elite. It was going to be a great day. He enjoyed the missions and rescuing beings that needed justice. He hated all wrong doers and in joining the Elite, his dream of ridding the world of evil was one step closer to being true.

They arrived at the clearing near the secret entrance to the mines. Rakan, as the veteran of the team, took command and signaled Jardel, Tyn, and Saphierius to cause the distraction at the front entrance. They left to do as they were ordered.

"What should we do? Just run in making noise?" Tyn whispered as they quickly made their way around the base of Gorgan Mountain.

"Perhaps. Maybe set off some of sort of explosion."

"The explosion would definitely get their attention," Tyn said with a smile. Jardel whistled to Saphierius who was flying above their heads. He landed next to them and walked with them as they continued their way around the mountain.

"Saphierius, could you freeze some things down there for us once we are inside?" Jardel asked.

"Of course."

"All right. We are getting close to the entrance."

Jardel readied his bow, to take out any sentries that might be at the front entrance. There were two standing in front of two very large wooden doors. Jardel popped out from behind the bushes and fired two arrows in quick succession. The sentries fell into the dirt with barely a sound.

Saphierius blew his ice breath onto the door. Tyn did the honors of kicking the door, shattering the frozen wood into splinters. Three more dwarves were standing inside. They were momentarily stunned by the flying pieces of wood. Jardel dispatched one with his bow and Tyn ran the other two through with his sword.

The large tunnel could easily hold five elves standing side by side. Tyn ran along one side of the tunnel, Jardel on the other and Saphierius was in the middle. They made their way down the tunnel dispatching any dwarves that were in their way. The deeper they went into the mines, the more dwarves came swarming at them.

"Behind us!" Tyn yelled.

Saphierius turned around to cover their back while Tyn and Jardel tried to push their way forward. When the opportunity came up, Tyn ducked into a side tunnel, dragging Jardel with him. Saphierius followed and they ran down the tunnel, the dwarves close on their heels.

Jardel tried to remember the map from their mission planning. He remembered one of the tunnels looping back around and connecting back with the tunnel. He hoped it was this one. They came to a large cavern. They stayed on the path that ran along the edge. Below them was what appeared to be a town. They made their way around the cavern. Arrows began to fly up at them. Jardel was hit in the calf and he fell to this knees. Tyn turned around and picked him up, dragging him along. Saphierius did his best to freeze the arrows as they flew at them. The ice made them heavy and they fell short of their intended targets. The small dragon could not get to all of them and many times they had to duck in order to keep from being hit.

Tyn dragged Jardel out of the cavern into another tunnel. Jardel reached down and pulled the arrow out of his leg. He growled in pain and tore a piece of uniform. The wrapped the cloth around his leg. He nodded to Tyn to say he was ready to keep going.

He limped after Tyn down the tunnel. His memory had been right. The tunnel led them back to the main tunnel, but closer to the large cavern with the winding stairs. They quickly made their way into the cavern and started down the stairs. They saw Rakan taking up the rear as he led the faeries out of the cavern through the secret entrance. They whistled to him, to let him know they were still alive and on the chase. Rakan whistled back.

Jardel and Tyn raced their way down the stairs to join with the team. The distraction had apparently worked. Once all the faeries were in the tunnel, Aeli returned.

"Legousulip is leading the faeries to the cabin," she breathed.

"Right, let's go get the Captain and Kie."

The problem was they were cornered. The dwarves had swarmed them from both sides. Jardel and Tyn ran back up the stairs in an attempt to get some of the dwarves to chase them through the tunnels again. Rakan and Aeli went in the other direction with the same idea in mind.

Jardel led the way back to the main tunnel. He took a different side tunnel than the one they were in before. However, it was the same type of route. The tunnel led them to a cavern where there was a small village below them. No arrows flew at them this time however and they made it to the next tunnel in record time. When they joined up with the main tunnel again however, the dwarves were waiting for them. Saphierius turned the dwarves in front into ice statues and Tyn and Jardel shattered them. They slowly pushed their way forward back toward the main cavern.

They finally broke through into the large cavern. Tyn looked down, for a sign of Rakan and Aeli. They were just a little ways down the stairs from them. They pushed their way further down trying to meet up with Rakan and Aeli again. Jardel looked down as well, but spotted Derac and Kie instead.

"I spotted them!" he yelled happiness evident in his voice. They were alive. The faeries were safe and Derac and Kie were still alive. Now all they had to do was get out of the mines in one piece and all would be well.

Jardel was having fun despite the apparent grimness of the situation. Knowing that their mission was basically a success just filled him with joy. Every dwarf he dispatched was just the icing on the cake to him. It meant one less enemy to worry about. One less fight to fight. His leg burned but he ignored the pain. It was a welcome feeling as it meant he was still alive. He worked through it, intent on getting the whole team out of there alive. He would blow up the entire mountain if he could and bury the dwarves in the crushing rocks.

As he continued to fight, pushing their way to the secret tunnel, he laughed maniacally. They were going to get out - alive. Their mission was a grand success and Jardel was ecstatic about it. Aeli picked up on his good feelings and giggled a bit as well, as she fought next to him.

It's a great day to be an elf, he thought with glee. And a bad day to be a dwarf, he added kicking a dwarf in the chest, sending him over the edge. He laughed maniacally again, unable to contain the glee he felt. What is evil for him to enjoy killing the enemy? He did not think so. They were the evil ones and Jardel felt justified and righteous for killing them. He would never regret his killing all those dwarves nor would it keep him up at night. Serving justice was just much too fun to feel guilt over it and Jardel was having a lot of fun being a member of the Kinir Elite.

It has been a while since I particpated in a blogfest, at least in blogfest time. I was away from the blogosphere for a while to regroup as my brain had a total effing meltdown! (Seriously, my poor hubby didn't know what to do).

So! Character Interview Blogfest! Woot! Hosted by Sangu Mandanna. (Awesome name by the way.) Make sure you go read the other entries! The few I have read so far are great!

I had a lot of trouble writing this as ALL of my characters tried to get into the conversation. I will save that for another post, but for now, I finally got this one character to myself for a few minutes.

He was not originally going to play a major role in "The Faery's Tale Saga". He was meant as a passing character that would impact one of the main characters but he would not stick around to see it. Or so I thought. Lo and behold, he pushed his way into playing a huge role in Book 3, after his first appearance in Book 1. Which is GREAT! So anyway, here for the first time is Chakor Sonrin. (Seriously, this is my first time digging into his brain too!)

Me: Chakor! So wonderful to have you all to myself for a few minutes.

Chakor: Yes. It is crowded in here sometimes. You manage it well.

Me: Why thank you! Let's start off with some easy questions shall we? What do you look like?

Chakor: Oh, I'm ruggedly handsome of course. *wink*

Me: Umm, that really doesn't help me at all. *looks him up and down* Black eyes, black hair, tanned skin, jagged edged butterfly wings, and horns. Ahh, you are from Lizak originally then yes?

Chakor: *nods* I was an Earl there at one point. I gave it up though when I no longer wished to be part of the greed and evil in that place.

Me: And now you are the leader of a group of faeries that travel about?

Chakor: Yes. Most of them were faeries like me, that for one reason or another left home to escape something. Persecution, torment, sad memories... *shrug*

Me: Oh so you started this group then?

Chakor: *chuckles* Oh Gods no. It was there long before I was. I became leader because I was voted into the position. When they found out I was once an Earl, apparantly that was enough 'experience' to lead. *shrug* So I was nominated and voted in to the position.

Me: And then you met Letarri.

Chakor: *smiles* Yes.

Me: I'll be honest, when I first started writing this, Letarri was meant to be with Etharas.

Chakor: *smile vanishes and replaced with a snarl* Him? That's dispicable.

Me: Well, she was going to change him for the better.

Chakor: *laughs* You should know better than that! You're united, or married as you call it, yes?

Me: Well, yes.

Chakor: Then you should know that you can't change a person or any other being for that matter. They have to change on their own.

Me: *smiles* Yes, of course. He does get better though. Just for different reasons now.

Chakor: *beams with pride* It's because he doesn't get the girl as your people say?

Me: *chuckles* Yes. You could say that. So, you still haven't told me how exactly you are going to play the huge role in Book 3. I mean, you can't just show up and help Farien with the war - you have to have a solid reason.

Chakor: Letarri isn't enough of a reason to help her brother then wait for her return?

Me: Umm...well yes, but I mean -- do you love her?

Chakor: ...

Me: Uhh, okay. I'll ask something else. What was it about her that caused you to become a stronger character in this story?

Chakor: I have to pick just one thing? *sigh* Well, at first it was her naivete. I can't lie and say I was not attracted to her physically right from the beginning. It quickly became obvious that she was not wise in the ways of males. *chuckle* Then it was her strength of will. Naive though she may be, she is not stupid by any means. She knows when to stand her ground - and when to walk away.

Me: I'm sure it didn't hurt your ego any that she walked away and straight into your arms right?

Chakor: *smile* Of course not. You should have seen the look on your face too! When that scene came pouring out, *chuckle*, and how she just walked away from Etharas and straight back to me!

Me: Well it was a bit of a shock. I may be the writer, but it's your story. Like I said, I thought she would be with Etharas.

Chakor: *hisses* She deserves better than him. He may change as you say, but right now I have no respect for him.

Me: Is that only because of his relationship to Letarri or...?

Chakor: Or. Look at that character sketch you have of him again. Anyone who drinks that much - putting those around him in danger - is not worth anything in my book. Anyone who thinks they can control others, especially Letarri, is lower than the dirt under my boot.

Me: Well! Tell me how you really feel! So, you steal her heart away and then go help her brother. What prompted you to help her brother instead of just waiting for her to return?

Chakor: *shrug* I wanted to see her again. Met her brother, a strong sensible sort of faery trying to care for his family and his kingdom. I wanted to help him - and not to gain his good side to have a chance to court his sister either. Sure, that's a nice perk, but I know what it's like to struggle with leading a country or a group. Farien is a great leader and I only wished to help ease him of his heavy burden.

Me: We will flesh out more details later on that Chakor. It was so nice to get to talk to you for a few peaceful moments but I'm sure you can hear the others in the background screaming for attention too.

Chakor: Yes. They have had your attention for so long. You'd think they would let me have more than just a few minutes with you! But alas, I suppose not.

Me: Don't worry. I'll make sure to set aside more one on one time with you when I get to Book 3.

Chakor: I look forward to it. *smiles and winks*

Oh! I'm so excited about this new twist! I can't wait to learn more about Chakor! Going to be so much fun! This was a great blogfest - and perfect timing too! *goes to save a copy of this interview for future reference*

This blogfest I think was the hardest for me! But, I was in a synopsis workshop this month too so my mind was alredy thinking of "What's really important here?"

Make sure you go to Bryan's blog to see the list of the other entries! I'm pretty sure the other participants have something better than what I came up with here - after all, I did it at the last minute!

So, here we go. I wrote five different ones for this. Tell me what you guys think! This novel is the one I'm desperately trying to rewrite, and have ready to query by the end of this year - so this is perfect practice!

The Faery's Tale: Burden of Prophecy

1. Spurred by an ancient prophecy, Princess Rosyani Celter desperately tries to hang on to her new marriage as they battle old ideals rooted in ignorance and hatred.

2. Princess Rosyani Celter is thrown into an epic journey spurred by an ancient prophecy, but will her marriage survive the onslaught?

3. An ancient prophecy threatens to tear apart Rosyani's new life with a loving husband who saved her from the hatred of her sisters and his own Father.

4. Prophecy and a journey across the world threatens to tear apart Rosyani's wonderful new life with the faery that saved her from death.

5. Will Rosyani's new life, threatened by old ideals and an ancient prophecy, fall apart before it even begins?

I like #4 the best! What do you guys think? You have read the many blurbs I have put out there so you basically know the jist of the story - so please be honest and tell me what you think. I can take it! Give suggestions if you have anything better! I'll take them gladly!

Oh and on a side note - you all know that I have two other series I'm working on "The Kinir Elite Chronicles" and "The Ryn and Ciyme Adventures". I was able to get titles for the individual books the other day AND thought of plot lines for the rest of the series too!

So here they are!

"The Kinir Elite Chronicles"
Book 1: Cleansing Fire (This is the one that is already written)
Book 2: Death Air
Book 3: Water Requiem
Book 4: Earth Blood

"The Ryn and Ciyme Adventures"
Book 1: Incinerating Harmony
Book 2: Broken Ally (This is the one already written)
Book 3: Pack Bonds

I can't wait to come up with some cover art for these - esp the ones for The Kinir Elite - since their titles have elemental themes it'll be great to come up with some cover art covered in flames or raging water! And of course, I'll post them up here so you guys can see them!

Another fun blogfest! I just love these things! This is the "Let's Talk Blogfest" hosted by Roni Griffin aka "The Fiction Groupie".

I'll keep this short, as I am working on super secret project! Well okay, it's not super secret, but I will make a post about it in just a few moments, so come right back to check it out!

I had a hard time picking out a dialogue scene here but I finally settled on a cute little scene between Rosyani and her brother Farien (For those that don't know, these are characters from "The Faery's Tale: Burden of Prophecy") It's a flashback of Rosyani's as she tells her new husband why she ran away from home and why her life was so painful. (Note: It's actually a short entry! GASP!) A new character is mentioned in this scene, Isetaris - Farien's wife.

Her heart ripped from her chest as all the painful memories passed before her eyes. The sight of Eilian with another faery, her sisters chanting that terrible rhyme, her Mother taking her to all those painful doctor visits to find what was wrong.

There was a soft knock at the door and Isetaris poked her head into the room. Instead of waiting for Rosyani to welcome her in, Isetaris went over to the bed and scooped the crying princess into her arms. When Rosyani was down to hiccups, she began to tell Isetaris everything. It poured out of her like a dam had broken. Isetaris listened intently as she rubbed Rosyani's back.

"They just can't see you for how wonderful you are," Isetaris said gently.

"But why? Just because I have no powers," Rosyani hiccupped.

"Some beings just can't be nice while others are so ashamed of their own faults they have to find fault in everyone else. That's how they feel better," Isetaris explained. "You know I don't have any power either."

"Yes, but you are not supposed to. Your race is not born with a specific power. It is not the same thing."

"Yes I know. Just know Rosyani that you aren't the only one that feels left out here. Why don't you take a nap? Sleeping always helps me to feel better."

Rosyani nodded. Isetaris gave her a hug and quietly left the room. Rosyani stayed in her room for the rest of the day, but sleep eluded her. Farien came to check on her after dinner.

"I had Mrs. Dyami make you a tray since I'm sure you haven't eaten since breakfast," he said as he set the tray on the bed-side table.

"Thank you," Rosyani whispered.

"Isetaris told me what happened today. Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently.

Rosyani shook her head. "I remember when I was little - I would come to you every time I was upset. You would tell that talking about it helps the pain go away," Farien said.

"Not this time, brother," she whispered.

He sat next to her on the bed and put his arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"I love you Rosa," he said, calling her by the name that only he and their father were allowed to use.

"I love you too."

They sat that way in silence looking out the window as the sun fell below the horizon. He comforted her the best he could, but they both knew that no amount of hugs from him would make it better. Rosyani wished she could find someone like her brother, who would accept her and love her unconditionally - like he did. When he left, Rosyani lay down and cried herself to sleep.

*Auto-Posted*

The Flirt Fest Blogfest! Woot! I'll keep this intro short because of course, my entry here is a little long. The characters aren't doing the flirting as much as her Mother is - but it's really the best scene I have for this fest. These two characters flirt by trying to avoid each other so to speak, so I thought I would at least put something amusing. It is one of my favorites scenes only because I got to see Kie, a tough, female, warrior, in a softer light for a few moments.

From "The Kinir Elite Chronicles: Book 1" (Rough Draft)

The small cottage looking home stood off by itself at the end of the street. There were flowers growing in the garden and a white picket fence circled the well manicured lawn. Derac hid in the shadow of a tree in a yard a few houses down.

Kie stood at the gate, staring at the cottage. She turned around suddenly and her eyes zeroed in on him.

"Centurio, I know you're there," she called.

Derac stepped out of the shadows. "How could you possibly know?"

She smirked but turned back to looking at the cottage. Derac came up to stand by her side. "What is this place?"

"My home," she said with a small smile. "Well I suppose since you followed me here, would you like to come in?" She did not wait for his answer. Derac followed her through the gate and up the stone steps to the porch.

Kie knocked three times on the door before stepping inside.

"Matris! Patris!" Kie called. An elf came out of the one of the side doors. A smile erupted on her face when her eyes landed on Kie.

"Kierianna!" the elf said wrapping her arms tightly around Kie.

Derac smirked. He did not know Kie had a full name. He always figured Kie was her name and that was all there was to it. It made him want to laugh to know that she actually had a full, soft, female sounding name.

"Matris, it is so wonderful to see you."

"I am so glad you're home, safe and sound."

The two elves stepped out of the embrace and Kie turned to Derac. "Matris, this is Captain Derac Vidor of the Kinir Elite," she said formally. "Captain, this is my mother, Nynn Shaphros.

Derac bowed slightly. Nynn laughed and shook her hand at him. "Oh please, don't bow to me. I'm not that important. Please come in, have a seat."

She led the way into the living room and Derac made himself comfortable on one of the plush sofas.

"Thank you, madam," Derac said sitting down.

Kie's mother laughed. "Oh please, call me Nynn. Ah, and this is my husband, Wervt," she said welcoming a tall, broad elf into the room.

A smile lit up his wrinkled face. Derac had to hold back a chuckled as he watched Kie run into the old elf's arms for a tight embrace.

"My daughter. I am so glad to see you safe."

"Of course I am safe, Patris," she said with a smile. "Let me introduce, Captain Derac Vidor of the Kinir Elite."

Derac stood and the two elves shook hands.

"Wonderful, to meet you," Wervt said.

Wervt sat down next to the fireplace and lit a pipe. He offered one to Derac, but he politely declined the offer.

"So, Kierianna, tell us what has been happening to you in the past year since you have last been home," Nynn asked.

"Missions, Matris. I am not at liberty to really talk about them in detail. But I can tell you that we are doing great things for Kinir," she said with a smile.

"Of course you are darling. I am so glad to see you in proper clothes," Nynn said with a small laugh.

Kie chuckled and shook her head. Derac smirked.

Nynn heaved a sigh, "You know how I hate to see you in male's clothing."

"Normally I am in uniform. Tonight I though I would humor you." Kie said with a smile.

Derac watched Kie talk with her family with interest. He had rarely seen her genuinely smile in the last year that he had know her. Now, her whole face was lit up, even her eyes sparkled.

"Captain, would like some supper? It is just about ready."

Derac looked to Kie for permission before accepting such an offer. "Yes, Matris. Supper sounds wonderful. I'll help you." Kie and her mother went into the kitchen, leaving Derac with Kie's father.

"Captain Vidor. I have heard great things about you," Wervt said.

"Truly?"

"Yes. Kierianna mentions you often in her letters to us." Derac was shocked. His memory had no recollection of Kie ever writing letters.

"She does? Hm." He did not know what to say. It was odd to be in Kie's family home surrounded by her loving parents. Kie was a warrior and he had never known her as anything else. This side of her was new and Derac was not sure how to act in the situation. It had been a long time for him since he had been in a comfortable home. For fifteen years it had always been the Elite headquarters for him. Home seemed like a foreign thing to him now.

Kie's house was full of comfort, love, and warmth. The sofas were well worn but clean and the rugs showed years of use. A book lay open on a chair and knitting lay discarded in a basket on the floor. The scents of the cooking supper wafted through the house, adding to the homey feel of the place.

Nynn came back into the room and announced dinner was ready. Derac followed her into the dinning room. The table was small, only able to seat six people. Again something homey about the house. The dining room was set up to be close, the family all sitting around talking about their day. It was a very personal setting and Derac felt out of place. This was Kie's place, her safe haven and he felt wrong for following her there. It was like he was invading her space.

Wervt said thanks to the gods and then began to pass around the plates full of steaming food.

"This looks wonderful. It has been a long time since I had a home cooked meal." Derac smiled.

"You poor thing! You will just have to visit more often," Nynn said with a look to Kie.

"Yes, Matris. I know I should visit more often. But the missions keep me busy."

Nynn sighed, "Yes I know. You want to save the world." She reached out and squeezed Kie's hand. Kie smiled at the elf and gripped her hand in return.

"How did you decide to become Elite, Captain?" Wervt asked.

"It was something I had always wanted to do. I was accepted into the training, passed with honors..." Derac shrugged.

"You love the thrill of the hunt?" Wervt said with a smile.

Derac smiled in return, "Yes. But really it is the thrill of success. The beings that I save, that is what makes all the sacrifice worth it. Keeps me going." He nodded in affirmation.

Supper progressed with pleasant small talk. Kie and her mother never let go of each others' hand. It was a sweet gesture that made Derac smile. The hard exterior that was Kie had faded. She was relaxed, carefree, and joyous. It was a beautiful sight. Derac found himself smiling easily as well, the atmosphere of the place making him feel relaxed and safe.

After supper they made their way back to the living room. Nynn served wine and they sat in comfortable silence for a few moments.

"So, Kie when are you going to get married?" Nynn asked suddenly.

Kie choked on her wine. "Matris!" She sent an apologetic smile to Derac.

"What? It's hard not to think of such things when you being home such a nice and handsome elf."

This time Derac choked. Kie sent another apologetic smile to him. "Matris, please. Captain Vidor is just that, my Captain. Besides, it would be wrong of us to be together," Kie said exasperated.

"Oh tosh," Nynn said with a wave of her hand. "Love is love, there are no rules."

Kie gave her mother a glare. She giggled into her wine but dropped the subject. Derac was slightly amused by the whole thing.

I know it's late - hubby, the little man, and I are all sick with chest colds. NOT FUN! But, I still had to make a post as this is fun and relaxing for me, so here we go!

The Internal Conflict Blogfest by Jessica Bell! It was a hard choice deciding which novel to take my excerpt from. I even thought to write something brand new so that I would have to choose.

I finally settled on something from "The Adventures of Ryn and Ciyme". You guys remember learning about Ryn from my entry for the "Bad Girl Blogfest". Well, this is from R'av's POV - the guy she beat up!

Scene: It is dawn, Ciyme convinced Ryn to allow R'av to travel with them to defeat the Snake People. It really cements R'av as a character here and everything he does following this is based on his thoughts here. Remember Ciyme and Molten are tiny dragons!

He watched Ryn with interest as they ate breakfast and packed up camp. Her purple hair was a bit dirty but it still looked like violet silk. She had dark circles around her eyes and for the past two days he’d watched her posture become worse and worse.

Ciyme had told him what happened to her father and her brother and he wondered how she soldiered on. He remembered when his wife was murdered that he wasn’t able to get out of bed for days.

He felt so guilty that he froze up when the snake people attacked the day before. Seeing Ryn trying to fight them made him think of his wife. She was unable to fight and her death was met without resistance. R’av, outnumbered seven to one, was unable to save her. He couldn’t remember exactly how long ago it was that he lost her. It seemed like eternity when in fact it had only been only a year.

R’av, a Duke at the time, gave up his title and left all his possessions behind – wanting nothing that reminded him of his life with her.

As they traveled that day, he kept his eye on their surroundings. He had to protect Ryn – to redeem himself. She was a strong girl but if something happened to her it would be his undoing. Losing the woman he loved was hard but losing another would snap the final string that R’av was desperately holding onto.

“R’av, do not think so hard. It will boil the blood in your brain,” Molten whispered.

“Very funny. Just for your information, I’m not thinking. I’m watching.”

“Yes, but what, or should I say who, are you watching?”

R’av rolled his eyes. “I’m watching out for snake people as you should be also.”

Molten took flight, flying above the trees to get a clear view of the landscape. R’av returned to thinking about Ryn.

She was different than any woman he’d ever met. R’av wasn’t sure how to act around her. Any attempts made to be a gentlemen was met with sarcasm and disdain. He wanted to know why that was. Even if she was so independent, surely any other woman wouldn’t turn down niceties from a man.

R’av wondered if something had happened to her that made her hate men. He dismissed the thought quickly when he remembered that she didn’t act that way towards Y’ron. She cared deeply for the skinny waif and R’av wondered what it was about him that made her hate him so much.

He was about to ask her but quickly shut his mouth again. Suddenly, he wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to know the answer.

They crossed the boarder from Fernan into Hithin. The scenery gradually changed from forest to fields of bean plants. Ciyme began picking beans and brining them to Ryn who smiled and ate them raw.

R’av liked her smile. It was bit crooked and her teeth weren’t perfectly straight but it was still beautiful. Her smile lifted the look of misery from her face for a few seconds and in that moment she lit up and glowed.

“You’re staring,” Molten said, flying just above R’av’s head.

“Please. Would you bugger off?”

Molten laughed – that sounded like a drum roll – and flew ahead of them to see the land.

They came to a fork in the road and Ryn stopped her horse.

“Something wrong?” R’av asked reaching for his sword.

Make sure you check out the other entries! They are sure to be great!

And check out my guest post at Wicked Writers about research!

Okay, the rules of this awesome blogfest was to take a book and write a scene for it that could be considered as a "deleted scene" or a "could have been scene". Well, I could not choose a book! I just can't write about characters that are not my own. Well I can, but it's very hard and takes a lot of work for me.

So, I am going to break the rules a little bit here and post up a deleted scene from one of MY own books.

Make sure you go read the other entries at Mia's blog, Literary Jam and Toast! I'm sure they will be great (and following the rules)!

This scene comes from "The Faery's Tale: Burden of Prophecy" (Yes! Part One has an official title now woot!) I took it out literally just yesterday! You all know from reading previous excerpts that Rosyani and Drache "unite" (get married). Well this is their actual ceremony. I took it out of the story because while it's great, it slowed down the plot. So, I had to take it out. But, now it is here for you all to enjoy!

Set up: Drache's Father sentenced Rosyani to death. Drache saved her and nursed her back to health. He feels the only way to protect her from the wrath of his Father is to make her his wife. This scene happens just after she says yes to his proposal. (As always, it is a bit long. I won't be offended if you don't read the entire thing!)

At nightfall, Drache snuck Rosyani into the castle. They flew over head to avoid the guards and went through the open window to Drache's bedroom. She felt odd being in his room, so she stayed close to the window.

"Wait here," he whispered. He stepped out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Curosity got the best of her and she slowly began to walk about his room. Her eyes noticed the small toys on the floor by the fireplace first. She smiled as she envisioned Drache on the floor playing with this sister. She scanned the rest of the room noticing how the bed was not made and his clothes hung out of the wardrobe. It reminded her of her own room. She hated the servants coming into her personal space, only allowing them to clean every once in a while.

She shook her head to keep her thoughts from drifting into more thoughts of home. She sat in one of the plush chairs by the fire and continued to take in the details of Drache's room. Paintings hung on the wall, but she did not recognize the characters depicted in the artwork. She wondered if they were Drache's family or characters from heroic legends.

Rosyani dozed off and was startled when Drache came back into the room. Another faery was with him but she waited by the door.

"Let's go," he whispered. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the hallway. The other faery followed behind them. "This is Tosca, you remember her?" he said as he tiptoed down the hallway. "She's our witness," he explained.

"We are uniting right now?" she squeeked.

Drache stopped at the top of the stair case and turned to look at her. "It's the..." He struggled for the right words.

"It must be done in haste, Princess. The sooner the better. Then you can move into the castle and begin your new life." Tosca smiled.

Rosyani slowly nodded. Drache squeezed her hand then led her down the stairs. Rosyani struggled to keep up with his pace. He was practicially running down the halls. They came upon a set of large double doors, ornately carved with beautiful designs. Rosyani assumed the center piece was the Kestar crest.

Drache pulled open the doors and stepped inside. He held the doors to keep them from slamming shut. Rosyani surveyed the small room. She guessed it was the family's private temple. There were only enough seats for maybe twenty faeries but the temple was still elaborately decorated. Gold filigree glittered on the walls and the back of the pews. The pews had velvet cushions and backs for plenty of comfort. Blue silk hung on the back wall behind the gold Circross, the symbol of the Gods.

Drache grabbed her hand again and led her down the blue velvet aisle. Their footsteps whispered and echoed off the vaulted ceiling as they made their way to the small altar. Tosca took her seat in the front row and the Priest and Priestess appeared from behind the blue satin wall.

Rosyani felt guilty for she was sure Drache had to wake them up for perform the ceremony. She did not have time to be nervous as the Priest and Priestess began the ceremony.

"We are gathered here to join these two faeries in the ties of union," the Priest said softly. "We will begin by making the pendants they shall wear as a symbol of their devotion."

The Priestess stepped forward and opened a small box that sat on the altar. She pulled out two small vials and a knife. She handed one vial to Drache and the other to Rosyani.

"As is tradition they will now fill the vials with their own blood, to show that they are bound to only each other." The Priestess handed the knife to Drache.

He kissed the handle of the knife first.He slid the blade across his palm as he said the vows. "I, Drache Akual Kestar take you to be my wife." He put a few drops of his blood into the vial then continued. "My blood I give to you as a symbol of my devotion, honor, and love." He kissed the handle of the knife again then handed it to Rosyani.

The Priestess wrapped a bandage around his hand as Rosyani kissed the handle and ran the blade across her own palm. "I, Rosyani Nidea Celter, take you to be my husband. My blood I give to you as a symbol of my devotion, faithfulness, and love." She kissed the handle of the knife a second time then handed it to the Priestess.

The Priest gently bandaged her hand then stood next to the Priestess. They each held one of the vials in their hand and sealed them with their powers. They hung the vials from silver chains and handed them back to the bride and groom.

"These seals will never break or wear away. Give each other the pendants as a seal of the promises you have stated before the witness here."

Drache wrapped the pendant around Rosyani's neck and said, "This promise I make, sealed with my blood."

Rosyani repeated the words as she wrapped the pendant around his neck.

"By trading of blood, they have promised to honor and love each other till the day of their deaths. The witness here has seen and heard this promise," the Priestess said.

The Priest and Priestess glasped hands then raised their arms to the sky. "May the Gods bless you. We prounced these two beings united!"

"Prince Kestar, heir to the throne of Enthril, you may kiss your wife and Queen," the Priest said with a smile.

Drache did not hesitate to lean in and plant a small kiss on Rosyani's lips. Tosca stood and clapped, tears sparkling in her eyes. Drache thanked the Priest and the Priestess and led the Rosyani out of the temple. Tosca wrapped him up into a hug once they were back in the hallway.

"You have grown to be a wonderful faery, Drache. I am so proud of you."

Rosyani stood to the side looking at her pendant. It was all so sudden and she was not sure how to feel or what to think. She was united, she was someone's wife. She never thought it would happen. Now here she was, Princess Kestar.

She was startled out of her thoughts when Drache grabbed her hand.

"You feel all right?"

"Yes," she said with a smile.

"Let's get some sleep. I'll show you the castle in the morning."

Rosyani suddenly realized that they would share a bed. Drache must have just thought of that too for the smile faded from his face and he chewed on his bottom lip.

He squeezed her hand and led her back upstairs, at a much slower pace this time. Rosyani felt a little dizzy. Drache was her husband and she should not feel nervous about sleeping in the same bed as him, but she was. Everything happened so fast, it really had not sunk in that she was united, that it was all right for them to share a bed.

Drache opened the door to his room and she slowly stepped inside. He shut the door then leaned against it. He stayed there, obviously just as nervous as she was.

"If...if you would feel comfortable..."

"No, it is all right. Just still sinking in." She giggled nervously. She turned her back to him. "Could you, uh, help me with the buttons, your highness?"

"S..sure." She could feel his hands shaking as he unbuttoned the tiny buttons. She smiled to herself, finding comfort in the fact that she was not he only one that felt a bit out of sorts. "You know, you can call me Drache now. We are united after all." He took a step back when all the buttons were undone.

She giggled. "Yes. Thank you."

She hesitated before taking the dress off. She felt his eyes on her as she gently laid the dress over the back of one of the chairs. When she looked at him, he stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his feet planted firmly to the floor. Rosyani held back a giggle. He looked like he was ready for an attack, as if at any moment she was going to tackle him.

She took the time to straighted the covers of the bed before climbing in.

"Drache? Are you...coming to bed?"

He shook his head and sucked in a breath. With more speed than she thought was possible, he took off his belt and tunic and threw his boots into the corner. Rosyani could not help but stare at his lean muscular body as he went about the room blowing out the candles and turning off the lanterns.

He crawled into bed next to her and sank into the pillows. The moon shone through the window allowing her to see the outline of his face. He was handsome and kind, compassionate; all the things Rosyani had ever wanted in a husband. He was right, they would be happy together.

Timidly she reached out and wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. His body tensed for a moment before he relaxed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She meant it only to be a hug but she fell asleep to the steady rhythm of his heart beat.

Yay for another blogfest! This is the Bad Girl Blogfest hosted by the awesome Write Runner (Andrew). Make sure you go check out the other entries, they are going to be awesome, I'm sure!

Here is what Andrew said about the blogfest::

So, what is a Bad Girl? Do you have a female character who’s a little bit mean? Haughty? Conniving? Wretched? Does she lie? Cheat? Steal? Is she on the run from the Law? Or is she an Enforcer, dealing out Justice to those who deserve it? Bad Girls come in all shapes and sizes, from the not-so-innocent schoolgirl to the mad Empress of your fantasy Kingdom. Does she think she’s better than everyone, and that the world owes her something? Does she shoot first and ask questions later? We know they’re out there, haunting nightclubs and stalking graveyards, mixing potions and casting spells, hacking bank computers and pushing drugs, you name it. There’s no end to the variety of good-girls-gone-bad out there. Bring it on!

So, here is my entry, from "The Adventures of Ryn and Ciyme". As it always seems, this is a rough draft from NaNo 2008. I haven't gone back to it yet, as I am focusing on other things!

As she knelt to make the fire, a black horse rode into their camp. The rider sat tall in the saddle, the muscles in his arms flexing as he tried to rein in his horse. His long jet black hair was tied back with a thong and his piercing black eyes were looking straight at Ryn. She was frozen with shock and fear.

“Lady, what are you doing traveling without an escort?” he demanded. His voice was deep and rough but Ryn didn’t seem to notice.

“What makes you think I need an escort?” she said returning to her work. He suddenly was no longer appealing to her.

“All ladies need escorts to protect them from other men and wild animals,” he said matter of fact.

Ryn snorted. “Oh that’s right. Women are so stupid that couldn’t possibly take care of themselves. Go away stranger.” The wood sparked and she gently blew on it to get the fire going. She added firewood before she noticed that the stranger had not moved.

“I told you to leave. You’ll regret it if you don’t,” Ryn said.

The man dismounted, with a smooth grace that even Ryn was jealous of. “I couldn’t possibly leave you without an escort, Lady. What kind of man would I be?”

“A smart one,” Ryn said just as Ciyme came down from a tree branch.

“Ah-ha!” Ciyme yelled before setting fire to the man’s hair.

He calmly patted out the flames before pulling out a bottle of tonic. He sighed with irritation as he put three drops on his hair. Ryn was wondering how and why he had the hair growth tonic when a black dragon the same size as Ciyme flew out of his saddle bag.

He attacked Ciyme and the two tiny dragons fought in the air.

“Ciyme! Stop! Don’t fight him!”

“Molten! Let her go! Stop that!”

The two dragons stopped in mid air, looked at each other, then flew back to sit on the shoulders of their pets.

“Are you alright Ciyme?”

“Yes I’m fine,” Ciyme said out of breath.

“Now, please before anyone gets hurt. Will you just leave?”

“I told you I can’t do that.” He turned to unpack his horse.

Ryn lost her patience with the man and drew her sword. Without giving him warning she lunged. He easily dodged her attack and in the same movement drew his own sword.

Molten and Ciyme settled on the stranger’s horse to watch.

Ryn was having trouble fighting this man. He was so strong that with every block, she felt the force of it in her entire body. Her arms were getting sore but she was not going to let him win.

“Who do you think will be the victor?” Molten asked Ciyme. His voice sounded like drums beating in a flourish.

“Ryn, my pet. She’s a mean fighter and she would never let a man beat her anyway. She’ll fight dirty I’m sure.” Ciyme said proudly.

As if she heard Ciyme, Ryn kneed the man in the groin. He bent over in pain just long enough for Ryn to hit him over the head with the hilt of her sword. He fell into the dirt and Ryn quickly grabbed the rope, tying his ankles and wrists together.

“I could easily untie him,” Molten said.

Ciyme pounced on the black dragon before he could take flight. They fell off the horse and into the dirt. They rolled around for a few moments before Ryn went over and picked them both up.

“You aren’t going to do anything,” she said. She wrapped Molten up in a sac then hung him from a tree.

Then she went to investigate the stranger’s horse. As she was looking through his bags, he came to.

“Hey! What is going on here?” he demanded still lying in the dirt.

“You were beaten by a girl.”

“You didn’t stick to the rules of warfare.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Was that not lady like? I’ll have to work on that,” Ryn said sarcastically as she continued to rummage through his things.

“Ryn! What happened here? I’m gone for thirty minutes and you tie up a man!” Y’ron said stepping into the small clearing with two rabbits in his hand.

“This pompous man insisted that I needed an escort. I tried to tell him I don’t need one but he refused to leave so I subdued him.”

“Ryn, you are the weirdest girl.”

“I know.”

Tada! I hope you like it. Ryn is definately one of my favorite characters, she's just so spunky.

Another blogfest! Woot! I just love these things! This is the Primal Scream Blogfest hosted by the wonderful Raquel Byrnes. Make sure you read the other entries!

Many of you remember reading my entry for the Last Line Blogfest! I decided to be nice and post the "inciting incident" - well one of them - and give you all another look at who Palto and Kie are. So, here we go! Again, it's the first rough draft so...

Instead of going to bed as ordered, Kie gathered her things and made her way to the bath house. The large bath house was split into two areas, one for females and one for males. The place was always welcoming to Kie. The stone floors were somehow always warm and Kie loved to walk on them with bare feet. Steam and sweet incense filled the air, making for a very calm atmosphere.

Kie inhaled deeply. The lavendar and vanilla in the air made her mind clear and her soul calm.

Kie undressed and slowly stepped into the steaming water of the. She sighed in relief as the warm water enveloped her and loosened the stress in her muscles. Lilies floated on the surface of the water and they flaoted near her to tickle her skin.

"Kierianna Shaphros."

Kie looked over her shoulder to see Palto looking down at her with hungry eyes.

"Commander, how may I help you?"

"Oh there are so many ways." He eyed her hungrily and licked his lips.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Ya know Kie, there are so many reasons why we should be together." Palto laid down on his stomach so that his lips were mere inches from her ear. "I am a very powerful elf."

"You are the Mission Commander."

"Oh no my pet, I am more powerful than that."

Kie felt the water turn cold. What did he mean? Regarless of his meaning, the thought of partnering with Palto in any way, made Kie sick to her stomach. She tried to keep herself from shivering in the suddenly cold water, but she tembled anyway.

"Ahh, so you do like power."

"With all do respect, Commander, power does not impress me."

"It should. You should seriously consider a partnership with me," he whispered in her ear.

Kie could feel bile rising in the back of her throat. "What would I gain from that?"

"Power of your own. A powerful partner. What better arrangement is there?" Palto chuckled.

"Again, power does not impress me. I have no need or want of it."

"Mmm, why don't you think about? We'll talk again after the mission. The events that happen might cause you to change your mind."

"What events?"

"You'll see. Just pay close attention to what is going on around you. The mission will help you to decide. Trust me, darling." Palto kissed her neck before Kie could react. He left the room as mysteriously as he arrived.

Kie looked around to make sure he was gone. The began to scrub her skin, disgusted by what had happened. She continued scrubbing even after her skin turned red.

So, there it is. Just to give you some insite - the Last Line blog fest scene is towards the end of the story and this one here is in the beginning - so there are plenty of other evil happenings inbetween! Mwahaha!

Hi, my name is Harley and I'm a blogfestaholic - oh wait, that's something else.

Yay for another blogfest, hosted by the lovely Lilah Pierce! I have been waiting for this one for a long time - so excited.

So it's not the end of the novel, but it is the end of a chapter, with a great cliffhanger. It's from my novel "The Kinir Elite Chronicles" Book 1" (Seriously need an actual title for it).

What you say? Not from "The Faery's Tale"? I know! I figured I use that novel so often for blogfests that I would go with a different one this time around! It's the rough draft, so be gentle with your comments! I know it needs work to really make some strong emotions, but it works for now!

So here we go - and make sure you read the other entries! I bet they are going to be awesome!


"Why are you seeking revenge? Did you wife leave you for some elf?" he asked, trying to keep the wizard distracted.

Takurix stilled, every muscles in his body was tense. In a flash, he whirled around and put a knife to Derac's throat.

"You have no right to talk about my wife you elf!" he screamed. "No right!"

Derac leaned his head back trying to avoid the sharp blade that rested on his neck.

"It's your fault she's gone! You killed her! You raped her, took her soul, but that wasn't enough! You took every thing!" the wizard screamed, his voice high pitched and cracking. "Do you know what it's like to watch the woman you love more than any thing in the world die right before your eyes?"

Derac lowered his head to look Takurix directly in the eye. He no longer cared about the knife at his throat.

"I watched as she burned to death. Her flesh fell of her bones and she fell into the cold snow, charred and lifeless. I know exactly what it's like," he said through clenched teeth.

He felt the pressure of the knife come off his neck, but only a little.

"How did you deal with not having a chance to seek revenge from a fire?"

Derac lowered his eyes. He was certain he was going to die, so why lie? The story was going to come out eventually. Maybe it would sway the desperate wizard to spare his life. Derac doubted it.

"I did. Humans set fire to our headquarters building where she and I lived. I chased the ones responsible for three weeks. When I found them, I tied them up in their cabin. I poured water over them and in a circle around them and set the cabin on fire."

"I bet you enjoyed the sight,"

Derac slowly shook his head, still well aware of the knife at his throat.

"No. After it was done, she was still dead. It did not matter what I did, she was not coming back. All it did was make me full of guilt for even though they stole her from me, I was no better as I took them from their wives and mothers just as quickly," Derac said sadly.

Takurix stepped away from his with wide eyes. Derac hung his head, a tear escaping his eyes. Takurix backed up until his back hit the edge of the table. The knife was still in his hand and Derac waited for the wizard to throw it at his chest. He thought of Kie then. He loved her, he finally admitted to himself. He regretted not telling her before. Now, he would never have the chance.

Takurix threw the knife down and collapsed to the floor. He was on his hands and knees, gasping for breath. His body shook uncontrollably. Derac had been there. The total realization that she was not coming back hit harder than watching her die. He did not say anything and let the wizard have his moment in peace.

"How...how do you deal with the pain?"

"I didn't. I hurt every day for ten years. I had been a member of the Elite for five years then. Young and in love," Derac sighed. Memories flashed through his mind as he remembered those times. He sighed again. "But when you're ready to move on and let her rest in peace, the pain goes away a little bit. Nothing will ever replace her, but there is time and room for new love," he said softly.

Takurix looked up at Derac and stared at him intently. He stood back on his feet but kept looking at Derac. Derac watched the wizard's facial expressions change from anger, to confusion, to realization. Finally, Takurix shook his head and stepped up to Derac. On reflex, Derac's muscles tensed up but he relaxed when he realized the wizard was unlatching the restraints. Once they were undone, Derac stepped onto the floor and look at him.

"Go to her," Takurix said softly. "I could tell you loved her when I showed her to you." He waved his hand in a circular motion again towards the mirror. "Just step through," he said softly.

The image that appeared in the glass made Derac fill with a murderous rage.

Palto was leaning over Kie's body. Derac watched in horror as he kissed her neck and tore open her shirt. She did not fight back.

Okay, I'm posting this early since there is another blogfest going on tomorrow too! Oi! Got a bunch of them coming up this week!

Anyway, this one is for a baking/cooking scene! Woot! My scene is a deleted scene from "The Faery's Tale" The beginning at one time was completely different than it is now, so this is the deleted, will never be used again, so thanks to Charity for giving me a chance to share it!

Check out the other entries for this here!

**The Scene - for those that know and have been readin the excerpts I put up lately, about Rosyani and Drache you know their relationship status and what not. Anyway, in this version, Rosyani got a job at a tavern and has her own house in Enthril - hiding from the King and her family. Drache comes over to have dinner with her once a week. Here is the scene**

She opened the door and saw a large shopping bag with feet. Drache popped his head over the bag with a smile.

“Hello. I brought dinner," he said.

“But I already have groceries.”

“Yes, but I thought tonight I would cook.”

“You can cook?”

“Of course.” Rosyani cocked her eyebrow at him. “Okay fine. I spent the whole day with the cook.”

“That is kinda sweet.”

“You know, working at the tavern has ruined your vocabulary.”

She smiled sweetly. “Thanks.”

Drache rolled his eyes and headed for the kitchen. Rosyani sat at the table to watch him attempt to cook. She found the whole ordeal amusing. It was the first time she had seen him second guess himself as he tried to remember the ingrediants.

Drache finally sat a plate in front of her.

“Oh goodness,” she whispered. “What is this?”

“Stew,” he said matter of fact.

She hesitated before picking up her spoon. It looked nothing like stew. It looked like something she would find on the side of the road. However, she didn’t want to hurt Drache’s feelings. After all, it was his first try.

Taking a small spoonful to her lips, she prayed for courage. She had to fight the urge to spit it out but she managed to swallow it.

She smiled at Drache who smiled back, looking pleased with himself. He scooped a huge spoonful into his mouth and quickly spit it out. Rosyani couldn’t help herself and burst out laughing.

“Sorry,” he said.

“No. It is fine. Truly. Just not my taste is all.

“Liar. I don’t understand what I did wrong.”

He looked down at his plate with the saddest look Rosyani had ever seen. She giggled.

“I think you just added too much spice then overcooked it. Otherwise it is great.”

“Sure. Are you still going to eat it?”

“Goodness no!” she laughed.

“That’s what I thought.”

He cleared the plates and put them in the sink.

“Here, we will start with something simple.” She smiled.

She took out bread, meat slices, cheese, and lettuce. She set the supplies on the counter before getting all the utensils she would need.

“Okay, what we are going to make is called a ‘sandwich’. You take this - called a ‘knife’…”

“Very funny,” Drache said crossing his arms.

She smiled innocently then handed him the knife. Drache made the sandwiches while Rosyani talked him through the process. Once back at the table, Drache seemed proud of himself.

Yes, the day is finally here! I have to say I scrambled to put my own entry together! I know, I'm terrible! I almost missed my own blogfest!

Anyway, don't forget to check out the other entries! I'm sure they are great!

Here is mine - I had to take out the dialogue and edit the scene a bit for this - so let me know if you think it works this way or not.

(Etharas is tied to an iron stake in a tent)

He kicked himself again. If he had been able to stay alert, they would not have been captured. Drache would have found them with the grenan leaves and Letarri certainly would be fine. He had no way of knowing if she was still alive or not and without his powers, he could not find out. He thought about fighting against the iron and trying anyway, at least to gain knowledge of her well being. He shook his head. He could die trying making it a wasted effort.

Sefiya entered the tent with another tray in her hands. She set it on the ground next to Etharas. She filled the spoon and held it up to his lips.

He quirked an eybrow at her in question. She nodded. He rolled his eyes and turned away from her. He heard the spoon clank to the tray and he turned to look at her again. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she looked at him in question. Would he eat or not? He wished he could but the iron made his stomach roll.

She lowered her gaze and played with the poon. She looked back at him, her eyes gentle, and for a moment Etharas thought she would untie him. She raised a glass of water to his lips. He gazed at her over the brim of the cup, trying to read her face. She must have changed her mind about untying him as her eyes hardened once again and she left the tent. He sighed and wished he could have a real drink. At least it would ease his head ache.

So there you go, my scene! It did have a bit of dialogue the original way, but I sort of like it this way! I might leave it!

Yay! Yet another blogfest! I just love these things! This one is thanks to Tara, over at Secret Story! Make sure you check out the other entries too!

Okay, to set you up a little bit, many of you remember the beginning part of this in an earlier post I made about listening to your characters and compared two scenes. This is what happens after that! (And since I'm awesome, if you want to read the beginning part of this, you can find it here. It's the second half of the post, in purple font.)

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He caught sight of Letarri coming back into the tavern. She looked a little more steady on her feet but not much. She wobbled through the crowd but was stopped by a tall faery. Etharas nudged Cadmus to get his attention. The faery was talking to her and she responded back. Seemed innocent enough, but Etharas kept an eye on them just to be sure. He did not know the type of faeries that came to this tavern.

Letarri leaned against a chair for support. Her eyes were half closed, almost in a seductive way. Etharas’s senses were on full alert. He doubted any other male would see that look for what is was - a first time drinker feeling the effects of three shots of Caderis. They would see her teetering as a sign that she was trying to get closer to them, not keep her balance.

“Think we should go get her?” Cadmus asked.

“No. Not until he tries something. I don’t want to cause a ruckus if there is no reason.”

He probed Letarri’s mind for her thoughts. Even in her brain she sounded slurred and drunk.

“Why is he talking to me? I don’t know him. Where is Etharas? What did he just say? Wants me to go upstairs?”

Etharas stiffened but stayed in his seat. He saw her mouth from the words “No thank you.” The faery apparently did not want to take no as an answer and continued to push the issue.

“Is he stupid? I just said no. I wish I could move. Why aren’t my feet working?”

Etharas decided enough was enough. She was too drunk to control the situation. He slid off the barstool and made his way over to them. He slid his arm around her waist and smiled down at her.

“Hello, love! I have been looking for you everywhere.”

“What?” she mumbled. “Love? Gods his arms are strong.” She leaned into him and his grip on her waist tightened. She giggled seductively into his ear.

“I should get her to bed,” he said to the faery with a laugh. He started to half carry, half drag Letarri away.

The faery tapped him on the shoulder. When Etharas turned back around, his face met with the faery’s fist. He and Letarri fell back into one of the tables.

Etharas stood back up and spit the blood from his mouth. “I don’t want any trouble. Just want to get my lady up to bed.”

“His lady? Is he talking about me? Oh if only.” Letarri giggled.

Momentarily caught off guard by Letarri’s thoughts, he took another punch to the face. Cadmus came over and gathered Letarri from the floor where she sat.

Once Letarri was out of the way, Etharas swung back. The faery crashed into the table behind him. The patrons gathered around them, chanting for more blood. Etharas knew that bets were being made about who would win the fight.

The faery stood back up. Blood trickled from a cut on his forehead and he was already showing signs of a black eye. Etharas probed the mind of the faery and easily dodged the next swing.

The fight went on like that for a few moments, the faery swinging and Etharas ducking. Etharas dodged another and when he stood back to his full height, he swung his left fist into the jaw of the faery. Etharas counted on the fact the faery was much drunker than he was.

Etharas was surprised when the faery stood back up though. This time Etharas hit him with a right hook and the faery stayed down.

A second faery stepped forward to defend his friend. Etharas rolled his eyes and groaned. He hated this part of any fight. He stopped paying attention to what punch was thrown and merely concentrated on not getting hit. He spread out his power into the minds of all of the patrons to make sure no one snuck up on him.

Cadmus apparently had gotten into the fight after he made sure Letarri was safely curled up on the stairs.

Etharas was so lost in the sea of punches and kicks that he failed to notice the fire that had started before it was almost too late. As if in slow motion, he watched the fire eat its way across the bar to all the liquor bottles.

“Every one get out of here!” he yelled.

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Tada! Etharas is definitely one of my favorite characters. He's just so much fun to write! His telepathy makes for some really fun scenes (especially around Letarri!)

*sigh* I love writing!

Okay, here is my murder scene. It's graphic, to the point that it scared me when I first wrote it. I've never written anything this graphic in my life!

This is unedited, straight from my NaNo Novel from 2009. I named it originally "The Lost Wars" but I am thinking of changing the title to "The Kinir Elite" in order to turn it into a series.

So here we go, the opening unedited scene for "The Kinir Elite".

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Fire raged inside his soul while the house burned down around him. Derac Vidor struggled to get up the stairs to save the others in the building. He coughed violently and collapsed at the base of the stairs. Derac vagely realized his friend Tyn had thrown him over his shoulder and carried him outside the burning building. Derac landed with a thud in the cold snow, bringing him back to reality. The sight was beautiful, in a dark haunting sort of way. The flames ate the house bit by bit. The smell of burning flesh was thick in the air.

Screams could be heard from inside the building. Derac rushed to run inside but Tyn stopped him before he reached the door.

"You can't save them Derac!"

"Watch me!" Derac punched Tyn in the face. Tyn's head flew back from the force but he recovered quickly, punching Derac in return. Tyn wasted no time as he tackled his friend and held Derac's arms behind his back. Derac struggled but knew if he really fought Tyn's hold, it would break both his arms.

A blood curdling scream peirced the cool night air and a ball of fire exited the door of the house. She was on fire. Derac watched in agony as her flesh turned black and fell off her bones. She collapsed into the snow. The fire that consumed her went out, leaving her burned carcass against the stark whiteness of the snow around her.

Derac screamed in rage. Tyn let go of him and he crawled to her side.

"No! No! Maleena!!" Derac rolled the female elf over. He was horrified when her flesh came off in his hands. He screamed in agony looking at his palms. Every part of Derac's body filled with rage and pain. Tyn came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Derac shrugged it off, not wanting any contact with another being. He stared at Maleena's body, praying that she would come back. He waited to wake up from this nightmare, but he never did. He knelt there in the snow, next to his lover's charred body.

"Derac, there was nothing you could do."

"Yes. Yes, there was. I made a mistake Tyn, but I won't make it ever again." Derac stood.

"What is the plan?"

Derac took one last look at the blazing house before turning. His skin was blackened and he still coughed, but his stride was steady and true. Tyn made the sign of Rosis, the Goddess of Death, on his chest before following after his friend.

"We're going hunting."

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I hope you enjoyed it! Come back tomorrow for the Bar Scene Blogfest! And don't forget to sign up for my Body Language Blogfest!

Okay, this is technically supposed to be posted tomorrow but it is also the Murder Scene Blogfest so I am putting this one up here today!

Also, according to my schedule, it should have been Fantasy Friday. When have you ever known me to follow a schedule!? Exactly.

Here we go! This scene is the first kiss between Letarri and Etharas, and it's Letarri's first kiss ever too! (Of course, from "The Faery's Tale") Enjoy!

And as a note, a few scenes before this one, all their clothes burned so they had to buy new ones that are a bit - unmodest. Letarri is in something like a genie would wear and Etharas basically is just wearing pants! So...

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She did not have time to scream when a strong hand grabbed her arm and pulled her into the alley. She was thrown against the wooden walls of the building. She kept her eyes tightly shut, frozen in fear. She felt the being place its hands on the wall, his arms right next to her head.

"Why are you following me, little faeya?" she heard the harsh whisper.

She peaked through one eye to see Etharas smiling at her. She let out the breath she was holding and sagged against the wall.

"What, uh, what makes you think I was following you?"

"I can read your thoughts," his voice echoed in her head.

Her eyes widened in shock. "All of them?" she whispered. She was more embarassed than shocked. Her own brother was telepathic so hearing his voice in her head did not bother her. It was the fact that she had been thinking of him all day - and he definitely knew it.

"All the time," he whispered back.

Their faces were mere inches apart. She could feel the heat radiating off his body. Him so close made it hard for her to think. The lamp from the street cast a shadow over his face but she could see the devilish gleam in his eyes. She wished she could read his mind, to know what he was going to do next.

"All the time? What am I thinking now?"

"You think I'm dangerous." The look in his eyes almost proved her point. "And you like it."

She giggled nervously. Her vision flashed in her mind of him kissing her, a deep demanding kiss that left her wanting the real thing.

"That's not fair," she breathed. "Filling my head with visions like that. It's not nice."

He smiled but the look of innocence was lost. "I think you thought of that all by yourself, little faeya."

She giggled again and tried to back away, forgetting she was already against the wall. Etharas still had her pinned by his arms on both sides of her head. She could easily duck under his arm and run, but her feet would not cooperate.

"I...I've never kissed any one before," she admitted.

His head jerked back, a shocked expression on his face. Slowly his mischievious smile returned. Before Letarri could blink, he leaned in closer, his lips touching hers in a feather light kiss.

Letarri whimpered, wanting more. He did not hold back as he pressed a demanding kiss to her lips.

*~*~*~*~*

He had only meant to tease her a little but when she whimpered, he could not stop himself. He forgot about proper etiquette and merely followed his instincts.

He ran his fingers through her air, enjoying the feel of the silken strands. Her hands timidly moved up his bare chest to his shoulders. Goosebumps raised on his flesh as her arms wrapped around his neck. He forgot where they were, lost in the intoxicating kiss.

Reality came flooding back to him, when someone grabbed his hair and pulled him backwards. He tried to fight back but he was thrown to the ground. Letarri was thrown down next to him and their hands were tied behind their back.

"You are under arrest for prostitution," a male faery said.

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Aren't I so mean to my characters? Can't let them have a first kiss in peace! Mwahahah!

Oh! And look at that! It's actually a short entry! Woot!

Yes, once again Ashelynn is an effing genius! We were talking in WDC chat just a few moments ago and she said somethinga bout body language and I was like "a blogfest?" and of course she agreed it was a great idea!

Some of you know that my novel "The Faery's Tale" has two characters that don't do a lot of talking with each other, at least not in words. So, I want to see if you guys can write a great scene with NO dialogue in it!

The scene cannot have any dialgoue at all whatsoever. There must be a conversation or some sort going on in the scene, obviously, but the characters must use body language! (Telepathy and sign language don't count!)

Sign up using the Mr Linky widget below! Then post up your scenes on April 24, 2010!

(On a side note - this is my 50th post! Woot!)

Okay, first thing I'd like to say, is that I am now following exactly 100 blogs. It's crazy right? I know. The worst part is, I actually read pretty much every new post that these wonderful writer's put up. Do I always comment on them? No, but I do read them all! (I'm a fast reader, so it doesn't take me too much time and it's not like ALL 100 blogs post every day....)

Now on the real point of this post. In the Beginning Blogfest! Guess what? This post will be a short one! So yes, I hope you enjoy this (and actually read the entire thing!)

She only had hours to live. In the cold, dank jail cell, she paced, waiting for the inevitable. The waiting bothered her the most. She wrung her hands to keep them from tembling.

Oddly enough, she felt a shred of joy. It would all be over soon. All the suffering she had to endure the last sixty years of her life would be over. She could not wait.

As time ticked by, her pacing picked up speed. In truth, she did not really want to die. Being stoned to death would be a slow and agonizing end. Still, the end result was what she looked forward to. No more pain. No more loneliness. Just the sweet bliss of death.

"It's time." The guard opened the cell door.

"I am ready."

See? I told you it was a short one! Check out the other entries by going over to Kelly's blog and seeing the list there!

And since I am me and can't have an excerpt so short, I'll post the ending of the chapter too, (that's when it switches back to her POV) just for fun! *giggle*

The cart stopped in the middle of the market place and the guards kicked Rosyani onto the cobbled ground of the square. The castle stood tall in the background, the royal banners waving in the breeze. An eerie silence hung over the place, the only sound heard was the squeaky cart and flapping flags. Even infants hushed their crying.

It seemed the entire town showed up for the event. Faeries stood shoulder to shoulder in the square, shoving each other to get a closer look. Faes sat on shoulders of their parents while older faes stood by holding tight to a hand. Rosyani tried to read them, their stone cold faces told her they would show no mercy.

“Faeries of the kingdom of Enthril, the faery you see before you is an enemy of our great nation. She trespassed into our land. The King has sentenced her to death by stoning. May the sentencing commence immediately,” the herald chanted to the crowd.

The crowd cheered as the guards stepped out of the way. Rosyani stood still with her eyes closed as the crowd circled around her. The first stone came from a small fae. It hit Rosyani in the leg. She flinched but did not cry out. A hush fell over the crowd before a volley of stones came towards Rosyani. In just a few minutes, Rosyani’s legs and arms dripped with blood. Tears streamed down her face but she refused to make a sound. It would only fuel the blood lust of the crowd.

She prayed it would be over soon. The pain was intense. She wanted the blackness of death to take over, to make the pain stop, so we would not have to hide her pain any longer. She wondered if Eterven really sat among the clouds. Would she be wanted there? Would the angels judge her too? A sudden wave of panic took over as she thought that even in Eterven she would not be accepted. Death no longer appeared to be a comfort.

Finally, unable to stand, she fell to her knees. Rosyani was covered in bruises, cuts, and blood. Both eyes were swollen shut and her body trembled from the pain. A stone hit her in the stomach and she fell face first into the dirt. She tried to get back up to her knees but her arms gave out when another stone landed on her back.

Rosyani lay still and waited for the pain to stop, waited for the blackness to take over. She suddenly felt weightless as if someone had picked her up. She heard muffled cries of disappointment from the crowd then a male voice said that she was dead.

“Thank the Gods,” she thought. “I am dead and he is an angel come to take me away. It is over.” Rosyani blacked out as her angel took flight and took her away.

It's still a pretty short post anyway! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I have to say this first chapter is my favorite one! There is another 4,000 words to it not posted here but...I won't make you read the whole thing (yet!)

This is my first blogfest so I hope I didn't totally screw it up! It was really fun! I have two different versions here so I hope there is something for everyone here!

Check out the other entries! I have read a few already and they are awesome! The original post has a list with the participants! Check it out! Thanks Livia for putting this on!

Original Version: High Fantasy Genre

She felt heavy. She tried to move her arms but they felt like they were full of sand. Her eyes would only open a sliver, making it hard for her to see. The fog in her brain did not help her either as she tried to remember what had happened. She heard muffled voices and felt pressure on her shoulders.

"Where am I?" she rasped.

"You're in the cave in Enthril," a soft female voice said. Rosyani tried to turn her head towards the sound but her neck screamed in pain.

"What's wrong with my eyes?"

"They're badly swollen. You took quite a beating before the Prince could save you."

"The Prince?" He saved her? Why? From what exactly? She tried to remember but all she could recall was the conversation they had in the jail. Had she been sentenced to death?

"Yes, he saved your from the crowd just before it was too late. Don't worry, you're eyes will heal in time."

"I do not understand."

The female put a damp cool cloth on Rosyani's forehead. "You don't remember? The King sentenced you to death by stoning. Prince Kestar fought with his father about your death and finally rescued you himself."

Rosyani tried to shake her head but her neck protested the movement. She whimpered as she tried to move other parts of her body. Everything felt stiff and heavy. Every inch of her body hurt. The clouds in her brain prevented actual memories from surfacing but she had no reason to doubt the faery, especially since every part of her body ached.

"Calm down, little fae," the soft voice soothed. "I am just going to change your bandages. Let's get some water into you first, all right?"

Rosyani felt the edge of a cup placed against her lips. She drank greedily, trying to wash away the feel of grit and sand in her mouth. She forced herself to relax despite the panic she felt. She did not know who the female voice was, but she had little choice in fighting about it. Finally she was able to relax and she fell back into the painless oblivion of the darkness.

The next time she woke up, she was able to open her eyes a little more than just a sliver. She could clearly see the roof of the cave, the stalactites pointing down at her. She slowly turned her head to the right. Drache sat there, looking down at his lap. She heard the rustle of paper as he turned the page of his book.

"What day is it?"

He turned to look at her and smiled. "It's Ranadae. We've been here for almost a week. You're healing quite nicely."

"Wh.." Her sentence was interrupted by a cough. She felt the edge of a cup against her lips as he helped her to drink.

"Can you see yet?" he asked.

"A little. What are you reading?"

"Oh. 'Fattal's Adventures'."

"Would you read me some?"

She heard the smile in his voice when he began to read. His voice was deep but still held a youthful tone to it. Rosyani found comfort in it as the sound washed over her. She did not pay much attention to the actual story. She simply enjoyed the vibrations of his voice as he read.

*******************

In the middle of the night, Drache woke up with a start. Tosca stood over him with a look of concern on her face.

"Drache, I had to bring a Healer. We can't wait for her to heal on her own. Your Father is angry, wondering where you are," she whispered.

"He wonders where I am now?" Drache said exasperated. "He never cared before if I disappeared for a few days."

"Apparently you are needed for a political decision. I'm not sure on the specifics. I try not to get involved in such things."

"All right." He turned his head to see the Healer kneeling over Rosyani. She softly explained that the healing process might hurt but when it was over, Rosyani would be back to normal.

He saw Rosyani nod then set her jaw in determination. He turned away when he heard her groan in pain as the Healer spread her magic over Rosyani's body. He was filled with anger at his Father. Of all the times his Father noticed his own son was not around, was the time when Drache needed the secrecy.

The Healer came over to them a few moments later. "She'll probably sleep the rest of the night. She'll be good as new in the morning, your highness. She'll be extremely stiff from the effects of her injuries and the healing, so you might need to help her move about for a while."

"You are sworn to secrecy." Drache said firmly but his face softened when he added, "Thank you."

"Yes, your highness." She bobbed a curtsey then followed Tosca out of the cave.

Drache went over to Rosyani's side. She was sleeping peacefully. Her eyes were no longer swollen and all the cuts and bruises were gone. Dried blood still stained the straw mat and the cotton gown she wore. Drache made a note to burn those things later. He hated the fact that a Healer had to become involved. He knew that Tosca would keep the secret without ordering her silence. He hated having to order silence to the Healer but it was the only way.

New Version: Urban Fantasy

She felt heavy. She tried to move her arms but they felt like they were full of sand. Her eyes would only open a sliver, making it hard for her to see. The fog in her brain did not help her either as she tried to remember what had happened. She heard muffled voices and felt pressure on her shoulders.

"Where am I?" she rasped.

"In the cave in Enthril," a soft female voice said. Rosyani tried to turn her head towards the sound but her neck screamed in pain.

"What's wrong with my eyes?"

"They're badly swollen. You took quite a beating but my Lord rescued you before it was too late.

"Who?" Who saved her? Why? From what exactly? She tried to remember but all she could recall was the conversation she had with Lord Drache. Had she been sentenced to death?

"Yes, he saved your from the crowd just before it was too late. Don't worry, you're eyes will heal in time."

"I do not understand."

The woman put a damp cool cloth on Rose's forehead. "You don't remember? You were sentenced you to death by bittening. Lord Kestar fought with his father about your death and finally rescued you himself."

Rosyani tried to shake her head but her neck protested the movement. She whimpered as she tried to move other parts of her body. Everything felt stiff and heavy. Every inch of her body hurt. The clouds in her brain prevented actual memories from surfacing.

"Calm down, little girl," the soft voice soothed. "I'm just going to change your bandages. Let's get some water into you first, all right?"

Rosyani felt the edge of a cup placed against her lips. She drank greedily, trying to wash away the feel of grit and sand in her mouth. She forced herself to relax despite the panic she felt. She did not know who the female voice was, but she had little choice in fighting about it. Finally she was able to relax and she fell back into the painless oblivion of the darkness.

The next time she woke up, she was able to open her eyes a little more than just a sliver. She could clearly see the roof of the cave, the stalactites pointing down at her. She slowly turned her head to the right. Drache sat there, looking down at his lap. She heard the rustle of paper as he turned the page of his book.

"What day is it?"

He turned to look at her and smiled. "It's Ranadae. We've been here for almost a week. You're healing quite nicely."

"Wh.." Her sentence was interrupted by a cough. She felt the edge of a cup against her lips as he helped her to drink.

"Can you see yet?" he asked.

"A little. What are you reading?"

"Oh. 'Fattal's Adventures'."

"Would you read me some?"

She heard the smile in his voice when he began to read. His voice was deep but still held a youthful tone to it. Rosyani found comfort in it as the sound washed over her. She did not pay much attention to the actual story. She simply enjoyed the vibrations of his voice as he read.

*******************

In the middle of the night, Drache woke up with a start. Tosca stood over him with a look of concern on her face.

"Drache, you have to turn her. I'm afraid she's beginning to show signs of bite sickness. Your Father is angry, wondering where you are," she whispered.

"He wonders where I am now?" Drache said exasperated. "He never cared before if I disappeared for a few days."

"Apparently you are needed for a clan decision. I'm not sure on the specifics. I try not to get involved in such things."

"All right." He turned his head to looks at Rosyani's still form. He did not want to turn her. She was innocent, human, normal. He hated to take that away from her. It seemed he had no choice. She would die if he did not help her.

He was filled with anger at his Father. Of all the times his Father noticed his own son was not around, was the time when Drache needed the secrecy. He searched Tosca's face for any help, but she only confirmed his fears.

Bite sickness would not kill her but it would turn her into something terrible. A vampire sure, but one that would never be satisfied. He had to turn her now, in a natural way to save her from the horrible thirst. He struggled with his own often enough. To never be satisfied was something he would not wish on anyone.

He slid over to her side and pulled the knife from his belt. Her physical wounds were merely red lines of scabs but he knew underneath was a raging torrent of poison. And now he was going to add more to it. He was going to curse her in order to save her.

Her chest rose and fell with her steady breathing. Drache hesitated only a moment before plunging the knife into her chest. After all he had done to save her, he was killing her. He turned his head away as her eyes flew open and she screamed out. He could not bear to look into her eyes. He was certain fear, doubt, and confusion swam in her blue pools.

Her arm reached out to grip his arm. He tried to ignore it as he twisted the knife in her chest, another scream escaping her throat. He heard her heartbeat in his ears began to slow. He focused on it, counting the beats, waiting for the exact moment.

His eyes opened as the moment approached, his normally stormy blue eyes turning blood red. His fangs extended and a growl escaped his throat. Another moment passed. Rosyani's heartbeat slowed more and more as the seconds ticked by. Drache finally turned his head to look at her. He avoided looking to her eyes and instead looked at the pulsing vein in her neck. His thirst took over and any hesitation he had before drowned in her blood.

New Version: Mystery Genre
(I changed the names a bit for this one, just to make them look more "normal" Rosyani is Rose, Drache is Drake, Tosca is Tessa)

She felt heavy. She tried to move her arms but they felt like they were full of sand. Her eyes would only open a sliver, making it hard for her to see. The fog in her brain did not help her either as she tried to remember what had happened. She heard muffled voices and felt pressure on her shoulders.

"Where am I?" she rasped.

"Bellvue Hospital," a soft female voice said. Rose tried to turn her head towards the sound but her neck screamed in pain.

"What's wrong with my eyes?"

"They're badly swollen. A police officer rescued you before it was too late."

"I do not understand."

The female put a damp cool cloth on Rosyani's forehead. "You don't remember? From what I couldn't gather, you were attacked. Officer Kestar happened to come along. You're very lucky he did."
Rose tried to shake her head but her neck protested the movement. She whimpered as she tried to move other parts of her body. Everything felt stiff and heavy. Every inch of her body hurt. The clouds in her brain prevented actual memories from surfacing but she had no reason to doubt the faery, especially since every part of her body ached.

"Calm down, little one," the soft voice soothed. "I am just going to change your bandages. Let's get some water into you first, all right?"

Rose felt the edge of a cup placed against her lips. She drank greedily, trying to wash away the feel of grit and sand in her mouth. She forced herself to relax despite the panic she felt. She could smell the bleach and feel the whiteness of the hospital room. Finally she was able to relax and she fell back into the painless oblivion of the darkness.

*******************

In the middle of the night, Officer Kestar woke up with a start. Nurse Tessa stood over him with a look of concern on her face.

“Officer, there is a man here looking for her. I left him at the nurse’s station and thought I should tell you.”

Drake shook his head to clear the cobwebs from his sleepy brain. “Yes, thank you. Did he say who he was and why he wanted to see her?”

“He said he was her brother. The thing is we checked her medical records and found no evidence of a brother.”

“Okay, thanks for letting me know.” He stood and his legs protested the movement. Sleeping in a plastic chair was not good for him. He opened the door to Rose’s room to check on her. Nurse Tessa’s shoes squeaked as she made her way back down the hall to the nurse’s station. The only other sounds were Rose’s soft breathing and the steady beep of the ECG machine.

A crash echoed down the hall. Drake’s hand instinctively went to his holster. His gut told him he had to get Rose out of there. There was something more going on than a simple mugging or attack. He could feel it.

He saw a silver food tray hit the wall and saw a man fall backwards. Nurse Tessa was giving the guy a run for his money. Drake smirked and stepped into Rose’s room. He made quick work of unplugging her from the machines.

He picked her up and stepped out of the room, heading in the opposite direction of the fight. Drake took the stares hoping to avoid any security that would have been called to help Tessa.

It wasn’t until he had Rose secured in the back of his squad car that he began to doubt his decision. Where was he to take her? He shook his head and jumped in the driver’s seat. His gut screamed to get her away from this place. The engine roared to life and he squealed out of the parking lot. He knew of one place where she could be safe. Turning the car towards the edge of town, he prayed that she would still be there and would help him.

There we go! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I sure had fun writing them!