OK so I promised an excerpt from each book of The Leather Book Tales every Sunday this month. Last Sunday I was busy painting my bathroom and forgot, so this week, one excerpt on Friday, the other on Sunday.
The following is an excerpt from book two of the Leather Book Tales fantasy series ©Regine Haensel. More excerpts from the series will be available on this blog on Sundays this month.
Rowan has gone to a place on a lake with two others
to look for missing people. The searchers split up and she is on her own.
The cool of evening. The silver leaves are back on my wrist
and shining enough so that I can see a couple of arms lengths in front. How
long have I been wandering among the trees? If I concentrate I can sense the
pull of the fire from the camp. My stomach rumbles; maybe I should return now. I’d
hoped to find the lost ones this evening, but that could have been too optimistic.
I notice that the forest itself is glowing slightly, but that’s not caused by
the bracelet. I catch a glimpse of the moon beyond the highest branches. I drop
to a stump and rest. I should at least have brought a water skin. Why did I dash
off, not prepare? That’s not like me. I have to find balance between trusting
the bracelet and using my own common sense.
At first it’s
very quiet. The longer I sit, the more it seems that I can hear murmuring. Perhaps
it’s merely the wind sighing through the trees, or water flowing over stones. I
hold my breath to see if that helps me hear any better. I can almost make out
words, more than one person speaking maybe. Could it be the missing ones? Best
be careful and not rush in. Barely breathing, I rise and move cautiously toward
the voices. The path narrows and almost disappears; bushes grow close together,
overhanging the path. I have to get on hands and knees and creep forward. I peer
through foliage.
Moonlight
illuminates a tall, thick tree. Its canopy droops downward, so that I can’t clearly
see what’s underneath, but I can make out shapes and movement. Carefully I
sneak closer.
“Sssafe. You’re
sssafe with me,” a voice hisses.
Undulations,
a flash of pale blue, and darker green. Huge coils wrapped around – two children?
A large golden eye flashes in a strange feathered head, teeth gleam. I have no
weapons, need to sneak back and get Onoku.
Crack! I’ve
knelt on a branch. I hold my breath. The forest has become unnaturally silent.
Moonlight dims, mist and shadows rise. I can’t see anything, not even when I
stand, branches catching my hair and clothes. I take a couple of steps forward,
losing a bit of hair. The bracelet glows faintly on my wrist, but I pull the
sleeve over it, not wanting to reveal it to whoever or whatever may be under
the tree. Still, it comforts me to know that I have its power as aid.
“Who’s
there?” a voice asks.
A bright
shaft of moonlight washes away shadows. Standing in an open area near the tree
is a dark-haired man, a little taller than I. He looks younger than Jernan, and
holds the hands of a boy whose head reaches to his elbows and a girl slightly
shorter. I can see all of their faces clearly. The children look similar to Mirage
and Juniper. The young man, oddly, reminds me of Onoku – the same round face
with a hint of brass in its colouring. Is this why the caravan guard wanted to
come? Does Onoku know this person? I can’t answer those questions now. Where
did that huge strange creature, so like a snake, go?
“We’ve been
looking for you,” I say. “Gerda and the others returned to Vatnborg and the
school by ship. With a man called Vartos. Maybe you know him? Three of us
stayed behind to search. The boat will be back tomorrow to pick us up.
The Leather Books fantasy series (Queen of
Fire, Child of Dragons, Companion of Eagles, Daughter of Earth) is available
through the Saskatchewan Library system, for purchase online from SaskBooks, [Bookstore (skbooks.com)]on
Amazon, or from booksserimuse@gmail.com.
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