We were supposed to write a scene that captured the story goal in a single, photographable act. Here's the photograph:
It's Andra holding Alethia, by the way. *glomps Alethia*
And here's the scene (it won't happen this way in the book):
The feathers of Alethia’s wings tickled my cheek as we waited outside the Sanctum. The little winged lion was asleep in my arms, purring with every intake of breath. I was excited and nervous, but did my best to keep from fidgeting in case I woke her. Nath, Kader, Arkady and Flavius stood beside me, waiting.
The towering doors began to swing open with a whisper of well-constructed hinges. My pulse barreled along at a furious tempo. A beam of white light shone from within the Sanctum. I glanced over at Nath to find him grinning at me.
We didn’t move until the doors were open as wide as they would go. Something told us we should wait, so once the massive carved slabs of wood stopped moving, I stepped into the Sanctum, holding Alethia. My friends followed.
Inside, a stately row of columns marched away down a long, vaulted hall. Somewhat faintly, I could hear a babble of voices raised in debate. The light grew brighter as we walked, until I was squinting through my eyelashes. I remembered the brightness from my last visit to the Sanctum. Blinking to get my eyes to adjust, I noticed that Alethia was stirring in my arms, her whiskers twitching as she sniffed the air. I ruffled her ears, swallowing against the nervous knot that was building in my throat.
The sound of voices grew louder until the hall ended and we entered a cavernous space, ringed with dragons and other winged creatures. I saw my friend Auburnium deep in conversation with another dragon, his sorrel scales gleaming in the light of the great chandelier suspended from the ceiling. As we came into the chamber, every creature fell silent, watching. I felt several dozen pairs of eyes glued to the cub I held. Doing my best to stay calm, I took several deep breaths.
Across the circle from Auburnium was the hawk, Kraelie. She was dwarfed by an enormous blue dragon on one side and a Mast-angel on the other. One corner of her beak turned upward in an impish grin. I smiled back and proceeded to the far side of the chamber, where Mirano and Keliar were waiting for me.
Keliar took one look at Alethia, whole and healthy in my arms, and threw her head back in a roar of triumph. Taking up the cry, the dragons tilted their heads towards the high ceiling and roared with her, blowing great jets of flame into the air. The Mast-angels broke into song, weaving their voices over and around and through the assembly.
Fully awake, Alethia gazed about her, taking in everything with wide yellow eyes. Mirano descended from the dais, padding towards us with a measured stride. I watched the muscles ripple under his fur as he moved, marveling at the liquid grace of him. The baubles threaded in his mane and wings glittered like points of sunlight.
“Alethia,” he said, and his voice was pitched so deep that I heard it in my bones. The Council’s jubilations faded into silence. “Come here, daughter.”
I knelt and placed the winged cub on the ground. She turned, gave my hand a lick with her sandpapery tongue, and frisked over to her father. As they touched noses, a tear slid down Mirano’s muzzle and splashed Alethia’s forehead.
“Dad, you’re crying on me,” she said, and scrubbed away the moisture with a paw.
Behind me, Kader laughed. “Good one, kid!”
His laughter was contagious, as always, and an undignified snort escaped through my nose before I let myself laugh properly, nerves long gone. Various sounds of mirth erupted from my friends as well. I laughed loud and long, thankful that Hollie wasn’t there so that I didn’t have to worry about scandalizing her.
The corners of his eyes crinkling, Mirano smiled at us. “Andra, Nath, Arkady, Kader, and Flavius: I will never be able to express the depths of my gratitude.” We stopped laughing and tried to look professional. I know I failed, because I could feel the huge grin that was splitting my face.
“Alethia owes her life to you five,” Mirano continued as his mate bounded down the steps and swept up her daughter in a fierce embrace. He glanced over at them and added, “We are in your debt.”
I had no idea what to say. There were about forty dragons, birds, and Mast-angels staring at me and my friends, and my jitters were returning fast. Thankfully, Nath saved me from having to reply. He stepped forward, laid a hand on my shoulder and said, “We would never have gone out to look for her if Andra hadn’t made us. She’s just too modest to take all the credit.”
Mirano’s laugh rumbled low in his chest, and I wondered whether Nath had actually winked at me, or if I had imagined it.
Likey, no likey? Ha, doesn't matter, because this scene won't actually be in the book. It's just practice. XD
Got a random flash of inspiration for Savvy the other night and am working feverishly on Part Five once again! Woot!
Commander Kip
TEEN TITANS! (A bit of advice: find shorter magic words...)
Normal is overrated!
No comments:
Post a Comment