Post by kaidanasnan on Jan 15, 2005 17:46:18 GMT -8
This is the very beginning of a story, but I thought I'd post it and see what you guys think. Post away please.
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A shadowy figure curled up before the fire on the richly colored carpet. Her gray eyes peered curiously into the cackling fire, trying to ignore the color of the carpet beneath and around her. Her mind, sensing that her attention was wandering, seized the chance. It drew up a picture of fantasy to replace the dull reality.
The flames dancing and pranced in the restraining grate, searching for any way out. They seemed angry as they cackled cruelly at the figure curled up before them. They hissed and crackled, straining to escape the grate. The figure’s eyes spared a glance at the carpet, and a shudder racked her body as she did so. The carpet’s color matched that of spilled blood, and it sickened her. The color pressed on her eyes, suffocating her. She tore her gaze away only to dart a glance at the door as it creaked open. In it stood a shadowed figure, large crow wings spreading imposingly from his back…
“Mistress Kiana?” The figure’s voice, instead of the gravelly, cruel sound her mind had expected was smooth and slightly hesitating. The figure looked up, shaken from the sudden jerk to reality, and found that the figure had no wings, and that it was female.
“Yes?” her voice, much to her amazement, did not shake.
“Master Raidone said that he would like to see you in the Study,” her voice was quick, and it was obvious that she wanted to get away.
Kia sighed. “Please, Hika,” she said, keeping the exasperation she felt from her voice. “Call me Kia.”<br>The figure shook her head fearfully. “So sorry Mistress Kiana,” she said. “But Mistress Aaralyn is calling.” With a swift curtsy, she fled from the scarlet-clad room.
Kia sighed once more, and stood reluctantly. Perhaps Raidone would change her room to another, less red one. Her mind played too many tricks on her in this room.
Without another glance around the room, she left it and turned down the long hallway. She felt a slow smile twitch at her lips in relief at the dull brown wood that clad the hallway.
She took slow steps down the long hall, her bare feet stepping lightly on the softly brown floor. She wondered what Raidone wanted. He had never even come to welcome her when she had arrived and had kept to himself these past two days. She was turning that over in her mind as she realized she had come to a door. It was a tall, oak door, with intricate carvings dancing across the wood. She knocked tentatively, waiting for the soft voice to bid her enter. None came. She knocked again, a little louder. Still no answer came. Biting her lip, she pushed the door open and looked around.
She had never been in the Study before; Raidone had never allowed her in the two days she had been at the House. She stepped cautiously into it, and shuddered involuntarily at the room decked out in the finest scarlet splendor.
“What is it Kia?” A cold, strong voice asked from across the room. Kia jerked her head over to the far side of the blood-covered room and a silent gasp escaped her throat. A cold smile spread across the man’s lips as another shudder wormed down her spine.
“Kia?” She swallowed nervously.
“Nothing is wrong,” she said. Her voice shook a little. “Hika said you summoned me?” He flicked invisible dust from his fingertips and considered this for a moment.
“Yes,” he said lazily. He gestured to a scarlet armchair before him, but Kia shook her head and remained standing. Despite her mind trying to take over to make what it perceived as a dull reality, she kept her face straight. He took his time, intently watching his fingertips, as if searching for some flaw that was invisible to Kia. Finally, he spoke.
“Mistress Aaralyn asked me to speak with you,” he started slowly. Kia nodded, puzzled. He went on after a pause. “She says that she has felt-and I have too-an odd spill of magic coming from your room, especially at night.” This surprised Kia. She didn’t have magic. She knew that her parents had had her checked for magic when she was young, and none had been found.
She shook her head. “That can’t be,” she protested, but Raidone held up his hand to silence her. She obeyed confusedly.
“It’s not an ordinary magic,” he said, by way of explanation. This didn’t clear anything up, but rather made Kia more confused. Her expression made him sigh.
“Didn’t they teach you anything at that place?” he asked. Kia shook her head. “That place” hadn’t taught them anything, thinking that it was safer if its residents were ignorant. He sighed.
“Then I will have to tell you myself."
He rose from the dark reddish chair and strode to a tall bookshelf furnished from reddish-brown wood. He selected a particularly old and battered volume and carried it gently to his chair. He opened it with a silent creak that seemed to echo through Kia’s bones and turned to a page somewhere halfway through the book.
“Here it is,” he said absently, his finger trailing down the worn and tattered pages. The book had obviously seen better days.
“Magick,” he started. Kia somehow heard the “k” on the end of the word. “Magick, since the beginning of Time, has had many forms. There is the Life Magick, which dwells in a very basic form within the hearts of all living things. Next is the Shadows Magick, in basic form also dwells within the hearts of all living things, splitting them between the Realms of Life and Shadow.” He stopped for a second. “Remember, Kia, that Life and Shadow do not represent Good and Bad. The Shadows are not evil, nor is Life good.” He looked at her to make sure she understood. She nodded, trying to remember everything he had just said. Satisfied that she was paying attention, he went on. “But there are also uncountable branches of Magick that spread out from the main source. Some may include the rare and haunting Music and the elusive and powerful Words.” He paused to take a breath and went on. “There is one other that baffles every Scholar in our realm.” This both confused and frightened the silent Kia. Nothing baffled the Scholars of Irnai. It was unheard of. His lips twitched into a slight cold smile.
“That branch does not have a true name, and if it does, the Scholars have not Heard or Seen it. But they have come to call it...” An urgent knocking on the old door stopped him from finishing. Sighing exasperatedly, he opened the double doors, staring at the thing in the doorway. Sensing Kia’s defenses lowered once more, her mind enveloped her and the room.
The figure was certainly inhuman, though it’s form would argue that. It came in the form of a tall imposing woman. Her dark curls cascading down about her slender shoulders, her skin a seasoned tan. The only things that seemed out of place were her eyes. They were a blue-ish color, but resembled the ocean in the way that there were unnamable forms moving beneath the surface. These forms came in the shape of gray and darker blue shades, giving her eyes the appearance of writhing and twisting beneath her gaze. She was an imposing figure, and graceful seeming. She approached the unmoving girl, gliding across the crimson stained floor with ease. The last thing the girl saw was the woman approaching and then endless black.
“Well?” The voice was sharp and clear and sliced through her head like a knife.
“I tried, but we were…interrupted.” This voice was strong, but slightly subdued.
“By what?” The voice was angry now, rising in volume.
The second voice whispered something, and was followed by a yell of frustration.
Kia sat upright, and winced. Her head ached and she was confused.
“Oh, you’re up.” This was the first voice that had woken her, though softer now. The face that accompanied the voice was tanned, framed by black hair that was tied firmly back into a practical bun. Her eyes were a soft brown with a sharp edge.
“Ghgl?” Kia grunted. She opened her mouth to speak again. “What-?”<br>She was rewarded by a smile. “I’ll explain later,” she said, suddenly commanding. Kia noticed that she was still in the Study, surrounded by the crimson that pressed in on her. Her expression must have changed, because a look of concern passed across the other’s face.
“What’s the matter?”<br>Kia looked around. She didn’t see the other speaker, so she opened her mouth hesitantly.
“It’s the- the-” she waved her hand around at the room. Puzzlement clouded the woman’s features, until she smiled as she realized what Kia was trying to say.
“Oh, the color?” she asked. She only had a tint of amusement in her voice. “That’s easy enough to change.” She bit her lower lip, thinking about something unknown to Kia. Finally, she did some that bewildered her. She closed her eyes gently and grasped Kia’s callused hand with her own.
“Don’t fight me,” she warned as she settled herself on the floor beside her. Kia tried to keep her eyes open, but felt them close anyway. Recalling the warning, she obeyed the silent will. She felt a slight squeeze on her hand and opened her eyes, wondering what would have changed; what this stranger could have done to ease the crimson stains.
Her mouth opened in a slight o as she realized with a start the color of the room. It was no longer the invading blood color, but a softer silvery blue color.
“What color do you see?” came the voice from beside her. She remembered with a start that she wasn’t alone.
“A kind of silver blue color,” she said, trying to do justice the unexplainable color and failing. She gathered a soft laugh.
“I see the color of the ocean’s depths,” she returned absently. “Shifting blues and greens with silent figures swimming beneath the surface.” Kia remembered with a jerk the figure’s eyes that had so resembled that description. She didn’t mention it, for fear that she would think her crazy.
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A shadowy figure curled up before the fire on the richly colored carpet. Her gray eyes peered curiously into the cackling fire, trying to ignore the color of the carpet beneath and around her. Her mind, sensing that her attention was wandering, seized the chance. It drew up a picture of fantasy to replace the dull reality.
The flames dancing and pranced in the restraining grate, searching for any way out. They seemed angry as they cackled cruelly at the figure curled up before them. They hissed and crackled, straining to escape the grate. The figure’s eyes spared a glance at the carpet, and a shudder racked her body as she did so. The carpet’s color matched that of spilled blood, and it sickened her. The color pressed on her eyes, suffocating her. She tore her gaze away only to dart a glance at the door as it creaked open. In it stood a shadowed figure, large crow wings spreading imposingly from his back…
“Mistress Kiana?” The figure’s voice, instead of the gravelly, cruel sound her mind had expected was smooth and slightly hesitating. The figure looked up, shaken from the sudden jerk to reality, and found that the figure had no wings, and that it was female.
“Yes?” her voice, much to her amazement, did not shake.
“Master Raidone said that he would like to see you in the Study,” her voice was quick, and it was obvious that she wanted to get away.
Kia sighed. “Please, Hika,” she said, keeping the exasperation she felt from her voice. “Call me Kia.”<br>The figure shook her head fearfully. “So sorry Mistress Kiana,” she said. “But Mistress Aaralyn is calling.” With a swift curtsy, she fled from the scarlet-clad room.
Kia sighed once more, and stood reluctantly. Perhaps Raidone would change her room to another, less red one. Her mind played too many tricks on her in this room.
Without another glance around the room, she left it and turned down the long hallway. She felt a slow smile twitch at her lips in relief at the dull brown wood that clad the hallway.
She took slow steps down the long hall, her bare feet stepping lightly on the softly brown floor. She wondered what Raidone wanted. He had never even come to welcome her when she had arrived and had kept to himself these past two days. She was turning that over in her mind as she realized she had come to a door. It was a tall, oak door, with intricate carvings dancing across the wood. She knocked tentatively, waiting for the soft voice to bid her enter. None came. She knocked again, a little louder. Still no answer came. Biting her lip, she pushed the door open and looked around.
She had never been in the Study before; Raidone had never allowed her in the two days she had been at the House. She stepped cautiously into it, and shuddered involuntarily at the room decked out in the finest scarlet splendor.
“What is it Kia?” A cold, strong voice asked from across the room. Kia jerked her head over to the far side of the blood-covered room and a silent gasp escaped her throat. A cold smile spread across the man’s lips as another shudder wormed down her spine.
“Kia?” She swallowed nervously.
“Nothing is wrong,” she said. Her voice shook a little. “Hika said you summoned me?” He flicked invisible dust from his fingertips and considered this for a moment.
“Yes,” he said lazily. He gestured to a scarlet armchair before him, but Kia shook her head and remained standing. Despite her mind trying to take over to make what it perceived as a dull reality, she kept her face straight. He took his time, intently watching his fingertips, as if searching for some flaw that was invisible to Kia. Finally, he spoke.
“Mistress Aaralyn asked me to speak with you,” he started slowly. Kia nodded, puzzled. He went on after a pause. “She says that she has felt-and I have too-an odd spill of magic coming from your room, especially at night.” This surprised Kia. She didn’t have magic. She knew that her parents had had her checked for magic when she was young, and none had been found.
She shook her head. “That can’t be,” she protested, but Raidone held up his hand to silence her. She obeyed confusedly.
“It’s not an ordinary magic,” he said, by way of explanation. This didn’t clear anything up, but rather made Kia more confused. Her expression made him sigh.
“Didn’t they teach you anything at that place?” he asked. Kia shook her head. “That place” hadn’t taught them anything, thinking that it was safer if its residents were ignorant. He sighed.
“Then I will have to tell you myself."
He rose from the dark reddish chair and strode to a tall bookshelf furnished from reddish-brown wood. He selected a particularly old and battered volume and carried it gently to his chair. He opened it with a silent creak that seemed to echo through Kia’s bones and turned to a page somewhere halfway through the book.
“Here it is,” he said absently, his finger trailing down the worn and tattered pages. The book had obviously seen better days.
“Magick,” he started. Kia somehow heard the “k” on the end of the word. “Magick, since the beginning of Time, has had many forms. There is the Life Magick, which dwells in a very basic form within the hearts of all living things. Next is the Shadows Magick, in basic form also dwells within the hearts of all living things, splitting them between the Realms of Life and Shadow.” He stopped for a second. “Remember, Kia, that Life and Shadow do not represent Good and Bad. The Shadows are not evil, nor is Life good.” He looked at her to make sure she understood. She nodded, trying to remember everything he had just said. Satisfied that she was paying attention, he went on. “But there are also uncountable branches of Magick that spread out from the main source. Some may include the rare and haunting Music and the elusive and powerful Words.” He paused to take a breath and went on. “There is one other that baffles every Scholar in our realm.” This both confused and frightened the silent Kia. Nothing baffled the Scholars of Irnai. It was unheard of. His lips twitched into a slight cold smile.
“That branch does not have a true name, and if it does, the Scholars have not Heard or Seen it. But they have come to call it...” An urgent knocking on the old door stopped him from finishing. Sighing exasperatedly, he opened the double doors, staring at the thing in the doorway. Sensing Kia’s defenses lowered once more, her mind enveloped her and the room.
The figure was certainly inhuman, though it’s form would argue that. It came in the form of a tall imposing woman. Her dark curls cascading down about her slender shoulders, her skin a seasoned tan. The only things that seemed out of place were her eyes. They were a blue-ish color, but resembled the ocean in the way that there were unnamable forms moving beneath the surface. These forms came in the shape of gray and darker blue shades, giving her eyes the appearance of writhing and twisting beneath her gaze. She was an imposing figure, and graceful seeming. She approached the unmoving girl, gliding across the crimson stained floor with ease. The last thing the girl saw was the woman approaching and then endless black.
“Well?” The voice was sharp and clear and sliced through her head like a knife.
“I tried, but we were…interrupted.” This voice was strong, but slightly subdued.
“By what?” The voice was angry now, rising in volume.
The second voice whispered something, and was followed by a yell of frustration.
Kia sat upright, and winced. Her head ached and she was confused.
“Oh, you’re up.” This was the first voice that had woken her, though softer now. The face that accompanied the voice was tanned, framed by black hair that was tied firmly back into a practical bun. Her eyes were a soft brown with a sharp edge.
“Ghgl?” Kia grunted. She opened her mouth to speak again. “What-?”<br>She was rewarded by a smile. “I’ll explain later,” she said, suddenly commanding. Kia noticed that she was still in the Study, surrounded by the crimson that pressed in on her. Her expression must have changed, because a look of concern passed across the other’s face.
“What’s the matter?”<br>Kia looked around. She didn’t see the other speaker, so she opened her mouth hesitantly.
“It’s the- the-” she waved her hand around at the room. Puzzlement clouded the woman’s features, until she smiled as she realized what Kia was trying to say.
“Oh, the color?” she asked. She only had a tint of amusement in her voice. “That’s easy enough to change.” She bit her lower lip, thinking about something unknown to Kia. Finally, she did some that bewildered her. She closed her eyes gently and grasped Kia’s callused hand with her own.
“Don’t fight me,” she warned as she settled herself on the floor beside her. Kia tried to keep her eyes open, but felt them close anyway. Recalling the warning, she obeyed the silent will. She felt a slight squeeze on her hand and opened her eyes, wondering what would have changed; what this stranger could have done to ease the crimson stains.
Her mouth opened in a slight o as she realized with a start the color of the room. It was no longer the invading blood color, but a softer silvery blue color.
“What color do you see?” came the voice from beside her. She remembered with a start that she wasn’t alone.
“A kind of silver blue color,” she said, trying to do justice the unexplainable color and failing. She gathered a soft laugh.
“I see the color of the ocean’s depths,” she returned absently. “Shifting blues and greens with silent figures swimming beneath the surface.” Kia remembered with a jerk the figure’s eyes that had so resembled that description. She didn’t mention it, for fear that she would think her crazy.
) I haven't really caught the story yet, but so far it's great. Just thought i'd let you know that when i was first reading, the word 'shadow' came to mind. So something like "Lost in the Shadows" might be nice. 
