So, in the meantime, it's back to the writing grind (1,500 words a day) for the next few months as I get back into the storyline and see where it all ends up. I'll be posting regular updates as we go. Until then, here's a few paragraphs from the first draft of the opening chapter:
The dawn was still a promised gray on the distant horizon as the large striped B’Wot meandered into the dull clearing and took its place among the others. It nodded to another and licked its lips as if preparing itself for a speech of importance. Then it closed its eyes and waited.
One by one the others arrived, headed from all directions of the compass, until the clearing was full of animals great and small. Finally the B’Wot raised itself onto its haunches and surveyed the gathered assembly. “Brothers and sisters,” it said simply. A pinprick of light cut into the clearing, illuminating the B’Wot. He sighed and continued to speak. “It is well that you have all come. I wish I brought you better news. The Xannu has been taken.” The B’Wot paused while a jumbled mutter spread throughout the animals. “Brothers and sisters,” he repeated, this time a little louder, “we do not have time for this.” The assembled crowd fell silent again. “The prophecies are happening before our very eyes and it is time we must play our part. What say you?”
A prasso stepped forward from under the canopy of trees and whinnied. “How can we be sure?”
The B’Wot raised its glance toward the prasso. “We cannot. There is nothing that predicts the exact timing of this event. But I am sure. As sure as any beast can be.” He stared intently at the prasso. “Tell me you do not have the same feeling.”
“I… I cannot,” the prasso replied, lowering its head briefly. “But what you will suggest to us will be dangerous and will threaten our existence to its very core. We must be sure.”
“If there was any other way,” the B’Wot replied, “then we would take it. But you know the truth. Especially you.”
The prasso looked around the gathering and slowly nodded its head. “Yes. My family has witnessed the strange events in the south. My cousins have told me of the magics loosed upon the forests. Every place is touched in some way.”
The B’Wot took a few steps forward, passing through the prick of daylight, and he let the animals part before him until he was stood near to the prasso. He looked up into the creature’s eyes and let a tear wash over his face. “We must begin.”
I look forward to sharing more of the story as it progresses. If you haven't already read this epic fantasy sage, then head over to my website to read all about it.
Xannu - The Prophecy
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Pages: 408
For fans of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Narnia Chronicles, the first installment in a thrilling epic fantasy series…
Would you wake up in a hot sweat if you lived your night’s dreams as a soldier battling un-earthly creatures, witnessing powerful magic and fighting to save your own life on a daily basis?
English schoolboy Terry West does. Frequently. After digging up some rune coins near a roman road, he has been living in another world inhabited by warlocks, seductresses, priests and prophecy. There Terry is a soldier, Teern Truthbringer, who has been tasked with finding the Xannu - 'he who will lead the people into deliverance.'
If only it wasn’t real; but it is. Very real. When it all began it was even enjoyable, but now Terry’s life is getting very complicated. Somehow he involved his best friend Joe and although it had seemed a good idea at the time, the consequences had been dire. Then there is Susan, the leggy sister of klutzy school-friend Brian. Why does she keep sending him messages?
Terry is struggling to balance the two lives he leads and every day he is losing his grip on reality just a little bit more. He’s been forced to kill enemies; his companion, the magical woman Maria, is scaring him half to death with her abilities; and his parents are on his back about his school work.
How will he balance the two lives he leads, solve two sets of problems, and understand the lessons he receives from both? Only time will tell. But time is something Terry doesn't have too much of, as everything is unfolding in ways he could never have imagined!
“Listen to the teachings of a wise man. You may not understand all he says but you will surely have nourishment for the future. Be positive and plan for success. Failure to plan is to plan for failure. Worry not at what came before but only prepare yourselves for that which is ahead.” (Pika’Al 10:1-5, The Scriptures of Al’Zaneed)
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