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Chapter 3 Excerpt from The Siege of Anticus: A Zombie Fantasy Novel
Posted by Alan Edwards
Standard disclaimer: unedited and probably rotten.
***
On the far side of the city, a pair of guards in ill-fighting and cracked leather armor studied the dust cloud approaching them. Already the day had become infinitely more interesting than any they’d experienced before, guarding the least-used gate in the entire city. The gate itself was almost never opened during their tenure, since they used the sally port to get to their station outside the city. Indeed, the only time it was opened was when one particular merchant took a wagon out in spring, and came back months later.
Chapter 2 Excerpt from The Siege of Anticus: A Zombie Fantasy Novel
Posted by Alan Edwards
As before, this excerpt is heavily unedited. It is a flashback of the aftermath of the attack on Daneswall.
***
The flames from the burning town behind Comrick set the planes of his son’s face shifting constantly, giving him the look of a stranger. The old man kept trying to count how many survivors ranged ahead, but the half-panicked and struggling mass ahead of him defied his attempts. Those last moments in the church resurfaced in his mind, over and over, the sacrifice of two men whom he’d come to love sending tears to eyes still stinging from smoke. The desire to honor that heroism kept his legs moving even more than the fear of being caught by the shambling remnants of the horde.
Chapter 1 Excerpt from the Siege of Anticus: A Zombie Fantasy Novel
Posted by Alan Edwards
Background: This is an excerpt from the sequel to my “critically acclaimed” and “best-selling” novel, The Curse of Troius. This excerpt deals with the introduction of some new characters, members of Baron Northreach’s expedition to investigate the odd message sent by his son, Mikel Anders. It revolves around 4 young recruits attached to the veteran outfit. It is absolutely and 100% unedited so bear that in mind!
Progress
Posted by Alan Edwards
I’ve decided to stop posting excerpts of my NaNoWriMo novel while it’s being written. I’d rather give the readers (both of them) the opportunity to read the whole thing at their own pace. This way, any alterations with the previously posted material won’t cause confusion (yes, despite my attempts to hold down my Inner Editor, I occasionally let him free to zip around, especially when he thinks of a detail that may be pertinent and belongs in an earlier section). So, for the person reading the excerpts, I hope you aren’t disappointed that you’ll have to wait about 22 more days to read it.
Novel Excerpt, 11/5
Posted by Alan Edwards
The door leading from the kitchen swung open, and the round form of Domic pushed into the area behind the bar bearing a plain square wooden chest. The dark wood and dull metal trim made the container easily forgettable, but the detailed instructions for its care delivered to Tevas by the innkeeper’s agent let the merchant know that it contained something more than just clothing and oddments. The strain on Domic’s face as he struggled to place it atop the bar bore evidence to the weight of the mysterious contents.
Novel Excerpt, 11/4
Posted by Alan Edwards
He heard the laborer grunt in response, but he did not move as directed. After a long pause, the man in the work-stained tunic finally spoke. “You’re talking to the innkeeper.” Tevas’ eyes shifted down to fix his gaze on the man once more as he leaned back against the bar he’d lately been working on. Arms folded, eyes hooded, and mouth in a half-smirk, the innkeeper said, “You’ll be paid when the goods are here and inspected. Anything I don’t like you can haul back to your wagon.”
Novel Excerpt, 11/3
Posted by Alan Edwards
The merchant’s arrival caused less of a stir than he’d imagined. The town over the past week had gotten used to the carts and wagons from Brethford, so Tevas did not get the novelty of being the first visitor to the town after the snows cleared. His carriage did seem to impress some of the residents, however, as Tevas noticed several of them looking at its magnificence and talking in low tones to one another as he looked out the carriage windows. He willed the sickness in his belly to be still as the carriage swayed up the final rise to the Silver Bear.
Novel Excerpt, 11/2
Posted by Alan Edwards
This is a continuation of the excerpts I’ve written before. Between them is an unwritten bridge scene where the stranger buys the inn in the town of Daleswall, causing quite a stir. This proceeds from that event, and is what I am doing for NaNoWriMo. Since I won’t get much opportunity to write anything else this month, I will post the story here as it progresses. It’ll be ugly at times, but I hope it doesn’t actively make you vomit.
A week had passed since the stranger bought the Silver Bear Inn so dramatically, surrounded by the majority of the small town of Daleswall. The common room was more active than usual since that night, with small numbers of folk present during all hours of the day. Claiming anything to the contrary, they were there because curiosity and the thirst for gossip demanded it. Careful eyes watched the stranger as he moved around the inn, his dog forever at his heels, repairing accumulated years of damage and rot. Carts and wagons appeared during the week from Brethford to the south, bearing large amounts of lumber and lacquers and other assorted materials. During the day, the stranger worked on the interior of the inn, moving outside during the last hour or two of dying sunlight to patch the holes in the roof. More knots of casual watchers kept an eye on him then as well, under the guise of early evening strolls and impromptu visits. Read the rest of this entry →
Chapter 1 of TStbNL, Part 3
Posted by Alan Edwards
The silence was broken with the crash of wood on wood. Old Jordin bustled into the room, followed closely by Laecima. The door battered against its jamb on its return trajectory, but the sound was overshadowed by the raised voice of the elderly innkeeper. “It was right there!” he shouted, pointing to an empty table in front of the remnants of the bar. “I didn’t move it. Kiki didn’t move it. It certainly didn’t move itself. So I want to know, where did you put it?” Jordin paused with his hand extended towards the offending table, no longer stabbing the air with every other word.
Chapter 1 of TStbNL, Part 2
Posted by Alan Edwards
Comrick Long-traveled had pushed away from the table and laced his fingers over his round stomach minutes before the stranger pushed the inn door open. This spared him the indignity of spilling stew down his chin and into his beard, unlike the three other men sharing his table. True, Brother Derle was half-spared, but that was only due to the lack of a beard. The sight of his friends’ sudden sodden jaws made a kind smile easy to conjure to his apple-cheeked face. “Welcome, stranger! Come, make yourself comfortable and enjoy the fine food and hospitality of the Silver Bear!” Comrick spread both hands expansively around him, as if he were conjuring the rest of the large but mostly empty common area around him.
Winter in Derenemyn 