Writing Prompt 2 Winner

I was completely blown away by this snippet from Terry G., age 15, of Norfolk, VA. He took last week's prompt and went way above and beyond anything I was expecting.

The prompt was: Describe your house (or somewhere else) using only the senses of hearing, feeling, smell, and taste (no sight!).

Terry went with "somewhere else" and definitely knocked it out of the park. Enjoy.

The sharp clatter of hooves on cobblestones vanished at least an hour ago, replaced by rhythmic pounding on a hard-packed dirt road. As we make a sudden turn to the right, their gait slows to a walk, and deep grass muffles their progress.

No more dust at least, I think. I try once again to clear my throat, to cough up the cloying dirt, but the gag makes it impossible. The weak spasms bounce my body against the back of the man who guides our horse, scraping my cheek against his coarse shirt.

Murmuring voices drift from ahead, but they are too indistinct to make out over the jangle of harnesses, the rustle of slender legs through tall grass, the blowing of the nearly exhausted horses.

A swirling gust dries the dusty sweat on my face, carrying with it the scent of orchids and cowberries. The meadow we’re crossing must boast a respectable display of flowers, but the men were quite thorough with my blindfold and I can’t see a petal. I wouldn’t even be sure the sun was still up were it not warming my hair.

A moment later, the world grows suddenly colder as the sunlight vanishes and the thump of hooves on grass is replaced by rustling leaves and snapping twigs. A patch of woods, perhaps a forest. The trees could not have been too thickly clustered, as we ride another fifteen minutes before finally pulling to a stop.

The man before me dismounts and unties the cord that bind my legs to the horse. I am dragged from my seat and unceremoniously dumped on the ground. Before I can stand up, or even work some circulation into my dead legs, my ankles are pushed together and wrapped with rope.

“Comfortable, your Lordship?” a cruel voice asks, before breaking into a raucous laugh. Coarse hands drag me across the ground and prop me against a tree. Another rope is looped under my arms and wrapped around the tree, tugging against my chest as it is tied on the far side.

Over the next hour, they unsaddle the horses, build a fire, cook their dinner. My stomach rumbles at the smell of a savory stew, venison as near as I can tell. Despite my hunger, I don’t think I could keep anything down. Not that it matters. No one offers me even a single bite. I taste nothing but the dust of the road that still clings to my gag.

The men are careful. Far more careful than I would have credited. Talk is minimal. There are no threats, no boasting, no banter. Not a single name gets used, nor any hint of where they are taking me, or why. Though why seems obvious. It must be for money. My family has no influence at court that might be manipulated, but they do have plenty of money.

Tree frogs and crickets begin their nighttime song. The breeze has died, but the cold seeps in from every side. I am too far from the fire to enjoy any of its warmth. No one offers me a cloak or a blanket. It will be a long, uncomfortable night.

I lean my head back against the tree. Coarse bark grinds against my skin. When I tip my head forward again to try another angle, strands of my hair cling to the tree. Great. Just what I needed. Pine sap in my hair, on top of everything else. There is nothing for it. I settle my head back again, hoping to find a more comfortable position.

I know I must have dozed off somehow. The frogs have quieted enough to tell me a couple of hours have passed. Now their mating cries vie against the snoring of my captors. I am just about to try sleeping again when I realize someone is right next to me. I can feel the radiant warmth of their body on my cheek.

“Don’t make a sound.”

The whisper borders on the inaudible, the speaker’s lips so close to my ear that they tickle it. The words bring a smile to my face and hope to my heart for the first time since I was seized.

Irina. I should have known she’d find me.

Cold steel rubs against my wrist as a wickedly sharp knife slices through my bonds. In a moment my hands are free. I work to silently rub some feeling back into them as the knife moves to my feet, to my gag, and at last to my blindfold. The knife vanishes, to be replaced by strong, slender hands. Irina helps me to my feet. She doesn’t make a sound. I do. But not so much that anyone could hear it over the reverberating snores.

“Don’t move unless you have to,” Irina breaths. “If you must, head left. My horse is near the road. I’ll be right back.”

The night is dark, the fire down to the last faint embers, the leaves blocking the starlight. I can barely make out the tree next to me, can’t see the sleeping shapes on the ground at all. That’s okay. I don’t want to.

I close my eyes and listen to Irina work. I hear nothing of her movements, but I can track her nonetheless as she moves through the camp. One by one, the snores go silent. I almost feel sorry for them.

Almost.

Writers of the Future Contest

Funded by the estate of writer L. Ron Hubbard, the Writers of the Future contest is open any non-professional author (no or very limited previous publications).

They are looking for science fiction, fantasy, and dark fantasy stories of up to 17,000 words in length. This contest does not accept poetry or stories intended for children.

The contest runs four times a year, and prizes are $1000, $750, and $500 each quarter. Quarterly winners are also eligible for the annual prize of $5000.

The current contest ends March 31, with the next round running from April 1 to June 30.

There is no entry fee.

For more details and to enter the contest, see the Writers of the Future website.

C. Wombat

Review: The Girl King by Mimi Yu

Lu may be the oldest of the Emperor’s children, both girls, but that in no way ensures that she will become Emperor after him. There has never been a female Emperor, and most of the land’s nobles want to keep it that way. Even though her entire life has been spent training to rule—in combat, in court etiquette, in history, in tactics—there is the very real chance that she will never get the opportunity to put them into practice.

Lu suddenly finds herself betrayed by everyone around her: tutors, generals, the man who would be her husband, and even her own parents. She must go on the run to find new supporters in her bid for the throne, with only the help of Nokhai, one of the shape-shifters whose family her own father destroyed. Meanwhile, her sister Minyi is trapped in the world that Lu leaves behind, and must struggle to discover her own identity now that she is no longer overshadowed by her older sister.

Mimi Yu presents a vivid, well-constructed fantasy world inspired by the empires of Asia. The imperial palace and courtly life are intricately detailed and portrayed—you can feel the weight of history surrounding Lu and vainly attempting to mold her into a role she does not want to accept. Yu effectively contrasts the disparity between the nobility and the common man without being blunt or overbearing.

The plot is as twisted as a nest of vipers, which leaves the pace of the book feeling a little slow at first as all of the strands are introduced. But there is nothing slow about most of the novel, and the ending is over almost too quickly, leaving you begging for more.

Released in January 2019, The Girl King is Mimi Yu’s first novel, but it is clear it won’t be her last. If you are a lover of high fantasy, imperfect characters, and shadowy intrigue that leaves you constantly guessing, The Girl King is the book for you.

C. Wombat

Review: Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria

 Even though the rebellion was decisively crushed four years ago, Cassa and her friends have never given up hope of bringing down the ruling council.

But how do you fight someone who knows the future, who can predict your actions before you even know them yourself? The council of Eldra have ruled for centuries because of the seers and their predictions. Every major event in history, and those yet to come, have been seen and recorded, telling the council exactly what they need to do to retain control.

When random citizens begin to suddenly get struck down, losing all of their memories and becoming nothing but empty shells, Cassa and her friends know they need to act. They hatch a daring plan to sneak into the citadel and gather evidence, but are betrayed and captured before they can even begin their task.

In Beneath the Citadel,being sentenced to death is only the beginning of the story. Soria unfolds a complex tale of plots and counterplots, intrigue, predictions, and outright lies. Nothing is quite what it seems, and it is difficult to tell which side anyone is truly on.

Released in October 2018, this is Soria's second book (her first was Iron Cast).Soria's writing is compelling and draws you forward at a rapid pace, but does not skimp when it comes to crafting a lavishly constructed world and multi-layered characters. The seers and diviners might know what’s coming next, but the reader never does. You won’t want to put it down.

C. Wombat

Review: Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst

It would be tough to describe Sarah Beth Durst’s latest novel, Fire & Heist, any better than she did herself.

“I had the idea for this book while I was eating pizza (with mozzarella, tomato slices, and balsamic vinegar—yum!) and talking about heist movies with my awesome family. Midbite, I jumped up and said, ‘I want to write Ocean’s Eleven with were-dragons!’”

Released in December, 2018, Fire & Heist is Durst's seventeenth novel, and it does not disappoint.

Sky Hawkins is a 16-year-old wyvern (or were-dragon, as she likes to think of herself). Wyverns have lived among humans for centuries, but have made every effort to keep themselves separate. Despite their power, they are vastly outnumbered, and always in danger.

In wyvern society, reputation is everything, and it’s based in large part on how much gold you own and how craftily you acquire it. The more daring and difficult the heist, the more respected the victory becomes. And when it came to reputation, Sky’s family was riding high.

Then Sky’s mother failed in an attempted heist. Their reputation plummeted, and they were ostracized among the wyverns, nearly outcast. But that didn’t matter to Sky nearly as much as the fact that her mother vanished without a trace. Her father hints that she is still alive, but no one will tell Sky anything.

Determined to discover the truth and find her mother, Sky reenacts her mother’s last heist, breaking into a heavily protected vault and recovering a rare gem. Sky must recruit a diverse team of friends—and a few not-so-friends—to have any chance of success. And she can’t let her father or brothers figure out what’s going on.

Pulling the heist off means restoring her family’s reputation and finding her mother. Failure means permanent expulsion from wyvern society—if she lives that long.

Durst has crafted a complex and deeply satisfying world, full of twists, turns, and intrigue. Her descriptions are vivid and compelling, and there’s no shortage of action on any page. Fire & Heist is a gripping combination of thriller and contemporary fantasy that will make a great addition to your bookshelf.

C. Wombat