The Great War will be down temporarily as I fix some minor errors and try to finish the next chapter.
Category: fantasy
Count Down to Apostate
Revisions on Apostate are almost complete! It will be up next Friday, better than before!
Update on Apostate
My Apostate page is currently unavailible. The story is undergoing some major tweeks and refinements. It will be back up soon, better than before! My apologies to those who enjoy the story thus far. I assure you there will be a lot of big improvements, including more back story on our favorite demigod and his friends, and more fight scenes, because what’s a good novel without some action?
Follow The Trail of Bodies: The Vampire in the Wood Now Live!
I’ve finally finished the other half of the chapter!
At last, night fell. Joline emerged from the cave she had been hiding in and breathed deeply of the cool, moist air. At one time, the forest had been a dark, terrifying place. Now, she could see as if it were day, though everything seemed almost drained of color. Vibrant reds and yellows were subdued. Blues and greens appeared more grey. Jolene could not deny that the alteration of her visions was a nice change. But she feared there would be many more alterations she would discover in the days to come.
The she-wolf accompanied Jolene out of hiding. She trod down the hill from her dwelling, huffing at Jolene as she passed. Unsure of what else to do, Jolene followed. They wound back and forth through the trees. Soon, Jolene had lost her way entirely, and only the she-wolf kept her on track. It was a wonder that the wolf could remember her way to and from the cave even after taking such a dizzying trail.
A pond was their final destination. The she-wolf sat at the edge of the pond and stared into the water. The moonlight cast a silver glow on the surface of the water. The light breeze made light ripples on the water, pushing around the lilies. It was a sight that one could only see in paintings.
Jolene knelt by the pond and stared down at herself. Her hair, once a rich brown, was now a shiny, lustrous black. Her blue eyes looked as though they had been replaced by quartz crystals. And her teeth…. The fangs were the first thing she noticed. The terrible, needle like fangs. She clutched her head in her hands and shook her head. No tears came, only despair. She was an outsider now, an undead monster.
The wolf huffed softly and sniffed at her hair. A wet tongue swiped across Jolene’s cheek. Jolene tentatively reached out and touched the wolf’s neck. The fur was soft, far softer than Jolene had expected. Her companionship struck Jolene as odd for a wild animal, but she wasn’t going to question it.
“I’ll call you Rauma,” Jolene said, staring into the yellow eyes of the wolf. She huffed again and thumped her tail on the ground. Rising to her feet, Jolene took in her surroundings. She could see other animals moving through the trees. Large elk and nocturnal predators patrolled the ground. Owls sailed through the trees, hunting mice in deadly silence.
Rauma trotted back towards the cave, again zigzagging through the trees. It would take weeks to sink the trail into memory, but Jolene had nothing better to do now. She started trying to pick out landmarks, but everything looked rather uniform and all it did was get her turned around and lost. Were it not for Rauma’s constant stopping, Jolene would have never found her way back to the cave.
But the she-wolf did not return directly to the cave. She trotted around the forest, apparently sniffing something out. She called out every so often, howling at the moon in hopes of an answer. Nothing answer except the chirruping crickets and screeching owls. The forest was dead silent, apparently to the dismay of the she-wolf. Her nose to the ground, she continued sniffing at the ground, following some scent trail to an unknown destination.
The trail led deep into the forest, but nothing answered Rauma’s distressed calls. Jolene guessed that she and her mate had been separated, and he was too far away to hear her calling. Jolene sympathized with the lone she-wolf: alone with her pups to feed.
After another hour of searching, Rauma led the way back to the cave, sulking. Her pups greeted her with a wave of enthusiasm, yipping and barking with excitement. Jolene sat at the entrance to the cave, staring up at the moon as it slowly began to descend towards the horizon. Soon, it would be morning, and she would be forced to remain in the cave until night came once more.
The first two weeks in the woods bordered on maddening. Hunger was something Jolene had never truly known. When she was hungry, she knew when her next meal was, and there was almost always something to nibble on. But, that was no longer her life. Jolene wasn’t a simple farm girl, or a princess any longer; she was a vampire, forced to live in the wilds to escape persecution. And it was going to take some getting used to. When she was hungry now, she had to go look for food, and she was not always rewarded.
Another hunger also dogged Jolene; a thirst for blood. It was never satisfied with the meager amounts of meat she got. This hunger demanded fresh blood, something she had no access to. And she would not become the monster she had once feared by preying upon the men and women that braved the forests.
Rauma shared what meager food she managed to bring home with Jolene, but the she-wolf was often unsuccessful on her solo hunts. Jolene accompanied her out into the forests at night, learning from Rauma the ways of stealth and the hunt. But, her feet were clumsy, noisy, and she was not accustomed to having to listen for even the slightest sound and observe every minute detail. The she-wolf had patience, but nipped her hands and ankles when she made mistakes. She was a strict tutor.
This style of life toughened Jolene’s body, rebuilding the muscle she had lost in the three years spent as a simple farm worker. Layers of fat were stripped from her body, leaving it lean and taught. Relearning to be stealthy and use her magic to provide for herself and her tiny wolf pack began to pay off.
Weeks peeled away. Jolene’s skills sharpened with each passing day. Tracking deer through the forest at night became a breeze. Instinct became key. She and Rauma had become a team. They had hungry pups to feed that could no longer rely upon their mother’s milk. Coming home empty handed wasn’t an option.
Jolene began noticing other vampires when she and Rauma wandered deep into the woods to stalk prey. These men and women were like her, refusing to become monsters by secluding themselves in the forest, trading amongst each other for things they desperately needed. They welcomed her amongst them, trading supplies like herbs and berries for meat and furs. They told her of things they had picked up when braving towns in the early evenings to get supplies they couldn’t live without.
Among the news came whispers of a vampire cult called the Hands of Death. These peaceful vampires feared the cult, but Jolene was always listening for more news about them. They fit the bill of the men and women that had attacked her.
These rumors interested Jolene the most. She had learned enough about the Hands of Death to know that someone called the Right Hand was supposedly their leader, and they had gone missing. The cult was scrambling to find them, sometimes attacking other vampires to try and find information about their missing leader. Jolene was greatly curious about how someone so important and powerful could just disappear. According to rumors, the Right Hand couldn’t be harmed by a blade or by magic. They were invulnerable, blessed by D’ain to lead the vampires to glory. How anyone with that kind of power could go missing was beyond Jolene. How could such a thing be possible?
It was a careless mistake. Jolene was in a hurry to skin the rabbits, desperate to get to town before the shops closed. The blade slipped, cutting across Jolene’s palm. She hissed and pressed her thumb into her palm, squeezing her eyes shut. She took a deep breath, bracing herself to see the extent of the damage. She opened one eye to look at her hand and froze.
There was not even a scratch upon her hand.
Perplexed, she grabbed her dagger from the ground and wiped the blood and dirt from the blade. She sliced the blade across the palm of her hand, knowing she could heal the cut easily. But, the blade did nothing. It felt like someone was drawing a line across her hand with a smooth stone.
Jolene tried several more times to get the blade to draw blood, but the razor sharp dagger never cut her skin. She tossed the dagger away, her chest heaving. Rauma woke from her nap and looked over at Jolene curiously. Jolene continued to stare at her hand in horror. She flashed back to the night of the attack, the strange chanting…
It all made sense now. The rumors of the Right Hand going missing were about her. She had managed to flee from the scene at the same time they were out of the area, likely setting up camp somewhere.
“Rauma,” Jolene mumbled. “We won’t be staying here for much longer.”
The she-wolf cocked her head and sat by Jolene, sniffing her hand curiously. Jolene smiled to herself, a nasty plan forming in her head. She was invulnerable to harm, unable to be killed by any normal means. The opportunity for revenge had finally presented itself. All she needed was her old sword and armor….
Click here for the full story!
Daily Writing Warm Up!
Here’s your daily writing warm up for today (I had graduation and a friend’s wedding yesterday, so I was busy)! Remember to tag it as V’s Writing Prompts so I can check them out!
Your character is the protagonist, a famed and celebrated dragon hunter. Write about their fight with one of the beasts of legend. Whether they survive this show-down or not is entirely up to you!
A Bard’s Tale: Help Needed
I have a large novel that is in desperate need for some Beta Readers (people that read it and give me feedback before it is posted). If you like fantasy, and a gigantic setting with lots of characters of various races, and mythical beasts, hollar at me on tumblr or email me at oroscovirginia@gmail.com
The Lies They Tell: New Chapter Live – The Beast Cloaked in Flame
Matilde the White and Baline the Brave are on their way to save the city Hana’dihn from Malin’canth’s clutches. Their progress is halted by a sudden, massive wild fire. With no other options, they must go around the impenetrable wall of flames. Matilde quickly notices that they are being followed by a mysterious shadow lurking on the opposite side of the fire. With a possible threat lurking just out of reach, the two can do nothing but continue their course and hope that the shadow disappears.
Check it out on my page The Lies They Tell!
The Lies They Tell: A Sidekick’s Story
A heroic villain, a villainous hero, and a false prophecy
Baline was born a poor beggar in the slums of the capital city of the Gin’laen Empire. At the age of seven, she was saved from a group of men by Matilde the White, a girl of twelve and well known as the Champion of Gor’kun, King of the Gods and god of power. Everyone knew her to be the proclaimed heroin of the prophecy, destined to kill her brother, the dark wizard Malin’canth, prince of the half-elf kingdom of Minranthime.
Sworn into Matilde’s service, Baline was instructed in the ways of the warrior, gaining the title of Baline the Brave at age fifteen when she stepped between Matilde and a rampaging dragon. Killing the beast made Baline famous, but not as famous as the woman she served faithfully.
Three years later, Malin’canth reared his head, waging war on the empire by taking over the city-state closest to his borders. Matilde, eager to face her brother and live up to her destiny, now goes to face the dark wizard. Baline, following close behind her mistress, soon realizes that the evil prince is far more powerful than the Elders had predicted when he escapes the battle before Matilde can deal the killing blow.
For months, they hunt the dark prince across the empire, following the trail of burning cities he leaves in his wake. Matilde, the hot-headed, vicious heroin, begins going mad with rage each time her brother escapes her clutches. Baline, the voice of reason, keeps her from going over the edge she precariously teeters over.
Being captured by the dark prince gives Baline a new view of the war, the prophecy, the woman she serves, and the very empire she calls home. The villain she despised so much had more heroic qualities than the supposed heroin she served. He fought a war not because he wanted to, but because men and women had deigned it so, and he would not disappointed the fate they had decided for him, even if it meant forever being remembered as the dark prince that was slain by a shining heroin.
With the prophecy now being false, Balien now wonders what will happen at the final confrontation, who will truly emerge victorious. Will Matilde fulfill her fake destiny, or will good triumph over evil as Malin’canth cuts down the black-hearted heroin?
Check the story out on my The Lies They Tell page!
New Chapter of Apostate Now Live: The Narrows
Kale Tibrus has reached the Narrows, home of the only free mages in the known world, to begin training with the Archmage! Check out the new chapter The Narrows on my Apostate page of my blog!
Follow the Trail of Bodies: A Vampire’s Tale
Jolene Boucher was born to the ruling family of Halaafin, a province on the southern border of the J’Aine Empire. Like her people, she learned how to wield the arcane arts with deadly efficiency, being deemed the post powerful witch of the age by the time she was sixteen. Her honorary, fancy title was soon put to the test when vampires from the surrounding hills attacks the province.
In the chaos, Jolene managed to fight her way to the city gates. Alone and terrified, she fled the city, not looking back once as the screams of her people rang in her ears. The vampires had come looking for her, but she would not let them have what they wanted.
She fled for days, resting during the day, out in the open so the vampires couldn’t get her. By night, she traveled, listening as news of Halaafin’s fall spread across the empire. The news left a bitter taste in the girl’s mouth. She had abandoned them to their fate, ran when she could have stayed to fight. The most powerful witch of the age, and she had turned away from those that had loved her. Everything she knew was gone.
Three years passed. The sudden destruction of Halaafin became a distant memory to those of the empire. Jolene settled down in a farming village, adjusting from life as a lady of high society to the life as a simple farm girl. Life moved on, and the threat of vampires faded from her memory.
Now, her past resurfaces. The Vampires stir once more, the Hands of Death -a deadly cult known to kidnap and murder at their leisure- leading the way. Cursed with the very affliction she swears to eradicate, Jolene must find the leaders behind the dangerous cult and destroy them before they repeat what they did to Halaafin.
*This story features LGBT+ characters, and slightly NSFW scenes (sexual innuendos, references, and mild sexual content.)*
Victoria Stenton 