Excerpt (Finally)

Alright,  so I know that all you good people have been checking in waiting for an update or something fun. I have, however, been working very diligently on my book, and have also been working on editing the first few chapters, which also includes re-writing a lot of things.

So, I have for you an old excerpt of my book. Note: This has been changed significantly, but I still think that it is something that may grab your interest. I would appreciate any constructive feedback and opinions. I do hope that you enjoy it! Let me know by posting a comment. :)

  Excerpt:

From where I sat, perched in the tree, it was as if I could see the world before me…though the world didn’t consist of much. The land was dry and sparse, only tall white trees, bark smooth and white like bone, grew from the thin soil. A starless sky hung up above, a black silky blanket, impenetrable, a dark omen that would never be lost. A blood-red harvest moon shone bright, hanging listlessly and ever-present.

 “Are you listening to me?” Darren looked at his pocket watch. The moonlight illuminated his face, gaunt with horror. “We have five minutes. We’ll never make it! We have to get to the castle in five minutes, or be eaten alive by Shadows! I hate you, Rune. I really do hate you… Now we have four minutes!”

I jumped down, feeling my body tense with panic. The Shadows. These were not like any ordinary shadows you would find. These things were monsters. Massive formless bodies, oozing black-blood from those they had already ingested. Their eyes a milky white, so many rows of teeth like saws, they could cut clean through bone.

My mind snapped back into place. “So stop talking.” I grinned, patting him on the back. “Four minutes can take you a long way if you fly.” Together, we transformed: Our wide wings growing from our backs, our feathers slicing through our skin, our vision sharpening. With a single wing beat we soared into the sky, looking down at the world below.

We flew, my pace quicker than Darren’s. I didn’t pause to look over my shoulder, didn’t stop to see if he was lost behind, I just flew. I felt my feathers ripple in the breeze, as I concentrated on the thrumming of my heart, pounding so hard it nearly hurt. I saw the forest floor turn into cobblestone, the ground bumpy and uneven as we neared the castle. I didn’t even look up to see the stars.

The clock tower was in my peripheral vision; its face so white it seemed to glow in the dark. It counted down the few minutes we still had, a race against time.

Darren nearly collided into a house behind me, but he turned just in time, swerving to miss it, his green wings spread wide, like my own red and gold ones. I caught his gaze, but did not slow for an instant. This was getting much too close. “We’re almost there,” I whispered, and looked up as the clock began to strike twelve; a solid heavy chime.

The Shadows came…

They glided along the walls of the castle like running ink. Slowly creeping towards us, they tattooed themselves against it. They slithered and slunk, their bodies rippling like heat, their teeth gnashing together.

We hurried as I began to count. We had twelve seconds left…just twelve seconds. I took a deep breath, my mouth dry, panic chilling my spine. “One…Two…”

We were almost to the steps of marble.

“Three…Four…”

We flew through the opened the gate.

“Five…Six…”

The Shadows saw us, their white eyes shining like pearls in the depth of murky water, ready to assail.

“Seven…Eight…”

Their mouths drooled; lust and hunger clear in their stare, as they stretched to reach us is haste. 

“Nine…Ten!”

© 2011 Gemma

If you want to know what happens next, check in soon! They don't call it a teaser for nothing!