Chap 7.4 teaser

Hello you folks.  I believe Chap 7.4 to be largely finished.  I still have to read over it and edit, but here's something to tide you over:

She shut the door and I heard the snap of the lock.  I picked myself off the floor and wiped at my swollen eyes.  Elmiryn turned to stare at me from across the room, and we both fell quiet as our gazes met.  The firewood cracked and popped in the fireplace as a glowing peice fell away to the ash covered floor.  My hands raised to touch the collar of my tunic before I once again became aware of the layout of the room.  Not wanting the bed between us as I undressed, I gestured for the woman to come closer.

"You'll see better with the firelight." I said quietly.

Elmiryn came closer, a soft frown on her face as she moved around the bed to stand near me.  She stopped a foot away and placed her hands on her hips.

I bowed my head and turned so that my back was to her.  "It took them a little over a day to finish the design.  The man who did it...I grew up with him.  He was an apprentice learning the ways of the shamanites.  He wasn't allowed to stop or rest until the Mark was finished." I pulled the tunic over my head.  My arms felt weak and shook as I struggled to be freed from the fabric.  The air felt unwelcoming to my shoulders, and goosebumps spread across my skin.  When my tunic fell before my feet I stopped and took a deep breath.

I couldn't deny it, I still felt hesitant.  All that was left to remove was the bandage that wrapped my breasts.  It wasn't too late to try and stop this.  Unless the bandage was removed, the most important aspect of my brand would not be seen.

But my hands were already moving without my consent.  They undid the bandage with fumbling fingers, and before I registered it, the wraps had fallen away.  My arms crossed over my front and I squeezed my eyes shut.

Am I being a tease?  

.....NAH.

I haven't really much to add.  Just remember to follow my twitter account for day-to-day updates on Eikasia...as well as whatever the heck else that may be distracting me.

Apologies!

So I guess I was thrown for more of a loop then I thought, and as is usually the case with me, my weekend was rather busy.  I think part of the reason I dislike the chapter as it is right now is because it feels like its lacking some scenes, and it's also feeling like it needs a POV change.  (I've been doing it from Elmiryn's POV the whole time)

Here's a portion of what I have so far:

Elmiryn's hands still tingled with the feeling of her companion's throat in her hands, the pulse against her thumb, the light sheen of sweat that had made her palms cool when the air kissed it. Involuntarily, she imagined how the throat would hum under her hand if the girl could speak without impediment. Maybe it was indeed possible to catch sound by hand? To possess that voice and keep it as a pet, when the nights got cold and the hours long...it was such an enticing idea. Once it was in her possession, she could use it when she didn't feel like being herself.

Then moral sensibilities, stunted, but still present, objected.

Nyx had carried her unconscious body more than a mile, and had remained at her side when she was comatose--what kind of repayment was strangulation?

But those memories...those precious, vivid memories. They were so real to Elmiryn, moreso than the world she drifted through now. In them, she had felt connection; in them, she had a voice that carried sincerity.  

At seeing that these things were no longer hers to have, she had hollered for wine and drank half-a-bottle's worth with little pause. Then she vomited it all up, because she thought the wine was blood. She had tried to stand, and lost her balance. Nyx tried to keep her in bed but Elmiryn became agitated, wild-eyed, and asked why the covers were so dangerously heavy. 

That first day, she refused to lay in the bed. Instead, she sat in the corner on the floor and alternated between drinking rum and water. Food was repulsive to her. She thought the steak they gave her had pulsed in her mouth, and the rice felt like ants on her tongue.

I apologize guys.  Like I said, I just got really thrown for a loop.

Because twitter fails to illustrate...

...I'd just like to clarify (for those who follow my twitter account) that the past two days have been weighed down with economic troubles, family feuds, emotional breakdowns, medical bad news, and the looming fear that I may get sued or fired from my new job over a stupid misunderstanding.

There.  :)

Update will be up before Monday!  (I mean, why let some bad luck ruin a good thing?)

Oh yeah!

Whoops.  Forgot to post this here.  Did a drawing of Nyx in her new tunic a few days ago.  Nothing too grand.

Hope you guys enjoy the new chapter.  As I said in Twitter, I made a lot of last minute changes, so if you see something odd (grammatical or otherwise) just tell me so.

"Courier's Creed" by Gabriel Gadfly

I just got through writing up a review for "Courier's Creed", which is a pretty neat story for anyone into coming-of-age fantasy adventures.  As a fellow webnovelist, I enjoyed this alot.  Please check it out if you haven't already.

Hip Hip...

Hurray! I updated!