Katya's Curse excerpt

     Time for an excerpt. Yup, feels like that time of week. So, here is an excerpt from the first chapter of a fantasy novel I've been working on. Bonus points to whoever asks me if the main character and I share views on religion! 

The skies glowed pink as the golden orb of light slipped down to rest beneath the cold waters of the sea. Aberforth stood silently on the coast watching the latest cargo ships arrive to port. The cool wind ruffled his hair and billowed out his once red cloak. He slowly grasped and released the golden hilt of his sword, a nervous twitch he had picked up years ago. Today was the day that his life should be returning. For twenty years he had been without it.   

Twenty years ago, a call came from the uncivilized barbarians for teachers, and his love, his Katya, had heeded the call. Five years later, the call for soldiers to go and defend those lands came. Aberforth took up his long-forgotten sword, and went in hopes of finding Katya and persuading her to come home. He never found her; he only knew that she was still alive. Two months ago, the teachers were called back to the homeland. Today was the day of their return. 

Aberforth turned his gaze towards the town and began his walk there. He reached the docks rather quickly and was able to acquire a position close to the embarkation ramp. And he began to wait. 

And he waited. 

Women filtered past him for what seemed like hours, and still he waited. 

The ships were empty, but still he waited.  

The sun was awakening when a woman came up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to look at her with blank eyes. “Where is she?” his voice was heart-wrenchingly devoid of emotion. 

“I am sorry Aber, she taken by Manichee rebels a week before we left.” The woman paused as she gathered her thoughts, “I know she loved you. She always spoke of you, and at night she would mutter your name.” 

Aberforth collapsed to his knees, tears running down his face, his body convulsing. The woman knelt beside him and cradled his head against her chest. 

It took Aberforth all the strength he possessed to gather the will to speak. “Where are they keeping her?” 

“I don’t know why they are keeping her; perhaps they just want to learn.” 

“I SAID WHERE!” Aberforth screamed through his tears. 

The woman bowed her head in sorrow, “You won’t like this. They are holding her in their main fort. Deep in the Forest of Sight.” 

Aberforth cringed. The Forest of Sight was ironically named. The trees were the tallest in the world and their branches blocked out the sun, moon, and stars. On the bright side, the branches also kept out the rain and snow. 

A realization came upon Aberforth, and it frightened him. “How do you know all this?” 

The woman took her arm from Aberforth’s shoulders, stood up, and took several steps back. 

“I asked you how you knew.” His voice was cold now. Cold enough to kill. 

“I...” the woman swallowed as Aberforth stood up with his back towards her. The billowing cloak hiding his movements. “They sent me.” 

“Why?” his back was still towards her. 

“I am one of them. They wanted to show the Oreilles government that they could still hurt them. I led them to your wife. They sent me to tell you all of this, and to deliver a message to the High Preceptor of the Council of Oreilles. An att—” the last thing she ever saw was the blur of Aberforth’s feared sword as her head was separated from her body in what looked to be a fiery pyrotechnics show. 

Aberforth bent down and cleaned the blood off his blade with her clothing, stood, and walked away. 

That afternoon he sent out a calling to the surviving men of his old squad. He asked them to meet him at The Golden Oar later in the night.  

The Golden Oar had nothing golden about it, except for the fact that none of the patrons would lead the authorities to it. Everyone there had committed some form of crime during their life. 

Aberforth sat at a grungy table in a dark corner, watching the door, and nursing a pint of ale. He had never considered himself to be an overly religious person, even though he was a city saint. As he sat there in the dark, staring into his tankard, he felt alone for the first time in his life. The people of Oreilles worshiped valorous acts instead of a pantheon, but they still had one god that they could call to in times of desperation. Aberforth had never prayed in his life, he always looked to himself or his friends for the answers sought. But as he sat there, completely alone, he began to pray. 

“Vandicus, I come to you now, in the moment of my truest despair. My Katya, my life, has been taken from me. All my life I lived well, striving to expound of the virtues of my city, even becoming sainted. But now, I am lost. I am alone. My virtues give me no comfort, nor do the virtuous acts of those before me. Vandicus, I plead you, give me release. Give me the strength to do what is needed. Your eyes see all, and to you all truth is known. Give unto me the truth of this Vandicus!” Aberforth sat and waited for long moments, yearning for the answers to appear. Nothing came to him. No great epiphany lighted in his head. Only the sounds of the tavern were heard to him.  

“Vandicus!” Aberforth shouted out, before reigning his voice back in, “Vandicus, please. PLEASE!” He threw his mug against the wall, spraying ale everywhere. “I have lived my life to your teachings! I have followed your laws, fought in your wars! I have given my years to you! My friends, my family! My family has gone to you! And now this! Now you take this from me! I have been without her for decades! DECADES! Longing for her touch, her caress, or even the touch of her eyes upon my skin! And now! Now you take her away from me! You! You the great deceiver! The great liar! Vandicus! You promised your followers life! You promised them contentment! Piss on it! Piss on it all! I have gotten none of that! All I have ever had, YOU have taken from me! FUCK YOU VANDICUS! And fuck your fucking laws! I am done with it. I swear to you now, in front of your precious followers, great hypocrites all, that I will break whatever law I must to get her back. I will go into hell itself! I will raze heaven to the ground to hold her again! You have brought a righteous reckoning upon yourself! Before this ends, I will see you burn, oh great god Vandicus!”