Lissette E. Manning

Good Morning, Everyone. Happy Friday and a great weekend to you all.

NaNoWriMo has ended and while I didn’t make the 50k word count, I did end with a total of 39,860 words. That, in itself, is a great accomplishment, I think.

If I were to also count all the other random writing I did during the month of November, I can safely say that I did hit 50k in writing. All in all, I’m quite pleased with how far the story has come. Looking forward to finishing it soon.

I thought I’d share with you another portion of my WIP. This time it comes from chapter 11.

I hope you like what I’ve written, thus far.

Thank you very much for stopping by and reading my work!

I rubbed my finger across the butterfly, trying to remember where I’d heard the name before. With a sharp gasp, I dropped the trinket as the dim glow expanded into a very bright light. Coursing through every inch of my body, I was immediately transported to another place.

A large castle sat at the top of a hill, its granite walls shining beneath the sun’s rays. A blue flag flickered back and forth upon its highest tower from the light breeze. Walking up the heavily traveled path, I approached the building with care. There were no guards around. At least, none that I could see.

Strolling into the large hall, I stared at the decayed rushes that were scattered across the floor. A wave of apprehension engulfed me as I ventured into the recesses of the abandoned palace. The strong scent of decomposition hit my nostrils the farther in I went. Coming across a lone torch, I pulled it free of its brazier and continued along.

Approaching the winding staircase, my throat constricted as I ascended. There were bodies strewn along its length, each in such state of dissolution the higher I crept. The scent of moldering flesh was its strongest as I reached the landing. Here, the bodies were nothing more than mounds of dust.

Holding the beacon aloft, I stared down the semi-darkened hallway. Tattered clothing and more bones were spread across the floor. Dear God! I thought. What on earth happened here?

“You deserted us,” someone said, the sound of the woman’s cold voice sending involuntary shivers down my spine.

“I deserted you?”

“Yes, my sister. You deserted us. When we needed you the most, you turned your back and left us to our own devices.” The woman crept out of the shadows and towered over me, her dark eyes cold and calculating. She waved her hands about, the sudden rush of air disrupting piles of bone and cloth.

“Who are you?”

“Don’t you know?”

“No, I’m afraid I don’t.”

She laughed, the deep timbre of her voice reverberating against the stone walls. “You’ve lived far too long amongst the humans, sister. You’ve forgotten our lore.”

“I know not of what you speak,” I said, tightening my hold around the torch’s base.

Circling around me, she wrapped a finger around a stray curl of my hair. She gazed down at the silken auburn tresses, a deep frown marring her forehead. “I tire of your games, Elihia. It’s time for you to take your rightful place. To restore order to the world around us so that we can rule accordingly amongst those we see fit.”

“I play no game. I’m not who you think I am.”

She snorted, her lips curling with derision. “Oh, you’re exactly who I think you are, sister. We just need to unlock that memory of yours. It’s been dormant for far too long. If we wait any longer, our entire world will be lost and we can’t have that now, can we?”

“Who are you?” I repeated as my heart began to hammer within my chest.

Her breath came in short gasps as she yanked the torch out of my hands and tossed it aside. Shoving her face up against mine, I gagged loudly as her rancid breath hit my nostrils. Pushing her away, I turned around to fetch the flambeau. With a flick of her hand, she knocked it further out of my reach. I whirled about to face her, my lips curled tight over my clenched teeth.

“What the hell?”

She smiled, a glint of determination shining within her eyes. “The lioness wakes,” she breathed. “This should be a sight to see.”

A wave of red flashed before me as I launched myself in her direction. I slammed into the wall as she stepped aside. Whirling about, I charged again. This time I hit my mark. We fell down in a tangle of arms and legs.

The woman howled with rage as I tugged hard upon her unruly brown curls. She backhanded me, splitting my lip in the process. I hit back, raking my nails across the long expanse of her cheek. Barely registering the blood that was now coursing down her cheeks, she launched herself at me and slammed my head against the stone floor.

I felt my ears pop as black dots swam across my vision. Yet I refused to allow her the upper hand. I swung around and fisted my hand within her hair, curling my right arm about her neck. Tightening my hold, I cut off some of her air flow.

“Who are you?” I asked again, refusing to let go of her.

She struggled against me, her hands clawing at my arm and drawing blood. “Y – Your sister,” she gasped, trying to pull herself free.

“I have no sister.”

“Y – Yes, you do!”

I drew her closer, momentarily suffocating her. “No, I don’t.”

Her fists beat futilely against me as she tried to draw air into her battered lungs. “Please. Let. Me. Go. I’ll. Tell. You. Everything!”

Tossing her aside, she landed on her hands and knees, coughing loudly as oxygen began to pour into her lungs once more. Sitting back onto her haunches, she stared back at me through veiled eyes. My chin rose with defiance as I willed her to take another shot at me. The feeling took me by surprise as I’d never done this sort of thing before, much less fight against another person.

“My name is Moran De Nauhu, goddess of war. I am also your sister. You are Elihia De Nauhu, goddess of fertility and the beloved Gaea, protector of our beloved realm.”

I shook my head, refusing to believe every word she’d said. It was impossible. There was no way that I could be who she said I was. Surely, I’d remember such things? I was the daughter of Auron Dros Levi, King of the Phaedraen, sister of Jason and the late Erick, and daughter to the late Evony Lorian. My biological mother had died giving birth to me, so I had never gotten to know her. Yet as I refused to acknowledge that there might be some truth to Moran’s words, images of another life flashed before my eyes.

I saw the castle restored to its former glory, its inhabitants running about as they sought to please the hand that fed them. There were tables piled high with food with people sitting around, enjoying the bountiful feasts laid out before them. Wine filled every glass, flowing freely like the waters of the river Dannhu that coursed nearby.

Moran’s face filtered many times throughout the images, her brow creased with anger. While I didn’t recognize the myriad of faces that surfaced, I knew they were tied to me in way or another. Worry scratched at the back of my mind as I sought to remember the secrets I’d hidden so long ago.

Previous Synopsis: (Will definitely be rewritten to suit the current storyline as my muse decided to take a couple liberties and change what I had previously outlined.)

Ariana Levi has always known that she was different from all those around her. Things would always happen that she couldn’t explain – most especially the magic.

Kidnapped on the very eve of her 16th birthday, she’s transported to Corsicanth, a world she’s always dreamt of – one whose existence has been kept from her by the very people she’s always loved.

An uprising threatens to dispel peaceful relations between other nations as rival clans vie for the right to possess her. Acceptance of this new world does not come easily to Ariana and she starts questioning everything she knows.

Yet one thing is clear, she’s the only one who can restore balance to this dying world. The only problem – losing her heart to the one person who’s always been there for her from the very start; her best friend, Michael Fletcher.