You know, I really like to think of myself as modest. I am, perhaps, a bit self conscious about even the things I know I do well. That said, I think I'm pretty proud of this blog overall. Whenever I come here to express what I happen to be feeling, I almost always come away feeling satisfied. Even if nobody pays attention, I've said what's on my mind just about as well as I think it could be said. Sometimes I need to add a few things here and there, but in general, I'm happy with it.
At this juncture, I should probably mention...writing a blog post...a whole lot easier than writing a book. When I write to my blog, I don't have to keep track of all these interdependencies for continuity. I don't get supremely disheartened when I know I have to change something that's going to have to be propagated throughout. I don't have to worry about whether or not secondary characters are overshadowing the main character. I don't have to go through this whole process of creating an entirely new world with elements that are familiar enough for the audience to be comfortable but different enough for them to be excited. I don't have to edit each blog post four, five, six times on my own before a professional editor gets a hold of it.
It's a damn good thing I've invested over six years in this book. Otherwise I might scrap the whole thing. That's a little harsh. Actually, I really like the story as it is for the most part. I really like most of the characters, especially the potential they have to be great characters. I like all the ideas I've had for continuing this as a series, including a prequel.
Here's a piece of advice for those of you blessed and cursed with inspiration. Don't be disillusioned. If you think you really have something, stick with it, even if the tweaking you still have to do looks daunting. Take a step back and look at the big picture. Think of your vision manifested in this world in all its glory. If that doesn't get you going again, well, sometimes you just need to start over from the beginning. Just remember, nothing you create is a complete waste.
Don't you just love giving yourself little pep talks?
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Something Different
If I may be allowed a little hyperbole, Peter Jackson is a god. He creates worlds, characters, and situations that are real. Watch one of his films and you will suddenly find yourself in another place where the extraordinary and epic are commonplace. If you experience his work and do not come away inspired, I would take my muses in for a check-up if I were you.
So, what's with all the Jackson praise? Well, we just got back from seeing King Kong, and let me just say...wow. I know, I know, it's not like he actually wrote the original story. Nor did he for Lord of the Rings, but Peter Jackson's gift transcends such trifling details. He has a way of capturing the very essence of what makes a story special to us, distilling it, and adding a dash of his own personal flair, which culminates in a synergistic explosion of images that weaves pure artistry and emotion into our very souls.
All that said, would I go so far as to say Kong was perfect? Well, no, of course not, but the things that made it imperfect were the kinds of things that moviegoers can and will easily overlook. We can nitpick all we like, but if we were only to accept entertainment based upon its realism, our lives would be pretty boring.
The CG was amazing, but there were a few places where, like in LOTR, you could easily tell the difference between the real elements and the CG, especially when they were in frame together. It doesn't happen often, but I noticed a couple of times. Overall, I am still astounded by how far the envelope gets pushed every time with these special effects. Kong was truly majestic, and a very humble tip of the hat goes to Andy Serkis once again for his amazing physical acting. Without him, we would not be so convinced by characters like Kong and Gollum.
Aside from some of the inherent problems of a heavily CG film, the only other thing was that there were several times where I think many characters should have definitely died. I mean, it made for some really breathless action sequences, but these have to be the luckiest damn people ever. A lot of people did die, but not nearly the amount you would have thought based upon what happened on the screen.
But really, all in all, it doesn't matter what the body count was, the not-quite-seamless level of CG we're capable of, or how strangely sad the story of Kong is. What matters is that you're there, believing every second of it from the first frame to the last, until the house lights come up and remind you that you don't live in a world where 25 foot gorillas fall in love with beautiful blondes and tear up New York looking for them. Welcome back to reality. Enjoy your stay.
So, what's with all the Jackson praise? Well, we just got back from seeing King Kong, and let me just say...wow. I know, I know, it's not like he actually wrote the original story. Nor did he for Lord of the Rings, but Peter Jackson's gift transcends such trifling details. He has a way of capturing the very essence of what makes a story special to us, distilling it, and adding a dash of his own personal flair, which culminates in a synergistic explosion of images that weaves pure artistry and emotion into our very souls.
All that said, would I go so far as to say Kong was perfect? Well, no, of course not, but the things that made it imperfect were the kinds of things that moviegoers can and will easily overlook. We can nitpick all we like, but if we were only to accept entertainment based upon its realism, our lives would be pretty boring.
The CG was amazing, but there were a few places where, like in LOTR, you could easily tell the difference between the real elements and the CG, especially when they were in frame together. It doesn't happen often, but I noticed a couple of times. Overall, I am still astounded by how far the envelope gets pushed every time with these special effects. Kong was truly majestic, and a very humble tip of the hat goes to Andy Serkis once again for his amazing physical acting. Without him, we would not be so convinced by characters like Kong and Gollum.
Aside from some of the inherent problems of a heavily CG film, the only other thing was that there were several times where I think many characters should have definitely died. I mean, it made for some really breathless action sequences, but these have to be the luckiest damn people ever. A lot of people did die, but not nearly the amount you would have thought based upon what happened on the screen.
But really, all in all, it doesn't matter what the body count was, the not-quite-seamless level of CG we're capable of, or how strangely sad the story of Kong is. What matters is that you're there, believing every second of it from the first frame to the last, until the house lights come up and remind you that you don't live in a world where 25 foot gorillas fall in love with beautiful blondes and tear up New York looking for them. Welcome back to reality. Enjoy your stay.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Jihad for Christmas
Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb here. I have to say something because things have gotten to a level of ridiculousness that I simply cannot tolerate quietly. I had the displeasure of reading an article today on MSN about how Christian conservatives are up in arms over the White House holiday card and the genericizing of retail holiday promotions. Because I don't want to end up with dead links on the blog later, allow me to summarize the article:
Once again this year, President Bush sent out 1.4 million holiday cards to his close friends and supporters. The card wishes recipients a happy "holiday season", but for some, the friendly message rings hollow. In a time when the more equally applicable "happy holidays" replaces the previously common "merry Christmas", conservative Christians are crying out in defiance of consideration for a more diverse population.
This cry is being heard more and more every year as retailers abandon Christmas sales for holiday specials and public events such as tree lightings are given more "politically correct" titles. Conservative groups claim that there is a "war on Christmas" and have taken actions to boycott retailers and events that have given into the public trend and removed specifically Christian references from public scrutiny. They hope to put pressure on decision-makers and put the "Christ" back into Christmas.
Now, let me go over some specific things in this article that got me worked up.
~ This first one is actually kind of good. It's nice to see that some Christians understand. In this article, Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches is quoted as saying, "I think it's more important to put Christ back into our war planning than into our Christmas cards."
Touché
~ Next, Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association in Tupelo, Miss. said, "Sometimes it's hard to tell whether this is sinister -- it's the purging of Christ from Christmas -- or whether it's just political correctness run amok..."
Uh, sinister? Yeah, that's right. Satan lurks in the good intentions we have to not only refrain from offending those who don't celebrate Christmas, but also the friendly act of including them in the celebration of a holiday season that has been sacred for the majority of human beings since even before the supposed birth of Christ...
~ On the flipside, "It bothers me that the White House card leaves off any reference to Jesus, while we've got Ramadan celebrations in the White House," Wildmon said. "What's going on there?"
I reluctantly have to say that I agree. If the White House is not so eager to endorse Christmas, they should also keep away from other religions' holiday celebrations. Conversely, I wouldn't mind if the White House honored the diversity of our country and humanity in general by celebrating all kinds of holiday traditions, including Christmas.
~ William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, announced a boycott of the Lands' End catalogue when he received his White House holiday card. True, he said, the Bushes included a verse from Psalm 28, but Psalms are in the Old Testament and do not mention Jesus' birth.
Oh brother! What the hell is wrong with people? This one got me really steamed. I make it halfway through the article merely rolling my eyes, then I find out that there is actually a biblical verse on the card! How finely can we split hairs? Regardless if it is an Old Testament verse, it is still a Christian reference. Okay, so some Jews might dig the message...heaven forbid!
~ Donohue said that Wal-Mart, facing a threatened boycott, added a Christmas page to its Web site and fired a customer relations employee who wrote a letter linking Christmas to "Siberian shamanism."
If I were that employee...I would be dialing me a lawyer. Let's face it, folks, most Christmas traditions are taken from much older religious practices. For example, where in the Bible is the Christmas tree mentioned? Actually, where in the Bible does it even mention the time of year Christ was born? There are clues in the Bible that very strongly suggest it was much earlier in the year than December. If that's so, why do you think the church eventually settled on December 25th? Take a look at religions from around the world and research some ancient religions as well. I think you'll find compelling information about many significant dates at or around the winter solstice, usually around December 22nd.
~ "Ninety-six percent of Americans celebrate Christmas," Donohue said. "Spare me the diversity lecture."
Ah yes, statistics, because we all know how accurate they can be. What that beefed up 96% number doesn't say is how many of those people are conservative Christians who actually care that government, schools and retailers are being considerate to those of alternate or no faith. It also doesn't say how many of them celebrate it as the birth of Christ. Granted, it is probably still a majority, but that should not be the point. And no, Donahue, we will not spare the diversity lecture as long as ignorant, intolerant blowhards like you prefer to ignore the fact that there are other human beings on this planet.
~ And finally, "There's a verse from Scripture in it. I don't mind that at all, as long as we don't try to pretend we're not a nation under God," said the Rev. Jerry Falwell.
Ah yes, let us not forget words of wisdom from the infamous, intractable Rev. Falwell. Jerry's "nation under God" phrase is, of course, a reference to the pledge of allegiance, another hotbed of conservative contention. But what I bet the good reverend doesn't know is that the phrase was added to the pledge in the 1950's along with several other religious references in government in order to separate the U.S. culture from communism, whose adopters were typically atheists. Let us not forget that our forefathers had a preference towards deism and transcendentalism and that the original motto of the U.S. is not "In God We Trust", but the more appropriate, and I think poignant, "E Pluribus Unum", "One From Many".
Addendum posted Dec. 9, 2005:
As I look over the content of this post and receive feedback from visitors, I think a little bit of clarification might be in order. I want to make it understood that I am not one of these Political Correctness (PC) enforcers. To me, PC is akin to censorship, which is something I also generally disagree with. I do have a tendency to use some PC terms in my own speech and writing, but my use of them is inconsistent and is occasionally situation sensitive.
The point is, when somebody says "Merry Christmas" to me, I usually smile and wish them the same, or I at least wish them "Happy Holidays". I agree with Elgon in his comment; I do not draw back in horror or tell the well-wisher off. I don't see anything wrong with "Merry Christmas" appearing in holiday retail promotions either. If retailers want to give me a discount, I don't care if they call it the "Go to Hell, You White Honkey Bastard" sale. Just make sure my items ring up right, dammit.
This is my problem with the article, and the concept in general: Conservative Christians are asking us to be PC to the minutest possible detail. Now we can't just offer a generic holiday greeting to cover all of our bases. No, now we have to know exactly what sect of exactly which faith the recipients of our message will be and tailor each individual message accordingly. The Christians will get special promotional ads from retailers that say "Merry Christmas", while Jews will get ones that specify "Happy Chanukah", and Wiccans will get ones that say "Solstice Blessings", etc. Talk about ridiculous!
Ok, so retailers use generic holiday wishes to appeal to the widest demographic possible. They're businesses, that is what it is in their best interest to do. Get over it already. By boycotting them you're only making your holiday shopping more expensive! Wake up and start caring about things that really matter, like the fact that yet another holiday season is passing by, regardless of our faith, and we all still have loved ones risking their lives overseas for a cause that many of us either never believed in or are just starting to doubt. Why don't we worry about how to get George W. to bring our troops back home, rather than what he's putting on his friggin' Christmas cards!
And speaking of W., I just wanted to add this one last thing. He's a politician, so I think the generic holiday greeting is a good move. I know he's a Christian, and however he wants to celebrate the holiday season is fine, but politicians have to be careful about the message they send to the public. Politicians are the ones for whom political correctness is the most important. We must be wary of any message a politician sends to the people that even hints at the public endorsement of a particular faith. Regardless of what the majority of the people in this country believe spiritually, we must not become a religious state. Once religion officially starts meddling in politics, the door is open for the government to begin stripping us of our constitutional rights under the guise of divine reason.
*lays down two pennies*
Once again this year, President Bush sent out 1.4 million holiday cards to his close friends and supporters. The card wishes recipients a happy "holiday season", but for some, the friendly message rings hollow. In a time when the more equally applicable "happy holidays" replaces the previously common "merry Christmas", conservative Christians are crying out in defiance of consideration for a more diverse population.
This cry is being heard more and more every year as retailers abandon Christmas sales for holiday specials and public events such as tree lightings are given more "politically correct" titles. Conservative groups claim that there is a "war on Christmas" and have taken actions to boycott retailers and events that have given into the public trend and removed specifically Christian references from public scrutiny. They hope to put pressure on decision-makers and put the "Christ" back into Christmas.
Now, let me go over some specific things in this article that got me worked up.
~ This first one is actually kind of good. It's nice to see that some Christians understand. In this article, Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches is quoted as saying, "I think it's more important to put Christ back into our war planning than into our Christmas cards."
Touché
~ Next, Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association in Tupelo, Miss. said, "Sometimes it's hard to tell whether this is sinister -- it's the purging of Christ from Christmas -- or whether it's just political correctness run amok..."
Uh, sinister? Yeah, that's right. Satan lurks in the good intentions we have to not only refrain from offending those who don't celebrate Christmas, but also the friendly act of including them in the celebration of a holiday season that has been sacred for the majority of human beings since even before the supposed birth of Christ...
~ On the flipside, "It bothers me that the White House card leaves off any reference to Jesus, while we've got Ramadan celebrations in the White House," Wildmon said. "What's going on there?"
I reluctantly have to say that I agree. If the White House is not so eager to endorse Christmas, they should also keep away from other religions' holiday celebrations. Conversely, I wouldn't mind if the White House honored the diversity of our country and humanity in general by celebrating all kinds of holiday traditions, including Christmas.
~ William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, announced a boycott of the Lands' End catalogue when he received his White House holiday card. True, he said, the Bushes included a verse from Psalm 28, but Psalms are in the Old Testament and do not mention Jesus' birth.
Oh brother! What the hell is wrong with people? This one got me really steamed. I make it halfway through the article merely rolling my eyes, then I find out that there is actually a biblical verse on the card! How finely can we split hairs? Regardless if it is an Old Testament verse, it is still a Christian reference. Okay, so some Jews might dig the message...heaven forbid!
~ Donohue said that Wal-Mart, facing a threatened boycott, added a Christmas page to its Web site and fired a customer relations employee who wrote a letter linking Christmas to "Siberian shamanism."
If I were that employee...I would be dialing me a lawyer. Let's face it, folks, most Christmas traditions are taken from much older religious practices. For example, where in the Bible is the Christmas tree mentioned? Actually, where in the Bible does it even mention the time of year Christ was born? There are clues in the Bible that very strongly suggest it was much earlier in the year than December. If that's so, why do you think the church eventually settled on December 25th? Take a look at religions from around the world and research some ancient religions as well. I think you'll find compelling information about many significant dates at or around the winter solstice, usually around December 22nd.
~ "Ninety-six percent of Americans celebrate Christmas," Donohue said. "Spare me the diversity lecture."
Ah yes, statistics, because we all know how accurate they can be. What that beefed up 96% number doesn't say is how many of those people are conservative Christians who actually care that government, schools and retailers are being considerate to those of alternate or no faith. It also doesn't say how many of them celebrate it as the birth of Christ. Granted, it is probably still a majority, but that should not be the point. And no, Donahue, we will not spare the diversity lecture as long as ignorant, intolerant blowhards like you prefer to ignore the fact that there are other human beings on this planet.
~ And finally, "There's a verse from Scripture in it. I don't mind that at all, as long as we don't try to pretend we're not a nation under God," said the Rev. Jerry Falwell.
Ah yes, let us not forget words of wisdom from the infamous, intractable Rev. Falwell. Jerry's "nation under God" phrase is, of course, a reference to the pledge of allegiance, another hotbed of conservative contention. But what I bet the good reverend doesn't know is that the phrase was added to the pledge in the 1950's along with several other religious references in government in order to separate the U.S. culture from communism, whose adopters were typically atheists. Let us not forget that our forefathers had a preference towards deism and transcendentalism and that the original motto of the U.S. is not "In God We Trust", but the more appropriate, and I think poignant, "E Pluribus Unum", "One From Many".
Addendum posted Dec. 9, 2005:
As I look over the content of this post and receive feedback from visitors, I think a little bit of clarification might be in order. I want to make it understood that I am not one of these Political Correctness (PC) enforcers. To me, PC is akin to censorship, which is something I also generally disagree with. I do have a tendency to use some PC terms in my own speech and writing, but my use of them is inconsistent and is occasionally situation sensitive.
The point is, when somebody says "Merry Christmas" to me, I usually smile and wish them the same, or I at least wish them "Happy Holidays". I agree with Elgon in his comment; I do not draw back in horror or tell the well-wisher off. I don't see anything wrong with "Merry Christmas" appearing in holiday retail promotions either. If retailers want to give me a discount, I don't care if they call it the "Go to Hell, You White Honkey Bastard" sale. Just make sure my items ring up right, dammit.
This is my problem with the article, and the concept in general: Conservative Christians are asking us to be PC to the minutest possible detail. Now we can't just offer a generic holiday greeting to cover all of our bases. No, now we have to know exactly what sect of exactly which faith the recipients of our message will be and tailor each individual message accordingly. The Christians will get special promotional ads from retailers that say "Merry Christmas", while Jews will get ones that specify "Happy Chanukah", and Wiccans will get ones that say "Solstice Blessings", etc. Talk about ridiculous!
Ok, so retailers use generic holiday wishes to appeal to the widest demographic possible. They're businesses, that is what it is in their best interest to do. Get over it already. By boycotting them you're only making your holiday shopping more expensive! Wake up and start caring about things that really matter, like the fact that yet another holiday season is passing by, regardless of our faith, and we all still have loved ones risking their lives overseas for a cause that many of us either never believed in or are just starting to doubt. Why don't we worry about how to get George W. to bring our troops back home, rather than what he's putting on his friggin' Christmas cards!
And speaking of W., I just wanted to add this one last thing. He's a politician, so I think the generic holiday greeting is a good move. I know he's a Christian, and however he wants to celebrate the holiday season is fine, but politicians have to be careful about the message they send to the public. Politicians are the ones for whom political correctness is the most important. We must be wary of any message a politician sends to the people that even hints at the public endorsement of a particular faith. Regardless of what the majority of the people in this country believe spiritually, we must not become a religious state. Once religion officially starts meddling in politics, the door is open for the government to begin stripping us of our constitutional rights under the guise of divine reason.
*lays down two pennies*
Thursday, December 01, 2005
The Dragon's Duel
Hello all! Once again I come bearing samples of my writing. This one should seem a bit familiar. In an earlier post I submitted a clipping from my fantasy novel. It involved one of the misadventures of a secondary character named Su-Ni. Well, again I'm offering a piece of Su-Ni's story, but this one comes from the next book in the series, which, aside from this bit, hasn't even been written yet. Since I haven't even begun to write the next book, I hope you'll see through the rough nature of this section to the glimpse of my vision hidden therein.
* * * * *
Su-Ni gaped in awe as she watched the strange black-clad figure effortlessly scale the side of the scorched two story building and flip up onto the roof. Turning away, she looked into the sky, trying to catch a glimpse of the beast that had wreaked all this havoc. It was swooping this way and that in the distance, but considering its ever increasing size, she knew it was getting closer. The flames that consumed the homes around her lashed out, filling the air with a stinging heat, but she did not flinch. She would not take her eyes off the approaching creature.
As it came on, Su-Ni saw another white spray of fire spew forth from the dragon's mouth and descend on the buildings below. Smoke began to rise instantly in the beast's wake. It was a nightmare come alive. Tears of anger filled her eyes as she drew back on her bow, knowing that her arrows would likely be useless against the armored hide of her foe. Regardless, she blinked away the tears and took aim at the dragon as it sped closer.
It was nearly on top of her when she loosed her arrow. Its trajectory was completely lost in the slinking pattern of scales that wound by in the sky. She fell over at the sudden rush of painfully hot air that tackled her as the beast swept past. Flipping over quickly, Su-Ni scrambled to her feet, looked up, and gasped.
The warrior in black leapt as the dragon passed overhead. It was no small jump. This mysterious man shot up from the roof and somehow latched onto the side of the beast, which could not have been less than thirty feet above him. Su-Ni could do nothing in that moment other than stare in amazement.
It was clear that the dragon knew something was wrong because it suddenly began to coil around itself and emit a deafening screech. She couldn't quite make out what was going on, but whatever it was, it had the dragon momentarily distracted. Su-Ni put two fingers into her mouth and let out a piercing whistle. Not waiting for a response, she ran up to the building that the dark warrior had climbed and began looking for a way up.
When it quickly became apparent to her that there were no hand or footholds in the smooth wall, she ran to the front door and pushed it open. Before going in, she looked back out into the street. When she saw no one coming, she let out another whistle and ducked inside.
A few seconds later, a door opened in the floor of the roof and Su-Ni pulled herself out of it. She looked up and saw that the dragon was still thrashing, though now it seemed more desperate. She still could not see the warrior in black through the blur of the creature's scaly body. Running over to the edge of the roof, she looked down at the street. At one end, two men came running around the corner.
With a satisfied nod to herself, she turned back to the fight overhead and drew an arrow from her quiver. She didn't know how much good she would do, but as long as she was still standing, she would not do nothing. Drawing a bead on a specific part of the constantly twisting mass that was the dragon was difficult. But the beast was huge and, thus, difficult to miss. She let the arrow fly, hoping that it wouldn't hit their mysterious ally, assuming he wasn't already dead.
This time, she saw her arrow bounce off the hard scales of her target. She sighed in frustration as she drew another. If only she could find a chink in that armor. As she scanned the writhing mass above her for some hint of weakness, something dropped away from the beast. Su-Ni flinched as she realized it was man shaped.
A second or two later, the dark warrior hit the roof a few feet away from her and fell right through. The impact was too much for the brittle dwelling, scorched by the dragon's fire. With a loud creaking and cracking, the building collapsed in on itself. The debris swallowed up Su-Ni and the mysterious black-clad man.
"Su-Ni!" called out Denlin as he and O'eintsu made it to the building just as it crumbled to the ground.
O'eintsu immediately hopped up onto the still settling remains of the structure as his comrade scrambled to follow. They began to sift through the rubble that had, only moments ago, supported their friend and fellow soldier. The danger in the sky above was momentarily forgotten as they searched frantically. Each second that passed without finding her seemed like minutes.
They became so desperate that they almost didn't notice a soot-blackened board shifting seemingly of its own free will. Denlin looked over just in time to see a slightly battered Su-Ni emerge from a pile of broken wood and mortar. The normally sure-footed warrior stumbled hurriedly over to her. O'eintsu was not far behind.
"Are you alright?" Denlin asked.
Su-Ni nodded and looked up. "It's gone..." she trailed.
Her two friends followed her gaze. The dragon was nowhere in sight. The settlement was suddenly strangely calm.
"Come, help me find him," she urged them.
"Who?" asked O'eintsu.
"Didn't you see him fall?" Su-Ni asked. "It was the warrior in black."
There was a momentary pause as the two men digested what she had just said. Then, they quickly joined her in searching for the warrior. It did not take the three of them long to find him. The dark warrior was lying under a section of collapsed roof. When they cleared away the debris, they saw clutched in one of his hands, a bloody shortsword, and in the other, two thick dragon scales.
"Who is he?" muttered Denlin in awe, voicing the same question that had been on the lips of half the empire for the past few weeks.
Su-Ni knelt next to the prone warrior's body. His head was wrapped in the same black fabric as the rest of his clothing, and his eyes were the only exposed part of his flesh, except for a fresh wound on his side. The young woman reached out and touched the wrappings that obscured his face. He moaned weakly.
"Let's get him out of here," Su-Ni said distantly. In her head she was denying her suspicion of the mysterious man's identity with all her will. It was impossible. She bit her lip and tried to push down her desperately wishful thinking. As her two companions carefully lifted the warrior out of the ruins, she followed closely behind, wondering...
Su-Ni gaped in awe as she watched the strange black-clad figure effortlessly scale the side of the scorched two story building and flip up onto the roof. Turning away, she looked into the sky, trying to catch a glimpse of the beast that had wreaked all this havoc. It was swooping this way and that in the distance, but considering its ever increasing size, she knew it was getting closer. The flames that consumed the homes around her lashed out, filling the air with a stinging heat, but she did not flinch. She would not take her eyes off the approaching creature.
As it came on, Su-Ni saw another white spray of fire spew forth from the dragon's mouth and descend on the buildings below. Smoke began to rise instantly in the beast's wake. It was a nightmare come alive. Tears of anger filled her eyes as she drew back on her bow, knowing that her arrows would likely be useless against the armored hide of her foe. Regardless, she blinked away the tears and took aim at the dragon as it sped closer.
It was nearly on top of her when she loosed her arrow. Its trajectory was completely lost in the slinking pattern of scales that wound by in the sky. She fell over at the sudden rush of painfully hot air that tackled her as the beast swept past. Flipping over quickly, Su-Ni scrambled to her feet, looked up, and gasped.
The warrior in black leapt as the dragon passed overhead. It was no small jump. This mysterious man shot up from the roof and somehow latched onto the side of the beast, which could not have been less than thirty feet above him. Su-Ni could do nothing in that moment other than stare in amazement.
It was clear that the dragon knew something was wrong because it suddenly began to coil around itself and emit a deafening screech. She couldn't quite make out what was going on, but whatever it was, it had the dragon momentarily distracted. Su-Ni put two fingers into her mouth and let out a piercing whistle. Not waiting for a response, she ran up to the building that the dark warrior had climbed and began looking for a way up.
When it quickly became apparent to her that there were no hand or footholds in the smooth wall, she ran to the front door and pushed it open. Before going in, she looked back out into the street. When she saw no one coming, she let out another whistle and ducked inside.
A few seconds later, a door opened in the floor of the roof and Su-Ni pulled herself out of it. She looked up and saw that the dragon was still thrashing, though now it seemed more desperate. She still could not see the warrior in black through the blur of the creature's scaly body. Running over to the edge of the roof, she looked down at the street. At one end, two men came running around the corner.
With a satisfied nod to herself, she turned back to the fight overhead and drew an arrow from her quiver. She didn't know how much good she would do, but as long as she was still standing, she would not do nothing. Drawing a bead on a specific part of the constantly twisting mass that was the dragon was difficult. But the beast was huge and, thus, difficult to miss. She let the arrow fly, hoping that it wouldn't hit their mysterious ally, assuming he wasn't already dead.
This time, she saw her arrow bounce off the hard scales of her target. She sighed in frustration as she drew another. If only she could find a chink in that armor. As she scanned the writhing mass above her for some hint of weakness, something dropped away from the beast. Su-Ni flinched as she realized it was man shaped.
A second or two later, the dark warrior hit the roof a few feet away from her and fell right through. The impact was too much for the brittle dwelling, scorched by the dragon's fire. With a loud creaking and cracking, the building collapsed in on itself. The debris swallowed up Su-Ni and the mysterious black-clad man.
"Su-Ni!" called out Denlin as he and O'eintsu made it to the building just as it crumbled to the ground.
O'eintsu immediately hopped up onto the still settling remains of the structure as his comrade scrambled to follow. They began to sift through the rubble that had, only moments ago, supported their friend and fellow soldier. The danger in the sky above was momentarily forgotten as they searched frantically. Each second that passed without finding her seemed like minutes.
They became so desperate that they almost didn't notice a soot-blackened board shifting seemingly of its own free will. Denlin looked over just in time to see a slightly battered Su-Ni emerge from a pile of broken wood and mortar. The normally sure-footed warrior stumbled hurriedly over to her. O'eintsu was not far behind.
"Are you alright?" Denlin asked.
Su-Ni nodded and looked up. "It's gone..." she trailed.
Her two friends followed her gaze. The dragon was nowhere in sight. The settlement was suddenly strangely calm.
"Come, help me find him," she urged them.
"Who?" asked O'eintsu.
"Didn't you see him fall?" Su-Ni asked. "It was the warrior in black."
There was a momentary pause as the two men digested what she had just said. Then, they quickly joined her in searching for the warrior. It did not take the three of them long to find him. The dark warrior was lying under a section of collapsed roof. When they cleared away the debris, they saw clutched in one of his hands, a bloody shortsword, and in the other, two thick dragon scales.
"Who is he?" muttered Denlin in awe, voicing the same question that had been on the lips of half the empire for the past few weeks.
Su-Ni knelt next to the prone warrior's body. His head was wrapped in the same black fabric as the rest of his clothing, and his eyes were the only exposed part of his flesh, except for a fresh wound on his side. The young woman reached out and touched the wrappings that obscured his face. He moaned weakly.
"Let's get him out of here," Su-Ni said distantly. In her head she was denying her suspicion of the mysterious man's identity with all her will. It was impossible. She bit her lip and tried to push down her desperately wishful thinking. As her two companions carefully lifted the warrior out of the ruins, she followed closely behind, wondering...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)