Here is an excerpt I wrote yesterday for my new novel. It’s the second in a Young Adult series called The Mearth Chronicles but should be understandable, even without 300-pages-worth of back story.
Versera, Nariana, Arielle, Stavius, and Janus are teenagers who are transported to the magical planet, Mearth in their dreams. Saiph and Juice are dragons. I should also mention that Juice has become my favorite character to write.
My first 2 novels are available on Amazon. Just search for Gregory Cholmondeley to find them.
Versera crossed her legs and sat on a rock at the top of the hill above Juice’s cave. The ground was moist with the morning’s dew but she didn’t mind. She needed peace and solitude to clear her mind. Versera loved being with people and had always been drawn to crowds but she also occasionally needed to be alone. Juice’s cave was far too small and filled with refugees for much privacy. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep, cleansing breath the way her mother had instructed her to begin meditations. She slowly reopened her eyes and gazed upon her serene, near-sunrise setting.
This region of Mearth was heavily forested and Versera’s immediate view consisted of tree trunks and a few weathered boulders. The nearby tree trunks transitioned to the leafy canopy of the more distant trees rising from farther downhill. Most people would find this natural setting relaxing, but not Versera. The array of vertical trunks with no long-distance view reminded her of the cage which had imprisoned them for months and her tension increased.
“Arrgghh,” she groaned, as she took another breath and tried meditating again. This time her eyes remained closed as she struggled to remove the frustration which had been building within. She recalled her initial excitement with the Mearth dream as she explored the wonder of this amazing world and honed her magical abilities. She was proud to be part of a team of heroes on a journey to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Those feelings slowly transformed into impatience as she waited for their wayward companion to arrive and later to disappointment after the three girls departed and were captured nearly as soon as they left.
For the past several months her anger and fear had transitioned to boredom as she sat in a cage waiting to be executed on Mearth. She began dreading going to sleep on Earth due to bad dreams she couldn’t remember but which left her exhausted in the morning. Urtish explained that their Mearth dreams would stop after their next birthdays and Versera had been counting the days until she turned fourteen.
Then Stavius and Janus arrived, somehow destroyed the dragon aviary, and Saiph carried her away in her massive talons. Her excitement returned after her escape and she felt alive once again. They had no chance of fulfilling the prophecy any longer but they were three, powerful magicians living in a world filled with dragons, centaurs, unicorns, and other fantastic creatures. They could still explore and find adventure on Mearth.
All her enthusiasm disappeared when the boys returned yesterday.
Versera didn’t consider herself to be competitive. She didn’t care much about winning, losing, or even keeping score. However, she always insisted on being the best at whatever she attempted. She, Arielle, and Nariana had failed to remove the iron collar which was choking Saiph despite all their magical powers; and then Stavius and Janus came and popped it off. Later, the boys shared stories of the adventures they had experienced while the girls had been stuck in a cage. Then, when their stories were over, Janus casually suggested, “How about some dinner?” and pulled a feast out of his backpack. The girls had been surviving on nothing but nuts, berries and dozens of bruised apples from the tree Juice had almost dropped on their heads and those guys neglected to mention that they brought food!
“Aieeeeee!” she screamed as her eyes angrily flashed open. Her attempts at meditating were not clearing her mind. They were making her even angrier. Now she was grumpy and felt cheated out of, what should have been, a fun adventure.
Versera took another deep breath and closed her eyes for one more meditation attempt. She needed to get control of herself before the others woke up. Arielle wouldn’t bother her. Versera couldn’t comprehend that girl, but at least she was a quiet introvert. Arielle seemed more comfortable around animals than people, however, she also had a cynical personality and a predilection to do pranks which Versera found worrisome.
Nariana, however, would be a nuisance. She was the most competitive person Versera had ever met. That girl always needed to be the one giving commands, to be first in line, and, above all, to be the winner. Nariana would be annoyed at being the second person awake this morning and would probably race up here bragging that she could get into a meditative trance first.
Versera shook her head to force out these thoughts. Her musings were still making her tense but she wasn’t feeling the uncontrollable emotional charge which had overcome her earlier. She knew she was finally on the path to getting her mind and emotions under control. She relaxed her tense muscles, felt her shoulders droop, and focused on an imaginary glowing ball of light in front of her. Her thoughts about her team, her unfair dream, and even the hard rock and increasingly itchy wetness against her butt were fading. A distant, vanishing part of her mind realized that she was finally starting to achieve a relaxed, meditative state.
At that moment a loud, low moan reverberated around her. It sounded like it came from deep below the earth but felt like it arose from inside her own mind and body. She jumped up, heard the low howl again, and knew it was emanating from the dragon’s lair in the cave below. Versera gave up all hope of meditating and raced down the hill as fast as she could. She dashed into the cave and saw Saiph trying to rise out of Juice’s dragon nest. Juice, Stavius, and Arielle were forcing her back down, insisting that she was too weak to move and needed to rest. The injured dragon relented and collapsed back in the nest with a crazed look in her eyes. That was when Versera, Nariana, and Arielle heard her speak for the first time.
Janus and Stavius had explained that dragons are telepathic, after which all three girls immediately began trying to communicate with their hosts with minimal success. Nariana seemed to be able to somewhat understand Juice but the other two girls were only able to perceive vague emotions, although they suspected even that was just wishful thinking. Everything changed with Saiph’s powerful, emotional plea.
“My babies!” she screamed again and everyone heard her thoughts and felt her anguish.
“What babies?” shrieked Arielle. “What’s she talking about?”
“My babies are hatching! I have to be there to help them emerge!” howled Saiph before collapsing into uncontrollable sobs.
“What’s she talking about, Juice?” asked Stavius. “You mentioned something about burying eggs but that would’ve been a hundred years ago.”
“I don’t know,” answered Juice. “I mean, we went on a date, things went well, we mated, we buried some eggs, and then Saiph split before I woke up.”
There is no scientific evidence regarding whether dragons blush, but everyone who was in Juice’s cave that day will insist that they can.
“Besides, that was a century ago. I just figured they were duds,” he added as an attempt to act casual.
Saiph glared at him and said, “Juice, you idiot, dragon eggs take years to mature. Dragon mothers bury them before leaving to build a safe and nurturing environment while they develop. Baby dragons will continue to mature in those eggs but won’t hatch until they sense the return of their mother. I’ve been trapped in a cage with my magical energy blocked. Now that I’m free, our babies have sensed my return and are ready to come out of their shells. I have to get to them or they will die!”
“But you can’t do that, Saiph. You’re too weak to even stand, much less to fly somewhere and help your children,” soothed Arielle.
“We need to find another way,” agreed Stavius, as he stared at Juice.
“Whoa, you mean I’m going to be a dad?” marveled the male dragon, with a slight swagger.
“Yes, and you have the responsibilities of a father,” said Stavius.
“And my kids will be, like, a hundred years old? How cool is that?” giggled Juice.
Stavius grabbed the big dragon’s beak and yelled, “Juice, stay focused. You are these baby dragons’ father and you have to help them hatch because Saiph can’t do it.”
“No!” screamed Saiph. “I am not letting that moron hatch my babies!”
“Hey!” shouted Juice. “I’m standing right here, you know, and I am insulted that you would…” His voice trailed off and whatever he was going to say was lost in a mumble as he shrank under Saiph’s withering glare.
“You have to let him go,” said Nariana. “You claim they need someone to help them hatch and you’re too weak to get there. Your only two alternatives are your husband and a group of teenage kids.”
Saiph growled, “Do not call him my husband,” and glared at the group surrounding her in the cave. She stared at the kids and then at Juice. Then she looked more closely at the kids before swinging her head back to Juice, who seemed to raise one of his feet in a little wave.
“Listen, I know that you and Juice have your issues, but there really is only one rational choice. None of us know much about dragons and we certainly don’t know anything about dragon-birth or parenting,” Stavius softly noted.
Saiph sighed and said, “I know, and there is so little time to educate you.”
“What!” yelled Janus. “Are you crazy?”
“Dibs on being the delivery team!” shouted all three girls in unison.
“You’ve already had enough fun,” giggled Versera, glancing over her shoulder at the boys. “Go take Juice outside. It’s our turn to do something interesting.”
Stavius and Janus escorted Juice out of the cave as the girls leaned in to listen to Saiph’s instructions.
“It just seems that I should be a part of this,” whimpered Juice as they stepped outside. “After all, I am their dad.”
“Don’t worry, big guy. Someone will have to fly the girls there and back,” Janus reassured him.
Juice brightened at this thought. “You’re right! And I need to straighten this place. The yard is a disaster and the kids will need room to play! Besides, I get kind of squeamish when I think about seeing babies break out of their shells. It just seems so icky,” admitted the massive dragon as he bounded over to remove the uprooted apple tree and began planning his children’s future playground.