Ch3: No Mementos

Sorry for the late post, but here is chapter three of my short story. A prequel to book 1 of the Oam's Cry series. 

Copyright © 2013 by P.A. Lackey

All rights reserved.

No part of this story may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. 

Chapter Three: No Mementos 

A peaceful silence overwhelmed the forest. The smell of dew was strong, and critters roamed among the brush. Birds chirped of the previous night’s storm, and small fury mammals played in the berry bushes. Arius could even feel the ants coming forth from their havens seeking food for their homes.

His eyes opened to find rich green foliage crowding around the rocks, while pink and purple flowers peeked through the underbrush. His eyes turned upward to find a tall pine standing tall atop the cliff overlooking its fellow trees and native streams.

Ahead of him hopped out a gray fur mammal with two tall ears. Its nose wrinkled in the air for the scent of something curious, and without a warning the creature was lifted from the ground by a mysterious force. It kicked and struggled but soon its neck was wrung, and out stepped Dueson from the shadows beyond. His figure was made clear from the light through the trees.

“I have breakfast,” he declared, coming to the camp.

He vanished under the shade before being revealed by the sunlight, but soon he uncloaked himself so that even the shade could not hide him.

Arius sat up finding his clothes still damp. The rest of the mercenaries were up and attending the small fire which the heat sticks still fueled. He felt awkward being the last one up, and wondered what the others thought of him for doing so. Why hadn’t they woke him?

“That’s hardly enough for the ten of us,” Ruekrow criticized, Dueson’s younger brother. “Maybe two to three at most.”

“We don’t even know if it’s safe to eat,” Rie said, from his end of the fire.

“Then don’t eat it,” Dueson said, sitting down with his kill. He removed a knife from his belt. “I don’t care to share my game with a bunch of gripers anyway.”

Arius moved closer to the fire next to Brockumus who sat silently staring into the small fire. Glancing toward all the men, he found them carrying stern faces. They knew not what to think of their circumstances, and it seemed that Dueson had been the only one out and about.

“What is that Ruekrow,” Thorim asked, spotting a hard image in his hands. “We can’t carry anything personal. You know that.”

Ruekrow began to hide it, but it was too late. His brother, Dueson, snatched it from his hands and tossed it into the fire after a brief look. Ruekrow began to protest, but had nothing to say.

“I would hope my brother would have more sense,” Dueson said, “but his naïve experience wins out in the end.”

“Sorry,” Ruekrow said. “I’ll be more careful next time.”

Arius synched up the collar of his jacket in order to hide the necklace around his neck. He was already unappreciated, and he didn’t need the others getting on to him about his personal assets. The necklace was all he had from home, and he couldn’t afford to lose it.

It had been given to him by his soon to be wife as a memento to remember her by. She told him not to forget her on his journey which was ridiculous indeed. He would never be able to shake her from his mind, and the only thing that would keep him away was death itself.

He felt regret as it was she who cautioned him against such a journey, but he ignored her pleas thinking that it would mend relationships he had long broken. He had done it for her, and them, for he thought that it would make things right, but what he thought would be a simple honor mission turned into a manhunt for one whom only legends knew of. It would be months before he would return home, and now that their ship had been destroyed he wasn’t sure if returning was possible.

How could he have been so stupid, he wondered. Looking back he could see the trap for what it was. His future father-in-law had convinced him to take the mission. He told him that it would be simple for pure diplomatic reasons, but now here he was surrounded by killers on a mission no one thought possible. This was an attempt to do away with him by his future father-in-law, and now Arius couldn’t be too careful.

Thanks for stopping by, and check out next week's chapter, "Family for a Lifetime," which will be here next Thursday. In the meantime please let me know what you think by leaving a comment, and check out my book.
Buy on Kindle here.

New Book, "Ground of Oam". An Epic Adventure Unfolds.

After seven months of silence, a new book dawns upon the world to change the very nature of science fiction and fantasy. (Warning, this is a sales pitch.) Ground of Oam is now available here on Amazon kindle; buy it now, or borrow it for free on amazon prime. A free sample also awaits on amazon if you wish to test it before purchase. Just click the picture as you would any other book to read the sample.

Ground of Oam is the first installment out of a new, but long anticipated, series called "Oam's Cry". Created by two brothers, my brother and myself, Oam's Cry spans several hundred years. This first installment takes place in the year 2060 upon a series of islands that formed in the pacific around the year 2015. A foul creature known as the Rebirtha now rule the islands, while mankind has been pushed into hiding. The condition of the outside world is unknown.
Meet the three characters of the novel, Levi who has forgotten his past and must search for the one thing that might reveal to him his forgotten memories. Matthew, whose father went missing at the age of fifteen, now must decide whether he should pursue his dreams of adventure like his father, or defend his hometown from a new threat. Isaac Kierken, a bio-engineered super-soldier who previously worked for the now fallen international powers, seeks to join the ranks of the Rebirtha. In order to prove his new found loyalty to them he must steal something from the humans whom he once swore to protect. However, what begins as a simple retrieval mission brings him to the brink of a new war, and it is he that must decide its declaration.
I am excited to finally see this book published, and I hope readers will enjoy it as much as I did writing it. As mentioned before, Ground of Oam, is only the first installment out of a three book series. However, what my brother and I have created is much bigger than that. While I will be covering the early era of Oam's Cry, my brother will be covering the future era taking place over a hundred years later. He still has yet to finish it, but I am excited to see our project unfolding at last. Check out the book on amazon and please leave a review. Now that it is out there I must begin the process of promoting it, and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to post more on this topic soon.