Tag: chapter

CoS Book 1, Fantasy, Sarn, Shayari, Sonnet24 Comments

Curse Breaker | Consolation

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Consolation “You want to hear a story?” Sarn asked his son. Ran nodded, surprised at the offer. Usually Miren read him stories since Miren could read and Sarn couldn’t. So pleased was Ran by this offer that he didn’t see the trap it represented. He accepted his stuffed bear and snuggled as close he could to his father, despite the layers of cloth muffling him, believing that he’d gotten his way. Sarn fought a smile and lost, at least he’d done one thing right tonight. “Let me tell you about Shayari’s Queen.” Read the rest in Curse … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Consolation

CoS Book 1, Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Sarn, Shayari, Sonnet16 Comments

Curse Breaker | Consolation

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Consolation “You want to hear a story?” Sarn asked his son. Ran nodded, surprised at the offer. Usually Miren read him stories since Miren could read and Sarn couldn’t. So pleased was Ran by this offer that he didn’t see the trap it represented. He accepted his stuffed bear and snuggled as close he could to his father, despite the layers of cloth muffling him, believing that he’d gotten his way. Sarn fought a smile and lost, at least he’d done one thing right tonight. “Let me tell you about Shayari’s Queen.” Read the rest in Curse … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Consolation

CoS Book 1, Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, poem, poetry, Sarn, Shayari10 Comments

Curse Breaker | Defensive

Melinda Kucsera

  Curse Breaker | Defensive   “You have to go back,” Miren said in a last ditch effort to drag his brother back to the discussion. Sarn gave his brother a slow nod indicating that he’d heard, not that he agreed with that statement. Though Miren had the right of it as usual. Sarn’s indentured state conferred no rights. He had to follow orders and those orders had not included a dismissal yet tonight. He wanted to stay here far away from people who treated him like an idiot, but… “No. Papa stays here and we have ad-ven-tures.” Ran gave … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Defensive

CoS Book 1, Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, Sarn, Shayari23 Comments

Curse Breaker | Homecoming

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Homecoming “If you go back will you be in trouble?” “I—I don’t know.” Sarn had never gone awol before. He’d been an indentured servant to the Rangers for four years now and no Ranger had ever pulled a stunt like this. Not that he’d listened for any such stories. If a Ranger had pulled such a fool stunt, they never would have told him out of fear that he’d do it too. That didn’t bode well for him. Sarn ran a hand over his face. He hated trouble yet he couldn’t help falling victim to it at … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Homecoming

CoS Book 1, Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, Sarn, Shayari21 Comments

Curse Breaker | Pursued

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Pursued Vaulting from boulder to boulder, he crossed the white-capped river mere feet from the falls themselves. On the far shore, he broke into a run and hit the maze the rich had dubbed the Lower Quarters. Though squalor, even one with such a genteel moniker, was still rankest poverty. Reeking of urine, rotting food, and unwashed bodies, the stink grew stronger as Sarn fled the river and headed towards the galleries where the indentured dwelt. His footfalls echoed despite his attempts to run silently down twisting tunnels. He hurried, breaking off just before he reached one of … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Pursued

CoS Book 1, Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, poem, poetry, Sarn, Shayari10 Comments

Curse Breaker | Intercepted

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Intercepted “Easy,” said the newcomer, “It’s just Green Eyes.” Sarn risked a glance at the man standing at his elbow. Grime combined with the green glow of Sarn’s eyes made it impossible to tell what color the man’s garments were or if the fellow was sporting gang colors. The gap-toothed fellow waited for a response of some kind. Great, so word had spread that Sarn wasn’t mute. Damn it.  “How do you know me?” “Zaduke.” He owed Zaduke a favor. Anger flared up but Sarn squelched it and the memory of just why he owed a jumped … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Intercepted

CoS Book 1, Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, Sarn, Shayari16 Comments

Curse Breaker | Falling

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Falling Sarn gave the forest one backwards glance just to confirm that neither Nolo nor any other Rangers had appeared. Trees stood by watching him, no doubt waiting for him to make a move. Was this all a cruel game to them? His hands curled into fists; he was no one’s pawn. Other than the wind rustling leaves high above, he heard shouts that grew more distant the longer he stood there. Let those shouts not be about him. Let Nolo find someone else to badger. Didn’t he need to report all this madness to his superior? … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Falling

CoS Book 1, Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, Sarn, Shayari30 Comments

Curse Breaker | Rift

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Rift Sarn ran back towards the bodies. Dread dogged him. A branch shot out at chest level and Sarn struck it hard enough to bruise. He had managed to slow enough to keep from breaking anything but the impact still drove the breath from him. He ducked under the impediment and then had to throw himself backwards to avoid a head injury as more branches leapt into his path. He watched in horror as the ground opened up and that child’s body, along with all the others, toppled into it. He couldn’t tear his gaze away. The … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Rift

Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, poem, poetry, Sarn, Shayari42 Comments

Curse Breaker | Queen of All Trees

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | The Queen of All Trees Something tied the Child of Magic to the mountain and that tie refused to allow him to leave it. The Queen of All Trees tested its tensile strength and found the tie to be stronger than it. Each link was a promise forged in magic and blood. It led back to an unexpected source—a small child. The Child of Magic had a child of his own. Not well versed in humans, the Queen of All Trees flipped through memory’s pages seeking the truth. It found a sixteen year old boy and a … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Queen of All Trees

Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, poem, poetry, Sarn, Shayari21 Comments

Curse Breaker | Stupefied

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Stupefied A keening sound startled Nolo and gave him a direction. He rushed off towards the source. He found Sarn staring at a broken child not two hundred paces away from the previous murder site. His hands shook where they remained suspended halfway between himself and the boy. Horror had shut off his reasoning. Beyond the child lay a dozen men, women and children all dead. They’re bodies had not been ripped apart or in anyway despoiled. Nolo noted all that in a quick glance before returning his attention to his stricken charge. The dead could wait … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Stupefied

Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, Sarn, Shayari69 Comments

Curse Breaker | Discovery

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Discovery Passing between two trees, whose boles each had to be over a hundred feet in diameter, he froze. Bodies lay in a small clearing—or what was left of them. The stench hit Sarn full in the face as the wind, which had picked up over the last mile of his hike, shifted. He gagged, doubled over and retched. Sarn started as a hand landed on his shoulder. “You okay, Kid?” “I’m not a kid.” Sarn shot back as he forced the bile back down. “I’m twenty—” “I know,” Nolo gave Sarn’s shoulder a squeeze and then let … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Discovery

Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, Sarn, Shayari36 Comments

Curse Breaker | Kidnapped

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Kidnapped More shouts interrupted by tearing, scraping and the grating of sandpaper as something not human dragged Sarn into the forest. He ran his fingers along the grooves of the thing manacling his arm as he tried to figure out what had seized him. His fingers encountered tree bark and that made no sense. Why would a tree abduct him? It had never done that before. Why would it need to start now? What the hell was going on?   “Let go of me!” Sarn hammered the heel of his hand against whatever part of the tree that … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Kidnapped

Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Mount Eredren, Sarn, Shayari30 Comments

Curse Breaker | Commanded

Melinda Kucsera

Curse Breaker | Commanded “We don’t know if that Kid is a mage,” Jerlo corrected as he appeared between his two officers. At five foot nothing, the force of Jerlo’s personality took up more space than he did. Right now his formidable glare focused on a man sixteen inches taller than himself. Gregori could bench press one Jerlo in each hand. So whenever the commander scolded Gregori, everyone dropped everything and watched. “Oh yeah? Then why do his eyes glow all the damned time? That’s a sign of active magic and you know it. Hell it’s even mentioned in the Litany.” … Continue reading Curse Breaker | Commanded

Curse Breaker, Fantasy, Sarn, Shayari37 Comments

Interrogation | Curse Breaker

Melinda Kucsera

Interrogation | Curse Breaker “Who did this to you?” Gregori demanded with more menace. Sarn pushed to his feet, arms crossing under his cloak intent on pacing. Gregori gave him space but begrudged him every inch of it. What to say? Tell Gregori that a bunch of idiots had jumped him? As if that would help his situation any. Explain that the tight confines of the tunnel had left no room to maneuver? Why bother when anything he said would sound like an excuse. No one ever believed him. Sarn regarded his fists that bore not a single scratch because … Continue reading Interrogation | Curse Breaker