I’ve been a total slacker this week and haven’t posted like I should. So I decided to make up for it by offering you another excerpt of the novel I’m working on, The Unnamed.
Enjoy!
“You don’t belong here, in the world of humans,” the being continued. “The Unnamed don’t belong anywhere. You’re abominations.” Haedyn watched as he changed forms continuously from a human figure, to a winged creature, to a wolf-like being, and back again. She didn’t know whether he was trying to distract her with his shape-shifting or his words, but she refused to budge.
“I was around when your kind were created. Mistakes are what you are. The Angels knew they had screwed up just as much as we did. Our blood was never meant to mingle with theirs. That’s why they helped us hunt and kill every one of you.” The being stopped in front of her, and then turned his head to look in her direction. “Or so we thought.”
It began pacing again and Haedyn took the chance to process what it had said. A blanket of loneliness settled around her heart as his words sunk into her soul. She was the only one left, the last. There was no family waiting for her. There was no others of her kind to welcome her into their home. She was alone.
The sweet melody of his voice pulled her back from her thoughts. “But you seem to have a skill. Death becomes you, little one. Running those orphans straight to their slaughter at the river…it was as if you knew I’d be waiting for them!” The creature laughed and Haedyn closed her eyes in a slow blink as her shoulders dropped a notch. The children must not have stayed in the tunnel like she told them. If they had only listened to her and not ran to the river before daylight, they would have had a chance.
“I know.” The being’s voice took on a softer tone. “You were trying to save them. But don’t you see? You delivered them, just as they were meant to be. They would have grown up in this world and become humans full of hatred and deceit. They would never have known happiness. Death was a better alternative, don’t you think?”
Haedyn looked at him again. She couldn’t imagine Rachel as he described. She was always laughing and nice. But Rachel was still young. Adult humans behaved much differently. The pain and violence they inflicted upon the ones they claimed to love occurred far too often to be something other than their nature. The adults even treated their young as useless burdens, leaving them to be raised by others who viewed them as obligations. Rachel’s parents had done that, as well as her own.
She let out a deep sigh. She had seen how cruel the adult humans could be. But this creature looming in front of her was evil, she was sure of it. She just wasn’t sure if it was any more evil than humans.
“Ah, little one. What shall I do with you now?” It walked in a circle around her as it spoke. Headyn followed it, not allowing it to leave her unique sight.
“You do have a gift,” it continued. “I saw what you did to Frank. That’s a talent that I can help you hone. It comes from your demon side, you know, something I’m very familiar with,” he said with a slight chuckle.
Haedyn blinked in response. The Sisters had reverently worshiped scriptures that told tales of the existence of demons, but it never occurred to her that she would ever be face to face with one. Or that it would be praising her on how well she could kill. Was it right? Did evil live in her as well?
Okay, what did you think? Did you like it, love it, or hate it? Hearing from you makes my day so feel free to leave comments and/or suggestions.
Great excerpt, Jennifer! I’m intrigued and want to know more.
Thanks, Tami!
I was thinking about doing a few more excerpts as I get it all finished up. 🙂
Thanks for sharing an excerpt. I enjoyed it 🙂
The formatting of the text makes it a little hard to read, though 🙁 Does the blog software allow you to break up large blocks of text with blank lines between paragraphs or something?
Looking forward to seeing more excerpts.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Mike!
Thanks for pointing out the formatting, I didn’t even notice it when I hit publish. Will fix it pronto!
LOVED it, Jennifer – not only the story line but you have a magnificent writing voice!
Thank you so much, Elaine! You just made my night. 😀
Oooooh! Curious! Love the little hints you have dropped. Is she or isn’t she dark? Are you planning on self-publishing?
Hi Debra!
Glad you liked it!
Yes, I’ll be self-publishing. It was a tough decision to make, as there are advantages to both. But it finally came down to the excitement I get from the idea of doing it myself. I know that sounds crazy with all the hard work that’s involved, but it truly is an experience which I think I will learn a lot from. And I feel that it would be a good starting point for me since I really don’t have many credentials for my writing resume, so to speak. It will give me the chance to see the business from all sides. I like that idea. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
That feeling of being alone is one I think a lot of people will relate to. Sounds like you have a good emotional tug built in 🙂
Thanks Marcy!
I’ve been working on ways to develop my characters so that the readers can identify with them, instead of me telling the readers about them. Part of that whole “show, don’t tell” thing. 😉
Thanks for stopping by!