(If you’re here for the SFRB Showcase, it can be found at this link.)
Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts today…a fun way to sample new books and find new authors! (Also welcome to the Sunday Snippet visitors!)
I’ve switched to an excerpt from a brand new novella set in my version of ancient Egypt, working title Healer of the Nile, which is for a boxed set later this year.
Tadenhut, elder son of a noble house and heir to the Hunting Cat estate, has been gravely injured in a battle against Pharaoh’s enemies and brought home to die. Mehyta, a woman from the estate’s village who has skills as a healer, has been ordered to assist the physicians in his care.
Having used her healer’s magic to assess his injuries, she finds herself dreaming of Tadenhut, who remains in a coma in the real world. Her dream takes place on a battlefield, after the combat has ended. I’ve skipped a few sentences of conversation between the end of last week’s excerpt and today’s.
Together they climbed the low rise, Tadenhut assisted her on the uneven footing, and when Mehyta reached the top, she saw nothing but a thick mist completely encircling the valley where the battle had occurred.
“When I first found myself here, I explored the boundaries of my prison, thinking there must be more, must be some path to freedom.” Tadenhut released her hand, gesturing for her to precede him, “Go ahead, try to keep walking.”
She did so, taking about ten steps into the swirling fog and then retracing her path to his side before she lost all sense of direction. “I had no problem.”
Jaw clenched, he nodded. “Now observe what happens to me.” He ran full tilt at the mist as if going into battle, and vanished from her sight between one step and the next, pale tendrils of fog enfolding him.
Astonished, Mehyta pivoted in a circle, searching for him. Behind her she heard a shout and located Tadenhut standing beside the chariot with Pharaoh’s standard, returned somehow to the spot where he’d fallen.
Next week I’ll share what Mehyta discovers about the nature of the mist. I might go a few sentences beyond that (so maybe one further week, depending on where the scene break fits), as she has a dilemma to resolve, but then we’ll have to let the story go and switch to something else.
I don’t have a cover or a blurb for this one yet. but in includes copious quantities of magic and a bit of romance, of course. Locked in his coma, Tadenhut isn’t as ready to give up his hold on life as everyone assumes, especially after this meeting in the dreamspace. The novella took on a sort of Cinderella-by-the-Nile air in some ways as I wrote it.
In the meantime, if you can’t wait, you can always read one of my other novels set in ancient Egypt LOL!
As always, thanks for visiting!
Oooooo….. I like this. You must be having all sorts of fun writing this story. The only thing that could stop you would be lack of imagination – which clearly won’t happen. Nice snippet
This is a fascinating twist on an already interesting situation. Great snippet.
Neat mystery…is it the dream, or is it the door between two worlds, one here…one hereafter? Nicely done, Veronica!
I cannot tell you how much I am loving this story. I’m going to be very sad when you stop posting from it. (And I love the realness of the world they’re in, that he helped her up over uneven ground.)
This is a really intriguing, evocative dream. Dream scenes can be so fun to write.
Nicely done Victoria. Your scene played out in my mind as I read it. I am really enjoying this piece, thank you for sharing.
Now that’s going to be a challenge to overcome.
This is really interesting. You hooked me.
Wow, what a great representation of a coma, Veronica. 🙂
Magical and beautifully described, loved it!
Great twist, really like that! Clearly something *important* is going on, and I’m anxious to find out what. Sneaky of you to end right there 🙂
Oh you rascal, I say buy the book, read the story and see what happens next. The wonders of Veronica.
Zapped right back to the beginning. Love it. How will these two solve this dream problem and the real life problem as well?
Love the mist. Eerie and mysterious. So when is this book going to be released?
It’s going to be in an anthology with some of my fellow authors from Here Be Magic. We hope to release the book in mid November. I’ll be sure to mention it here! And then in 3-6 months I’ll be able to release it separately. Thanks for asking!
Love how you’re developing this dream world, V!
This is a heartbreaking scene, I knew he wasn’t going to be able to leave but to wind up back at the chariot, oh my. Very well done and engrossing snippet.
Looks like reflecting mist. Can they pas through together?
Intriguing scene of the mist. I liked the line “pale tendrils of fog enfolding him”.
Thanks for all the comments! I’m working on a story that has to be submitted tomorrow but I promise to get to everyone else’s post later!
Oh wow, so he winds up back where he started! But can she leave, then? Where would it lead Mehyta? I love the world building here, the very premise of them joined in this place between life and death. 🙂
Great snippet. 🙂
Mysterious! I loved the fog engulfing him bit.
So he can’t leave the battlefield unless the issue is settled one way or the other. Very nicely done.
I’m just going to ditto everyone else’s comments!!!
Now that is both cool and creepy. I suspect she doesn’t have a problem because she’s not in a near-death coma? Very intriguing!
Ah… a mist. Classic stuff. You’ve captured the whole other-worldly aspect of the story & I especially like how you bring it all back to the place it started.
Thanks again for all the lovely comments. So happy people are enjoying the story!
He’s trapped in his unconscious body, so it makes sense he’d be trapped in this dream-world, too. Now she just needs to fix it!
Well that’s interesting. Enjoying the story.
Intriguing. Love the way you described his disappearance.
Wow, that’s scary and a bit creepy. Love the description and world building.
I love the fog and the image of him running into the fog! Well done.
Great snippet! I love how the place is entrapped by the fog and the fact that if he tries to leave, it puts him right back at the start. I love it all, really. Always look forward to your snippets.