Teaser Tuesday: Running Through Visindor

While I don’t know when The Mercenary Prince will debut, I can pull a few small excerpts.  This is part of the intro and shouldn’t reveal more than Delvin’s mindset.  He has a ‘Nyx’ moment.

Final Fantasy Tactics Knight

Final Fantasy Tactics Knight

Delvin Cunningham pants and grunts as he runs through Visindor Forest, his white shirt drenched to the point of framed his toned physique. He pays little attention to the serene landscape as he jumps over tree roots, veers around mushroom-covered stumps, and sidesteps knee-high rocks. It is a grueling pace that he is trying to maintain and the stinging sweat pouring down his face makes it more difficult to see the various obstacles. Fatigue clenching his muscles, the brown-haired warrior gradually slows down and his surefooted pace is broken by an occasional stumble. He refuses to give in to the strain and pushes himself again, his knuckles white as they grip loops of rough cord. Several strings of metal orbs have been bound by the ropes and Delvin carries them on his back like a load of heavy lumber. Hoping to reach his destination within the next two minutes, the warrior focuses on the sound of his booted feet and falls into a mild trance that helps him ignore the aching of his body.

The banyan tree sits among the maples and oaks, its horizontal branches with aerial prop roots giving it a unique appearance among the other plants. Delvin groans as he touches the smooth trunk with his forehead and he gladly lets the metal orbs fall to the ground. Songbirds flit through the treetops and fill his ears with a soothing song, which nearly causes the warrior to fall asleep. Tearing strips off his shirt, he binds his bleeding hands and massages his arms to prevent them from getting stiff. He spends the next hour lifting the orbs like weights, stretching his legs, and using a low branch to do pull-ups. A skunk wanders over while Delvin is hanging from the tree, forcing him to remain in the air until the animal waddles out of spraying range. Dropping to the ground, his knees buckle and the forest seems to spin haphazardly around him. Expecting to find a waterskin, he reaches for his side, but the warrior realizes he left it behind in his rush to clear his mind.

“Guess it’s to the pond with me,” he mutters as he gathers the orbs.

Delvin grabs a fig off the banyan tree as he jogs to the west where he knows a decent-sized pond can be found. As he moves through the forest, his mind wanders to thoughts of his friends who he hopes are still recovering in Nevra Coil. He is struck by a pang of guilt for not letting them know that he arrived at Hamilton Military Academy. The warrior can only imagine how angry at least one of them might be considering it has been over a week since he left the other champions. His thoughts continue down a path of worry, so he is caught by surprise when he comes to the pond and finds a slender figure with short, black hair at the shore. Delvin sees pointy ears and what he thinks is a red shirt, which causes him to skid to a stop and nearly crash into the woman. His battle-honed reflexes are the only thing that allows him to spin to the side and avoid a humiliating collision.

“I am very sorry for not contacting you, Nyx. I’ve been busy and didn’t want to disturb your recovery,” the ice blue-eyed man says as the woman turns around. He blushes when he sees the confused look on the dryad’s face, her fairy-like features clearly not those of the temperamental channeler he mistook her for. “Well, I feel like an idiot. I forgot there are a few dryads in Visindor and the red caught me by surprise. From behind, you look a lot like the woman I’m in love with and I thought she hunted me down out of anger. Anyway, I’ll find another place to wash up and leave you to whatever you’re doing.”

The dryad cocks her head to the side and giggles, her warm hand reaching out to touch the human’s chest. “I was just leaving, young warrior. I am searching for someone worthy to father my children, but I can see that you have already been claimed. Something tells me that it would be very dangerous for me to even ask. Enjoy your bath and I hope your true love does not hurt you when you reunite.”

“I didn’t say true love.”

“You didn’t have to.”

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About Charles Yallowitz

Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn't working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. 'Legends of Windemere' is his first series, but it certainly won't be his last.
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8 Responses to Teaser Tuesday: Running Through Visindor

  1. L. Marie's avatar L. Marie says:

    Oh ho ho! Delvin, you are clearly in denial. And that dryad is very interesting. I wonder who will wind up fathering her children. 🙂
    It’s great to have Delvin’s point of view. 🙂

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    • Think he was more caught off guard, especially by the word ‘true’. He’d fully admit to the second word. That and people seem to get flustered by dryads.

      If I had to guess, I’d say the dryad would find a student or wandering adventurer. Selenia’s school does give them a source of strong candidates.

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