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@anne_the_noob14

Ahh, the dreaded monster of exams! I hope the exam doesn’t stress you out too much and that it goes well! <3

@obrian-of-the-surface-world

I like the new questions! I must admit, I’ve always been fascinated with the recurring numbers in scripture. 40, 7, 8, and 12, for example. I actually started using it in my WIP XD Seven main characters, seven tribes, seven craft-masters, I could go on, but stuff happens in sevens. XD Just a fun easter-egg for those who find it XD

@everyone

I tried to submit this piece earlier, but the internet gremlins gobbled it up, so I’m trying again.

This is from Faye’s perspective. She’s the second protagonist in my second book and doesn’t feature at all in the first book. She has a separate storyline that won’t spoil the entire first book, so I have a couple scenes I can pull from there.

Also, I just really love Faye. Wait, none of you have met her yet! She hasn’t been in any of the castles and Liorah doesn’t know her yet at this point. Well, here’s your introduction then XD

I was struggling with introducing seven characters in one scene without making it too shallow or too cluttered, so tell me how I did with that!

Book 2, Chapter 4, Scene 1

1021 words (6:46 mins.)

Audio: (Internet gremlins acting up again! I’ll post it separately to see if it works better.)

Faye

Melodic whistling, like a bird in spring, drifted through the window.

I smiled. You could always find Father by the sound of his whistling.

Several voices talked all at once. As I put the wooden bowls on the table for breakfast, the door swung open.

Mother and Father came in first. I resembled both of them, but only slightly. Mother was petite, but carried enough authority to make all us children behave. Father’s eyes crinkled, as though he had just been smiling, even when he hadn’t.

The twins came in after them, Lev in front. He grinned at me, his dimple deepening. Lev was one of those people you couldn’t help liking, even though he attracted trouble.

Sage trailed behind, closely followed by Raisa.

Sage concentrated on something in his hand, a contraption of some sort. He didn’t look up as he sat at his usual place.

Raisa arranged the golden waves of her hair. She was the beauty of the family, and acutely aware of the fact. The double kolye chain sparkled on her forehead. At twenty, she was the first of my sisters to get engaged.

Yoni, my youngest brother, peered into his cupped hands, observing whatever he had found. I shuddered at the thought of what creature it might be. I hoped he would leave it outside.

“Lev almost broke the chicken coop,” Raisa announced, shooting him a contemptuous look.

I stifled a grin.

“Again?” 

Lev shook his curly brown hair out of his eyes.

“It’s flimsy, so whoever fixed it didn’t do it properly. The roof practically collapsed before I even touched it.”

“It’s not made for climbing,” Father pointed out. “Besides, you fixed it last time.”

“How else was I supposed to get that fat hen off?” Lev demanded.

“I can suggest at least ten ways,” Sage said absently, still absorbed in his project.

Lev glared at his twin brother, already formulating a retort.

Mother interrupted him.

“Please stop arguing,” she said, “Where’s Juni?”

“Checking her traps I think, but who ever knows?” Isa said, laying out the spoons.

Mother sighed.

“She’ll show up soon enough,”

We were halfway through breakfast before Juni appeared.

Though, ‘appeared’ was too gentle a word to describe her entrance. She exploded into the room, throwing open the door with a bang. I dropped my spoon in surprise. A gust of cold air blew through the room.

“You’ll never guess what I heard!” Juni said, ruffling her short brown hair.

I winced. I wanted to cover my ears every time Juni spoke.

“What?” Lev asked, his mouth full.

Thankfully for him, Mother didn’t notice.

“Guess,” Juni sat on the floor and pulled off her shoes. She refused to wear wooden ones like the rest of us. She claimed they scared off the animals.

“The Landowners decided we can own the farm?” Isa asked, hopefully.

Father raised an eyebrow and Sage snorted.

“I said news, not a miracle,” Juni threw her shoes out the door. Why she couldn’t take them off outside was beyond me.

“Close the door, Juniper,” Mother said,

Juni pulled a face at her full name but obeyed.

“Tell us, won’t you?” Raisa said, annoyed.

Juni sauntered over to her chair but didn’t sit. She drew herself up to her full height, which wasn’t that impressive since she wasn’t much taller than me.

“Listen here,” she said, relishing the undivided attention.

“We’re already listening,” Sage said,

“Shut up. I bumped into Kelila, and she told me she’d heard the news from— ”

“This is getting complicated,” Sage interjected, purely for the sake of aggravating Juni.

“Only for your simple mind,” Juni retorted.

Father interrupted what would become an extensive argument.

“Please, Juni. Tell us,”

Juni obeyed, giving Sage a final superior look.

“There’s war in the south,” Juni declared, dramatically.

For a moment, there was a stunned silence. Then everyone spoke at once, except me and Yoni, who admired the green lizard he’d pulled out of his pocket.

I shot him a look. Reptiles weren’t allowed at the table.

He stuck out his tongue at me but hid the lizard again.

“Who started it?” Father asked, his calm voice graver than usual.

Everyone else quieted to hear Juni’s reply.

“The Kezbes—”

“Isn’t it always?” Isa asked.

“Attacked the Lehabim,” Juni finished, ignoring Isa.

“They’ll wipe the Lehabim from the face of the earth. In any case, let them fight out their own battles, it won’t affect us,” Father said, closing the topic.

With that, Juni finally sat. Her moment of glory was over.

After breakfast, we split up, each to their own chores. Sage and Lev followed Father to gather wood for the week. I smiled as I heard Lev try to whistle like Father. It didn’t sound like a melodic bird, more like a strangled frog.

Isa and Mother cleaned up the dishes while Raisa pulled out a dress with only a few seams left to finish.

“Lady Chana better be satisfied.” She slid a leather thimble onto her finger and started sewing.

“What was wrong this time?” I asked. It was the third time Raisa had to remake the dress for the butcher’s fussy wife.
Raisa threw up her hands in despair, dropping the needle.

“She says it makes her look ‘as plump as a partridge’,” Raisa said, mimicking Lady Chana’s haughty tones.

“I don’t think it’s the dress,” Mother murmured, stifling a grin.

Raisa laughed and continued stitching.

I went outside and slipped on my shoes.

Juni and Yoni sat against the wall outside the door, plucking some fat quail Juni had caught in her traps.

“No, like this,” Juni said, pulling out a handful of dull brown feathers. They fluttered to the ground. I hoped Juni would remember to pick them up this time, instead of leaving them to blow all over the yard for someone else to take care of. Probably me.

Yoni puckered his face in concentration as he tried to follow Juni’s example.

I started on the long walk toward the pasture we shared with most of the village. Our cow would be calving soon, and I needed to check on her.

________

This piece was just plain fun to record. I did find myself constantly having to adjust the volume whenever I recorded dialogue for Juni XD I imagine her with a pretty loud voice, and I got a bit enthusiastic while recording XD (No worries, I adjusted it so it won’t blast out your eardrums, it’s all fixed XD)