It’s another SFF Saturday! What’s SFF Saturday? It’s a group of authors who post snippets of SFF prose and poetry for comment. You can check out other SFF Saturday posts, too.
My snippet is another few lines from a work in progress called Herald (at the moment). Eventually, the project be a fantasy loosely based on the Hundred Years War, but it’s in the very early draft stages.
I’ve put all the previous snippets together here, if you need to catch up.
When we last saw Denis and the enemy King of Angth, Denis has just found the first name of a fallen Revenan soldier in a letter on the body. He hopes it’s enough to send the dead man’s spirit to rest.
The body shimmered and the soul rose, sluggishly, in the light of the setting sun.
Gods above, thank you. Denis made to rise, but pitched sideways onto the ground instead. The earth smelled of blood and rain and for a moment, he thought it might be better to remain where he was, but others needed him more than he needed rest. Dennis struggled partway out of the mud and was lifted the rest of the way upright.
He turned to thank the King’s guardsman, only to find it was the King that held him steady.
“Can you continue?”
“Yes.” But when the King released him, Denis’s legs wavered. The King’s grip around his arm tightened.
Also, if you’re curious to know more about this project and from whence it came, I posted about it as part of the Next Big Thing blog hop.
Ann Laurel Kopchik 
An interesting snippet…the interaction with the King seems to be growing more personal.
He knows Denis’s worth. And he’s a intelligent ruler.
I love your character’s mission – to release his countrymen’s souls after battle. It’s interesting and unique and that alone wants me to read on but pairing him with the enemy king kicks it up a notch. Some good stuff!
🙂 Thank you!
Very cool. And yes, I agree with T.M. The King seems to be…’thawing.’
He is. Or Denis’s perception of him is.
Okay, I’m really digging the King now. He seems like a really great guy.
He wants to do what’s best for his people. Granted, who “his people” are is kind of what the war’s about…
I’m startlng to like the enemy King.
So’s Denis, much to his chagrin.
Very cool, and the King is proving quite interesting (complex!).
I can’t wait to get further into this. They’re both pulled in such *interesting* directions.
Great details here. And the interaction with the two is very well played.
Thanks!
I’m also intrigued that releasing the souls of the dead is taking its toll on Denis. I’m also wondering if Denis’ assumptions of doom in the earlier snippets are justified – is the enemy king the villain here? I’m really enjoying this sequence.
Denis will have much to ponder when he has a chance to ponder again.
Wonderful scene, Ann. I am completely captivated by this book.
🙂 Heidi
Thanks Heidi! 😀 I can’t wait to really dig into the story.
Nice layers to this story. I particularly liked the bit with the soul – intriguing!
I like that the soul can be seen leaving the body. Wonderful snippet. 🙂