Wayward Kingdoms (A Collaborative Novel) - My additions

Copyright © Leanne. P. Smith. 2013-2014

7th November 2013

Welcome to Annie_44 's project, which she was kind enough to ask me to set the ball rolling with! She provided brief ideas and requested that I put them together into the beginnings of a story. Here's what I came up with. If you want to take part in the project (of which YOU could write the next chapters) click on the little dedication at the top and ask Annie all about her project! =D

Chapter One - Allegiances

Ceriss exhaled loudly, blowing her long silver hair frustratedly out of her eyes. She slammed her fist onto the heavy table in front of her.

“Would you abandon them?” she demanded.

She stared around at every member of the Council with eyes like a hawk. Those across from her sat proud and haughty, their lips pursed. If they were shocked at her sudden movement, they did not show it. Around Ceriss, her friends and supporters stared fiercely at their opponents.

They have such faith in me, Ceriss reflected. Faith to guide them. To lead them. She focused her gaze on the Elder. His skin was dark like deep mahogany, his hair deepest black, his eyes startling copper.

“Would you condemn the Humans through your inaction when it’s within your power to prevent the death of thousands?” she asked. “More and more demons spill from the River with every passing hour. They slaughter mercilessly, burning and razing the Humans’ civilisation. Karsh is all but destroyed! You claim the war has not yet started, but it has! You’re just blind to it! Do you think if we hide away in our forests and our mountains we’ll be exempt from the bloodshed? You’re gravely mistaken. It will reach us all eventually! The River lies at the border of every kingdoms’ lands.”

“Ceriss, be reasonable….”

Ceriss stiffened. She turned slowly, her pulse thudding in her ears, to glare at the speaker. She might have shot fire from her eyes when she saw Valun standing by one of the wooden columns of the huge chamber. Dark hair wreathed his head and hung into his pale face, veiling his grey eyes.

“Reasonable?” she snarled at him. “Reasonable? What do you know of reason, Valun—misbegotten lout as you are? It’s your so-called reason that allowed the River to fall to Queen Sh’vana in the first place!”

“There was no way to hold the enchantments,” Valun said. His casual voice ignited Ceriss’ anger. “There was nothing—”

“You could have tried! You could have at least defended it. But instead you abandoned it; you ran. You ran! And now Sh’vana holds the most dangerous piece of ground in the entire Three Kingdoms.”

“Sh’vana is not our enemy,” one of the Council members said lazily. Ceriss sighed loudly and obviously and tore her gaze from Valun.

“The River was supposed to be kept neutral,” she snapped at the Council, “with no dominance of Orc or Human. But now Sh’vana has driven all Humans out, and we Elves to boot. We were meant to hold the River. We were charged with keeping it safe. We could have held the peace for a while longer. Since Sh’vana has taken action against us, she has declared war on us as well as the Humans. That makes her our enemy until she calls off her war.”

“I’m inclined to think you only sympathise with the Humans’ trials because of your father,” Valun said softly. Ceriss saw a small, mocking smile curl on his lips that made her blood burn. “Don’t speak as if you are one of us, for you aren’t. Not entirely.”