The Vortex: Book III of the Alban Saga
I promised myself and you in my last blog entry that I would get back to work after my episode with "writer's block". I have, and I've been working on Chapter 6. I wanted to provide you with a short excerpt from the beginning of that chapter. If you've read the other books in the Alban Saga, you'll recognize the characters and the setting.
Bea raised up on one elbow, lulled by the soft, morning sounds within the darkened chamber. Attempting to clear the sleep from her eyes, she rubbed them and then gazed in the direction of Erin’s bedroll. There was just enough light from the coals of last night’s fire to see that he had not yet returned.
“Damn . . .” she muttered to herself.
It had been three days since the prophet had entered the adjoining chamber – the Black Grotto. He’d been there meditating and searching for Aran and had promised Bea that he could locate him quickly and reunite the two of them. However, it was clearly more of a problem than he’d thought it would be. She made up her mind that if he wasn’t back within the next hour or two, she’d go in after him, whether he wanted her to or not.
Sitting up the rest of the way, Bea threw her blanket off and reached for the clothes that Erin had brought for her. She put them on and quickly re-braided her disheveled hair, pulled on a stocking cap, and crawled over to the fire ring. The main chamber of the cave was chilly and damp. Grabbing a small amount of tinder, some kindling, and a block of peat, she used those items, along with the remaining coals, to restart the fire. She heated up some water for tea and took some scones and cheese out of the food bag that Erin had brought. She was starving.
Drinking her tea and eating, she kept listening for Erin, hoping that he would emerge at any moment, but the only sounds that caught her ear were the crackling of the newly lit fire and the hushed, slow susurration of the water, constantly flowing over the obsidian crystals that lay at the entrance between the Black Grotto and the larger pool within the Cave of Dreams. Gazing at those dark, gleaming crystals, she realized that Erin must also be awake. She could see the light of his fire reflected in them.
Bea finished her food and tea, rinsed her cup in the bubbling, hot water, and decided she could wait no longer. She moved around the edge of the pool and was about to step into it to enter the Black Grotto when she suddenly noticed Erin’s head peeking out of the opening within the rock wall.
“What ye up to, lass?” he queried.
“I was just about to come in and check on ye. It’s been three days, Erin!”
“Wait there. I’ll be out in a minute.”
Bea returned to the fire and sat down. It wasn’t long before Erin exited the passageway, made his way across the Reckoning Pool, and stepped out onto the flat rocks near his bedroll. He laid his bag of supplies and what was left of the food that he’d taken with him onto his blanket. Then he shook off as much of the water as he could from his dripping clothes, sat down beside Bea, and cozied up to the warmth of the peat fire.
“Glad ye have the fire goin’, lass. There’s a bit o’ breeze comin’ in the cave this mornin’, aye?”
Bea gave Erin a slight smile and a nod as she answered, “Aye…” Then she couldn’t wait any longer and asked, “So . . . did ye learn anything? Do ye know where Aran is?” From the look on his face and his slight hesitation, she could tell immediately that he had no idea of Aran’s whereabouts. Obviously disappointed, she said, “Ye didn’t learn a thing after all that time?”
