It was astonishing how quickly everything changed. Mere seconds is all it took for the entire city to be engulfed in a sea of flames, specks of crimson and amber aglow everywhere. People’s livelihoods, the possessions they hold dear, the memories they’ve made all devoured by the hungry flames, only to leave charred skeletons of the houses that were.
That’s how we learnt our lesson to never again be too eager to put all our faith in dragons. It was the commanders’ hope we could train them up to use as weapons in war but instead it all lead to our own destruction and torment.
The games started like one I remember from a few years ago, we all had to swim across to the cornucopia from our podiums. I managed to snatch a couple of daggers and some rope, it wasn’t easy trying to grab things blindly amidst the bloodied chaos that ensued. We all want to survive and we all want to protect ourselves by any means, which means you need some weapon or something to do damage with.
This year was different, the people of the capital wanted something different, a new element to the games. After years of similar goings on, the eccentric folk were bound to get tired of throwing their bids on the games without much difference between them. So, all contestants were granted to bring one singular item with then into the game, the condition being it has to be non-lethal. Otherwise that could lead to unfair play and the killings being to easy. The whole of Panem knows the game masters love to mess with us, their little toy play things.
I brought a blanket with me.
My mother made it, she spent months buying wool from the local markets, scraping together the last of our small funds to make something for me and my sister, a final present from her for Christmas. She passed away only five months ago, she was struggling with a form of rapidly spreading cancer. We couldn’t afford even a fraction of the cost of treatment. Once I was called into the games, my sister insisted that I take it with me, the blanket as a reminder of her love and strength she showed caring for us whilst deteriorating from her sickness.
It was only the first night but we had all been forced to plunge into the ice cold water in order to get anywhere. Of course, we have no change of clothes other than our wet suit type outfit and the night drawing in carried a frosty bite to it in the breeze. In any other survival situation I would as anyone light a fire for warmth but a fire means smoke and light—a death wish. Like a drop of blood in a pond of piranhas, a fire would lure in the enemies.
I’d found comfort in a small cave near a small stream with a few fish within. A source of food and water, it was my kind of perfect. I shuddered, my chest was tight like some ghostly hand was squeezing my lungs leaving me gasping for air. I couldn’t get hypothermia, that would lead to weakness, dampening my senses.
Glancing to my left I saw the blanket folded up beside me. How could I forget? I shivered again, unfolding the blanket I wrapped it tightly around me, clinging to every ounce of warmth and comfort I could get.
A world on the brink of war, a fallen kingdom, an empty throne, and it seems someone is targeting those of power.
After her closest friend disappears suddenly, Lumina a determined young cartographer sets off on a journey that takes her across kingdoms and nations, in the search. Enthralled by the ever-growing urge to reunite with her best friend, Lumina quickly finds herself entwined with dangerous accusations to her name. As the world around her starts falling into a state of unrest- a whole kingdom collapsed, an empty throne and someone or something seems to be targeting those of power, she uncovers much more than she bargained for.
The Radia Kingdom -
A town of thatch roofed cottages and taverns surrounded by luscious greenery and rolling fields.
Lumina - the main character who we see the story through
The Lucrow Knights - who are a secondary focus in the opening chapter for characters, their individual names aren’t very important
I’m not sure if there’s many other characters to be shown yet but I think there will be.
Lumina is running from a strange shadowed figure she saw in the woods, whilst hunting. She is then arrested when she arrives back in the town as she is the accused suspect of attempt to assassinate the Queens husband.
Someone who likes fantasy, strong characters and falling into another reality through the books they read. They like strong characters and a compelling sense of adventure and challenge.
I think my story would be appealing to people that have a pure love for any sort of fantasy books and don’t mind if it all can be quite similar seeking at the end of the day, it’s a genre they just love. My story features a strong female lead, who is quickly entangled in a journey to prove her innocence after being accused of the attempted assassination of a member of the royal family. Along her journey she meets many new people and even discovers things about herself along the way.
It’s not a fantasy with heavily complicated or confusing world building.
In the end, my ideal reader is someone who offers constructive feedback and hopefully enjoys my writing.
Typically, I don’t like to consider myself someone who is too quick to judge and make assumptions without getting to know a person first. Ever since me and my partner moved in, somethings always bothered me about our neighbour next door.
She’s a sweet older lady in her early seventies, a true Halloween fanatic. She goes all out. The first Halloween we spent here she informed us she tries to do something grander, more wild each year for Halloween regarding how she decorates. Last year, her whole front lawn along with the entirety of her porch was coated in fake spider webs and adorned with pumpkins and what looked like a few fake body parts that were bloodied and bruised strewn across the front garden.
She put us to shame, with our single carved pumpkin and Halloween themed doormat by our front door. Dorothy-the neighbour had also amassed a great following and admiration from those around the town from her love for Halloween. The trick or treat goers were definitely up there with her biggest fans.
Unsurprisingly many rumours and theories were spread around that she was the reason behind the rapidly increasing amount of missing persons in the neighbourhood. Which of course is just teenagers and adults trying to spook young children with an overactive imagination.
This year, me and my partner have put some more effort into our decorating for Halloween after investing in some new decorations. After setting one of our carved pumpkins on the porch, a peculiar smell catches my nose. It’s a nauseating metallic stench. Looking to my right, I find my German shepherd sniffing at what appears to be Dorothy’s new decorations for this year, multiple skeletons of various sizes in different positions across her garden. Some standing, some sat in chairs, some partially clothed.
“Hey, Barney,” I whisper-shout not wanting to disturb anyone this late, it’s past ten now. “Come here boy. Come on, leave it alone.”
Barney simply growls at one of the skeletons, ignoring me joyfully as he begins encircling it, sniffing intently.
“Barney, come here.”
“Someone likes my new decorations then.”
Barney finally comes to sit by my feet as Dorothy smiles at us from her doorway.
“Yes,” I laugh. “He certainly does, you’ve outdone us all again this year. Like always.”
“Yes, yes I have.” Dorothy says, her eyes seem to harden or well I’m not quite sure but something strange appears in the look on her face, something sinister perhaps. Maybe it’s just my imagination.
The next morning I awoke to find only Barney in the house, my partner James was nowhere to be seen. He was supposed to have been back late last night from overtime at work. Maybe something happened and he stayed over somewhere? I hope so.
After a painfully long twelve hours and still no sight of James I manage to convince the police this is serious and James is reported as missing.
Barney whines and snuggles into me as I hear sounds of commotion next door.
“It’s okay boy.” I say quietly, giving him a gentle pat before getting up to look out the window.
Nausea seeps through me as the sight before me unfolds, it’s Dorothy and she’s setting up a new skeleton on her front garden, except this one’s different it’s dripping with something and it’s wearing my boyfriends jacket.
