Part 10 Christmas Special Iron Writer Quickie

I have no idea where this little story is going. Two more parts after this...will Feyle find whatever he's looking for?
Here are the stories up on the Iron Writer website...
http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-156/

And here's mine...

WQ 156 - image above, a reputation, Sage advice, the best of three good choices

Part 10

The court grew silent as Feyle spoke.
"For nigh on thirty years I trained and fought under the Emperor's banner..." Noblemen tensed, the guards held their weapons at the ready. "In that time I slayed many a good man and watched more fall at the hands of others. My heart could take no more, but Kristphen the Grim blackmailed me with the lives of a thousand citizens to force me on one last mission."
"We know of this Kristphen. His 'good' reputation travels far," said the old man.
"When I found myself at your gates, I was lost, until I was shown the path to enlightenment," said Feyle, bowing his head. "And now I give all I can, mere markings on the wall." The court filled with mutterings and whispers, making the old man raise his hand for them to stop.
"Councillor, whom did he kill?" asked the old man.
"That matters not!" said the Councillor.
"Tarkan of Olyshan," read out the Empress. The old man huffed.
"An assassin! And of the worst kind!" After a scornful look towards the Councillor, he turned to Feyle. "Young man, I am not one to give a sage's advice, but I say this to you: know your place and do what must be done." With that, the old man bowed to the Empress and stepped back among the members of court. The Empress stood.
"Citizen, I give you three good choices, and it is your right to take what is best for you."

Part 9/12 Iron Writer Xmas Special Quickie

Yep, part 9/12 of the Iron Writer Xmas Special Quickie 2015 is up!
http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-155

And here's mine :-)

WQ 155 - image above, agreement of testimonies, witnesses, documented evidence 

Part 9

He was ready for them, a troop of guards. He desired no more bloodshed and allowed them to chain him, the monster that he was and would always be. Dragged through the streets, those that knew him and his works of art were shocked. In court, the Councillor of Arts was there, the Royal Scribe beside him with a mass of parchment.
"Empress, your Majesty," stated the Councillor. Feyle tried to look up towards the throne but his head was held down by three noosed spears. "I have an agreement of testimonies from many witnesses to say that this man murdered another while the moon crossed the sky. It is with this documented evidence that I plead you sentence this man to death." The Councillor took the parchment from the Scribe and held it up to the Empress. She motioned for a servant to bring it to her and she nodded while reading them through.
"Citizen," she said. The noosed spears loosened and Feyle was able to lift his head and see the Empress for himself. The court filled with gasps and the Empress was taken aback. "What is this?"
An old lord and member of the court came forward. "Your Majesty, this is the man whose art has brought the city to life. How can he have killed another?"
"The proof is there!" said the Councillor.  
The old man walked over to Feyle. "Young man, did you?" he asked.
"To my shame, sire, I have killed many," he confessed.



 

Part 8 Iron Writer Xmas Special + Submission rejection

Part 8/12 of the Iron Writer Xmas Quickie Special is up!
http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-154/
And here's mine :-)

WQ 154 –image above, inadequacy, stubbornness, history

Part 8

Feyle's work finally made it to the royal court, and the Empress herself was impressed.
"Councillor," she commanded.
"Yes, your Majesty?" asked the Councillor of Arts.
"Find this man whose splendid works these are. Assess him for acceptance to court."
Much to his dislike, the Councillor searched for this talented vagabond and found him in a square on the edge of the city. A crowd had gathered to watch Feyle at work... it took only a moment for the nobleman to see that all was true about this beggar. His art was fantastic, something he had never seen before. It made all the artists in court look inadequate by comparison. He marveled at the drawings, paintings, joining the people amassed in quiet banter about how superb it all was.
But it was not to be. Accepting a man from the street into the royal court was unheard of. Throughout history, artists of all forms were found among the noble families or friends of such. And so, in his stubbornness, the Councillor for Arts rejected Feyle and his work. To make sure his decision could not be overturned, he sent an assassin to kill him.
Feyle, however, had not lost any of his old abilities. Though now armed with rudimentary drawing utensils, no man was his match. As soon as he heard the killer jump over the wall which separated Feyle's broken shack from the street behind, his fighting skills awoke once again and the assassin lay dead at Feyle's feet.


...4 more parts to go, I wonder where they will take Feyle...

And...I got a REJECTION from Daily Science Fiction for my little story I sent them (First Sight), a damn good short, too. The letter says...

"Thank you for submitting your story, "First Sight", to Daily Science Fiction. Unfortunately, we have decided not to publish it. To date, we have reviewed many strong stories that we did not take. Either the fit was wrong or we'd just taken tales with a similar theme or any of a half dozen other reasons.
Best success selling this story elsewhere.
 - Jonathan & Michele, Daily Science Fiction"

It was 'strong' but they've seen it before, or so they imply but don't actually say. So helpful. Only ONE publisher has bothered to tell me the problems, and I was able to fix them. TELL ME the problems and I'll fix them. I'll have another look at it, see if I can submit elsewhere...

Part 7 WQ153 Christmas Special!

Part 7 is up of the Iron Writer Xmas Special!
http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-153
Of course, here's mine, and you can find the earlier parts...in earlier posts...unbelieveable, eh? :-)

Other than this, working on a few things...rumour has it, "All For Love" might be out mid-Jan 2016 :-)

WQ 153 Xmas special 7/12 - image (see above), the four classic elements, an artist, something for nothing

Part 7

At first, he felt all life escape him and was pulled for what seemed an eternity, but finally, he awoke abruptly, the image of pure lava flame burning in the crushing sea, his will, the energy of his psyche mixing with the whirlwind of his mind, the air of creativity and wisdom, both being quenched by the emotional waters of his heart. All worked as one, fire, air and water to create earth, his body, the vessel for his spirit... which was empty. He searched himself and found hatred and death, mistrust and murder. His years as an assassin and warrior had worn his soul down to nothing. It all had been for nothing!
A light appeared and he followed until images came into focus, his life, for what it had been, shown in front of him, a life of blood. At that moment, he chose to change, to no longer take life from others, but give a piece of himself, give whatever he could to others.
He opened his eyes to a brand new day, and his hand grabbed a small discarded lump of coal. He stood up and on the wall he drew, emptying his heart of all emotions, feelings. Soon, people would stop to see his unique work, some giving him parchment to make his mark there. He accepted no payment, giving something for nothing except a smile. Word passed on and soon his extraordinary talent was known throughout the city as an artist, bettered by none.

Part 6 - WQ152 ...heating up!

Day 6 of the 12 Days of Xmas Iron Writer Special...it's heating up! I have no idea where's it's going but ut's one hell of an adventure...
Here's the website, and you should check out the other continuing stories as well as mine (from WQ147 onwards)
http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-152

But here is my Part 6...

WQ 152 - Elements: apt, a spiritual experience, foreign aid

Part 6

But shine, he could not. As he travelled on, days, weeks went by and there were no signs of sustenance, neither water, plant nor animal. He grew weak, continuing on with less until finally he could no longer hold his sword, dropping it to the ground. Failing to retrieve it from where it fell, he continued on, step by step until he came to a large city. Once inside the gates, he sat by the thick, cold walls, resting his aching bones and nurturing an empty stomach. His uniform was mere rags.
"You're not from around here, are you?" said a small voice. Feyle looked up at a child, calm, innocent. From his clothes, he was from a rich family, perhaps of noble birth. A bodyguard stood nearby, hand on knife. Feyle shook his head, too weak to talk. "Here." The boy handed him some coins. "A little 'foreign aid' for the man from afar."
He watched as the boy walked away, before the hordes who appeared from the shadows mobbed Feyle, leaving him for dead in the street, each breath filled with pain. It seemed that he was more apt at saving his life by the sword than surviving the streets of an unknown city while weak and ill. Looking up to the sky above the tall buildings around him, he prayed for his own death, and there on the dirty, crowded streets, alone, weak and helpless, he had what he could only describe later as a spiritual experience.

Part 5 - WQ151 Iron Writer Special

The Iron Writer 12 Days of Christmas Special is still going strong, with 4 writers taking on the challenge. Go here to see the latest...
http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-151
And here's my latest part...for earlier parts, go see earlier posts...logical :-)

WQ151...

Elements: image above, mudane, a blessing, a benefit of being humble...

Part 5

Days past as they trudged through the wasteland ahead, with nothing but a few small plants and the wind for company. The fourth warrior grew weaker every day, losing blood not from his arm but an unseen injury in his side. He finally could walk no longer and fell to his knees.
"Captain, I am done. If only I had died in combat, and not here, in this barren land like a dog," the fourth said. "Sir, it has been an honour to fight for the Emperor, and to fight by your side, if only for a moment." The warrior dropped to the ground and lay silent, his chest faintly rising.
Feyle walked over to the fallen warrior and bowed his head. "I will say a blessing for you." When he opened his eyes once more, the warrior's life had passed on. Placing him in a stone grave, away from the ruining of worms, Feyle contemplated why he had surivived. Ever since he was young, he'd tried to stay humble and not lose his head. Earlier, there were times he'd boasted of his skills, but he'd paid in blood for his blatant egotism. Being humble brought a higher self-control, something every warrior needed to survive their next battle. His life was mostly mundane and uneventful, but in those times of great need, it was the ability to keep calm which set him apart from the others. He was a cold, lethal, killing machine. And now was his chance to shine.

WQ150 - Part 4 of TIW Christmas Special

Yep, WQ 150 is up!
http://theironwriter.com/the-iron-writer-challenge-weekend-quickie-150
I'm trying to do a continous story for this 12 parter, and it seems to be going well. What do you think? Too much? I'm trying for that kinda feel...

250 words, the elements being this image (not compulsory but it's in the story), gifts, virtue and dictotomy. 
Here is my Part 4...(see yesterday's post for Part 3 and, Parts 1 and 2 the day before)

Part 4


When the dust settled, twenty-five men lay dead on the field. The first warrior had fallen.
"May his soul reach Nirvana," said Feyle, wiping blood from his sword. The second and third warriors stepped back from himself and the fourth, their faces contorting with hate. Feyle realised the fight was not over.
"Traitors!" shouted the third warrior, holding the point of his sword towards Feyle. Why did he think to trust Kristphen the Grim to hand-pick the team of warriors for this mission? He stood with the fourth against the two turncoats.
"I see we have a dichotomy," said Feyle, swinging his sword in one hand and grabbing its grip with both.
"You side with the Emperor!" The third spat on the ground. Feyle looked over to the fourth, who stood by his side, ready. "For the Empress!" screamed the second and the fight began, swords clashing in mid-air. They were warriors, fighters, bred to kill. Every thrust was met with a parry, every step forwards was followed with a step back. Time past without them. Finally, the fourth overcame the second, but at a cost. The third fought well, but Feyle slayed him soon after. A metallic sound hit the ground and a bag of gold coins lay in the pool of the warrior's blood.
"Gold. Of course. A man who loses his virtues for mere 'gifts' has no place in this life." Feyle sighed and gestured to the fourth warrior, now bleeding from the sword arm, to follow.