A Fiery Preview

Hello everyone, this is ESB 'Stringfellow' and I love the nightlife, and this is...

A Preview For Fiery Chaos!!!


Today, I want to share a little bit of my new book, a look inside if you will. What I'm about to show you comes from Chapter Five: Chasing Fire, where our heroes, having recently met, must find the Fire Medallion, the source of Ahila's connection to the Fire Stone's massive power. I hope you enjoy...

The journey through the forest was uneventful, though with each step Charcoal took, Ahila and Loki grew more anxious. Behind any tree or shrub could be a Helheis soldier, just waiting for them to reveal themselves.

Fortunately they saw nor heard anyone, perhaps all thanks to Charcoal’s choosing to take the path less traveled, having took to the trees running alongside the road. He moved with great speed and uncanny agility, weaving around countless trees, clomping up slanted rocks and leaping through the air over various obstacles, as though this was a path he had trained himself to run numerous times. In no time at all, Charcoal took his passengers to the very edge of the forest, with Dagonet not too far in the distance.

With the sun sinking lower and lower on the western horizon ahead of them, the grime-filled town was starting to become lit like a beacon, heralding another night of debauchery. However, there was something different, and an eerie aura seemed to have been emitting from the place. Also, it was ominously silent, like a den of monsters.

Then they saw them, several flags flapping in the wind. Black with stylized green snakes, the banners of Helheis hung high on several buildings and on the walls of Dagonet.

“Looks like those Helheis guys decided not to destroy the town,” Loki observed in a hushed voice.

“Too bad,” Ahila said with a slight edge, having developed bitter feelings towards the townspeople that literally threw her at the feet of Sergeant Copper. Thinking aloud, she said mainly to herself, “It is a wonder that King Caltaur would let such a place continue existing.”

“Ah, well, he hates it just as much as you do,” Loki informed her. “He’s been trying to either renovate or wipe the place completely off the map for ages, but a sad little fact keeps preventing such a thing from happening.”

Turning half a glance to Loki, Ahila asked, “What sad little fact?”

Loki opened his mouth for a moment but then held back, appearing pensive. “Hmm, how to put this delicately...” he said. “Um, lets just say that the Deadly Sins of Gluttony and Lust really make quite a profit here and these are the kinds of people who really don’t feel a need to leave all that behind.”

Suddenly sickened, Ahila replied, “Sorry that I asked.”

“Yeah, but don’t think too badly of Dagonet,” Loki told her as he looked out towards the town of deviants. “They’re not all bad, they just... choose to live a carefree life,” he said at length.

That hardly assuaged Ahila’s negative view of the place and she prayed to the Fire Stone that she would never set foot in that place ever again.

After several moments of silence, Loki said, “We’ll wait here until it gets darker, then we’ll head for the forest on the other side of Dagonet.”

“Would that be safe?” Ahila inquired, fearing to be spotted by a patrolling Helheis soldier.

“We’ll keep our distance, stick to the shadows,” Loki told her. “Also, no lights for us, that way they can’t see us in the dark. And don’t worry about us, horses can see in the dark better than humans, and Charcoal can practically walk blindfolded all the way back to Alcar Castle,” the youth assured Ahila, who was immediately comforted by this fact. She definitely felt a strong sense of trust towards Charcoal, who always carried the appearance of seriousness and attentiveness. If ever a problem were to arise, Ahila knew that she could always count on Charcoal so she felt less scared.

When the time came, when the sun was barely equivalent to the light of a flickering candle and the only source of light came from Dagonet and some scattered stars across a cloudy sky, Charcoal started his trek across the plains that surrounded the town.

The horse, keeping Dagonet to his right side, stepped with carefulness and with a speed that did not cause too much noise. He kept the town considerably far, almost to the point that one would have to walk almost three hundred feet just to be within the field of the town’s numerous torches. Though Charcoal kept his pace calm and undisturbed, where even his breathing and beating heart seemed normal, the horse felt a sense of foreboding from Dagonet.

Occasionally on their long trek to the forest, Charcoal would steal a glance towards the town, feeling a mounting sense of danger from it. Charcoal was not a horse to know fear. He was never scared of anything, as though he was literally born without fear. However, that did not mean he was careless or foolish. Every time he looked towards Dagonet, he felt something from there that would send most other creatures running for their lives. Something unnatural was in that town, something that was not human. It was something monstrous, just waiting to be let out of its cage.

Charcoal, for all of his courage, strength and speed, knew that whatever rested in Dagonet was something that he could not fight and win against. So instead, for the first time in his life, he had to avoid a confrontation, especially if it meant preserving the life of his rider.

As for Ahila and Loki, the longer it took them to reach the opposite forest, the more exposed they felt, hardly daring to draw breath. Like Charcoal, they could tell that there was a terrifying presence lurking within Dagonet, and if not for the horse’s limitless courage, they would have taken a two or three mile long detour around the town. With Charcoal, with his great speed, they felt confident that they could elude detection or capture.

Even then though, when the gigantic stone pillar that erupted from the earth came into their view, Ahila and Loki could not suppress a shiver from running down their spines.

Fortunately, no one saw or heard them, and after what felt to be hours of slow and cautious trotting, Charcoal and his passengers reached the forest’s edge, almost leaping into its concealing shadows.

Feeling a sense of relief wash over her, though still keeping her guard, Ahila whispered as Charcoal went into a faster trot, “Should I make a light?”

“Not yet,” Loki whispered back as his horse moved about the trees. “Wait until we get back to the road, and only if we really need it.”

Soon they reached the road and Charcoal stopped to survey the area, even sniffing the air like a bloodhound. After a moment he turned his head completely to the side so he could stare at Loki, giving a brief snort.

Licking his lips, Loki said in a voice that sounded more calm than he felt, “Charcoal says there aren’t any Helheis guys about but they have been through here recently. Maybe even closer than we’d like.”

Ahila found it amazing that he was able to discern all of that from just one snort. She wondered if he was simply making it up for unknown reasons but instead she asked, “So what do we do?”

“Well, we need to stick to the road so we can find that tree,” Loki answered. “You know, the one where we found you,” he added.

Ahila paused, trying to remember that conversation that oddly felt like ages ago rather than just that morning. “A tree that looked like it was nearly split in two?” she confirmed as much as asked.

“Yeah, that one,” Loki replied. “We’ll take the road, but no fire, Charcoal can manage enough,” he said, adding, “but the first sign of danger, we bolt right back into the woods.”

Ahila swallowed hard, suddenly feeling extremely thirsty, and commented, “Sounds like the best we can do.”

Loki nodded, and with that Charcoal began his walk onto the road and started following it, his gait quick though not too fast.

As they progressed through the darkened forest, with visibility nearly nonexistent, Ahila, Loki and Charcoal had to rely heavily on sound and instincts. Fortunately Charcoal was the better of the three, so whatever sense of alarm Ahila felt was usually for nothing. Loki, having spent years with his trusted horse, knew that so as long as Charcoal was calm, then there was no reason to fear... not yet at least.

Eventually, after hearing a loud screech that nearly made Ahila jump off of Charcoal, she asked Loki in a voice that betrayed her nervousness, “Are... are there any... monsters in this forest?”

Loki, even in the near-total darkness, could see the fear in Ahila’s eyes, which were pale red he noticed, which struck him as curious. Putting it aside for now though, he answered her question. “Nothing too bad,” he told her. “Goblins, imps, maybe some trolls, who shouldn’t be a bother to you because they despise fire,” he said in a low voice, casting his eyes from side-to-side. “However, my main concern would be the Helheis cutthroats,” he added, which did nothing to bolster Ahila’s spirits.

Gripping unintentionally onto Loki’s hand, which was wrapped around her waist so he would not fall, the little fire mage muttered to herself just loud enough for the youth to hear, “I swear... If we get through this night alive... I am never leaving the Fire Shrine again.”

Loki would almost have to agree... Almost only because he heard from stories that the Fire Shrine was located either inside an active volcano or a volcanic wasteland, neither of which were places that were on his list of things to see or live in.

They rode in silence for a long time, keeping their ears alert for any forms of threat, though they never detected any. In less than an hour, Charcoal came to a sudden stop.

“We’re here,” Loki declared, indicating the faint silhouette of a large oak tree, which was long dead and appeared to have been the victim of a giant’s axe, just as the youth had said.

“Finally,” breathed Ahila, having felt enough tension on that night to last her a lifetime.

Loki dismounted and helped Ahila do the same, and once both were on the ground he said, “Now’s a good time as any for a little light.”

Nodding in accordance, Ahila raised her right hand and produced a small flame, which hovered calmly over her fingertips. “Where did you find me, exactly?” she asked as she cast her eyes about the road.

Loki, actually impressed of Ahila’s magic, started looking around as well. “I think...” he began, walking a few feet to the side of the road, “it was right here.” He knelt, his hands searching among the leaves, twigs and grass. Not too far ahead of him was a small incline, a knoll that led further into the woods.

Ahila slightly recalled having a fall, feeling her body rolling and tumbling downhill before losing consciousness. Without a word, she crouched down to begin searching, huddled next to Loki so that they could see by her magic fire. It was not easy for her to search, because she had to hold up the flame and use her splinted left hand to check the ground. She thought of making the fire hover on its own but she never learned how to accomplish it without concentrating too hard.

It was a slow and arduous work, with Ahila and Loki squinting and rummaging through weeds and bushes. Charcoal walked close by with his nose to the ground, though he was mostly focusing on the sounds of the forest, keeping an ear out for any signs of danger, and with Ahila’s flame giving away their presence, there was a real possibility of danger finding them.

And that, I feel, is a good enough time to stop as any (if I post any more, I fear that I'd end up posting the entire chapter). This gives, I hope, a sense of how the story feels, how the characters behave in general and it provides the taste required to get you hooked. If you like it, then how about clicking on the link to the right so you can get Fiery Chaos  now, on Kindle or paperback.

Until next time, dear readers, stay safe.