Welcome again to Snippet Sunday!
Each Sunday I’m posting snippets from my work in progress, The River’s Dark.
This week follows closely on last week’s snippet, in which Lyria was introduced to Zara, the niece of Essena. Zara has come to them because she is in danger due to a conflict her father, Kirin Varin, is embroiled in. Lyria had hoped that Essena was going to offer her her first contract. She has been waiting on this for months, and it is a huge coming of age for the Varin. Lyria didn’t do much of a job of hiding her disappointment in her allotted task – taking care of Zara.
To continue….
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Lyria brooded in silence as they walked back to her quarters. It had been a test and she had failed, she saw that as soon as the conversation with Essena was complete. It was just that she’d hoped for something bigger, something more exciting than babysitting Essena’s niece.
If Zara was put off by Lyria’s mood, she did not show it. She chattered and exclaimed almost every step of the way, commenting on differences between their village and hers, stopping to pet one of the kittens that scrambled from boat to boat in search of the perfect cushion and patch of sun. She even paused to fix a knot that bound two rafts together, undoing and retying it with quick, expert movements.
‘My brother hasn’t been well,’ was the first thing Lyria said, as they approached the boat.
‘Oh I don’t want to bother him,’ Zara said quickly. ‘I can wait somewhere else, or find another spot to sleep for the night.’
Lyria was tempted, but she knew that any failure to do exactly what had been requested of her would only bring down the wrath of Essena. She’d seen Essena grumpy, disappointed, rankled, but never enraged. She hoped not to see that any time soon. Her temper was legendary. Our own personal Darkfall, Metta had called it once.
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The description of the kittens made me have an ‘awwwwww’ moment. Interesting bit at the end about their own personal Darkfall. Good snippet.
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If in doubt, add kittens! Darkfall is really important in this world, but you don’t know about it yet… Will know more soon. Thanks for reading 😊
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Zara has the confidence carried by saints and children. Great snippet, Rachel.
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She does, doesn’t she! And I can tell you she isn’t a saint! More on that shortly 😊 thanks for the comment…
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I really enjoyed this. Characters are everything for me, and I like these a lot! Looking forward to finding out more about their family dynamics.
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Thanks for that Joyce! When I’m in the middle of a first draft I’m never sure quite how my characters are coming out. Really glad you’re liking them so far 😊
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Interesting. I enjoyed all the activity Zara got up to in one short snippet!
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Thanks Veronica! 😊
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I love Zara. I hope Lyria gets her head on straight pretty soon before she flubs her assignment.
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Haha, yes it’s not looking good for Lyria so far is it! I guess she’s got a lot to learn and will need to grow up a bit, possibly quite quickly as it so happens! Thanks for reading.
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I like how the kitten finding a place to sleep on the boat paralleled Zara’s need to find a place to sleep.
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Thanks Ed, I hadn’t actually thought of that 😊
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I’m wondering why Lyria doesn’t want to take the assignment more seriously. It is something big, Zara’s life is in danger and if the people after her find out where she is, there is going to be a big fight going on. I wonder what bigger there can be in Lyria’s mind. Plus she has the advantage of staying home to take care of her brother.
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Thats all true. I think Lyria was hoping for something that would get her off the river and be more active rather than sitting around waiting to see if something will happen. But it’s great to get your feedback because it makes me really think more about her motivation and behaviour. She’s trained really hard for something and this isn’t her idea of what it would be – she’s just a little slow at adjusting her concepts to reality. Thanks for the comments!
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“Rankled”… *Giggles* Anyways, love the description of Essena’s wrath. But now I wonder what a Darkfall is. Curious, curious. Zara seems like such a happy child.
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Thanks! Yes Zara does seem like a happy child at this point…. You’ll get to see more of her in coming weeks 😊
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What’s wrong with Lyria’s brother, Zara’s response was very mature. Interesting snippet.
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Hi Chelle, Lyria’s not quite sure yet what’s wrong with her brother. He’s been sick on and off and was unwell earlier in the day, but has taken a turn for the worse…. Thanks for reading 🙂
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Own personal Darkfall… says a lot about the character. Nice snippet!
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