Excerpt from ‘The Paesian Prologues’ by Jae V. Reece

Today, we have an excerpt from Jae V. Reece’s upcoming ‘The Paesian Prologues’–for release in October on Amazon. If you haven’t already read my interview with Jae V. Reece, then head over here.

This excerpt is from the second half of the first chapter, and the author has kindly provided an introductory passage to set the scene and mood.

The Paesian Prologues (an excerpt)

by Jae V. Reece

Setting:  Leiden, winged prince of the Aeryn race has fled from the safety confines of the castle after finding that his father is a slaver. Kai, Leiden’s guardian took off after the small boy in an attempt to bring him back. Finding the boy in the alleyways of the ports, Kai tries to make Leiden see reason and come back. But the Daemon army is looming on the horizon, soon approaching…

“We are surrounded, Leiden,” Kai said, helplessly. His head darting around him. They were fairly hidden in the clustered alleyway, but one could never be too safe. “We can’t even flee now. Storms are approaching; we won’t be able to fly out of arrow-range, unless you fancy being engulfed in lightening. All that is left is to make a final stand… Look, my prince. Whatever you’re quarrels that you may have with me and your father, please, may it wait until this is all over?”

Leiden nodded. Kai sighed with relief, but it was cut short. Instead, it turned into a gasp of utter disappear. Leiden craned his neck above the wooden barrels and crates to try and see what the young man was so distraught about. But he wasn’t left in the dark for long.  A low horn was sounded; deep and mournful. Even at his young age, the prince knew what that meant. It means that they were in danger.

“Hundreds of ships!” Kai shouted, as the second horn screamed throughout the night. “They are coming!”

The silhouetted ships emerged from the misty horizon, and their warlike masts and sails came into view, Leiden wondered at how they were ever going to make it through the night. It seemed impossible. They were hopelessly outnumbered.

When the horn reverberated for a third time and Aeryn soldiers flew passed Leiden’s hiding place, as fast as arrows, and soared to meet the oncoming army. When soldiers and ships clashed, the deafening boom and earsplitting cries of death could even be heard by Leiden, who was ever so far away. The winged soldiers came in with bows, and slaughtered many Daemons. Then, when their arrows were gone, they swooped in close for sword-on-sword skirmishes, only to retreat back up into the skies when they were nearly overpowered. The Daemons barely faltered their advance. Yes, it was true that many Daemons were dying, but there were just too few Aeryn soldiers to make even a small dent on the Daemon armies’ population. And now the brutal, barbaric ships were retaliating with cannonballs and flaming boulders. With arrows and battle axes. With claws and dark magic. And the first wave of Aeryn soldiers died; like tiny birds cornered by a gang of vicious street cats. Like an insignificant ant colony confronting a great herd of dragons.

The horn was sounded again, and the second wave of Aeryn soldiers took flight; larger than the first, bust still pitifully small compared to the forthcoming wave of gigantic vessels. Leiden sent out one last prayer to the Tempest God, Aeyl, wishing the soldiers safety. However, the small prince doubted even Aeyl could fend off the impending storm. The ships came closer to Lasil’s port with unsettling speed; quicker and quicker, undaunted by the Aeryn soldiers that continued to harry them. And all too soon, the thousands upon thousands of Daemon warriors were unloading on the shores, stampeding into the marketplaces and buildings; slaughtering soldiers and children alike. The flaming boulders were soaring through the sky, and even if they didn’t collide with a flying Aeryn soldier, they came crashing down onto the buildings below; setting the night ablaze.

“Look,” Kai said, forcing the boy to rip his gaze from the city, and onto his Castle. It was being bombarded with cannonballs and blazing boulders; soaring righted over the port city and striking the stone fortress with deadly precision. His mother and the rest of the healers were treating the wounded there. Had she managed to escape in time?

Of course, the port was getting thrashed by wave upon wave of cannonballs, and wooden rubble exploded around them, and stones rained down; like a deadly hailstorm. The trees and gardens had been set alight, and skirmishes between the two sides raged as far as Leiden could see. The ground rumbled deeply beneath the two of them. It was as if the earth was awakening to watch the horrendous battle. However Leiden didn’t even acknowledge the fall of his city. Instead, his eyes remained on the ruins of Castle Arcwing. His mother… His father… Had they made it out alive? Or…

“Mother,” Leiden cried, fluttering his wings. He was huddled underneath Kai’s protective form, but was struggling to be free. “Mother!”

“No, Leiden!” Kai said, pulling Leiden back with such force, that they were both knocked to the ground. Another wave of boulders struck Lasil with an almighty bang. They fell into the gardens and onto the stables, the inns, the marketplaces, the castle walls and the ports. All with such force that it was as if a giant monster were ravaging the lands around them. Nothing could stop it. And Leiden’s mother had been defenceless up against such wanton destruction.

Leiden was screaming and shouting, struggling to get out of Kai’s grip, but the young man held tight. It was only when the shaking stopped, and the air was filled with dust and ash that he freed the prince. Leiden staggered to his feet, and dizzily stumbled out onto the streets. But turned around to see the wreckage of the burning castle, his eyes filled with tears and his body started to tremble. Fire couldn’t burn stone. But this wasn’t ordinary fire. This was dark magic. And this dark magic was completely obliterating his home.

“You couldn’t save them, Leiden,” Kai said, trying to pull the prince back into the alley before the next wave of cannonballs struck. “Come! We have to go! I’ll take you back to your father! He’ll know what to do!”

“No!” Leiden screamed. “Go away, Kai! Just go away!”

“Oh god,” Kai said, his pulling stopping for just an instant as he stared behind the small prince. A fiery boulder, larger than all the others, was hurtling towards them. “Run!”

The young man pushed Leiden in front of him and they both sprinted towards the alleyway. But Leiden felt a magic, Kai’s magic, from behind pick him off his feet and fling him forward with such force everything blurred around the poor prince. He shot straight passed the narrow passage and smashed through the wooden door of a building; landing on the cobbled floor of the house with a dull thud.

The explosion that followed was more intense than anything Leiden every experienced. The head blazed around him as his vision filled with crimson red fire. Leiden was flung off his feet, and the shockwave of the impact sent him hammering against the back wall with such impact that the breath was knocked out of him. Shards of glass, stone and wood were shooting all around him, and a few even grazed his arms and cheeks like arrows and knifes. A dull, pulsing pain filled Leiden’s head, and his vision went all blurring; from tears and from dust.

He tried to get up but he couldn’t. When he tried to stand, his legs gave way, sending him sprawling on the ground. But he managed to drag himself closer to the gaping hole where the front of the building had been only seconds before. And there amongst the carnage of rubble was a torn and burnt body. Charred and unrecognisable  At first, Leiden didn’t register who it was. But soon he realized. It was Kai.

  Learn more…

Read more of Leiden’s story, plus six more, in the full version of ‘The Paesian Prologues’, which will be out on amazon in October 2013 for about 99c. Please, if you liked what you read, spread the word to everyone and anyone! A 30 thousand word Young Adult fantasy novella for a dollar! Follow my two accounts on twitter to keep up to date with the happenings of ‘The Paesian Prologues’; @JaeVReece and @OfficialPaesia. Thank you for taking time to read this excerpt!

Thanks, Jae, for providing this excerpt from your upcoming novella. So, what did you think of it? Does it make you want toread more? Let us know by leaving a comment below.