Purple Watches For Women

One Response to Purple Watches For Women

1. . says:

   January 29, 2012 at 9:59 pm

   Hows this for a first chapter?
   The moonlight cast down it’s silvery light through the branches of the bare trees which stood, whispering tales of the city through the forest for those who would stop to listen. Marisa, a young woman with long, black hair stood in the clearing beside Kioni Vesper, a Healer who lived amongst the trees. They stood in silence, until Marisa grew impatient with the quietness.
   “What are we listening for?” She snapped, although she did so merely above a whisper. Kioni looked at Marisa, her dark blue eyes boring into Marisa’s pretty, hazel eyes. She raised her hand slowly and pressed her first finger to her lips, then she closed her eyes and stretched out her arms as if she were greeting the night. With a sigh, Marisa did the same and waited. Moonsong began; flowers bloomed and sang to the night, filling the air with sweet music. It soothed Marisa, because it reminded her of home. A quaint little cottage between land, sea and sky where the silver flowers in the meadow behind the house would open up and Moonsong would begin. She remembered laying awake in her bed to wait for Moonsong to sing her to sleep. Here, in Vinovia, hearing the flowers was rare, as there were little places for them to grow in the city and in the forest, you had to know where to find them. Marisa opened her eyes and turned to Kioni who smiled knowingly at the young woman.
   “Thank you, Kioni,” she whispered and then closed her eyes to listen to the flowers. She laid down on the soft grass as she listened for the full midnight hour until the flowers finally quietened and curled back into the vines.
   “Happy birthday Marisa,” the old woman said. Marisa looked at Kioni who was sat by a tree trunk. She did not look old, but wizened. Her face was lined, but not deeply and her curly, brown hair which hung around her shoulders didn’t have a single strand of grey and she stood tall rather than hunched like many of the elderly women in the city.
   Marisa nodded and smiled. “Thank you for bringing me. It means a lot.”
   “Don’t you go telling everybody about this, girl,” Kioni said sternly, but her eyes were warm. The two women stood and stretched out before they started walking back through the forest to Kioni’s small house on the outskirts of the forest at the bottom of the mountains. It was dark and the ground was covered in vines and huge tree roots, but Kioni walked swiftly through the trees and Marisa quickly followed with the careful, silent steps that Kioni had taught her to do. It was always safer to tread silently through a forest, so you didn’t awake any predators who’d happily eat you for supper and suck on your bones in the morning. When they reached the small house, they stepped inside and Marisa locked the door while Kioni went to the main room and started a fire. When Marisa had first become Kioni’s apprentice, she was only allowed to touch, hear and see what the old woman had wanted her to touch, hear and see. Something as simple as locking the door was out of the question, but now, Marisa was more of a friend or even daughter to Kioni and she was trusted.
   “Marisa, gather the things for an Allseeing spell, I have a feeling something has happened tonight,” Kioni suddenly said in a sharp voice. The woman sat down on a small chair frowning. Marisa immediately gathered the items needed for the spell and quickly set them out. A large, clear glass bowl filled with pure water, a deep purple herb with was ground down fine like powder in a clear glass jar and a white candle, which she placed carefully in front of the fire. Kioni stood from the chair and knelt down in front of the bowl while Marisa sat to the side and watched carefully. The woman opened the jar with the purple herb and shook some into her palm, then closing her eyes she muttered a quiet blessing spell before throwing it into the water. The purple powder spread out in the water, transforming it into a rich purple liquid.
   “Fire, I ask for your light,” Kioni said and a flame suddenly appeared on the candle with a quiet whoosh. The woman then began to murmur the spell and the water began to swirl around and around until it became clear again.
   “It is ready,” Kioni said to Marisa who then quickly shuffled closer to peer into the water and focused her thoughts before opening her mind to allow the images into her head.
   “What is coming?” Kioni asked quietly, looking deeply into the water. A small breeze swirled around the room and the flame flickered as the water began to swirl until an image began to form…

   The sky was grey and the clouds rolled in with a rumble. A flash of lightening clapped through the sky. A man stood by the edge of a cliff, looking out onto the restless sea which was lapping up at the stones viciously.
   “Alexander.”
   The man turned and watched as a bald man in a long dark cloak hurried towards him. His eyes were bright with alarm as he reached into his cloak and pulled out a scroll. The man handed it to Alexander, who quickly unravelled it and
   scanned the elegant script written apon it.
   “So it has begun?” Alexander asked the bald man.
   “I believe so,” the man answered in a nervous voice, “The end is coming. They are coming. We must be prepared. We must warn the people.”
   Alexander frowned, “Where is my father? Is he not back yet?”
   “I have sent the message, so he should be returning any day now,” the man answered. Alexander nodded and turned back to the ocean.
   “Then let us return to the city, Wes,” he said quietly.

   The water turned black and then returned to it’s original clearness. Marisa looked at Kioni confusedly.
   “What did he mean? The end is coming? What was that all about?” She asked the woman who was now staring into the red embers in the fire. Marisa stood and walked over to the window, looking out onto the mountain. She started when a cold hand touched her shoulder. The woman turned and looked at Kioni who was looking fearful. “What is it Kioni?” Marisa whispers.
   “It means, we are all in grave danger.”
   Sorry I know it’s kind of long for something on YA, but I’d appreciate suggestions on how I can improve it and what you think of it.
   Thankyou
   xx

   (It’s set in a fictional world in a city called Vinovia)