I read the shorty story on the Before I am Famous website called  Steel Morality.  Which Ithere ia cool contest where you input the names and some information about a character, and the blogger will create a story about your character.  This story really was enjoyable and made me think of a short story that I wrote a few years back and never finished.  I decided to post my story just to share something I have written.

• The Rescue

Here I stood apprehended by four warriors wearing polished chain armor, while my dream woman was lying on an altar not more than fifty feet away.  Her hair was molten gold, and streamed from her head over the alter top.  Her eyes glistening like the clearest emeralds said so many words to me at once; her eyes begged me to save her and also forgave me if I failed.  Her gown was torn slightly, her olive skin shined like marble in the flickering torchlight of the room.  The old tattered woman that stood over my elven beauty seemed to shy away slightly from the light.  Now the crone held a curved dagger in her left hand, her skeletal knuckles wrapped firmly around the hilt.  Her eyes were venom, and seemed to draw my love’s essence away.  My heart tore and my mind was racing with a hundred possible outcomes and ways to save her.  My mind screamed at me, I would take her place if I could.  If she died then so shall I, I would not want to live if she did not.  I would fight until I was killed, and if I should somehow survive and she not, I would slay myself by her side.  Her eyes… no tears came from those beautiful eyes.  Though her fear was apparent, she had a calm gaze.  I read all of the love and hope, sorrow and pain in those eyes.  Instinctively, now my mind had snapped and I became a beast, a creature that can only react.  My hand whipped to the left, and I grabbed one of the guard’s daggers, the blur of my movement was too fast for their absurdly confident gazes to have noticed.  They did however notice when I buried that dagger into the fat guards belly, the man’s gurgling scream echoed in my ears.  The other soldiers pointed their blades toward me, but I struck like lightning and was too fast.  I navigated around the arcs of their blades, the wind caressing the hair on my neck, and plunged my dagger into the groin of the next guard.  His shrill was so loud I expected the altar to fracture, but it held steadfast.  A hot sting and I felt my own blood trickle from a wound across my shoulder; I snarled and leapt toward the small scrawny man.  My teeth buried into the man’s bearded throat, while my dagger entered his chest and my other hand clawed out his left eye.   At this point, the old woman started screaming and I heard more footsteps enter the room.  I tripped on the blood of the man I had just killed; the fall was purely accidental however the blade that would have severed my neck missed because of it.

I could not take them on here, not all of them.  I noticed a doorway that was left open, there were only two soldiers guarding it.  One was a tall man by anyone’s standards with his dark skin glistening like opal in the light.  The other man was a half-elf, for a second time stopped around me as I thought that was what our child would be Half-elven.  Time suddenly returned as a blade bit into my thigh, not deep enough to damage the muscle, but it still hurt.  I kicked backward knocking the armored man to the floor.  I then raced for the door, picking up one of the guards swords along the way.  The sword was light, but had a long and thick blade.  I tested its grip and then swiftly sliced my way through the two men, I was a pretty formidable warrior for my age, and it took merely seconds to drop both guards.  By now I was at the doorway, and I had just a moment’s time to peek backward.  I saw my love lying on the altar, her hope and excitement burned causing her eyes to glow slightly.  Her eyes begged me to escape, begged me to save myself.  I heard her say in her mind.

“Caldin, save yourself I will always love you.”

“No” I thought to myself, I cannot just walk out of here.  It was her beauty and youth they wanted, if I left they would not delay the ritual.  They would steal her beauty and her life right now.  I picked up a second blade now, and started walking toward the altar.  There were now eleven soldiers in the room, they were all humans and had varied looks about them.  They were very respectful of me now, and carefully made their way to me.  They made sure to keep their guard up, and started to surround me.  I did not care my fury drive me, my heart would drive me.  This was either going to be a heroic rescue deserving of the history books, or this was going to be a bitter disappointment.

The old woman now was chanting, and she held the dagger over her head as if about to plunge it into the stomach of the young elven lass who lie restrained and helpless.  I threw one of my blades, figuring it probably would just cause a minor distraction.  The gods shined on me this evening however, the blade managed to slice the decaying witch’s arm.   She dropped the dagger which slid across the ground onto the steps leading up to the altar.  This distraction gave me a little more time, and so I engaged the eleven warriors.  I immediately opened a gaping smile into one’s throat, while three others stabbed at my sides and back.  I whirled around parrying the three blades, but took another cut across my left forearm.  I was dripping blood in a slow and constant manner now.  A quick parry and thrust left another of the large warriors clutching his bowels, trying to prevent them from spilling over the floor.  I was now running and managed to propel myself into a roll, I barreled right into another guard, and as he fell to the ground.  I stabbed him through the face, and brought my now blood covered blade straight up into the chest of another.

…unfinished…

• What do you think, should I finish the story at some point?

Decided to run another socialspark opportunity with this post.  I want to know who everyone’s favorite author is and what you like about their writing style and/or books. Please restrict your submission to fiction works only, but it can be any category, fantasy, sci-fi, action, drama, mystery, romance…etc.

My favorite author of all-time is Stephen King for many reasons.  His ability to write creative character’s and get inside the thoughts and portray how they think, feel and act is an extremely unique style.  Character’s in his books act “real” flaws in all.  Stephen King’s imagination is boundless, and his style for horror and descriptive writing about everything leave you feeling as if you are actually there standing with the characters surveying the landscape or room that they are in.  I feel like I am in a movie, not just reading a book, I actually stop seeing words and start seeing pictures and hearing characters speak.  I get even more pleasure from listening to Audio Books, I don’t have a lot of time to read anymore, so I listen to audio books when I drive to work or travel.  I find that I can get lost inside an audio book and visualize even better than reading.  You don’t skip over words and are eager to listen and ponder each and every sentence spoken by the narrator.  Fortunately every Audio Book by Stephen King is read by a good speaker.  I have listened to audio books where the reading is monotonous and droning, and this makes it a hard listen.

The Dark Tower is by far the best series I have ever read, from the first book “The Gunslinger” to the final seventh book “The Dark Tower” I have read and listened to them all over the many years several times.  The thing that makes Stephen King even more interesting is how he leaves clue’s in all of his other books that reference the Dark Tower.  Even in his movies clues are left that all point to The Dark Tower, which he describes as his Opus for all of his work.  Truly mind blowing how a western, sci-fi, horror, post apocalyptic genre series is actually so unlike his earlier strictly horror works (Cujo, Christine, Salems Lot…etc).  Stephen King has a very adult writing style and it is very gritty and blatently honest, his descriptions and style are not for everyone, nothing is sugar coated and the raw expression is refreshing in a day an age where sci-fi and mystery are drizzled with predictable plots, boring and bland writing styles and character development. Truly the Dark Tower is one series where you never know what will happen next, it is virtually impossible to predict, and one of the most stunning endings out of any series of books I have ever written.

Kudos to Stephen King, who has been my favorite Author for a long time, I have read his works since I was in Junior High in the early 80’s.  I always wanted to be a novelist just like him when I was a kid.

PS.  I am currently listening to Duma Key, one of Stephen King’s most recent books and it is absolutely fantastic.  It is very down to earth at first and surrealism and paranormal start to set in early on.  The style is just simply amazing, and even this latest book has ton’s of references and commonalities with parts of “The Dark Tower”.  I for one am quite glad that Stephen King couldn’t stick to his self proclaimed retirement.

Write on until the end Mr. King, you will always have me as a fan.

-Dragon Blogger

So, who is your favorite author, and what are your favorite works?  Let me know via post on your blog, or comment on mine.

• Fellow Bloggers who wrote about their favorite Authors:

Crystal Twilight writes about J.R.R Tolkein and C.S. Lewis as her favorite authors in her blog

I have to say my favorite book was “The Hobbit” which I read when I was about 14, and I read all of the Chronicles of Narnia series when I was between 9 and 12.  You really should delve into “The Dark Tower” anyone who likes fantasy fiction I would think can get into the Dark Tower.

Tribal Fusion also is a big fan of Stephen King and mentions Clive Barker who is another one of his favorite author’s.  I have read some Clive Barker’s books, I particularly liked Lord of Illusions.

C’est La Vie’s favorite author is also Stephen King, and mentions some of her favorite books by the King of Horror.

Reanaclaire digs a post out of her past to write about her favorite author Sidney Sheldon and talks about her favorite books.

Aimey lists her favorite author on her Cherry-Blossom blog, where she lists George R. R. Martin as her favorite author and why.  You know I have had numerous people recommend this author’s books and I will start listening to them next on my list.  Thank you Aimey for listing your favorite Author.

Angela’s favorite author is Stephen King as well and she writes about her favorite books by the master of horror on her unsexy.net blog.