The villagers cowered; none dared answer the enraged beast. Kliban raised his head to the sky, opened his mouth and spewed forth a stream of flames. “Where isss my gold?” he roared again.
Finally, Ham, the swordsmith, stepped forward and answered with a deep, respectful bow, “Your greatness, we have had a hard year,” he began to explain.
But Kliban cut him short. “I don’t care about your petty excusessss, I want my gold.”
“We have no gold,” Ham told the dragon.
“Then I’ll take thisssss,” the great beast hissed as he flapped his mighty wings and rose into the sky, dipping down just long enough to pluck Olivia from Constance’s arms. Constance tried to hold on, but the dragon was too quick. She could hear Olivia's screams as the dragon flew away. More to come...
Anna Questerly
Bookseller and bibliophile turned author, Anna Questerly writes medieval fiction and fairy tales for smart kids and young hearts. For adults, she creates Utopian fantasy as A.J. Questerly.
Hi Melanie: I really enjoy the blithe tone you set in the tale. Your writing style is inviting and airy. I love your ability to paint vivid pictures of the scenes and the actions you describe. When I read your blog entries, my first thought was that of Peter Falk reading Princess Bride to his grandson. Nice job. I really like it and will buy the book when it gets published. Bill
ReplyDeleteThanks Bill,
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled you were able to see what I wrote!