As y’all know, this month has had a bit of a spooky theme as I show you some of the darker aspects of fantasy and the horror found in the Dance of the Elements series.
One way to utilize horror is the element of surprise and sometimes in fiction this can be utilized with the plot twist. Here is a fun excerpt that combines a bit of both. In this scene we have both an introduction to a new and dangerous form of magic as well as the events that lead up to the death of a major character. Be forewarned, MAJOR spoilers for Ignited ahead:
Adham stared at him for several moments. He twirled the point of his dagger on the palm of his hand. “You really don’t know, do you? Your dragon, he…what is your man doing?”
Adham stared at Kenjiro. The Samur had pressed his palms together and held them just over his chest. He stomped on the floor muttering in his native tongue. Beshar had never seen any of his Samur do such a prayer, he too watched in interest.
Kenjiro’s mutterings grew louder as the rhythm of his stomping quickened. He fell into a frenzied state, shouting and pounding his feet into the stone floor. One by one his brothers joined in. Soon the sound was deafening. Their shouts echoed off the stone walls and Beshar resisted the urge to bring his hands up to cover his ears.
Adham started forward, but the ground split open in front of him and he stumbled to his knees.
“What’s happening? Beshar, wha—”
His words were cut off when a massive hole ripped open and the stone floor crumpled around him. The Prince of Shadows fell into the hole. The prince’s hands scraped against the walls as he scrambled to escape the shallow fissure.
“Beshar, you fool! You can’t stop this. You don’t even know what you’re involved in. This doesn’t stop with me. The Queen will have her revenge. Let me out of here. We can help each other!” His fingers clawed at the dirt and crumpled stone.
The room fell to silence as the Samur abruptly stopped.
Beshar stepped forward, peering down at the captured Prince of Shadows. He’d never seen Earth magic at work before, the results were fascinating. His men had just caused the ground to rip open. The trick was beyond useful.
“Good work Kenjiro. I’ll have…” His voice faltered as he looked into Kenjiro’s eyes. They were entirely black. The whites of his eyes had disappeared. He and the other Samur marched forward in unison. They dropped to their knees at the edge of the freshly formed pit. The Samur formed a circle around its edge and when the last man fell to his knees they once again began to chant…
The above excerpt was pulled from chapter forty-three of Ignited, the first book in the Dance of the Elements series. If you enjoyed the excerpt and want to read more you can purchase a copy here.
What do you think happens next? Have you seen other spooky ways to utilize earth magic? Drop your thoughts in the comments 🙂