Just wanted to make a shout out to Sami, a brilliant member of our Four Seasons Podcast. This is from the rough draft of Sami Marchand’s first book, Garnet. From what I have read so far, this is an incredibly fun story with some incredibly detailed characters that have very real problems. She is currently working on book 5 in her series of 12. As I read through this part of the story, a grin formed followed by a dang, I like this! Without further ado, here is a fun section-even in rough draft form-that I thought was a thrill to read:
Kira had never felt more nauseous in her life. Her stomach pushed and pulled and pushed and pulled in rhythm with the sulara’s beating wings. The cold wind blowing across her face didn’t help anything, except for making it hard to breathe. Besides this, holding onto the waist of her former therapist made her the most uncomfortable she had ever been. The only comfort she felt was knowing that, if he had been a real therapist, he would have lost his license for this. She peeked through her tightly-shut eyelids to see how Adam was faring. He looked terrified, eyes wide and holding on for dear life, as he rode solo on the other sulara. Rashiin appeared perfectly comfortable on the back of the flying beast. He sat up tall, watching the world pass beneath them. Every few minutes, he would point out some landmark or scenic view, but Kira refused to look. She preferred to sit hunched over, pretending she wasn’t several dozen feet in the air.
“The trees are just beautiful this time of year!” he called back to her. “You’ll never see leaves this green on Earth, nope, not anywhere! Although, you really should see them in the springtime. The fruit trees have such lovely blossoms.”
Kira ignored him. She would have plenty of time to admire the trees when she was back safely on the ground. She thought to herself how she almost, almost, preferred freezing to death in the dark compared to this.
“How are you holding up, Adam?” Rashiin called out. “It’s thrilling up here, isn’t it?”
Adam’s only response was a strained gurgling sound, somewhere between a scream and a gasp. Kira wasn’t sure if it was an answer to Rashiin’s question, or if he was simply trying not to throw up.
“Don’t you two worry, you’ll be used to this kind of travel in no time. The others didn’t like it at first either. Although, come to think of it, I still don’t think they do.”
Kira wished Rashiin would stop talking. She didn’t care about trees, or blossoms, or anyone else who had ever ridden one of these accursed animals. The sound of the man’s voice was making her head pound and it was all she could do to not pass out.
“We’ll be there soon,” called Rashiin. “Just a few more minutes.” By now, Kira was wishing they had taken several days to walk.
“Hey, let’s have some fun before the ride ends” Rashiin called back. “Really give you a special treat.” He gave a long, high-pitched whistle. Before she knew it, the sulara bolted skyward.
“Aauuugh!” Kira whined. This was not her idea of a treat.
The sulara dove and tilted this way and that. Rashiin let out a yell of glee as it spiraled downward. It zoomed back into the air and dove again. Then, it swooped upward into a horrifying loop-de-loop. Grandma Janie had never taken Kira to an amusement park. She always said it was because she didn’t like rollercoasters. Now, Kira understood why.
The sulara leveled out its flight and Kira’s stomach settled back into the rhythm of push-pull-push-pull. She made a silent promise to herself that, if hunting sularan was legal, she would eliminate every last one.
Rashiin laughed gleefully. “Ha, ha, ha! Oh, that’s so fun. Definitely one of life’s better pleasures. Oh! Look, quick, look up! We’re here!”
“Oh, thank goodness!” Kira mumbled. For the first time, she willingly took a peek at one of Rashiin’s sightseeing stops.
Great work Sami, keep it up!
Four Seasons of Epic Fantasy 