Sneak peek

So, Samhain is nearing its finish line. I will probably share it with you by the time it's finished, even if there's still the bathing scene left for editing and the wrestling scene to top it all off. I think this will take till the end of the month, though. I'm really happy about the Samhain scenes and I'm having a blast writing them.

Here is a scene where Niall barges into the botched festivities:

Something big and fast runs straight at me from the darkness. Just as I'm bracing myself for the impact, it halts its speed to a minimum and I can make sense of his face.

It's Niall. His face is blanched white.

I ask: "What happened? What are you doing here?" I'm almost happy to see his oblivious face.

"I think I was chased by ghosts!"

"Oh."

"Oh? That's not the reaction I was waiting for." He rubs his sweaty face. "I knew it was a bad idea to come here. My torch died, I had no sweets on me. I was defenseless, a walking target."

"They wouldn't have killed you. They would've just lured you to the Otherside."

"Oh, wow, that's a relief, thank you so much for that information!" He's still visibly shaken by the ordeal.

"Well, unless they were the Others, they would've just killed you." 

He shakes his head. "Why are you…?" He sighs. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound mean. I just… I'm just… just let me catch my breath."

He huffs and puffs with his hands on his knees for a few more moments before Kegan comes to us.

"Did you see a ghost, too?" He asks.

Niall raises his gaze at the kid. "Yes. I mean, no. I didn't see them but they chased me. Something chased me!"

Kegan nods his head. "You're sure they weren't the Others?"

"Oh, dear gods, I don't know! Why do you keep talking about them? They chased me and I'm here. I don't care at all who they were."

*fake_choice

    #"They won't come here." Comfort them. Well, they almost just did come here, but the circle of protection will keep them away. For now.

        They look uneasily into the darkness. And, as if in cue, a sorrowful wail echoes from the forest.

        Niall and Kegan shriek in unison.

        I try to reassure them: "I know it sounds bad but I'm sure the banshee is as scared of you as you are of her."

        "A banshee?!"

        "Shh. I wouldn't shout, even if there's no real danger. Or minimal danger."

        "Minimal…," Kegan whispers and looks at the direction where the wail came from.

    #"They could still follow you." Tease them.

        "They could?!" Both of them shout before covering their mouths. They look uneasily into the darkness. And, as if in cue, a sorrowful wail echoes from the forest.

        Niall and Kegan shriek in unison.

        I peer at the direction the wail came from. "That sounded like a banshee."

        Niall looks at me with widened eyes. "A banshee?!"

        "Shh. Don't shout. It will only lure them to us."

        Niall and Kegan's faces blanch even whiter than they were before. 

        Someone's voice cuts through the tension: "Are you bullying the boys?" I turn to Floyd, who looks only slightly amused by the commotion. He looks at Niall, his Tribune, before saying: "Oh. I didn't realize that it was you, Lord Tribune."

        Niall takes a few stabilizing breaths, as if to appear that nothing is wrong and he didn't just shriek like his life depended on it. He pats Kegan on his shoulder and says: "Right. Nothing to worry about, son."

        Kegan frowns. "You just—"

        "Alas!" Niall yelps, making Kegan jump. "What dangers lurk in the shadows, I do not know. It's a good thing they seem to be fearing the light."

    #Remain silent.

        The spirits won't pose a real problem in a group and I doubt there are any Others lurking about. I can't sense any.

        Kegan and Niall look uneasily into the darkness. And, as if in cue, a sorrowful wail echoes from the forest.

        They shriek in unison. Then, they turn to me, as if I should reassure them.

        *fake_choice

            #"Stop acting like you've never been in a dark forest filled with roaming spirits."

                "Filled?! There are multiple spirits?"

                "It shouldn't come as a surprise. This is the time when the Veil between our world and theirs is thin."

                Niall bites his lip. "But I've never felt this many spirits before."

                "Ah, it's because these fools botched the Samhain traditions. It's one thing not to do them, it's entirely another to insult the spirits with wrong ones."

                Niall turns to look at Kegan with a judging look on his face. 

                Kegan raises his hands in defense: "It wasn't me! I tried to say that they shouldn't—"

                "What is happening here?" Floyd's voice cuts through the tension. Niall turns to him, his face filled with blame aimed at the approaching man.

                Floyd slows his pace down once he sees him. "Um. Lord Tribune? What are you doing here?"

                "I'm here to condemn you on your failure to deliver a proper Samhain," he says in a weirdly solemn tone.

                "Oh. I see." Floyd's face turns bright red. "I'm terribly sorry, Lord Tribune. I take full responsibility for everything that happened."