We're still several months away from the release of the second Fantasy Western novel, but while we're waiting for "The Curse of Selwood," I'd like to share another short snippet from Episode 1.
The creature crawled out of his cave, the thin, emaciated being in the rough form of a humanoid. While proportioned much like a human being, he was certainly not a man. Bony protrusions jutted out of every joint, forming a crusty exoskeleton over his slim body. The face was parched and flaking, akin to white sandstone, and the skin was sucked so tightly against the skull to appear ghastly. No hair could be found upon his scalp, but a few black tufts sat along his jaw line.
One might assume the creature to be native to the desert, and in recent years he had been, though that had not always been the case.
Hearing the train, the bony being moved to action, rushing across the dusty landscape like a jackrabbit. Speed increased with every lurching leap until the creature came to the top of a ridge and saw his quarry, the metal machine of man spewing black smoke from its stack, towing a dozen boxcars along the steel rails.
The train was picking up speed, going faster than any horse could run, though that did not deter the creature from continuing the pursuit. Racing down the hillside, the being rushed faster, darting along at remarkable velocity—soon matching, and then surpassing the rolling wheels of the locomotive. He was within striking distance of the caboose before long, and made his move onto the back deck, reaching it in one leap.
The moment was approaching at last; the time of retribution!
For those of you who haven't yet read West of the Warlock, be sure to get over to Hall Brothers Entertainment and read 75% of it for free, and if you really like it be sure to pick up a copy of the published book, which contains a lot of extra material that will tie into the forthcoming sequel!
I like. Another to add to my to buy pile!
ReplyDelete