The Romance Troupe Beltane Blitz: Day Two





In celebration of Beltane, I started writing a short story about the holiday. I'll post three excerpts from it, one for each day of the Blitz. It's still a work in progress so even the beginning will change some, but I hope you enjoy it! Remember to comment with your email address to enter the giveaway, and follow the handy Rafflecopter directions :-) 

Back to the story - here's part two...
Don't worry, if you don't have time to read right now, just skip down to the Rafflecopter and hop back over another time for the story. My Troupe mates' site links are at the bottom of the post.



"Ashanti's Becoming" 
Excerpt Two

The village of Dagon boasted the greatest healer of any within traveling distance. In fact, other villagers sought the witch’s skills, traveling miles to reach her. Meredith’s skills as a healer were renowned, yet her only advice to him had been “Give it time, wangu mkuu – my prince. Your seed should be given time to ruminate, become even more potent for the Beltane fire fest. You should not over-exert yourself before the fest.”
Why the hell not? Laios took a deep breath and stepped into the heated bath the servant had prepared. The warm water instantly soothed him. Perhaps Meredith was right, but he’d never heard such, and patience was not in his arsenal of acquisitions.
This whole Beltane thing troubled him. Whenever he asked his father, Dagon, about his role in the ceremony, he received evasive responses. It will be done as it has always been done.” What the fuck did that mean? True, he was expected to take a wife some time during the Beltane fest this year, but that seemed even more reason to sow his oats while he still could, while fertility escaped the village. Unlike his father, siring bastards was not among Laios’s goals.
His brother, Ganton, had taken a wife three years ago, also during the fest, but he’d been uncharacteristically closed-mouthed about it ever since. Yet another puzzle since Ganton usually blabbed about everything, but his brother had been very different, more mature, more serious, and much more reserved. Was it having a wife or something about the fest that changed him?
Laios and Ganton’s father, the god Dagon became increasingly remote as time passed, hardly seen nor heard, and villagers had grown even more fearful after Ganton’s union neither produced offspring for the couple nor lifted the curse of infertility. Crops ceased to grow, even flocks thinned as older animals died and no new ones were born to replace them.
Let me know what you think about the story so far, and don't forget to leave your email address with your comment to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway :-)

Beltane Blitz Rafflecopter code: a Rafflecopter giveaway


Blog Links

Comments

Susan Arden said…
Thanks Dariel for this amazing Blog Hop, Contest and Giveaway. You've done so much for all of us.
Anonymous said…
*waves* Me again, lol.
bidelia78@yahoo.com
Dariel Raye said…
Thanks, Susan! That means a lot to me, and Kitty B., you are too awesome for words ;-)