I’m slightly pivoting how I’ll be posting my Short Scenes every Monday. Previously, I did little compilations of the scenes I’d written previously, usually when I was going a Daily Writing Exercise month.
I’m not going to stop doing those compilations – and my plan going forward is admittedly in part to allow myself to reorganise those compilations so I end up posting the same scenes less often.
But, for now, since I’ve hit a full year of Patreon scenes, I figured maybe it was time to bring those scenes to my non-subscribers.
With that in mind, here’s the first Patreon scene I posted to my subscribers, coming to my non-subscribers for the first time!
© J.B. Norman — Published by Emona Literary Services™
“That’s cheating!” Dunstana cries as the magically-animated suit of armour lurches forward, swinging a sword as long as two of her. “He doesn’t even have legs!”
The hovering armoured torso takes another swing at her and she ducks.
“I hate this place,” Kat moans in agreement. She glances over at Tenebella, the proud new owner of this awful, awful place – an abandoned and derelict wizard’s workshop that had gone up for auction after coming into the possession of the Porthaven city government.
“Fascinating,” the witch-princess muses, starting intently at the magic armour. “The magic is still functional after so long.”
She grins and rubs her hands together eagerly.
“Oh, I’m going to like this place. I can’t wait to see what sort of magical wonders are waiting for me here.”
“Tenebella,” Kat groans, wrestling with the magic armour to stop its sword mid-swing. “Don’t just stand there nerding out. Help!”
Tenebella blinks, coming back to reality at the sound of her friend’s voice.
“What? Oh, yes. That. The fighting,” she mutters. “Have no fear, Kat. We’ll get this sorted out.”
She clears her throat.
“To me, my Horsemen!” she calls.
Kat groans again as, for a heartbeat, nothing happens and the magic armour’s sword continues inching perilously close to her face.
And then comes the response.
“Hey-oh!” the five voices of the Four Horsemen of Castle Ansangaar cry — their leader Captain Captain Ratsumies, the brothers Secutor and Dimachaerus, and then Ralph, and finally Gwaedbran, who objects to being classed as a Horseman on the grounds that she is a woman.
Charging forward, Captain Ratsumies swings his broad axe, sweeping the armour’s helmeted head from his shoulders, though it accomplishes little thanks to the magical energries guiding it.
“Wait,” Dunstana notes, peering out from behind the large trunk she’s taken shelter behind. “Where’s Gwaedbran?”
“Hey-ho!” the Morfilodish battle boar-rider calls, her voice muffled by distance and the wall in the way.
“Oh dear,” Kat mutters as she realises what’s about to happen. She stops wrestling with the armour and dives for safety.
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