Snippet Sunday: March 6, 2016

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Where writers come together to share a few sentences (8-10) of their current project — whether it’s a recently released novel, a WIP (work in progress), or an older manuscript that’s being revived. Intended to hook readers, gather feedback and build an author’s fan base, Snippet Sunday is the FB group that does all three.

I am going to continue on with the first book in the Dark Heir Chronicles yet, Fated to Darkness yet. I’m just going to keep rolling with it up through April for Camp NaNo and then switch to something different in May. I know, that’s a lot of Fated to Darkness snippets, but this series is my baby.

Previously on Sunday Snippets: Four year old Heather had been kidnapped from her home by a woman clad in black and whisked off to another realm where she found her kidnapper wanted her to be her Heir. But not just any Heir. After being locked up and put through a ritual that has changed her and her life forever — though she does not yet know it — she has found herself in a small bare essential room with a tiny bathroom, and her new mentor has instructed her to clean herself up and be ready in ten minutes. Having talked of what Ciara finally wants of her, she is now left in her first lesson under her mentor.

I am skipping ahead from last week’s snippet by a whole chapter and sharing the end of it. Heather has gone through another lesson, or two, and is now passed out and battered on the floor while Ciara mulls over her thoughts.

(Some sentences may have been creatively edited and punctuated to try to fit the ten sentence limit. I’m over, again. Can we just agree that my snippets will always be a little longer but not too long?)

–*–

She had to admit, Heather had lasted much longer than she expected her to. After the mercy lesson, she had expected the child to only last for a half hour or so before this happened. Yet here she had lasted for more than an hour, almost an hour and a half if she guessed correctly.

That was a good sign for her, it proved that the magic had taken a strong root within her from the turning. It told that this girl would be more powerful than the rest of the failures. She would have more strength, more power capable of doing stronger spells. Her limits in a fight would be longer and she would be able to hold out for much longer as well.

This only proved that.

But that wasn’t all it meant. It also meant that with the magic taking a strong root within her, it would be that much harder to pull away from. The darkness to the magic would start to latch onto her, giving her that euphoric high that only twisted dark magic brought. It would be impossible to escape once she had her taste of it and its power level. And more so, once she had her taste of it and what she could do with it, she wouldn’t want it gone.

Heather would latch onto the magic and darkness to it, as much as it would latch onto her. She didn’t need to manipulate her, the magic would do that all on its own. She was only giving Heather a push in the right direction for it to happen.

The Dark One finally reached down and not very gently picked Heather’s limp form up, almost throwing her over her shoulder like she was no more than a sack of potatoes rather than a child. She made her way out of the room and back through the halls until she came upon the small prison-like room and strode inside, dumping Heather on the small cot.

Ciara smiled to herself, a wicked victorious grin, as she looked at her and continued to think. The child was still too much of whiner, yes; and she still was much too scared to be any sort of true Heir. In time though, and with the right lessons, she was certain she could mold this one to who she wanted.

That innocence that laid within the child was already starting to crack and crumble. If she showed her the horrors of the world, preyed upon her fears and insecurities, wore her down and built her back up, she could make this child whoever she wanted. After all, the tortured always became the torturer in the long run. One can only result to what they know, and if this is all the child would know, then that is who she would become. That is what she would fall to and learn as the only way to accomplish things and to be strong.

And by then, it is all the child would want. Reactions would speak louder than simple actions in this case.

She turned back to leave, closing and locking the door behind her as she left Heather to lay unconscious in the room, residing to leaving her be until she had come back around and had enough strength to continue on once more. Though she would never let her recovery fully, for that would be a fool’s gamble to allow. She would allow her to get that strength back, and then push her again, further and further until she was forced to either keep falling, or become stronger.

This one she was sure wasn’t going to be another failure.

In the end, this one would come to be her true Heir.

–*–

Dun dun dunnn. Does Heather even stand a chance against Ciara?

This story is not yet on Wattpad because it is my baby that I hope to publish one day, and if no one will publish me, I am self publishing. But it’s also not on Wattpad because it’s in first draft phases yet. So there will be no “if you wish to read more…”

However! If you wish to read anything else that I do have finished, you can hop on over to my profile on Wattpad and check out what I have to offer. I love to hear any and all feedback on my work as well. Comments are greatly appreciated, as are the reads.

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,

hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!