The Burning One
Shahra is having a run of bad luck. Kidnapped by a Demon and bound into slavery. She is cursed with a good case of foot in mouth disease and an overactive Klutz gene. Both of which land her in trouble more often then not.
But when a Fallen Angel strides into the Compound she finds that keeping her hands to herself is far harder to do, and agreeing to help would have apocalyptic consequences. The hardest thing to fall being her heart.
But when a Fallen Angel strides into the Compound she finds that keeping her hands to herself is far harder to do, and agreeing to help would have apocalyptic consequences. The hardest thing to fall being her heart.
Excerpt From Book
THE BURNING
ONE Author Heather Beckett
Prologue
I’ve watched them for so long…. My heart aches for each and every one of them. We were not meant for this… we were the ones apart. But our desperation to survive drove us to do the unthinkable. So now we die, over and over again. The Eternal Ones now know death better than any of the humans we looked down upon and pitied for their short mortal lives.
Some shorter than others, for while I have just enough power left to influence them in small ways, I am powerless to protect them against the violent life their ignorant choices have fashioned for them.
The hardest to accept is the death of a child, when all that potential and innocence is cut short and I am forced to skip on, unable to protect those fragile souls who have unknowingly sheltered me. Each face, each heart is unforgotten. I hold them within me for eternity, each one leaving an indelible mark on my spirit, changing who I was into someone I now longer recognize.
Harder still is when I meet HIM.
It has happened over the eons. We all tend to gravitate towards each other like lonely stars. But the short span of a moment just renders the inevitable parting that much more unbearable. The time has not yet come, but the knowledge that it will forces me to cling to sentience.
My kind has learned something extremely valuable from the humans – stubbornness. I will not go quietly into this good night – I will be kicking and screaming, and I’m going to drag this one into the light right along with me.
Still…. I wish I didn’t know just how bad it was going to get for the beautiful soul that unknowingly shelters me.
Chapter One.
“It’s time”, the sultry tones echo though space to alight in the hearts of the ones who wait. “Truly”, states a smooth quieter voice filled with strength and wisdom. Seven more voices chimed in, all intoning the rites except for The Silent One. They knew she lived but not a word had she uttered for over three thousand years. Not since The Fall.
“Here is the time, here is the place. Now begins the lessening to the ties that bind and here are the ones who can free the Mother of All. The Rose shall rise and bring healing to the shattered.” All is quiet once gain. Expectant and hopeful, until one bitter and tired voice utters what all are too afraid to say,
“Unless they screw it up!”
“How about that one?” Shahra asked pointing at the demon hybrid that stalked through the heavy afternoon crowds with obvious destruction in mind.
Cali looked up from her lunch and huffed a derisive snort in his direction. “Yep… tame.” He looked anything but tame, but I was willing to trust her judgment, as I had no intention of ever finding out for myself. So I went back to scanning the crowds. I had started this game as a method of focusing my mind on the here and now. Not to mention it was just plain fun. The heady scent of cherry blossoms lay heavy in the hot dry air like the promise of a first kiss, but as I drew the scent deep into my lungs my nose twitched with all the nuances of scent that underlay it. I knew those smells and I desperately wished them gone, so that all I had to concentrate on was the smell of new life floating on the breeze. Or the whiff of salacious intent that wafts off Cali like a heady wine.
“Ok then, how about that one.” Scaly, green and otherwise gross.
“Yeah … boring!!!!” I cooked an eyebrow at that one but was once again forced into acceptance. If you are unwilling to ride that particular horse or in this case demon than you had no cause to judge. I tried again going for something a bit more my speed.
“That one” She glanced up again and simply raised a pinky and an eyebrow with such a complete look of disgust that it told me all I needed to know about that particular encounter. I snorted with laughter and the Demon in question heard me. He glared over at us – but upon seeing Cali lounging negligently on the wall, he hurriedly looked away and shuffled off into the crowd with his shoulders hunched and shame riding over his head like a cloud.
“I didn’t know that his species could blush. Well done!” I high-fived her then broke out into giggles at her immensely satisfied grin. Congratulating Cali on what I imagined had been a truly spectacular put-down cheered me up immensely. Even though I was having trouble finding a male creature that she hadn’t screwed – the fun was in the hunt. Like a game that humans used to play called Treasure Hunt.
“That one?” A giant hybrid, grayish green in color with razor tips claws and a mouth full of tusks and the lunch-time crowd parted for him with wary respect. He was head and shoulders above a crowd that averaged seven feet as a median, and muscled like a rabid bear. I’d meant the question as a joke. He was so far out of my comfort range that I couldn’t imagine even Cali trying that one on for size. Even the logistics of the fit were having trouble settling in my mind. I should have known better. That kind of thing was right up her alley. The Bigger and Badder they were- the more likely Cali was to take them on – or in – or whatever. Blinking slowly as the image parading in my brain settled with a thump I looked over at her with a newfound respect, drawn by the silence that was her only reply. Her red eyes were following him with an avid hunger and there was a slightly goofy smile plastered on her face.
“Come on…really! He’d squish you flat!” I was truly shocked, not that that was an abnormal occurrence with Cali. She just sighed happily.
“Oh hell yeah! I’ll have to hunt him later.”
“Don’t you mean hunt him up?” I quipped. You never knew with Cali, or when you did you usually just wished you didn’t. Cali was a fairly bloodthirsty wench.
Just then, like a cloud passing over the sun the game ceased to be fun. Walking through the crowds pushing other creatures out of their way stormed two of the Compounds Enforcers. I looked at Cali and she must have seen the thought pass through my mind. I couldn’t help it and deep inside I knew better. But our game had left the door to my imagination wide open. And the image of my best friend doing the nasty with two of my childhood tormentors rampaged through with all the grace of a tornado. I wanted to close my mind against it; and Cali’s abrupt and angry shake of her head mitigated some of my horror, but it was too late, the image was burned on my brain and no amount of scrubbing can clean that kind of filth away. Relieved that my friend had a modicum of taste I lapsed into a sullen silence and watched them with hooded eyes. You never really outgrow the fear of a childhood bully. Especially when they have nearly beaten you to death. I wish I could forget - just turn thoughts and feelings on and off, or that I could actually stop obsessing about the details of the past for just long enough to enjoy the illusion of peace our previous moments of fun had been trying to give me. Determined to do just that I continued to swing my legs off the edge of the stone terrace with more determination than joy. I did however sigh with relief when the Enforcers disappeared around a bend in the roughhewn wall. I knew I should enjoy every second, every breath. But I’m a little too anal- retentive to allow myself that. I’ve done that silent scream in my head as everything has gone to hell in a hand-basket way too frequently lately. And judging from Cali’s watchful silence so has she. I’ve even convinced myself that the universe is conspiring against me just for the shear pleasure of making my life miserable. After all in what world would having demons for childhood adversaries be normal?
Prologue
I’ve watched them for so long…. My heart aches for each and every one of them. We were not meant for this… we were the ones apart. But our desperation to survive drove us to do the unthinkable. So now we die, over and over again. The Eternal Ones now know death better than any of the humans we looked down upon and pitied for their short mortal lives.
Some shorter than others, for while I have just enough power left to influence them in small ways, I am powerless to protect them against the violent life their ignorant choices have fashioned for them.
The hardest to accept is the death of a child, when all that potential and innocence is cut short and I am forced to skip on, unable to protect those fragile souls who have unknowingly sheltered me. Each face, each heart is unforgotten. I hold them within me for eternity, each one leaving an indelible mark on my spirit, changing who I was into someone I now longer recognize.
Harder still is when I meet HIM.
It has happened over the eons. We all tend to gravitate towards each other like lonely stars. But the short span of a moment just renders the inevitable parting that much more unbearable. The time has not yet come, but the knowledge that it will forces me to cling to sentience.
My kind has learned something extremely valuable from the humans – stubbornness. I will not go quietly into this good night – I will be kicking and screaming, and I’m going to drag this one into the light right along with me.
Still…. I wish I didn’t know just how bad it was going to get for the beautiful soul that unknowingly shelters me.
Chapter One.
“It’s time”, the sultry tones echo though space to alight in the hearts of the ones who wait. “Truly”, states a smooth quieter voice filled with strength and wisdom. Seven more voices chimed in, all intoning the rites except for The Silent One. They knew she lived but not a word had she uttered for over three thousand years. Not since The Fall.
“Here is the time, here is the place. Now begins the lessening to the ties that bind and here are the ones who can free the Mother of All. The Rose shall rise and bring healing to the shattered.” All is quiet once gain. Expectant and hopeful, until one bitter and tired voice utters what all are too afraid to say,
“Unless they screw it up!”
“How about that one?” Shahra asked pointing at the demon hybrid that stalked through the heavy afternoon crowds with obvious destruction in mind.
Cali looked up from her lunch and huffed a derisive snort in his direction. “Yep… tame.” He looked anything but tame, but I was willing to trust her judgment, as I had no intention of ever finding out for myself. So I went back to scanning the crowds. I had started this game as a method of focusing my mind on the here and now. Not to mention it was just plain fun. The heady scent of cherry blossoms lay heavy in the hot dry air like the promise of a first kiss, but as I drew the scent deep into my lungs my nose twitched with all the nuances of scent that underlay it. I knew those smells and I desperately wished them gone, so that all I had to concentrate on was the smell of new life floating on the breeze. Or the whiff of salacious intent that wafts off Cali like a heady wine.
“Ok then, how about that one.” Scaly, green and otherwise gross.
“Yeah … boring!!!!” I cooked an eyebrow at that one but was once again forced into acceptance. If you are unwilling to ride that particular horse or in this case demon than you had no cause to judge. I tried again going for something a bit more my speed.
“That one” She glanced up again and simply raised a pinky and an eyebrow with such a complete look of disgust that it told me all I needed to know about that particular encounter. I snorted with laughter and the Demon in question heard me. He glared over at us – but upon seeing Cali lounging negligently on the wall, he hurriedly looked away and shuffled off into the crowd with his shoulders hunched and shame riding over his head like a cloud.
“I didn’t know that his species could blush. Well done!” I high-fived her then broke out into giggles at her immensely satisfied grin. Congratulating Cali on what I imagined had been a truly spectacular put-down cheered me up immensely. Even though I was having trouble finding a male creature that she hadn’t screwed – the fun was in the hunt. Like a game that humans used to play called Treasure Hunt.
“That one?” A giant hybrid, grayish green in color with razor tips claws and a mouth full of tusks and the lunch-time crowd parted for him with wary respect. He was head and shoulders above a crowd that averaged seven feet as a median, and muscled like a rabid bear. I’d meant the question as a joke. He was so far out of my comfort range that I couldn’t imagine even Cali trying that one on for size. Even the logistics of the fit were having trouble settling in my mind. I should have known better. That kind of thing was right up her alley. The Bigger and Badder they were- the more likely Cali was to take them on – or in – or whatever. Blinking slowly as the image parading in my brain settled with a thump I looked over at her with a newfound respect, drawn by the silence that was her only reply. Her red eyes were following him with an avid hunger and there was a slightly goofy smile plastered on her face.
“Come on…really! He’d squish you flat!” I was truly shocked, not that that was an abnormal occurrence with Cali. She just sighed happily.
“Oh hell yeah! I’ll have to hunt him later.”
“Don’t you mean hunt him up?” I quipped. You never knew with Cali, or when you did you usually just wished you didn’t. Cali was a fairly bloodthirsty wench.
Just then, like a cloud passing over the sun the game ceased to be fun. Walking through the crowds pushing other creatures out of their way stormed two of the Compounds Enforcers. I looked at Cali and she must have seen the thought pass through my mind. I couldn’t help it and deep inside I knew better. But our game had left the door to my imagination wide open. And the image of my best friend doing the nasty with two of my childhood tormentors rampaged through with all the grace of a tornado. I wanted to close my mind against it; and Cali’s abrupt and angry shake of her head mitigated some of my horror, but it was too late, the image was burned on my brain and no amount of scrubbing can clean that kind of filth away. Relieved that my friend had a modicum of taste I lapsed into a sullen silence and watched them with hooded eyes. You never really outgrow the fear of a childhood bully. Especially when they have nearly beaten you to death. I wish I could forget - just turn thoughts and feelings on and off, or that I could actually stop obsessing about the details of the past for just long enough to enjoy the illusion of peace our previous moments of fun had been trying to give me. Determined to do just that I continued to swing my legs off the edge of the stone terrace with more determination than joy. I did however sigh with relief when the Enforcers disappeared around a bend in the roughhewn wall. I knew I should enjoy every second, every breath. But I’m a little too anal- retentive to allow myself that. I’ve done that silent scream in my head as everything has gone to hell in a hand-basket way too frequently lately. And judging from Cali’s watchful silence so has she. I’ve even convinced myself that the universe is conspiring against me just for the shear pleasure of making my life miserable. After all in what world would having demons for childhood adversaries be normal?
** Above material and ideas are copyrighted 2009. All rights reserved by Heather Beckett
***I do not own the image I have used for the cover - it is temporary until book is published. Leave me a note if this is your image. Thanks.
***I do not own the image I have used for the cover - it is temporary until book is published. Leave me a note if this is your image. Thanks.
