Suddenly you stop. You want to continue. To write some more. To add more excitement, more intrigue, more... whatever it is you are trying to accomplish with the scene. But something tells you that you have written enough. That less is more. Any any more detail you put into the scene is just gonna clog things up.
The following exchange has taken me most of a week to sort out. Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Dave
(From Dragon Hunters, © Dave Transou )
“So, Master Hawkes?” A female voice suddenly asked. “What
do you think of our new facility?”
Elias turned to see Annie Tolen standing beside him. He
smiled as his Dragon Within rumbled uneasily.
Don’t get mad at me! Elias
said to Procyon. You’re the one she snuck up
on!
“Elias, please.” He said with a grin. “When you say Master
Hawkes, I look around for my father. May I call you Annie?”
“Of course, sir,” She replied. “Allow me to refresh your
drink.” She said, taking his empty glass and exchanging it for a fresh one from
a passing waiter.
“No ‘sir’ either, please.” Elias replied, smiling as he
accepted the fresh drink, eyeing her slim form in the sleek blue dress that
seemed to cling to every curve. His gaze came to rest on her face, seeing only
her impossibly green eyes. “Just plain Elias is fine.”
“So what do you think, just plain Elias?” She teasingly
said, a husky tone to her voice that he did not notice before. Somehow she
seemed to be standing even closer to him.
“What do I think of what?” Elias asked, caught off guard by
her sudden closeness, but unable to look away from her eyes.
“Of Tolen and Blom’s new repair facility.” She said nodding
at the model with her head without breaking her eye contact with him.
“Oh…” Elias fumbled for a minute to regain his composure,
taking a sip of the wine. He turned to the display, ending up standing
extremely close to her. His nostrils were filled with the scent of her perfume,
a sharp, cinnamon fragrance that set his Dragon Within to rumbling.
Quiet Procyon! He
ordered as he cleared his mind and focused on the display. “An interesting
concept. A different approach from other Trade facilities.”
“You mean because it is located on the planet’s surface
instead of in orbit, of course.” She said, without taking her eyes off of him.
There was a teasing, tantalizing tone to her voice as she continued to ask him
questions. He wondered if she was purposefully trying to create a scene or was
she perhaps, interested in him.
“Well, yes. I suppose” He said with a shrug of his
shoulders, downplaying her point. “Although the Sundai have been doing
something similar with the agricultual colonies in the Sundai System.”
He turned and smiled at her and continued aware that other
conversations around the display had paused in favor of their discussion.
“Building a repair facility at the spaceport makes perfect
sense. The current facilities have been overwhelmed since the immigration
started.” He explained, turning to point to the holographic image of the
proposed repair facility anchoring one end of the spaceport. “And politically,
it’s a great move by the locals.”
Annie frowned, dropping her teasing tone, a touch of anger
coming into her voice.. “Why do you think it is a political move?”
“Because everything happening in the OutWorlds is political
right now.” Elias replied, smirking at the anger in her voice. “By seizing the
terminal, the local Conbor government has effectively cut off any more
immigration from the InWorlds. By handing it over to T&B for the new repair
facility the Conbor government is stating that the immigration runs will not
restart without new negotiations and new concessions.”
“So you don’t approve?” Annie frowned and crossed her arms.
Ye gods, she is beautiful
when she is angry! He thought, as his Dragon Within rumbled.
“I did not say that.” Elias smoothly replied with a smile.
“I think it is a good move. The T&B facility is sorely needed on Conborine
and it will very successful.”
“The situation in the InWorlds will continue to deteriorate,
as predicted by my father. The attack on Trann’s Planet is just the start.
Manervia and Worrendell won’t stop until they have captured or isolated all of
Core’s allies.”
He paused and sipped his wine, frowning as if he were in
deep thought. His Dragon Within rumbled cautiously, but Elias ignored Procyon
as he concentrated on his words.
“Right now, the Royal Republics are still sending dispatch
shuttles and the occasional warship to Conborine to maintain contact with their
colonial offices.” He finally continued.
“When the Royal Families run out of funds and the war
intensifies, there are going to be a number of starships stuck on Conborine.
They may stuck because they won’t have a port in the InWorlds to return to. Or
the funds to get there. Or maybe their crews will just desert and go rogue.
Lots of places in the OutWorlds to go, and there is always a shortage of starships.
T&B is going to be in perfect postion to help the Conbor government deal
with all those stranded starships and stranded crews.”
“In the long run, T&B will also be in position to
assist the Conbor government with civil engineering projects, spaceport expansions,
maybe eventually an orbital spaceport.”
“You seem pretty positive about the future...”Annie said,
her voice openly challenging.
Elias smiled at her implication. His father’s stance on the
war, his statements about disengagement by the Trade were frequent topics of
conversation in the offices of the Trade Senate, as well the restaurants and
bars of Gaanard and every other trade station. Fuelled by their own misguided
image of the Tycho Star Traders and the Hawkkur Legion, many thought the StarHawke
Tycho sought a war against the InWorlds.
“The Tycho Star Traders are all about the future.” Elias
said, his voice filled with sincerity, aware that others were listening as
well. “That’s why my father is so concerned with the Trade’s attitude towards the
InWorlds. Too many Families see only the profits of today, with a blind eye to
the consequences of tomorrow.”
Annie started to speak, but stopped as her
Dragon Within rumbled a warning. There was truth to what Elias Hawkes was
saying, despite his lame attempt to be flippant about it. She glanced around
the display area, seeing for the first time the people watching them, suddenly
realizing that Elias was performing for the onlookers, a warning to those who
crossed the path of the Tycho Star Traders.
There is more to Elias
Hawkes than I thought! Annie thought as her Dragon Within rumbled
uneasily.
Yes there is, Little One!
Capella excitedly warned. More than you know!
Elias Hawkes is a DragonHawk!
I know, I sensed their
magic. Annie replied, trying to calm her, turning to retrieve two
glasses of wine from a passing waiter to cover her surprise. All three of them are DragonHawks!
It is more than that!
Capella declared. They are Drakkon DragonHawks!
Of the Tycho bloodline!
Procyon rumbled as Elias felt a stir in the dragon magic. She’s talking to her Dragon Within!
I know. Elias
replied. He turned to Annie, the dragon magic roiling between them as her
Dragon Within growled excitedly. Get ready.
I’m going to touch her. Do what you can for her dragon.
Procyon growled in readiness as Elias turned to Annie Tolen
and extended his hand.
“Annie.” Elias quietly said, calmly wrapping the two of
them in a protective bubble of dragon magic as he reached out and touched her
arm. “Tell you Dragon Within to remain calm. You are safe. You have the
protection of the Drakkon Tycho.”
Startled, Annie looked up as Elias Hawkes spoke to her.
Time seemed to stop around them as she felt the welcoming cocoon of dragon
magic engulf them. Capella began to growl, but was suddenly cut off as Procyon’s
low rumble washed over them.
“Annie,” Elias whispered again. “Don’t run away. You are
safe. I am here and my parents are close by.”
“Elias…” She began. “When we met I sensed…”
“Shh!” He said. “Let’s don’t talk about it right now.” He
nodded his head and she looked around, realizing that a number of people were
still watching them.
“Oh, of course.” Annie said, understanding his reluctance
to talk about… talk about the dragon magic. Closing her eyes, she cleared her
mind.
Its okay Capella,
She soothed her anxious Dragon Within. We
are among friends!
No comments:
Post a Comment