Here is the first look at the Prologue of the novel I am currently working on called Steel Horse. It is spoken as though someone were telling a story of a time past.
Nobody could remember such a pleasant time since before the Fall of Triop, a large Island Nation that used to reside just east of the Borran Coast before it sunk into the watery depths of the Borran Sea. It was a good time for the Nations of the Southern Plains, their people tired of long wars and ready for a nice lengthy time of peace and calm. One day out of the blue Alarm Bells rose throughout Karilim, causing the common folk to hurry into their homes, locking down the doors as they watched the Injim change coarse, heading north of the nation as the Kazi began to prepare to defend the Nation at all costs, setting up on the Outer Wall that surrounds the entire Nation on the three landlocked sides. On the horizon to the north, a wall of darkness was approaching the Southern Plains, aiming straight for the Nation of Karilim. For many hours the Injim stood north of the Wall facing toward what seemed an oncoming storm, the Kazi stood atop the Wall, ready to defend their Nation and her people with their lives if necessary. As the darkness grew closer, the Warriors and Protectors of Karilim were soon able to see what it really was; a vast army clothed head to toe in ink black, moving steadily forward. A cold chill spread over Karilim, few dared leave the comfort of their homes as they thought of the massive army coming out of the north, their imagination wild as they thought of what the army might do when they arrived. There was a group from different Kingdoms, saying that surely the army was not coming to take the Kingdom, they chose to believe that there should be no fear from these people, and this vision of hope quickly spread throughout Karilim, Many began to declare that the Injim should return and not confront the army and that the Kazi should step down from the wall. Others said a small group representing those who thought these foreigners came in peace out to the approaching army and welcome them. The Injim and the Kazi both refused to step down, saying that they needed to be ready for anything should this army not be coming in peace. A number still believed that a welcoming party should be sent out, and the Injim nor Kazi were in a position to argue. Soon ten Representatives of Karilim, as they were called, consisting of seven Maliks and three Peritli left the safety of the Nation and marched out to where the Injim were camped, declaring they were going to go to the army and welcome. At the Injims' insistence they were joined by two Injim and two Kazi for protection in case. The Representatives set out for the army the next morning, Injim leading and Kazi following. By the next morning they were at the army, and were quickly welcomed into the ranks and lead to the leader, the Representatives' protectors watching everyone they passed, staring at their white skin so different from their own dark skin. For many hours the Representatives spoke with the leader of the army, learning that it was more than an army, but the entire people of a nation so far North nobody of this place had ever heard of it, but they had heard of Karilim and it's Kingdoms, and that is why they had come, because they were sure that the people of Karilim could take them in as they had in the past one by one with each Kingdom that joined its ranks. Quickly they were agreed and the Representatives lead the people of Spord, for that is what they were called, to their Nation, ready to name them the fifth Kingdom of Karilim and call it Karilimor, consisting of the five different Species living together in harmony. For two years the Spord settled in with the other Kingdoms of the now Karilimor, the Spord people now happy with their new lives, or so everyone thought. Then it all changed one fateful morning as the rising Great Aib looked over the beloved Nation. The people of Spord took out weapons and attacked their friends and neighbors, crimson blood splashing into the streets. Quickly the Injim were fighting the Spord as the Kazi protected the people and swept them away from their frightful negihbors, doing their very best to keep the Spord from going after the Peritli and Maliks. Battles raged in the streets of Karilimor, the Spord cutting down ten Injim for every Spord cut down, their swords made of a metal of cold blue, often breaking the bronze swords of the Injim. Soon every Injim was dead and laying in the street, then the Spord went after the others, striking down the Kazi, two to every Spord killed with Stone Way. The Kazi had never seen such fighting in all their lives, and did not adapt as quickly as the Spord did. At length soon all those of the Kazi who controlled Stone Way had joined the Injim. As death stared them straight in the face, every last Karilimorian who was not Spord kneeled and surrendered, all the Peritli, the Maiks, and the Injim who could not fight and the Kazi who could not use Stone Way. As the Spord stood over them, they declared that all Injim and Kazi be brought forward to be killed, the people refused to betray their friends, and there was little to no difference between Maliks, Injim, and Kazi; only those with a trained eye could discern the difference. Frustrated the Spord killed a third of the remaining people, determined to scare them into giving up the Kazi and Injim, but they did not do as the Spord wished. Over the following years the former Nation of Karilimor became the Nation of Spord, ruled by the white skinned Spord who if they even heard a whisper about the Kazi or Injim they had the person killed. Those left from the time of Karilim were sentenced to slavery for life, working tirelessly with fear under the hard hand of the Spord. Occasionally a Spord would go against the rest of his people and marry a slave, never a Peritli, but no offspring from these marriages were allowed to survive, though occasionally the slaves would take in a baby from these marriages and raise them, until soon there were those among the white skinned who had heritage of Malikian or Injim or Kazeene, many of them ignorant of who their ancestors were. This continued for five centuries, causing many of the Peritli tribes to die off for no white skin would dare marry a Peritli for fear their child would have a Force tail. After all this time, the names of Injim, Kazi, and even Malik were forgotten, replaced with Spord, Peritli, and Amitli; a tail-less dark skin. And this was the downfall of one of the greatest Nations, and the rise of another, more feared, Nation in its place.
Hope you guys liked it! -Kacie :)
Long ago, in the days of the Ancients, there was a Nation, the Nation of Karilim. Karilim's people were divided into four Kingdoms, not by area, but by species. First was the Kingdom of Injim, with no powers to aide them in any way they learned to fight and became the Warriors of Karilim, the Nation's army. Second was the Kingdom of Peritli, with their life forces in the form of a cat's tail and very sensitive to heat, they were not good in battle, but their Healing abilities were matched by no other in the land. Third was the Kingdom of Maliks, who were the ordinary folk; the craftsmen, farmers, and merchants. Last, but not least, was the most mysterious of the four Kingdoms, the Kingdom of Kazi, whose people were the wielders of an ancient power known as Stone Way, they were the Nation's Mages, and they fought to defend Karilim as the Injim were considered the Nation's Offensive.
For centuries the Kingdoms of Karilim, as Karilim and her people were sometimes called, lived in peace and harmony, each Kingdom doing its job, and few outsiders dared try to bring down the Mighty Nation. All within Karilim were at peace, farms were overflowing, sicknesses being healed quicker than ever, the Injim were returning after a long war with the Nation of Ramsok to the south west, and the Kazi were as silent as ever, finding no need to speak as they worked as Guards over the Nation and her people. Nobody could remember such a pleasant time since before the Fall of Triop, a large Island Nation that used to reside just east of the Borran Coast before it sunk into the watery depths of the Borran Sea. It was a good time for the Nations of the Southern Plains, their people tired of long wars and ready for a nice lengthy time of peace and calm. One day out of the blue Alarm Bells rose throughout Karilim, causing the common folk to hurry into their homes, locking down the doors as they watched the Injim change coarse, heading north of the nation as the Kazi began to prepare to defend the Nation at all costs, setting up on the Outer Wall that surrounds the entire Nation on the three landlocked sides. On the horizon to the north, a wall of darkness was approaching the Southern Plains, aiming straight for the Nation of Karilim. For many hours the Injim stood north of the Wall facing toward what seemed an oncoming storm, the Kazi stood atop the Wall, ready to defend their Nation and her people with their lives if necessary. As the darkness grew closer, the Warriors and Protectors of Karilim were soon able to see what it really was; a vast army clothed head to toe in ink black, moving steadily forward. A cold chill spread over Karilim, few dared leave the comfort of their homes as they thought of the massive army coming out of the north, their imagination wild as they thought of what the army might do when they arrived. There was a group from different Kingdoms, saying that surely the army was not coming to take the Kingdom, they chose to believe that there should be no fear from these people, and this vision of hope quickly spread throughout Karilim, Many began to declare that the Injim should return and not confront the army and that the Kazi should step down from the wall. Others said a small group representing those who thought these foreigners came in peace out to the approaching army and welcome them. The Injim and the Kazi both refused to step down, saying that they needed to be ready for anything should this army not be coming in peace. A number still believed that a welcoming party should be sent out, and the Injim nor Kazi were in a position to argue. Soon ten Representatives of Karilim, as they were called, consisting of seven Maliks and three Peritli left the safety of the Nation and marched out to where the Injim were camped, declaring they were going to go to the army and welcome. At the Injims' insistence they were joined by two Injim and two Kazi for protection in case. The Representatives set out for the army the next morning, Injim leading and Kazi following. By the next morning they were at the army, and were quickly welcomed into the ranks and lead to the leader, the Representatives' protectors watching everyone they passed, staring at their white skin so different from their own dark skin. For many hours the Representatives spoke with the leader of the army, learning that it was more than an army, but the entire people of a nation so far North nobody of this place had ever heard of it, but they had heard of Karilim and it's Kingdoms, and that is why they had come, because they were sure that the people of Karilim could take them in as they had in the past one by one with each Kingdom that joined its ranks. Quickly they were agreed and the Representatives lead the people of Spord, for that is what they were called, to their Nation, ready to name them the fifth Kingdom of Karilim and call it Karilimor, consisting of the five different Species living together in harmony. For two years the Spord settled in with the other Kingdoms of the now Karilimor, the Spord people now happy with their new lives, or so everyone thought. Then it all changed one fateful morning as the rising Great Aib looked over the beloved Nation. The people of Spord took out weapons and attacked their friends and neighbors, crimson blood splashing into the streets. Quickly the Injim were fighting the Spord as the Kazi protected the people and swept them away from their frightful negihbors, doing their very best to keep the Spord from going after the Peritli and Maliks. Battles raged in the streets of Karilimor, the Spord cutting down ten Injim for every Spord cut down, their swords made of a metal of cold blue, often breaking the bronze swords of the Injim. Soon every Injim was dead and laying in the street, then the Spord went after the others, striking down the Kazi, two to every Spord killed with Stone Way. The Kazi had never seen such fighting in all their lives, and did not adapt as quickly as the Spord did. At length soon all those of the Kazi who controlled Stone Way had joined the Injim. As death stared them straight in the face, every last Karilimorian who was not Spord kneeled and surrendered, all the Peritli, the Maiks, and the Injim who could not fight and the Kazi who could not use Stone Way. As the Spord stood over them, they declared that all Injim and Kazi be brought forward to be killed, the people refused to betray their friends, and there was little to no difference between Maliks, Injim, and Kazi; only those with a trained eye could discern the difference. Frustrated the Spord killed a third of the remaining people, determined to scare them into giving up the Kazi and Injim, but they did not do as the Spord wished. Over the following years the former Nation of Karilimor became the Nation of Spord, ruled by the white skinned Spord who if they even heard a whisper about the Kazi or Injim they had the person killed. Those left from the time of Karilim were sentenced to slavery for life, working tirelessly with fear under the hard hand of the Spord. Occasionally a Spord would go against the rest of his people and marry a slave, never a Peritli, but no offspring from these marriages were allowed to survive, though occasionally the slaves would take in a baby from these marriages and raise them, until soon there were those among the white skinned who had heritage of Malikian or Injim or Kazeene, many of them ignorant of who their ancestors were. This continued for five centuries, causing many of the Peritli tribes to die off for no white skin would dare marry a Peritli for fear their child would have a Force tail. After all this time, the names of Injim, Kazi, and even Malik were forgotten, replaced with Spord, Peritli, and Amitli; a tail-less dark skin. And this was the downfall of one of the greatest Nations, and the rise of another, more feared, Nation in its place.
Hope you guys liked it! -Kacie :)
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