In my forthcoming fantasy novel, I make liberal use of flashbacks. In fact, every chapter begins with a scene from earlier in the life of with Shiloh or Silas. In the Kingdom of Bryn, the past isn't buried. It informs nearly every decision the characters make.
In fact, there is one central character who dies before the book even begins: Brother Edmun. A brilliant wizard and the bastard half-brother of the king, he chose the wrong side in the civil war an has lived out the remainder of his life in exile in the mountains, with Shiloh as his only student.
Demanding and grouchy, Edmun is. nevertheless, not without redeeming qualities. In this excerpt, we get a glimpse of him and of his relationship with Shiloh.
Little Shiloh knocked on Brother Edmun’s door, shaking like a leaf.
“Where have you been, lazy child? You’re late. Did the roosters all perish in the night? Were you picking daisies?” he scolded, pulling open the door. He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her inside.
“I’m sorry, master,” she whispered. “I fell down . . . they were hiding and . . .” Her voice was thick with tears, and he looked down at her in surprise. There was something on her face.
“Are you bleeding?” Edmun exclaimed. He guided her gently into the light pouring through his window and knelt down in front of her. The irritation drained from his face when he pulled back her hood. “Lords above,” he breathed.
Shiloh’s hair was matted with blood, which continued to seep steadily from a deep gash on the crown of her head. Another wound in front of her left ear bled freely, crimson pouring down her neck and staining her collar. A bruise had begun to color her forehead. Edmun pulled out his wand and murmured an incantation. The flow of blood slowed until, soon, it stopped altogether.
The priest felt for broken bones. “Where else did they get you, poppet?” he asked. “Where else does it hurt?”
“It hurts when I breathe,” she admitted.
“Ach, probably a cracked rib. What in blazes happened?” he asked.
“They threw rocks at me,” she replied, a tear sneaking down her face. “Big ones. They hid behind the Temple, so my Da wouldn’t see from his window.”
“Who?”
She shook her head. “It’ll be worse for me if they know I told you.”
Edmun held her by the shoulders. “I know that, Shiloh. I am not an idiot. I worked all my life with obnoxious children. I’ll not be revealing that you told me who they are. We’ll get your justice on the sly; mark my words. But first, I’ll teach you how to make charms to protect yourself from the worthless Teethtrash that inhabit this Godsforsaken village. I should have done it already. Now, do as I say, and tell me their names.”
“Victoh, Meggan, and Karl,” she confessed.
“Sounds about right. Their parents are lazy dolts and mean as snakes.” Edmun gently wiped the blood from her face and kissed her on the forehead, then pointed at her little desk.
“Now, to work,” he ordered. “A girl like you needs to learn to use her pain, or else she hasn’t a chance in the world.”
In fact, there is one central character who dies before the book even begins: Brother Edmun. A brilliant wizard and the bastard half-brother of the king, he chose the wrong side in the civil war an has lived out the remainder of his life in exile in the mountains, with Shiloh as his only student.
Demanding and grouchy, Edmun is. nevertheless, not without redeeming qualities. In this excerpt, we get a glimpse of him and of his relationship with Shiloh.
Little Shiloh knocked on Brother Edmun’s door, shaking like a leaf.
“Where have you been, lazy child? You’re late. Did the roosters all perish in the night? Were you picking daisies?” he scolded, pulling open the door. He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her inside.
“I’m sorry, master,” she whispered. “I fell down . . . they were hiding and . . .” Her voice was thick with tears, and he looked down at her in surprise. There was something on her face.
“Are you bleeding?” Edmun exclaimed. He guided her gently into the light pouring through his window and knelt down in front of her. The irritation drained from his face when he pulled back her hood. “Lords above,” he breathed.
Shiloh’s hair was matted with blood, which continued to seep steadily from a deep gash on the crown of her head. Another wound in front of her left ear bled freely, crimson pouring down her neck and staining her collar. A bruise had begun to color her forehead. Edmun pulled out his wand and murmured an incantation. The flow of blood slowed until, soon, it stopped altogether.
The priest felt for broken bones. “Where else did they get you, poppet?” he asked. “Where else does it hurt?”
“It hurts when I breathe,” she admitted.
“Ach, probably a cracked rib. What in blazes happened?” he asked.
“They threw rocks at me,” she replied, a tear sneaking down her face. “Big ones. They hid behind the Temple, so my Da wouldn’t see from his window.”
“Who?”
She shook her head. “It’ll be worse for me if they know I told you.”
Edmun held her by the shoulders. “I know that, Shiloh. I am not an idiot. I worked all my life with obnoxious children. I’ll not be revealing that you told me who they are. We’ll get your justice on the sly; mark my words. But first, I’ll teach you how to make charms to protect yourself from the worthless Teethtrash that inhabit this Godsforsaken village. I should have done it already. Now, do as I say, and tell me their names.”
“Victoh, Meggan, and Karl,” she confessed.
“Sounds about right. Their parents are lazy dolts and mean as snakes.” Edmun gently wiped the blood from her face and kissed her on the forehead, then pointed at her little desk.
“Now, to work,” he ordered. “A girl like you needs to learn to use her pain, or else she hasn’t a chance in the world.”
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