lands imagined by eye and ear
Some boys pushed their way to the front of the crowd for a closer look. Three of them, the brothers Hurx, came with pummel stones and a mind to use them. Pyr was not the oldest, but he had the reddest hair of them all and knew what to do.
He raised his stone high and proclaimed the words he had learned so well. “Strangers die in Syland! Says the Semperor!” Then he fired. And then did his brothers.
The gourd-shaped stones traced a crude arc to their target, lurching head over handle at the nearest og. One fell short, another long, but Pyr’s was true and strong.
Crack!
The pummel stone splintered, raining shards on the folk of the field. The og, unhurt, flapped furiously and turned back at the boys.
“What armor wears that warbird?” wondered Pyr’s elder brother Ayr.
“I think we’re soon to learn,” said Pyr, squinting at the sky. “It comes.”
The angry og dove and the crowd fell back in a great commotion. But the brothers, though defenseless, held their ground.
“Here lad!” called the elderwoman, hurling Pyr her irony wooden rod. He plucked it from the air and in the same sure motion swatted at the fierce flesh of prey.
Suddenly Pyr was on his back looking starward. His ringing hands held half of the broken toiling stick. He shook his head, confused. “Brothers, did I slay it? Is it killed?”
“No Pyr, no,” answered Ayron, the youngest. “It wheels for more… its twin too.”
“Rise brother,” said Ayr, pulling Pyr to his feet. “Together we face these headless hunters, live or die!” Each took grip of the shattered stick and they held it up against their foe…
[Coming soon ~ some sneak peeks of Episode 4, which I’m writing right now. Oh boy!]
~~~
The illuminated lore project is an ongoing collaboration of
photographer Michael Leacher
and Lore of the Underlings author John Klobucher
Lore of the Underlings 
Very interesting. So what kind of bird is an og exactly?
No kind of bird at all! There are more clues in Episodes 1 and 2. But you’ll learn much more about them as these tales go on. They play a very important role.
Thanks for reading, my friend.
Ah, okay. Episode 1 and 2 are the ones you released on e-book, right? I have those on my Kindle and have started them, but not finished.
Yes, Episodes 1 and 2 are bundled together in the first ebook, “A Door to the Lore”. Episode 3, “Fyryx”, is also available as an ebook. I’m writing Episode 4 right now and will start posting excerpts on the blog soon. The Episode 4 ebook will probably be out in a couple of months.
I have Episode 3 too. I wish I was a faster reader: I have a big backlog of books to get to. 🙂
And I wish I were a faster writer! But this is only a hobby for me… at least until I retire, to the life of a country squire!
I don’t know…Bilbo Baggins was a country squire, and looked what happened to him.
You make a good point, as sharp as Sting, but imagine the adventure! I think I’ll take the risk. (And maybe live to 111.)
I would definitely take his life over that of the average country squire. Even just the meeting Elves part would be cool.