Call of the Moon
Author
Bill Mays
Author Bio
Bill has been a lifelong tabletop gamer and huge fan of fantasy adventure since he was old enough to read. After many years involved in acting on screen and on stage he finally became involved in the writing process. From there, he expanded his horizons and gave novel writing a try. That was a match made in heaven. Bill is currently working on his 6th book titled To the Heart of Truth and still loves every second of it!
Description
Elem is a young teen, not quite a man, that has dreams of leaving his quiet little life in the mountain village of Hereth far behind. What he did not expect was for that journey to come so soon. When a plague returns to the small farming community, Elem must put his best foot forward and venture forth to find help in curing the deadly illness. Between a traveling circus, the mystical valley of Black Rock, the ridiculously pampered nobles of the city and their heavy-handed law enforcers, the small town boy learns that the outside world is much more complicated than he could have imagined. The magic of witches and the howl of wolfmen only adds to his challenges as Elem is forced to mature from boy to man in leaps and bounds. His life will never be quite the same after he steps foot beyond the mountains surrounding Hereth.
Book excerpt
The large tent was set up with a single entrance, manned by Staufen, and one exit guarded by the dwarf Elem later came to know as Onorious. Two hanging partitions separated the large tent into three compartments. The only opening in these partitions besides the main walkway was a small flap big enough for Randoo the musician to pass through. This allowed three acts to be conducted simultaneously with three different audiences while the little urgith scurried from act to act adding a drum beat here or a whistled melody there. Staufen, the tent master, was an expert at turning a profit. Though he charged a minimal fee to see a performance, he charged for each show separately. Throughout the night, the various performers rotated between the partitioned areas. Everyone was allowed a break between acts except for Randoo who seemed to be tireless. In all, the traveling troop offered seven different shows. Six of these shows were on a rotating schedule. There was Zandella’s enticing dances, Neecha’s insightful card and bone readings, Velf and Guelf’s incredible acrobatic displays, Mandor the half ogre strongman’s feats of strength, and Old Pinster’s magic tricks. Elem marveled over them all. They were an impressive collection of talented characters, and they accepted him into their folds as if he were one of them from the beginning. The troop even had its own special showing that came once a day at the end of the night. This was their grand finale, according to Staufen. They called him Hadan the feral boy. Elem took a break from replacing the props in their original containers so that he could watch this special event. If the feral boy was anything like the rest of the acts, then he definitely could not miss it. He slipped into the center compartment of the large tent along with a good-sized crowd of Hereth’s populace. Elem, being the youngest member of the settlement present, easily worked his way to the front of the spectators to get a better view. Zandella entered wearing a sparkling golden cape that fell to the ground in glistening folds. She led the so-called feral boy by a heavy chain that was fastened around his waist. All Hadan wore for clothing was a loose loincloth. His long hair hung in his face, tangled and unkempt. The furry little musician marched along behind them shaking two small sticks that rattled as if filled with tiny pebbles. The effect was a tribal sounding beat. The island boy’s eyes held a hint of trepidation. Hadan was younger than Elem by at least two years and the huge chains looked ridiculously large on his tiny waist. It surprised Elem to see that the barred cage was where Hadan slept. By all appearances, the boy was just a timid child. Zandella whispered a few words to Hadan before Mandor the strongman entered to stake the chains’ end to the ground securely with a huge mallet. The island boy was tethered by his loose fitted chains to the spot at the center of the tent. Zandella whispered something else to Hadan and he nodded back hesitantly. The boy looked extremely nervous. The people of Hereth watched with growing curiosity. Mandor left the tent as did the other performers except for Zandella, Randoo, and Old Pinster. The little musician claimed a seat in the far corner of the space while the aged magician pulled back out of sight. Pinster stayed near the entrance to the tent, watching intently from the shadows and stroking his long beard. Zandella moved some then paces from where the boy was staked; and she removed her sparkling cloak. Underneath she wore one of her small decorative dance costumes. She spread the golden cloak on the ground like a blanket and then spread herself upon it as if preparing to sleep. Randoo’s rattling sticks kept a constant and soft rhythm. At first, the crowd grew restless when nothing happened. There was a lot of preparation with no result. Elem could sit and watch Zandella all day, but he wondered if he should not be back in the smaller tent packing everything up for the night. Unfortunately, the caravan was departing in the morning.
Just as the crowd grew to the point of annoyance, Hadan the feral boy began to moan. The gathered people of Hereth fell silent. Elem stayed to watch as well. Hadan’s moaning grew louder and louder. The island boy began to thrash about violently, threatening to slip from his loose binding. The rattling sticks grew louder as well, thumping and banging with a steadily intensifying beat. Zandella shot a subtle wink at Elem and then began acting as if something were going wrong. She called out to Hadan in alarm and the boy threw his head back howling like a mad animal. Mumbles and gasps filtered through the crowd. There were a few nervous laughs. The young boy’s body began to ripple and crack as bone and muscle shifted beneath his light cocoa brown skin. His girth increased, filling the loose chains wrapped around his waist. His face, fingers, and ears stretched out, elongating to inhuman proportions. The people of Hereth moved back with a collective gasp as course black hair began to sprout all over the shifting boy’s body. Hadan continued to howl and groan as he grew at least a foot and a half taller. His face was now a muzzle like that of a great wolf, filled with wickedly sharp teeth. Black fur covered his body entirely and large claws sprouted from his elongated fingertips. He threw his head back and howled again. This time his voice was purely animalistic. Randoo’s rattle-stick beat was now at a pitched crescendo, settling in the crowd’s ears like a pounding heartbeat. Staufen cautioned everyone to stay back. He warned them that the staked chains had a fifteen pace length. Anything closer was within the beast’s reach. Most everyone stayed at least thirty paces back just to be on the safe side. Some even fled the tent altogether out of fear. The tall pale man looked to Zandella and the girl nodded her approval from her position on the ground, laid out before the howling beast boy.
“Now everyone, witness the power of this exotic beauty over the terrible beast,” Staufen announced confidently. Hints of a smile threatened to turn up the corners of the slim man’s thin lips. He loved watching the people’s faces during his grand finale.
The pounding beat of the music softened and then fell into a constant rattle. The wolf creature that was Hadan dropped from a wild howl to his hands and knees and lunged forward towards Zandella. Its huge teeth dripped with hunger and its amber eyes burned with danger. The dancer did not even attempt to rise. All of her false alarm was gone now. She remained as calm as when she had led the harmless young boy into the tent. She looked the lupine creature eye to eye and commanded it to stop. The crowd grew silent in anticipation. Hadan paused at her order, staring back blankly. The beast shook his furry head as if casting away unwanted sleep. The dangerous snarl returned to its lips. He leapt at the girl with a ferocious growl.
“No Hadan!” Zandella screamed as she rolled to the side, barely avoiding those deadly claws. The wolf boy landed on the sparkly cloak and shredded it with two quick slashes.
The music stopped as Randoo abandoned his rattle-sticks and scurried to safety beyond the growling creature’s reach. Old Pinster the magician fumbled with one of his pouches nervously as he stepped from the shadows. The gray bearded man dropped a small container on the ground in his haste and then scrambled to retrieve it. Meanwhile the snarling beast was leaping at the dancer again. The crowd fell into shouts and panicked screams. Many people fled. Hadan closed his powerful jaws over the prone girl, but Zandella’s reflexes were well honed. The dancer rolled aside again, barely avoiding the snapping teeth. This time, her screams and her fear were real. Hadan was out of control. Elem watched in stunned horror as the beast fell over the beautiful island girl. His actions came more out fear for her safety than any sort of bravery. Elem dove forward and wrapped his thin arms around her flailing legs. He pulled with all of the strength he could muster and dragged Zandella away from the snarling beast. Luckily, the island people were generally small, and Zandella was no exception. He heard people shouting out warnings and screaming in fear of his actions. The voice that stood out to him the most was Onorious, the gruff dwarf. His deep baritone ordered Elem to stay back, but it was a little too late for that. What was done was done. He felt sudden warmth on his shoulder as the beast’s hot fetid breath washed over him. He chanced a glance and met those hungry amber eyes. It was like a rabid dog obsessed with the kill. Zandella screamed and Elem lost his composure. He screamed as loud as she did, maybe louder. As a last ditch effort, he tossed her away from the monster, hoping to at least help her if not himself. Zandella’s quick thinking saved the day. As she fell away, she hooked one bare foot in Elem’s loose belt, pulling the youth along with her and carrying them both out of Hadan’s reach. As they tumbled away, the beast strained against his chains to get at them. Elem landed atop the dancer in a most embarrassing position. She did not even seem to notice, thank the gods.
“Are you hurt Elem?” Zandella gasped as Hadan snarled and strained against his chains to reach them. The spike pinning his bindings threatened to pull free of the ground.
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