( I, unfortunately, did not have the time to write something new this month, but here is an excerpt from a novel I am revising.)

The outskirts of Brune burned by the time Lord Feldon and his entourage reached the city. Near the center of the city, the window-lined walls of the Library and Science Center gleamed in the waning sunlight. Distant screams and the sound of crumbling buildings echoed across the landscape, but no one dared to even scratch the surface of the Library.

Feldon smiled and turned to his general, Herrick, who waited for his command. “So many years dreaming for this day. Who would have thought that Brune’s infamous Library would finally fall to Udolpis. Just imagine what we will be able to accomplish with all of the knowledge we obtain here.”

“And the weapons,” Herrick added, shifting in his saddle ever so slightly, just enough to hint at his own impatience. “I have never understood Brune. They could have taken over the known world twice over if they only put action into their thoughts. But I suppose the rest of us can be grateful that they enjoy books instead of war.”

“Falomi is eager to see what we will bring back with us. I have regaled him far too long of the wonders of Brune and have nothing to show for it. But now he’ll see. Our future will be secure.”

“Do you wish to enter now?” Herrick looked like he was going to take off anyway, whether he was given permission or not.

Feldon smiled. “Let’s move.”

They trotted forward at a brisk pace, the standard bearers and armed escort behind them following along silently. They had made it no more than a couple of hundred feet when a bright purple light suddenly burst from the top of the Library and Science Center.

Feldon watched in horror as the ominous purple glow streaked down the building like lightning, burning bright and hot. Just as suddenly as it appeared, it vanished.
For a moment, nothing appeared to happen.

Then the cracks formed, starting at the top, jagged and growing with every second. Large chunks of concrete, plaster, and metal began to drop from the building, crumbling faster and faster. As if in slow motion, the building began to crumble in on itself, the beautiful glass walls shattering and sending sparkling fragments out in every direction.

“No.” Feldon murmured, hardly realizing he had stopped his horse from advancing until that moment. Then he was galloping forward, yelling, “No, no, NO!”

“Sire!” Herrick came after him. “It’s too late! You must stay back.”

Another scorching purple light appeared in the distance, shattering one of the college buildings in the distance. Feldon pushed his horse faster. “We have to find who’s doing that! They’re destroying their own information! All of these years will be for nothing if we don’t preserve at least one building!”

Even as he spoke, he knew it was a fruitless endeavor. The light worked too quickly and there was no way to pinpoint its location, for the light jumped from building to building without rhyme or reason.

Another flash of light. Another building crumbling.

Feldon pulled his horse to a stop. Herrick halted beside him and the rest of their entourage shifted uneasily into formation behind them. “How can we possibly salvage this? We spent years on this endeavor! Planned our infiltration to the last second! How can it possibly have gone so wrong?”

“Obviously, the Brunians had one last trick up their sleeve. Everyone knew they had significant knowledge on their side, it makes sense that they would take measures to prevent that knowledge from falling into the wrong hands. And, as you said, why not build weapons with it? Apparently they have.”

“Yes, yes, Herrick. Thank you for pointing out what we all can see now. The question was what we can do in response?!”

They were still several hundred yards away from the outskirts of the city and they could see panicked people running in the streets, escaping from the walls of the city only to see the advancing army of Lord Feldon. They turned back, taking their chances back in the city.

“I think we only have one option before us, my lord.” Herrick pointed at the frantic people. “The only knowledge worth having now is contained in their minds. We should capture as many as possible, particularly the scholars and scientists. Take the youth as well, their minds are young and adaptable. They won’t have as strong of a loyalty to their country if we use the right persuasion. Take them to Udolpis. We’ll force the scholars to teach our students, use their families against them, whatever it takes. And we’ll turn their youth against them. We may not get as much as we had originally hoped, but we will still have an advantage.”

Feldon watched the city continue to burn. There had been several flashes of light now and he knew that the college was destroyed. Just thinking of all of the opportunities that were now buried under debris kindled the anger in his heart. “Kill all military personnel, such as it is. Search the areas near the college and the Library, bring the survivors from those areas, unless they are too wounded to be saved. All healthy children and youth can be taken. Able-bodied people in general. Destroy the buildings, leave all the rest to wallow in the destruction they brought upon themselves.”

“Yes sire.” Herrick turned the entourage behind them and started issuing orders. A group of them broke off from the main gathering to spread the orders. The General came back alongside the king. “Where do you wish to go, sire?”

“We will head to the Library. See if anything can be salvaged.”

Ω

The ground around the Library was strew with broken glass, blood, and weeping, wounded people. Feldon’s men picked through the debris, hauling the reasonably unscathed people up onto horses, checking the wounded to see who they could rescue, and picking up books and items that seemed salvageable.

Herrick made his way gingerly up what used to be the stairs to the Library, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the stench. It had been less than an hour since the building had fallen and already the scent of decay filled the air, interspersed with the strong, but less putrid scent of burning books.

He made it to where he approximated the entrance had been, when he caught sight of a woman struggling to get out from beneath a pillar. She seemed relatively unharmed other than her leg, which was trapped under the debris.

“Are you a scholar?” He asked, when he was within earshot. There was no reason to put forth any effort if it wasn’t going to be worth it in the long run.

She turned as much as she could, pinned as she was. Her hands trembled as she tugged tangled brown locks off of her face. Her green eyes burned with pain and grief. “Why would you ask such a thing? Isn’t it enough that I am in pain and need help?”

“No.”

A bitter smile crossed her features. “I thought as much. I will save myself then, if that’s the case.”

“What makes you think I will let you?” He brought his sword up to her throat. “If you are not a scholar or a scientist, then you are of no use to us and I might as well put you out of your misery.”

She laughed. “Then do it. There is not much else that you can take away from me.”

He tapped the point of his sword against her throat a couple of times. She did not even flinch, seemed even to lean in towards the point. Without saying anything else, he backed up until he reached an older gentleman that he had seen stuck under some fallen bookshelves. He heaved the shelves up and off of him and hauled the man to his feet, ignoring his cries of pain and the way he couldn’t get his shattered feet to walk.

He dragged the man over to the woman, pleased to see that she now showed some signs of softening. She glanced between the two of them, uncertain.

“Did you work here?” He addressed the question to the man.

The old man did nothing but groan, his body far too broken for him to concentrate on answering.

Herrick threw him on the ground. “Answer the question.”

The old man wheezed and squirmed around on the ground, trying to get a good look at the woman. His eyes widened when he caught saw her face.

“Scholar or scientist?” Herrick pressed.

“Have m-mercy! I…I….n-need….”

“I will determine what you need. Now, did you work here? Are you a scholar or a scientist?”

“I j-just enjoy the library, s-sir. Now, pl-please, h-help-“

“You did no research or teaching here?” Herrick could see the woman out of the corner of his eye, frantically trying to catch the old man’s attention.

“N-No. D-Doctor, pl-please?”

“Then there is no need to waste any of our resources on you.”

“No!” The woman screamed as he plunged his sword into the man’s heart. The man wheezed a couple of times, but grew still relatively fast.

He drew the weapon out and turned back to the woman, putting the now blood-stained sword to her throat. “Your name?”

She glared.

“Would you like me to have a repeat performance?”

“Ellione. My name is Ellione.”

He drew back his sword, wiping it on his cloak and sheathing it once more. “There now, see? That wasn’t so hard.”

She stared at the old man’s still form. “There was no need to do that. You all have won, do you have to kill us all?”

“Not all. I spared you, didn’t I?” He reached forward and slipped his arms under the pillar that was crushing her foot. “On the count of the three, please do move if you know what’s good for you. I have no compulsions about hacking your foot off, but I’d rather save on the expense it would take to save your life afterwards.”

“I’ll move,” she growled, “if only to see you pay for killing Frederic.”

“Oh, was that his name? Seems fitting for the whimpering sod.”

She wisely did not rise to the bait. He braced himself. “One….two….three.”

He barely lifted it a few inches, but she wiggled backwards, groaning softly to herself. Herrick dropped the pillar as soon as she was clear and bent down over her to examine the injured area.

“Don’t touch me,” she hissed.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Unless you are planning on dragging yourself after me as we leave, I am going to have to touch you.”

“Maybe I prefer that to any assistance you could give to me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If you are absolutely set on making me pay for what I’ve done today, then even you can recognize the wisdom of getting assistance until you are well enough to handle yourself.” Herrick prodded her ankle gently as he talked, rotating it this way and that.

Ellione sucked in a sharp breath, trying to keep from screaming. Her words came in short bursts. “I will get better. And you will wish that you killed me. You have no idea what I’ve lost today.”

Herrick looked up at that, his brow furrowed. “Well, I do know you have lost significant mobility. Even if our healers are able to reset your ankle properly, I doubt you will be able to walk without a limp after today.”

A grim sort of satisfaction passed over her face at the pronouncement. “Good. It will remind me to stick to my purpose.”

“You are a strange woman, aren’t you?” Herrick grasped her arm and slid it around his neck, while his arm wrapped around her waist. “Now, let’s get out of here before the whole building collapses on us.”

She groaned as he helped her to her feet, but even he was surprised at how little weight she put on him as they hobbled forward. As they got clear of the stairs, she spared a glance back at the Library, grief lining every sharp edge of her face. She looked back at Herrick, jaw clenched. “You will regret coming here today.”

“Not as much as you will.”

A bitter laugh escaped her. “How right you are.”