Weekend Writing Warriors: Snippet 97- Anton
It’s time for Weekend Writing Warriors! Every Sunday, a bunch of writers post 8-10-sentence snippets from their WIPs on their blogs. There’s a lot of reading, commenting and great writing. Click on the link to see the full list.
From Hammer of the Gods: Last week, Anton got knocked on the head while checking on his horse mid-battle. He woke up as a prisoner, freaking out because his horse is missing and so is the count. As if that weren’t bad enough, he’s just learned that if he wants to live, he has to fight for the enemy. Edited from the published version:
“Name?” the big man asked, looking Anton up and down with a critical eye.
“Er,” Anton realized at that moment he shouldn’t give his real name.
“Name!” the man barked, “Or are you one of them idiots? Them are the ones what dig privy trenches.”
“Oh, er, no,” Anton said, his tongue getting in his way, “Beran; my name is Anton Beran.”
“Moraltan,” the man grumbled, “troublemaker most like. Age?”
“Sixteen,” this lie came more easily since Anton used it on a regular basis.
“Doubt that,” the man grumbled, “and skinny as a beanpole too; but you’re tall, and might yet get stronger if you’re dragging a pike all day.”
And with that, Anton joins the horrible Teodora’s army- which is awful for him- and as a lowly infantryman, which might be worse- for his pride at least.
Previous snippets are here.
It’s time for the big mult-author promo! This month it’s free books- over 100 on all retailers. Click the pic to go there.
by
It’s horrible that he has to fight for the enemy, but better than being dead.
Yeah, it’s always best to live to fight another day.
This was a cool turn of events. Anton didn’t think so in the beginning, but it didn’t turn out all bad.
Marcia
Now, there were a few silver linings in that particular cloud. 🙂
Can’t wait to see how he does fighting for the enemy. Is it possible for him to defect in the heat of the battle? Isn’t it the duty of each prisoner to try to escape? Looking forward to seeing what he does. Great snippet!
He’s definitely got defection on the mind, though it won’t be so easy. Life’s about to get even more interesting for him!
Love the dialogue! This part especially: “Name!” the man barked, “Or are you one of them idiots? Them are the ones what dig privy trenches.” So great, Christina! 🙂
Thanks! I was inspired by a “colorful” neighbor when I was a kid.
Poor Anton, but he always seems to bounce back. And it’s great how you show the humanity of both sides in the war, despite who the leaders are.
Thank you! Yes, Anton is a resilient guy, and it was important to me to show how it affected the people who had no part in making important decisions.
🙂 Great snippet – love the dialogue!
Thank you!
What a nasty situation to be in!
Talk about having a bad day. I feel so bad for the boy.
Sounds as though he is thoroughly trapped in a place he does not want to be. Great dialogue.
Thank you! It’ll take him the rest of the book to get out of this situation.
I felt so bad for him when this part came up. Great snippet as usual!
Thank you!
Well at least Anton’s alive for now and we’ll see what possibilities the future may bring. Great snippet!
Thank you! His life is definitely going to change in some important ways.
Horrible for him but great for the story! Love this snippet.
Thank you! Yes, trouble for the character means fun for the reader.
Great dialogue. You really get a sense of the difference between them.
Thank you!
Glad Anton’s alive, but it’s not looking too good for him.
It’s going to be quite an adjustment!
Love the dialogue.
So it was easy after all and he had to lie to survive.
I hope someone is taking care of his horse!
Out of the frying pan into the fire.
I feel I’ve learned a lot about Anton in this passage. Nicely done.
Choices that aren’t easy and the way Anton handles them is very revealing.
Poor Anton. I hope he can get out of there and recover his horse. Great snippet!
Well, at least he’s still alive, and we know he’s resourceful, right? AND, best of all, he could end up within striking distance of that foul creature–Teodora. 🙂
Alive with a spike is better than dead beneath one, says I! Great snippet!
Thank you!