Joshua requested this excerpt from Bell Mountain. This is how my two protagonists, Jack and Ellayne, first met. We join Jack as he’s contemplating an expedition to Bell Mountain. The two of them are about ten years old. Here goes!

“When are you going?”

Jack jumped, startled by the voice behind him… He came down with his hair standing on end at the back of his neck, fists balled–and was even madder when he saw who it was.

“What are you doing here?” he snapped. “Who do you think you are, sneaking up on me like that?”

It was the girl from the chamber house, the stuck-up one, the councilor’s daughter. She had her golden hair in braids. She wore a dress that was cleaner than anything Jack had ever owned and shiny new shoes.

“What are you doing here!” he said.

“I followed you from the chamber house yesterday. I was in the hallway, right outside the classroom, and you charged right past and never saw me.”

“Is that so?”

“You needn’t be so snotty,” she said. “I came for my lesson, and I heard you and Ashrof talking, and you said you were going to climb Bell Mountain. Are you?”

“What business is it of yours? I don’t even know your name.” He did know, but he was too angry to remember it.

“It’s Ellayne. My father is Roshay Bault, the chief councilor. I know your name. It’s Jack Bucket. Silly name!”

For two spits he would have knocked her down, but he knew boys didn’t hit girls–especially girls whose fathers were councilors. Van [his stepfather] would sell him to the Heathen for a human sacrifice if he hit this girl. ***

And there you have it. Jack wound up stuck with Ellayne as his companion, and together they planned their journey to Bell Mountain. If you want to know how it turned out–well, read the book! Just click “Books” on my home page, to find out more about it (and the others in the series) and to order it, if you like, from the publisher or through amazon.com. You can do it without leaving this blog.

P.S.–If you’d like an excerpt from any of my books, just leave a comment to tell me.