Happy Blog Day Everyone!
Chapter 2 of Avalon Tales is here, and its quite a character focused piece this time round.
I realised when I finished chapter 7 off the other day that unlike my other works, I haven't head swapped at all yet (for better or worse, I'll let you decide!). Of course, there's benefits to this to allow for the readers to get close to the character in question. Drawbacks include the pain of trying to develop the rest of the cast if they aren't spending enough time with the main character, as well as some events feeling forced just for the sake of the character having to hear the exposition. In Daemon Soul I head swapped infrequently in the beginning till the mid way point when I started shifting to Serena’s viewpoint. Of course Gabriel had to get in on things as well by the end. I can safely say that Daemon Soul 2 is pretty much the same and it doesn't really work just following Cypher’s perspective.
Of course, bringing it back to Avalon Tales, Isabelle is quite rightly the main character but she won't be the only point of view, especially in the chapters where I am currently. If I do it right everything should flow naturally but we'll see if I stick the landing.
One other bit of news, I fixed my issue with a certain character popping up in the story. I'm literally about to start that chapter, but you won't get the results till about June time...Yup, I'm working that far in advance somehow.
I'm also dabbling with writing a new Brennan and Riz story for submission, but all depends if I can get the plot together for it (got the banter, but you can't just have a story around that!).
Speaking of those two though...
The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz
The first part of three is here! The stakes may seem low but to Riz, it's world ending! I mean, who would take a rat's eggs! Luckily, Brennan has solved a case or two in his time. Was planning on colouring this noir style, especially the first panel but decided against it as my rough outlines for Brennan never cane together. While we're on the subject of the art, I must apologise for today's effort, trying to get Brennan in a laid back, crossed legs on the desk, position is incredibly difficult...At least for me it was!
What clues will Brennan uncover next week that will help him crack the case? We'll see next week!
Short Diversions: Avalon Tales Chapter 2
Isabelle finds herself with a rare day off duty, but every time the phone rings, we'll learn more and more.
Dark clouds are gathering on the horizon however...
Today's little art piece is one Leo Blake, yes the current (as per the story's timeline) Lord Commander of the Realm. It's a very important title for an important person.
I should have three pieces of art accompanying Chapter 3 in a couple of weeks time, one is a character introduced back in Chapter 1 while the other is technically more important to Daemon Soul. The third picture will tie into that fact a lot...If everything is finished of course!
Avalon Tales Chapter Index
Chapter 2
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Chapter 2: Telephone Calls
The sound of a telephone woke Isabelle up. In her daze, she had no idea of the time, barely cognisant of what day it was. Her days off were few and far between. Despite Avalon using a roster system, to try and make sure that all its soldiers were well rested and combat ready, attrition and the ever changing world meant that it was common to be summoned back into action. Isabelle didn’t mind that, but Robyn made it clear that she should enjoy her free time while they had it, especially if they could share it together.
Isabelle reached out clumsily for the phone, and the fact that it was still ringing gave her a vital clue as to who was on the other end.
“Robyn, I’m up. You don’t have to worry.”
“Says you, if I hadn’t rang, or only did it once, you'd have rolled over and gone back to sleep.”
Isabelle pictured Robyn, leaning on the wall, receiver in hand. She would have likely been in the mess hall, using her free hand to play with her hair, twirling it in her pointing finger.
“Well, it is my day off, and I was working late last night.”
“And who told you not to pull that 16 hour shift? Had I not said anything, you would have pulled the full 24 hours, again.”
“I like to work.”
“That’s why I love you, but you need a proper break every now and again. Otherwise, you won’t be well rested enough to do all those mad shifts. A sleepy Izzy is a dead Izzy, as I like to say.”
“You don’t say that.”
“If it makes you listen to me, then I might just have to start saying it.”
“Would you really do that to me?”
“I could do worse, like suggesting that you;d be a perfect bodyguard for my sister.”
“Okay, that’s terrifying,” Isabelle rolled over in bed, and smiled, secretly wishing she and Robyn were having the conversation face to face. She swore that whoever did the roster acted on purpose in making them have separate days off.
“Sounds like I’ve won this one then!”
“I’ll concede, for now. After all, I have to get up and face the day. He’ll probably call later.”
“Play nice, Izzy. It does sound like he wants to try, I mean, in the least amount possible, yes, but…err…How was I going to end this sentence again?”
“I know, but it’s not that easy is it.”
“If I was there, I’d hug you now.”
“Might be a good thing you’re not here, otherwise I’d never get up.”
“True. Anyway, I need to go and relive Mike from guard duty. Catch you later, love you Izzy.”
“Love you too Robyn.” Isabelle stayed on the line till it went dead. She sighed and put the phone back to its proper place. Stretching, she got out of bed, ready to begin the day.
Soon, she was in her modest sized living room, all dressed and cleaned. The apartment she and Robyn shared wasn’t luxurious by any stretch of the word, but it did cost them more as Isabelle had wanted to make sure that it wasn’t too far away from Avalon Headquarters. That way if she was ever needed, she could be there as soon as possible. Robyn had gone along with her on this, despite wanting a bit more space between their work and private lives. It had given them nice views of the countryside, but very little in the way of storage space. The one understairs cupboard it did have, had to pull double duty with Robyn’s archery gear, and Isabelle’s little cardboard box. It was this box she pulled out of the aforementioned cupboard, taking it over to the small, two person table in the corner of the living room. She could have done anything on this day, but instead, she chose to stare at this box and contents once again. Carefully lifting the lid, she sorted through it.
This box contained everything that she’d managed to gather, information wise, about what happened to her mother. She longed for the times where she could add something, or even upgrade the tattered shoe box to something bigger. The only reason it wasn’t in a proper folder was because it was so ubiquitous, anyone coming in wouldn’t think twice. Though, it was her father that she feared would find it. She remembered it was her first time on active duty, having completed her squire training. Her father had ‘spontaneously’ decided to do an inspection of the North East Branch, and practically made a bee-line to where she was. There was small talk and a little praise, but also a big warning:
“I know this was your dream, but don’t taint it by looking into her death. There’s nothing to find there.” His words still echoed in her head. They had never spoken about it, he obviously thought the one warning had been enough. Every fibre of her being had wanted to rebel against the order the moment he uttered it. Despite being nineteen at that point, the emotions welling up inside, reduced her to that of the ten year old again. Had she no control, she would have let her dad have it, everything she’d been feeling up to then.
That never happened though.
She had been able to control herself though, just as was expected of her. She kept her cool and showed no external reaction. All those that were eavesdropping on what should have been a private conversation, commented on the lack of emotion, giving birth to the nicknames that spread out about her. Ice Princess, Ice Queen, and all the variants came from this.
Despite all that though, she never followed that advice, all she did was learn to cover her tracks first. Ramona helped a lot in this regard, taking Isabelle under her wing and showing her many tricks of the trade, some of them being how to get the information she really wanted. This was how she filled the shoe box. That was perhaps the most disappointing aspect of all this, that everything she’d uncovered, easily fit within its confined spaces.
Isabelle was about to start re-reading the earliest report on it, but the telephone caught her attention. Knowing it couldn’t be Robyn again, other options started to swirl. Was her father ringing early for once? Was it work summoning her in for an urgent mission? Was it yet another telephone survey? She carefully answered it, and before she could even speak, there came a an old voice from the other end:
“Hello dearie? Have I got the right number? I’m trying to reach my granddaughter,” the voice said, in an almost stereotypical fashion. Isabelle rolled her eyes, stifling a giggle.
“Grandma, I’m a bit old to fall for that act now,” she answered.
“Isabelle, I simply do not know what you’re talking about,” her grandmother’s voice shifted a little bit.
“Oh, I think you do. Please tell me you’re resting like we talked about before?”
“My dear, I do not ‘rest’. Besides, it is your day off is it not? Are you resting?” her grandmother's tone had shifted completely, losing the cuddliness of what most people would expect. There was a sharp wit there, waiting to strike from between the words. This is the grandmother Isabelle recognised, and why she could never be fooled. After her mothers death, Nina Hughes, her maternal grandmother raised her. She’d been a veteran of Avalon herself, having only left the service a few years before the accident. There were times, even now, that Isabelle would swear that she was still active, the things she knew and her strange movements, always gave pause.
“Where are you now?”
“If I told you I was home, I know what you would say, so it’s easier to say no, but that’s not what I called about.”
“And what did you call about?”
“To talk about you, Isabelle. Are you keeping yourself well? How is Robyn?”
“She's fine. She's at work at the moment. As for me…” Isabelle eyed the box on the table. “I'm keeping myself busy.”
“Still keeping that investigation open.”
“You know I'll never stop looking. Are you going to tell dad?”
“Oh, he's too busy to listen to a feeble old woman like me,” Nina said. Isabelle heard some murmuring on the call, someone else trying to speak to her grandmother. “We can begin in a moment, don't worry…”
“Do you need to go now?” Isabelle asked, she was curious as to what was going on in the background, but as welcoming as her grandmother was, there were still secrets she kept, and retirement was an idea she detested.
“Looks like it is, I’m sorry, Isabelle. I thought I had more time…We’ll have a proper catch up soon over some tea and cake, like the old days.”
“We will, it’s just we have to get our days in sync…” Isabelle spoke, but her words were half-hearted. If her grandmother was free, it would be herself who wouldn’t.
“Before I go, has he rang you yet?”
“No, but I know he’ll be calling later.”
“Don’t be too hard on him, I know you two have your issues.”
“Issues? I guess you could say that.”
“Isabelle, please watch your tone!” This made Isabelle stand up straight and take notice, this was her Grandmother’s, do what you’re told voice. One honed over many decades of dedicated service. “Regardless of what’s happened, or what you think has happened. Your father still loves you. He wants you to be happy, and importantly, be safe.”
Isabelle wasn’t blind to all this, it was just that, it went opposite to what she wanted. Her father wanted her to stay safe and away from Avalon, Isabelle wanted to be part of the organisation that her mother loved, she wanted to be on the front line in protecting people.
“Now…” Her grandmother continued to say. “I know what kind of person you are Isabelle, and that’s why you fight with your father so, but he is not your enemy.” There were some more muffled voices, and Nina let out a large sigh. “That’s all I can say for now, please, take care Isabelle. We’ll speak again soon.”
Before another word could be said, the call ended. Not having any other choice, Isabelle returned the telephone to the receiver, and she stared at it for some time, wanting to see when her father would call. Outside, the grey skies had taken over, and there was a low rumble in the skies. Isabelle’s gaze drifted from the phone to the window, and with no other inclination to do anything, she stared out.
The day was drawing to a close when the phone rang for the third time. Isabelle had been mulling around the flat, never quite finding anything to do. Outside the street lights were coming on, their fluorescent glow signalling the coming of night, the time when Avalon would often be at its busiest. She slowly picked up the phone, her body becoming tense. There was a small chance that it could have been Robyn, telling her that her shift had ended. However, she knew who it was likely to be, especially ringing this much later than was usually agreed upon.
“Hi Isabelle,” a distant voice said through the receiver. There was an attempt at affection there, but it was shaky and not confident of itself.
“Dad…” Isabelle herself carried the same tone. Despite this being close to a timely ritual, she still wasn’t sure what to say. She knew what she would like to say, but the thoughts of other people held her back.
“How has your week been? Is the North East Branch working out for you still?” Her father couldn’t help himself, he could view small talk through the lens of Avalon. That was his basis of comparison.
“It’s still okay, like last week when you asked me, and the week before that,” despite not telling a joke, Isabelle laughed a little nervously after talking.
“Is that so? I’m waiting on Cade’s report to come through about that branch. I would have preferred it if you had come to central with me. It’s harder work but…”
“Stop, I’m okay where I am. Besides, this is mum’s old branch. I’m walking down the halls she once walked. Just by being here, I feel like I can get closer to her, and maybe even…”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” her father’s tone changed, as did his mood. “You know my feelings about this. You can not talk to me about respecting your feelings without you respecting mine. I’ve asked you before, leave your mother’s death alone. I wasted years of your life chasing after it. It’s better off left now. I don’t want to see you doing my mistakes all over again.”
“No, that’s not fair! I need to know what happened. She was my mother, and I need to know the full story. If you’d just help me…”
“ISABELLE, NO!” her father roared down the phone, almost making her drop it. “I’ve said to leave it, and I expect you to do as I say!”
Isabelle began to tear up as she listened.
Realising that his tone was too harsh, Leo let out a heavy sigh.
“I’m sorry for shouting…Look, we’ll try again next week. Give us both time to cool off.”
“Oh…Okay. We’ll try again then,” Isabelle repeated what he said, as if the clock had reversed and she was that young girl at the funeral again, lost and aimless.
“Goodbye Isabelle…” Leo paused for a moment, there was a sound like he was going to say something else, but then he hung up.
Isabelle kept the receiver to her ear for a few minutes, listening to the tone, knowing that nothing had changed…
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Next Chapter (not live yet)
Feels like I've talked a lot this week! But it is time to get back to writing, how far will I get before the next blog? Only one way to find out!
Till next time,
Keep on writing!
Peter James Martin
Quick Links
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Malarkey's Imaginomnibus Fade to Noir
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