Devouring
Red
Asta
Idonea
24 February 2016
Torquere Press
Short Story/MM
Straying
from the path on the way to his grandmother's house, Redd is pursued by a
vicious, hungry wolf. Help arrives in the form of a mysterious stranger, but
will Redd wish he'd taken his chances with the wolf when he comes to learn
there is more than one way a handsome young man can be devoured?
Excerpt
Redd
crashed through the forest as fast at the trees would let him. The space
between their trunks appeared to be shrinking. Were they closing in on him? He
put on a burst of speed. Branches stretched toward him, grasping at his
clothing with jagged wooden fingers. Twigs and dead leaves cracked and crunched
beneath his feet, and his crimson cloak billowed out behind him, flapping in
the breeze and brushing over the foliage.
Then one of
the trees got lucky. Its slender limb caught on the hem of Redd’s cape and sent
him tumbling to the ground. The shock of the fall was enough to snap him out of
his panic, and he lay there until his short, sharp breaths steadied to slow and
deep inhalations. Once calm, he pushed up onto his elbows and assessed his
surroundings.
The woods
encircled him, dense and dark. He knew it was still daytime because here and
there the sun’s rays penetrated the thick foliage, creating glistening puddles
of light that made the reddening leaves shimmer. However, there was a faint
bluish tinge to the illumination that told Redd dusk was not far off. The
thought of being forced to spend the night in the forest sent a new shudder of
fear through him and he scrambled to his feet.
Why had he
done it? His whole life he’d been warned about straying from the path and he’d
never been tempted to disobey before now. But then he’d never had any incentive
until today. His grandmother was sick. Dying. No one had said the word aloud,
but Redd had seen it in their faces when they spoke of her illness. Getting
weaker, they muttered. Growing frail. Others spoke of the long years she’d
enjoyed as if that somehow made up for the inevitable loss. For Redd, there
could be no positive to numb the pain.
Author Bio & Links
Asta Idonea (aka Nicki J Markus) was born
in England, but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has loved both
reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist, having
studied several foreign languages.
Asta launched her writing career in 2011 and divides her efforts not only between MM and mainstream works but also between traditional and indie publishing. Her works span the genres, from paranormal to historical and from contemporary to fantasy. It just depends what story and which characters spring into her mind!
As a day job, Asta works as a freelance editor and proofreader, and in her spare time she enjoys music, theatre, cinema, photography, and sketching. She also loves history, folklore and mythology, pen-palling, and travel; all of which have provided plenty of inspiration for her writing.
Asta launched her writing career in 2011 and divides her efforts not only between MM and mainstream works but also between traditional and indie publishing. Her works span the genres, from paranormal to historical and from contemporary to fantasy. It just depends what story and which characters spring into her mind!
As a day job, Asta works as a freelance editor and proofreader, and in her spare time she enjoys music, theatre, cinema, photography, and sketching. She also loves history, folklore and mythology, pen-palling, and travel; all of which have provided plenty of inspiration for her writing.
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