Co-authors and cousins John Williams and James Colletti
have been collaborating creatively since they were youths. The pair share a long
and successful history that includes writing music, playing in rock bands,
writing screenplays, producing shows and music videos for broadcast television,
and directing an internationally released movie. Now, John and James have
joined forces again to write their first novel, ‘The Crimson and the Frost.’
They are currently developing two more novels in this series which will
ultimately become known as "The Polaris Odyssey."
Here is a sample of "The Crimson and the Frost" for your enjoyment.
KING OF WINTER
The Journal
of Whaling Ship - Wyvern Song - Entry # 714 – April 28th 1627
It is
approaching a fortnight since last we have seen her. I do not know how long I
can give chase as the men are growing weary…
An urgent knock at the door interrupted
the captain from his thoughts. “Enter,”
he called, leaning back in his chair.
The door swung open and the ship’s
first mate appeared. “Sir, she’s been spotted again!” he exclaimed.
The captain carefully placed the quill
in the ink well and smiled.
a
Emerging from below, the captain
stepped onto the wet, slippery deck. He squinted against the driving rain,
eyeing the storm that was brewing overhead. Charcoal colored clouds twisted and
clashed; erupting in a brilliant, white glow with every flash of lighting.
The captain rubbed his chin, perplexed by this sudden turn in the
weather. No more than thirty minutes ago, the sky was clear to the horizon and
riddled with stars. But it did not matter. Their prey had re-emerged and
nothing was going to keep them from their bounty.
The ship cut through the black, churning waves of a wide channel,
chasing after a massive humpback whale. The mighty beast charged through the
frigid waters as fast as it could move its massive body. The men on board
hefted their harpoons, preparing for a killing throw.
The whale thrust its enormous bulk skyward, breaching the surface
of the water. It twisted its body in midair then dropped back toward the waves.
Its entire length slapped the water sending a wall of salty spray back toward
the ship.
The captain watched as the whale disappeared beneath the inky
surface, but something else drew his attention…something terrible off the port
side. A large twister of wind and ice was bearing down on them.
The funnel’s tail cut through the waves, kicking up pieces of ice
in its wake. As it approached, the
temperature plummeted enough to chill the bone.
The steady rain instantly changed over to a driving snow and the waters
of the channel began to transform into a soupy slush. Jagged chunks of ice bobbed up to the surface
and were driven against the ship’s hull by the swells.
The men looked over the railing and marveled at the phenomenon
unfolding before their eyes. Nothing they have come to know, from their many
years at sea, could explain this rapid freezing of the waters beneath their
boat.
The whirlwind suddenly stopped its forward progress and changed
direction, circling the boat as if it were toying with it.
“Lower the sail!” shouted the captain and the men quickly went to
work. As they tucked the sail away, the man in the crow’s nest shouted,
“Iceberg!”
The captain wrenched the ship’s wheel, maneuvering it around the
glacial mass, but soon the Wyvern Song
ground to a halt as its hull groaned, threatening to splinter apart. He rushed to the edge of the quarterdeck and
stared at the rough-hewn mass of ice that was once the sea.
The crew crowded around the railings and stared in awe at the
blanket of white that formed all across the channel. A crew member hoisted his
harpoon and took aim at the frozen waters. His muscles tightened as he thrust
the weapon with every ounce of his strength, sending it soaring into the night.
But even with the power behind the throw, the missile only glanced off the solid
ice and bounced harmlessly away.
The ship’s first mate
ran breathlessly to his captain’s side, a mixture of fear and intrigue on his
face. “Sir, what is happening?”
“I’ve not seen the likes
of it in all my years,” the captain admitted.
Everyone onboard was
bewitched by the hypnotizing dance of the whirlwind that was circling the boat
with increasing speed. Suddenly,
the twister stopped and spun furiously in place as if gathering its power.
Then, to the crew’s horror, it raced directly at them.
“Take cover,” and “Hold on for your lives,”
they screamed.
Every crew member held
on for dear life as the cyclone was almost upon them. Right before impact, it
rose up and soared above the masts, gyrating like an airborne serpent. The crew
looked to the sky in horror as a sinister cackle, as deep as thunder, echoed
out across the channel.
“By the Gods!” shouted
one crew member.
“What magic is this?”
cried another.
The whirlwind touched
down on the opposite side of the ship and spun away toward the shoreline.
Trembling, the captain retrieved a looking glass from his inside coat pocket
and peered through it. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing; a shadowy,
human-like form began to take shape within the veil of the swirling vortex.
The wind and ice
dissipated and what was left was a lean figure with a long white mane, sharp
features, and a complexion of pearly, iridescent blue. Brilliant silver eyes that resembled polished
steel, glared back at the captain, sending a rush of icy fear through his soul.
The strange being bellowed a wicked laugh at the sight of the ship sitting
crooked and helpless in the frozen waters.
“W…who is that?”
whispered the nervous first mate.
“'What is that?’
would be a question more befitting,” replied the captain, lowering his spyglass. Although his voice was even-keeled, he was
terrified, fighting back waves of nausea. “I have heard many stories of the
King of Winter and not one of them ended well.” Hands shaking, he brought the
spyglass back up and watched the unearthly being laughing…mocking them.
Suddenly the laughter
ceased, cut off by a gasp. The King of
Winter paused, shuttered and stared up at the sky, caught up in a haunted
daydream. He vaporized back into a whirlwind and spun away, moving with
unnatural speed.
a
Somewhere in the middle
of a vast, moonlit winter landscape, a colossal, glistening tower stood tall
against its surroundings like a solitary titan. At the very top of the obelisk
was a small, empty chamber. Standing on
the spire’s small platform, a mysterious figure shrouded in a crimson cloak
reverently held a large, red jewel before the chamber. With a powerful thrust,
the figure inserted the jewel…
…AND THE EARTH SHOOK!
A hum resonated from the
jewel as it began to glow from within. The humming grew stronger and the
glowing brightened until finally, a streak of light erupted from the top of the
tower toward the sky and then spread out in all directions. Drifting to the
ground was a dome of rich, warm hues of rosy pink and golden amber that
shimmered and flowed like the Aurora Borealis. The thick cloud-cover directly
above the tower, suddenly morphed into a soft mist. From it, artistically cut
snowflakes drifted lazily to the ground.
Off in the distance,
specks of ghostly blue light appeared on the horizon as a wind picked up.
Harder and harder it blew, as a whirlwind approached. When it reached the edge
of the protective dome, it sputtered and stalled, spitting the King of Winter’s
solidified form violently to the ground.
He shook off his
disorientation and jumped to his feet in a rage. His steely eyes moved across
the terrain looking for the source of the impact. Never before has his power
been utterly thwarted, especially in the heart of his realm. To his disbelief, what he saw in his path was
a subtle, shimmering veil of energy. He reached his hand out to touch it but
snapped it back when a stabbing pain shot up the length of his arm. He looked skyward and noticed that this
strange force was cascading from the top of a tower. The beauty of it was lost
on him.
His lip curled with an
angry sneer as he whispered, “Who dare…”
To purchase your copy of "The Crimson and The Frost", click the link:
To contact the authors: crimsonandfrost@gmail.com
Until next time,
