Book Three Excerpt & Illustration: "Beware Torrin!"
Excerpt from A Light in the Dark, Book Three of The Stone Guardians
Chapter: Shades of Danger
Through his mind, came a whispered sigh. It could have been the wind against stone or the stir of falling snow. The words he heard were so quiet, he almost did not understand them.
Ware Torrin. You are in danger.
He blinked, his breath catching in his chest.
Abruptly he could sense Rowan’s presence, as if she stood right beside him just as he had imagined.
His eyes opened wide and he spun, all his senses on high alert.
The man coming toward him was close now, though Torrin still could not see his face within the dark hood. A twitch of his cloak revealed a crossbow leveled at Torrin’s chest.
The twang of the bowstring sounded, and Torrin lunged sideways with all his strength. The bolt sliced through his cloak and pinged from the stone wall behind him. He rolled, letting his momentum bring him back to his feet, and pulling his sword from the scabbard with a hiss.
The assassin was already lunging at him, a pair of long curved daggers clutched in each hand.
Torrin swept up his sword, parrying one with a clang. The second was slashing toward his face and he had no time to block with his blade. With his left hand, he struck the man’s arm aside, following rapidly with a knee to the midsection.
The man grunted, his snarling face now clear beneath the hood. Something brushed Torrin’s memory, but he had no time for it.
The assassin’s momentum pushed him backward. Moving with it, Torrin grabbed his assailant’s wrist, keeping the dagger away from his face, and dropped his weight as he hauled. The man gasped and fell into him. Torrin landed hard but curled his back and kicked out with his feet, flipping his attacker over him. A heavy thud sounded as the man hit the stone wall.
Completing the roll, Torrin spun with one knee on the ground and hurled his sword as hard as he could. It took the assassin squarely in the chest as he was trying to rise. The man crumpled over the blade, his daggers clattered around him.
Torrin stood up, breathing heavily, staring down at the body.
Scene & Drawing:
I spent a long time with this drawing, working on getting the expression on Torrin's face correct and making Rowan's desperation to warn him work within the composition.
I actually did two different drawings as you can see below – a quick study then a more in-depth version before abandoning them for the final version.
Although I like Torrin's pose and the snaking sea wall with the snow-covered roofs, it was missing the scale and gravity of the written scene, so...
back to the drawing board!
I quite like aspects of this drawing. Parts of it, or all of it might at some point get featured in the books. Below are a few progress photos. Let me know what you think of the two versions in the comments below.
I'd love to hear what you think!
Final Drawing Process & Time:
Pitrmat graphite pencils by Faber Castel on Toned-grey Strathmore paper. I love these pencils! They do not shine as much as regular graphite so my darks register much better – more like charcoal without the smudgy mess.
White Prismacolor for highlights.
Drawing time was approximately 12 hours for the second and final drawing and about 6 hours for the early version.
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