"Free Heart" — Out of Darkness Rising Character Spotlight: Hadriel
Good morning, dear Readers! I hope you had a marvelous weekend. Today I am very pleased to be participating in part of the blog tour for Gillian Bronte Adam' newest release: Out of Darkness Rising.
Today, Gillian is stopping by my little blog with a guest post to tell us a bit about one of the characters in her novella, but first, a bit about this book:
Darkness reigns unchallenged.For the villagers on the accursed Island, life has only one meaning - death. Bound to the Island by the curse, the villagers suffer beneath the iron claw of the serpent, daily breathing the poison of his breath and dying to appease his insatiable appetite. When Marya’s parents are slain by the serpent for their belief in a legendary king, she becomes an Outcast. Struggling to survive and avoid the vengeance of the Tribunal, Marya is torn between legend and the harsh reality of the Island. Yet when a forgotten promise springs to life, she cannot help wondering if the old stories might in fact be true. And if they are, will the promise prove stronger than the curse? Watch the book trailer:https://www.youtube.
“Free Heart”—Out of Darkness Rising Character Spotlight: HadrielGuest Post by Gillian Bronte Adams
“Discarding her basket, she [Hadriel] raced from the orchard, across the field, and down the hill to the beach. Her hair streamed back from her face as she ran, sand flying beneath her feet. She flung out her arms, exulting in freedom.” – Out of Darkness Rising
At the beginning of my allegorical fantasy novella Out of Darkness Rising, the peasants live in the Kingdom on the shores of the Loch. Theirs is a simple life spent tending the orchards and gardens, but it is also a happy life and a protected one. They dwell in and around the King’s palace at the top of the hill overlooking the Loch and are guided by one rule:
They are not allowed to set foot beyond the boundaries of the Loch.
This is the world that Hadriel knows. By the time the story steps fully into her realm, she is already eighteen years old. A dark haired, dark eyed, wild hearted daughter of the civilized world who finds herself inexplicably drawn to the wild.
“The storms that swept off the Loch held no terror for her. The rising winds seemed to call her name, sending a thrill racing through her veins, summoning her to the edge of the world—the edge of her world—where he would be waiting.”
Hadriel was actually one of the later characters to become a part of the Out of Darkness Rising storyworld, but once she arrived on scene, a single phrase lodged itself in my mind and came to describe her character.
Free heart.
There’s just something about that phrase that calls to me. Perhaps because Hadriel and I share some attributes. On first meeting, I think strangers tend to walk away with oddly varied impressions of what I am really like. Some think I am quiet and shy. Others that I am merely reserved. Still others that I am highly confident in myself and in what I do. But few realize that I have both an independent streak and a love for freedom that is a mile wide and an acre tall.
Sometimes it can be a good thing; sometimes, not so much.
But I love the spread of a road opening before me when the sun is shining and the sky is blue and there are no other cars for miles. I crank up my music, crack the windows just a tad, and sip Dr. Pepper while the miles roll away beneath my tires. There is nothing I love so much as the feel of a storm wind in my face, while thunder and lightning rage just a few feet beyond the reach of my porch roof, save perhaps the rush of riding a horse at speed down dusty backroads or across an open pasture.
Of all things, I would love to be called a “free heart,” and I think Hadriel would like it too.
She is a boundary pusher, unswayed by the opinions of others or the pressure to fit into the mold. She is bold, curious, and still kind. Yet for all her wild independence, she possesses a bit of a child-like naiveté and innocence.
None of which is bad, in and of itself, but it leaves her open to the Serpent’s whispers, gullible when he slanders the King, and vulnerable when he urges her to disobey. The Serpent is cunning, and he knows how to appeal to the tinge of pride beating in her wild, freeborn heart. Out of all the appeals he makes, it is when he calls her “free heart” that she begins to listen.
“The Serpent smiled, and it was the wide-stretched grin of a fox. “Do you think you are the only free heart among the peasants? That you alone have the eyes to see through the King’s deceit and the courage to act? There are others waiting to join us even now.”
So often, I think the “serpent” loves to do that. He tickles our ears with what we want to hear, appeals to our sense of vanity, and offers our hidden desires. He promises us freedom while deftly weaving chains behind our backs. It can be easy to wonder why Eve didn’t see through the serpent’s lies that day, so long ago, in the Garden of Eden. But I doubt that any of us would have proven wiser or stronger in her place. Even as believers, how often do we find ourselves believing Satan’s lies, if only for a moment?
Being a free heart is not a bad thing. But if our spirit of independence is centered in self pride, we leave ourselves open for the enemy’s attacks.
Just like Hadriel.
GILLIAN BRONTE ADAMS is a sword-wielding, horse-riding, coffee-loving speculative fiction author from the great state of Texas. During the day, she manages the equestrian program at a youth camp. But at night, she kicks off her boots and spurs, pulls out her trusty laptop, and transforms into a novelist. She is the author of Orphan’s Song, book one of the Songkeeper Chronicles, and Out of Darkness Rising. Visit Gillian online at her blog, Twitter, or Facebook page.