Interview with a Team
I blink and rub my eyes in the darkened space as the last gleam of my badge fades. As my eyes adjust, I can see a cheerful glow in the distance and hear voices. I try to be stealthy as I approach the group around the campfire, but stealth has never been my forte... even in the fictional world.
They hear me long before they see me.
I step into the circle of light cast by their fire, pulling twigs out of my hair and wishing my monthly stipend from the InterFiction Gazette was enough to cover more authentic wardrobe choices.
Four people sit around the fire, their eyes focused on me as I emerge from the darkness. An extremely tall young woman with shoulder-length silver hair and silver eyes stares at me, her expression guarded. Ah, that must be Trinia. Another young woman sits next to her, a fierce look in her eye. That will be Batänny. I've heard she's feisty. Nearby, an older man half-rises, his face stern and forbidding. Údar, the mentor and the most knowledgeable about what's out here beyond the circle of light, I'll have to step carefully around him. And finally, the young prince (though he'd be upset to discover that I know who he is), Jayden. He has straightened and is eyeing me curiously.
It’s my first time interviewing a group of characters all at once, but I think I’m up to the task.
I put on my most non-threatening smile. "Good evening. My name is Jenelle Schmidt and I'm with the InterFiction Gazette." I hold up my badge to show them my credentials. "I was wondering if you might have a minute to answer a few questions?"
Trinia looks at Údar worriedly. “How did she get here? Who is she?”
He pulls on his beard thoughtfully. “I’ve heard of your kind before,” he says. “Come and warm yourself by the fire and we’ll talk.”
“What!?” Batänny and Jayden exclaim together.
"Great!" I pull out my notebook and favorite pen and grab a spot on a log near the fire. The warmth feels good. "Can you tell me a little bit about what you're doing out here tonight?"
Údar takes his seat again, stoking the fire. “Traveling. Well, running to be more specific. Ulscia, she’s the Queen of the Baobhan Sith, is after Trinia. Are you getting this?”
“Yep,” I reply, jotting furiously.
I turn to Trinia and ask, "Trinia, I didn't mean to be eavesdropping, but I heard your friend there asking you about something called the Airgid. What are the Airgid?"
She glares at me first, then at Údar, clearly not liking the topic.
“She’s no enemy of ours,” Údar says. “You can speak freely.”
Trinia sighs. “They are my people. We differ from the other kingdoms in that we are more adept in magic and have silver hair and eyes.” She grabs a twig and start fiddling with it.
I sense her discomfort and reluctance to talk to me, but I only have a short time here. I press further. "Trinia, I've been told that you have a unique power. Can you tell my readers about that?”
Her cheeks turn red in the firelight. “I… can duplicate myself. It’s my Gift.”
“Gift?” I ask.
Údar chimes in. “It is something Elohai gives to people. It is revealed when a person turns sixteen, sometimes older.”
I turn back to Trinia. “How does it work? Do you enjoy having this gift, or is it a burden?”
Trinia shrugs. “I’m not sure. I just flick my hand out and there is another me standing there. As for what I think of it? It’s a curse as far as I am concerned.”
Hmmm. That sounds far easier and more impressive than what I was imagining from the little my boss at InterFiction told me. I wonder if it would be wise to ask for a demonstration.
“Údar, are you sure this is wise? I mean, we don’t even know her!” says Jayden, cutting off my train of thought.
Údar waves a hand. “If it were a problem, I would have delt with it already.”
"Jayden," I pause, wondering how bold I should be. He looks my way, looking very much like he regrets drawing attention to himself. "How did you come to be a part of this group? Forgive my saying so, but you seem a little out of place out here."
He runs a hand through his hair. “It’s complicated… I ran into Trinia when trying to… well, I was visiting an old friend to–”
“I saved him from being killed by an old man,” Trinia says, casting a small smile his way.
“Yeah… that,” he says simply.
“Wait, Jayden was almost killed by an old man?” Batänny asks, looking between the two.
I grin and relax as the tension eases and fills with a little more levity. "Do you have any family who might be missing you tonight?" I ask.
His face changes from embarrassed to emotionless and stoic before he looks at the fire. “No.”
Since I’m not going to get more from him, I turn my attention to the others. "What are you planning to do (or where are you planning to go) next in your journey?"
“Well, from what I understand,” says Batänny, now chiming in, “we are going to Riga Mortis to kill someone and–”
“Rionnagan,” says Údar, rubbing his temple. I hide at grin at his light annoyance.
“Yeah, that place. Anyway, we have to go there to kill someone, that’s about all I know at this point,” she says.
“Kill someone?”
They stare at me, clearly unwilling to say more. Údar shoots Batänny a “look” and she clams up, clearly embarrassed by being so free with information.
"Can you tell me and my readers a little bit about your world?”
She shakes her head. “That’s Údar’s expertise, not mine.”
Údar clears his throat. “We are currently in the kingdom of Ungäar, in the land of Wintenaeth. It’s one of four kingdoms. They were all ruled by the Airgid over a thousand years ago, as Trinia mentioned.” He pauses to light his pipe.
I seize the moment to ask another question. “What does the leadership look like?”
He gets the pipe going before he continues. “Canämor, Ungäar, and Thydu have kings that rule them. The Airgid have their chieftains, and the people of X’phos to the south are a free people.
I scribble down the details as quickly as I can before asking, “What do you use for currency?”
“Gold, mostly,” says Jayden, still staring at the fire. “Goods can also be traded, but gold, silver, and some copper coins are the main ones.”
“How about some everyday activities?" I’m on a roll now, getting a feel for this world and how it works.
“Besides messing with Green Cloak?” asks Batänny, grinning.
My head jerks up at the unfamiliar terms, but before I can ask a follow-up question Údar rolls his eyes and blows a smoke ring. “There are some festivals throughout the year, but most people are focused on daily living and trying to provide enough food for their families.”
I nod. I know many who can relate. “Does this world have technology or magic?"
“Techno-what?” Trinia asks, confused.
“Magic,” Údar replies, not missing a beat. “We live in a more medieval time, and while magic does exist, it is hampered and controlled by those in power. It’s a long story, and I suspect you’re running short on time, so I think we should move on.”
I stare down at my notebook, contemplating my next question. "I'd love for my readers to get to know you all better. Could you each describe for me the place you most wish you could be right this moment, if you could be anywhere. It doesn't have to be a real place."
“X’phos,” says Batänny, looking wistful. “It’s my homeland and would love to be back there.”
“Somewhere north of Vyrbrake, in Thydu,” says Jayden. “It’s where they train their horses and I have always thought it would be a beautiful place to live.”
I look to Trinia who wraps her arms around herself. “Rionnagan… as it was a thousand years ago.”
“Oregon,” say Údar.
My gaze snaps to him. “What?”
He looks down at his pipe, a soft smile on his lips. “There is a lake there… beautiful place. I would build myself a cabin there and never leave it.”
That’s… surprising. Did I mishear? I wish I had more time to talk about that, but I have to press on to make sure I get all my questions answered. "Can you each tell me what is your favorite food?"
Trinia brightens up a little. “Pancakes! I tried them for the first time the other day and they were amazing!”
“I’ll second the choice,” says Batänny, raising her hand.
“Rabbit and potatoes with some fresh greens,” says Jayden.
“A steak, perfectly seasoned and cooked,” Údar says.
Great, now I’m hungry. "All right, last question. If you could ask your author one question, what would you ask?"
Údar stands up and steps toward the saddlebags hanging on the tree limb, leaning heavily against it. Sighing, he says, “How much longer? How much more?”
Crack.
Twigs snap and a dart hits him in the neck, dropping him to the ground. The others call out in surprise.
“No!” I shout as my badge’s defensive properties kick in and the group fades from view. A moment later, I am sitting at my desk once more, my computer screen filled with my notes and the answers I jotted down in that fictional realm.
“Drat,” I mutter to myself. “Well… that was interesting!” Another book to add to my leaning tower of reading.
About the Author
Author of Christian Fantasy. Developmental Editor. Story Coach. Entrepreneur. S. D. Howard helps authors create and polish their books through his work in the publishing industry and through his own platform at The Editing Bard. For years, Howard has devoted himself to helping authors put their best books forward.
Howard’s writing tackles issues of abuse and trauma, of the perils and triumphs of faith and, most importantly, of the sturdiness of the human soul through the lens of a fantastical world. Within the stories, survivors of trauma will find comfort in the fact that they are not alone. Those who haven’t experienced trauma are given a glimpse of what they can do to walk beside someone who has.
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