The Valekan Migration
an excerpt

Thousands of refugees crowded the downtown area of Valeka, all heading toward the wharf, carrying whatever they could manage to flee with. They jostled and annoyed each other, not intentionally, but because they were traumatized. Their fear mingled with desperation.

Having too many people in one place tends to culminate in massive distress.

Maralin held a brown cloth bag with all her clothing including an extra pair of shoes, something she was sure would be vital during the journey ahead. Around her shoulders she had draped two strong, thick blankets, one sky blue, and one red. Her mother, beside her, carried a similar load plus had a pack on her back with food and cooking implements. They had agreed to share the pack, each relieving the other of the extra burden when it got to be too much.

Though they tried they were unable to get close enough to the piers to find a fisherman willing to ferry them across the bay. Too many other desperate Valekans needed the same assistance. Behind them were soldiers from the Garlayan realm, forcing them out of their homes. There was no possibility of going back. Life was changed, suddenly, without much warning.

These are the mountains around Irohila, Raoli's village. Maralin walked through this area on her journey from Abashoc to Halekalo.

The author, Linda Jo Martin, reading "Writing the Breakout Novel" while resting near the Klamath River. This is the great river that runs through Raoli's forest.

For more information about my novel and the series it is part of, see this page on my website: Antediluvian Adventures.

To see my NaNoWriMo award graphics since 2001, see this page on my website: NaNoWriMo Awards.