In my new book, Wearer of the Gold, a new Christian sci-fi novel, I wanted to set up a scene that clearly let the reader know this was another world. The objective is to go off-world immediately with the reader. I also wanted the reader to feel the tension and develop an interest in continuing with the story. (It is essential that you draw the reader into the story.) The scene opens like this…
CHAPTER ONE
“The life force of an enemy is held by him. To open his hand, you must close his eyes.” – D‘VRU, BOOK ONE: The Force of Life
The jungle air was heavy with the scent of the Bora tiger. Soft, velvet sounds of the night moved without form through the tangled brush and thick vegetation. The moons of Vega I sprayed blue lance‑like beams through the tree tops, illuminating the night with its blue‑black, eerie hue. The pale white skin of the Bora tiger stood in stark contrast against the deep shadows. Its massive head was as unmoving as the granite boulder it stood upon, surveying the small clearing below.
The creature’s reddish‑brown eyes locked upon its prey, a lone, two‑legged creature sitting cross‑legged on the ground below. The big cat crouched, the heavy muscles rippling with power, gathering tension. The long velvety tail of the Bora tiger stopped its snake‑like movements and rested silently on the rock. The tiger’s head lowered and then suddenly the big cat unleashed the power that had trembled in check. It leaped from the rock straight out into the air and downward towards the quiet, still figure sitting on the ground.
Hidden nearby stood a large man, mahogany in hue, with a wide muscular frame. His hair lay close to his skull in heavy, copper colored ringlets. Golden chains lay against his bare chest and a heavy, silver medallion hung from one of the chains. His arms were covered with a silky brown hair and his face was clean with the shine of strength and health. The big man carried a slim, silvery spear. It’s point was as fine as a needle, and it was not merely a boast by Jules that he could drive the spear through five men.
Jules stood hidden in the small grove of trees just at the edge of a clearing, observing one of the strangest sights he’d ever seen. He’d spotted a strange man clad in a black cloak early in the day and had followed him from the river to this clearing. He’d watched as the man had performed what appeared to be rituals unlike anything Jules had ever seen, for several hours. The stranger had made curious movements with his hands and had made steps that appeared to be a kind of dance. At one point, the stranger had come to a complete stop to all movements, freezing in place for nearly a half hour, without so much as a muscle quivering. Finally, the figure had sank to the ground cross‑legged and sat unmoving, his hands on his knees, his head looking down at the ground. Jules looked at the moons and knew the time had been four hours for the twins had passed in the sky twice.
[next time: continuing with openings and dealing with the action]
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