For those who might be interested, below is the first page of my YA scifi novel dealing with the relationship between science and religion. It all takes place on a starship traveling between galaxies. You can find it on my
website if you are so inclinded.
Celestial Blade - Chapter One: The Castle
The clouds above the thin forest obscured the moon and stars beyond
them, leaving just enough light to make out the castle on the hill. The moon was
not real, nor were the stars. They were merely projections provided to comfort
those creatures used to living under stars and moons. But the clouds were real.
And far beneath the clouds, standing in the crook of the valley bottom, a light
drizzle falling on their moonlit faces, stood Jeddu and Kylla. Thin and tall for
their thirteen years, Jed stood half a hand higher than Kylla, his dark brown skin
contrasting sharply with her deep olive complexion in the bluish white
moonlight. He wore stout wool trousers and a dark blue cotton shirt while she
wore a simple green dress long enough to cover the tops of her plain leather
boots.
“There it is,” Kylla said, pushing her sandy hair from her chestnut eyes
and wiping raindrops from her forehead. “Just like I told you.”
Jed looked up at the crumbling castle on the hill above, wondering if the
walls might not fall down and crush them in an avalanche of stone. He had
never really believed the stories about the old castle. He had assumed they were
just tall tales told to lull small children to sleep. And although he was not by
most estimates old enough to be called a man, he was no longer a child. He had
suspected that Kylla, his best friend since he was a small child, had been playing
some sort of trick on him, pretending she had found an old map in the town
library.
“You never go to the library,” Jed had said at the time.
“I was working on that paper on the history of the Origin World we had
to write for Mrs. Lemmick,” Kylla had replied.
“You’re little brother writes your papers,” Jed had snapped back, referring
to Kylla’s disturbingly intelligent eleven-year-old brother.
“Yes, but he makes me carry the books,” Kylla had answered. “And
while Mrs. Stone was helping Fallon find the books he wanted, I snuck into the
Banished History room.”
“That room is off limits to everyone except the elders.”
“Jealous?”
“You could have waited until I was around,” Jed had nearly whined.
“I’ve been trying to get in that room since I was eight years old. It’s always
locked.”
“Mrs. Stone must have forgotten.”
“What did you see? “ Jed had asked, curiosity bettering his jealously.
“I didn’t have time to see much.” Kylla had said. “But on the wall was a
large map of the entire Kennou region. Not the map we study in school. This
one showed not just all of our Kellish towns, but all of the Merrick towns and
villages as well. And further aft, it showed a region I’d never heard of, with little
settlements called the Shannou.”
“You should have drawn it out,” Jed had exclaimed.
“I didn’t have any paper,” Kylla had said, a hint of defensiveness and
annoyance in her voice. “Besides, there was too much to draw,”
“What about the castle?”
“It’s not far from a Merrick town called Flerin, near Lake KennoCha.”
“I know where that its. That’s close to where the school trip was three
years ago.” Jed had started scheming immediately.
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spirituality
November 2009 
The Chrysalis Age
Access: Public
