The Hall of Black Trees
Synopsis:
In the deep and wild forests of a primal world lurk ancient ruins built by unknown hands. Ignoring the perils that surround it, a band set forth to explore the ruins, only to awaken the horror that lies within, and only the hunter Braega can lead them to safety.
Length:
10500 words
Background Notes:
At one stage I had thought of doing a novel set in a wild and primitive world, with a more primal feel to magic. It never really took, but later on I decided to utilise the ideas it sparked for a short story, and this one resulted.
This was a story I wrote with no plot in mind; I just sat down and wrote it. However it did see some major revamps during editing. The nature of Tudhala’s race was one that got changed a number of times before it settled in its current form.
Given the primeval feel of the setting, it needed some really primeval creatures, and for this I picked a group of animals I am fairly certain have never featured in fantasy writing before; the Australian megafauna. These died out around 40,000 years ago, but they perfectly fit the bill. How can three metre tall meat eating birds not work for it?
