Sample Sunday: I am apparently easily distracted by physics. But here, another sort of shiny!

I confess, I’ve not been terribly active in the whole social-networking scene of late, but I swear I have a good excuse!

I’ve been researching theoretical physics. Despite my raging phobia of maths.

(Yes. The math-phobe suddenly adores physics. Welcome to me. Ah well, at least it is giving me a wealth of story ideas and inspiration, so I suppose I can’t complain.)

In any case, I am popping back in for Sample Sunday, to share yet another little snippet of Ark, my post-apocalyptic steampunk-tastic WIP. :) (Apparently it got claimed for both art and a mix over at LiveJournal’s fantasybigbang, and I’m really curious to see how it all turns out!)
 
 

0000005.
Everyone built walled cities, in the After. Walled cities, safely wrought with magic, with a castle-like Keep in their centre from which all the magic was sourced.

The Outside, by then, was far too dangerous to consider. The rust ate away, for years and decades after, so that crashes were commonplace even as they grew. Thunderous things, buildings and bridges all suddenly tumbling down, so loudly they could often be heard from inside the walls.

(Even as children, they had been enthralled by the noise, laughing and flying curiously to windows as it reduced others to tears.)

Outside was forbidden, and even in their bravest exploits they had never managed to flee far from the walls.

“We could die,” he warned her as they approached the southern Gate, himself not sounding unduly concerned.

“We’re already dead!” she cried, throwing herself between its widely-spaced bars (the Gates did not have to be terribly effective at keeping people in, not by that day and age) and hearing her voice catch on the wind.

And he followed in the wake of her welcome.