So, everyone's been asking for the new section of Barrenhollow, which makes me feel much better about the whole thing. I took a break for the holidays, but I should be back to a weekly schedule now. If you want to go back and read the whole thing so far, I've made a master page that has all that's passed before on it. You can get that page here. It'll be updated each week, but to read the most current post, you'll have to hit the main blog page (so you can comment, of course! Me likey the feedback!) Hopefully you'll enjoy this week. Lemme know what you think, I'm always curious.

“Barrenhollow Blues”
A serial novel in progress (Week 4 of ???)
By Cliff Hicks

I found myself troubled by Concorde’s presence as we started to head into the darker parts of Barrenhollow. This wasn’t the kind of thing she seemed to be cut out for, and yet she’d surprised me with her strong willed assertion that she come along on this excursion. Of course, it was nice to have someone watching my back, but this was very much unlike her.

A glance over at her gave me two insights into her sudden change in personality – first, she had seen me worried when we were back in her house; second, that had worried her and she wanted to protect me as much as I tried to protect her. Both of which were uncharacteristic for her.

“Where are we going, Barrett?” she asked me, riding along side me as we trotted the horses down Sunderland Street.

“We’re going to see a fellow who knows about these sorts of things, Cordy,” I replied in an even tone of voice. “We’re going to go see The Fist.” I was trying to come across more confident than I really was. Truth be told, I was terrified.

“THE FIST?” Cordy hissed at me in as loud a whisper as she could manage. “Are you MAD? He’ll cut into tiny pieces and feed them to birds! We’ll never been seen from again! No!”

“Fine,” I said as I pulled my horse up to a hitching post, tying him up. “You don’t want to come in, you can stay out here. But I need to find out what’s going on, and we’re running out of options. I want to go find out what the hell is happening, and I’m pretty sure The Fist can give me at least some of those answers.”

Concorde hopped off her horse and started to hitch it up, clearly following me even though she was scared to death. “If you live long enough to use them…” she whispered as I made my way up towards the door.

A mansion is an overly large house. An obscenely large mansion is one of three things – compensation for a shortcoming in life, a place to store a lot of wealth/people or a status symbol. I’d like to think that in The Fist’s case it’s all three.

“Piss off!” one of the two armed guards said to me, as we approached the main doors of the mansion.

“Look, if you want to be the one to tell The Fist that you turned Barrett The Balls away, that’s fine, but it’s your funeral, not mine, pal. Now I suggest one of you two go in there and tell him I’m here to see him before I get impatient and tell him that you kept me waiting.”

It’s all about bluster, really, and the way you carry yourself. These were nothing but guards and certainly beneath my concern. I was projecting total confidence because it’s an image I have to wear. I have to come across as so self important that they have no choice but to buy my story.

One guard looked at the other, who shot the first guard back a blank look. I could see they were considering their situation. They were debating internally how much trouble they would be in for turning someone important way as opposed to bothering their master needlessly. Did I look important enough to be worth letting through?

“Fine!” I huffed. “I can’t wait around all day for The Fist’s time, because now he’s wasting mine. And no one wastes Barrett The Balls’ time!” I spun around on one heel, turning to face Concorde, who was white as a sheet.

“Wait!” the second guard exclaimed, reaching forward to place his hand on my shoulder to prevent me from leaving. I smiled, as they couldn’t see my face, before wiping the smile off and turning back around again. “We’ll… we’ll see you in, sir.”

“Sorry, sir,” the first guard added, almost ashamed of himself. “Can’t be too careful these days.”

“No no, I understand, you’re just doing your jobs. Now go announce me so I can get this meeting over with. Been waitin’ too damn long already,” I said as the two guards led us into the mansion.

“Please sir, just wait here,” one of the two guards said to me as they led us into a massive waiting room. It’s impossible to tell them apart some times, with the identical uniforms and those iron masks over their faces. I think it was the first guard, but I tried not to pay it too much mind. Force of habit, I guess.

“Be quick about it,” I sneered in that condescending tone that people with far too much money often use. The guards scurried off that much quicker.

“Do you really think that was a wise idea, Barrett?” Concorde asked me as she came over to me, putting her hands on my forearm nervously.

“There wasn’t much of a choice, Cordy. We don’t have time to go for subtle, we need answers. Shhh. I hear someone coming.”

The two main doors to the waiting room opened and in marched approximately thirty guards, armed to the teeth, marched in, moving to surround us, their weapons drawn. I could see Concord reach her hand to her blade, but I lifted my hand openly, a sign for her to do the same. She slowly pulled her hand away from the hilt and raised her hands into the air. These guards looked a great deal more competent than the ones who had met us at the gate.

One guard, dressed in attire that led me to believe he was the mansion’s head of security, walked through the ring of swords and spears that surrounded us and stood before me. “Ah, Mister Barrett. You’ll have to excuse our caution, but your legendary reputation precedes you.”

“Not at all. I take it our request for an audience has been granted?”

“Yes, The Fist of Barrenhollow will see you now…”

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Glad to see Barrett and Concorde back? Got thoughts on the story thusfar? I'm always keen to hear'em!