Shield of the Gods (Aigis Trilogy, Book 1) (41 page)

             
“It is, Master,” the Elf said, one of his hands twitching for a saber.

             
In the middle of this plain rose one stump-shaped plateau, with a gnarled tree atop it.  “That’s where I shall be watching the war unfold,” Nexus said. “I’ve shaped my realm with the sole purpose of war in mind. One army on that side.” He raised an arm and gestured to the ride side of the plateau. “And one on that side.” He held out his left arm and pointed to the left side. “And both will collide in the middle.” He clapped palms together, interlocking his fingers. “Bam. No sneak attacks; just a simple battle to the death.”

             
“What’s with the tree? I suggest cutting it down.”

             
Nexus laughed. “That tree has earned the right to live. It’s a long story.”

             
“What next, Master?”

             
“Now the war can begin.”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you, Mom, for your encouragement and patience, even during the time you were too afraid to read my manuscript, fearing you wouldn’t like it. A big thanks to Gran and Jessie, for being my first avid fans. Thank you, Jennie S., for editing over 300 pages of the first incarnation of the story, and for your encouragement to keep going. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you. Thank you, Jonathan S., for the full review of the next draft, and all those suggestions and advice on how to revise it, and how the literary market works.

             
To my mentors in the MFA program: Tim Weed, who set me into motion to strive for better language and pacing; Nick Mamatas, for your brutal honesty and amazing advice; Mary Ann Campbell, for being a fan when it felt like no one would ever like the manuscript; Melissa Sanders-self, for being another avid fan, yet full of ideas and suggestions to make the story better,
and
for introducing me to Diane Wynne Jones’
Tough Guide to Fantasyland
; and to Oscar De Los Santos, for all your wonderful suggestions, critiques, edits, and making sure I don’t try to sneak in filler chapters just because I think they’d be entertaining to read.

             
To my fellow MFA students: a big thanks as well for your broad range of feedback that I would have never noticed on my own, and for giving me the whole “alien” confusion to address. Comedy has blossomed from that.

             
To Reginald King: thank you for all your analysis and support, even on the days I drove us both nuts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

S.M. Welles’s journey to bookshelves has been a very roundabout one. She didn’t discover her love of reading until around age fifteen or sixteen, when the fourth “Harry Potter” book was released and the first film adaptation hit the big screens. Her mother convinced her to give the first “Harry Potter” book a shot, which she grudging agreed to “read the first chapter, then stop.” Four chapters later, Welles realized she’d forgotten to stop. She hasn’t stopped reading books since, and now has a Master’s in writing from Western Connecticut State University. She has lived in Connecticut all her life.
Shield of the God
is her debut novel. And when she isn’t writing or reading, she spends time playing MMOs, like League of Legends and World of Warcraft. Druid ftw!