Inventing The Story

For an exclusive review of ‘Wyrmeweald – Returner’s Wealth’ please click here.

In Issue 36 we gave you the following extract from Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell’s new book ‘Wyrmeweald - Returner’s Wealth’, and asked you to continue the story.

‘Micah stared down at the corpse. The youth prodded the body tentatively with the tip of his boot. His toes, poking up through split bootleather, grazed the hard nubbed ribs of the dead man’s side. He shoved a boot-toe into the shadowed hollow of the stomach, braced his legs and rolled the body over.

Suddenly, from far above his head, he heard keening cries, and he squinted up to see the black shapes against the high sun, wheeling round in the sky. He turned his attention to the second boot, awkward fingers fumbling with the lace, and tugging hard. Glancing up as it came free, he could make out the jagged wings of the carrionwyrmes now as they wheeled round lower, their rapier claws and hackdagger teeth glinting. Kicking his own boots hurriedly aside, he pulled the new ones onto his feet, first one, then the other, and knotted them tightly, then jumped to his feet - just as the first of the carrionwyrmes landed.’

Franklyn Watson (15)

It swiped at his head with gnarled, glinting claws, and Micah ducked underneath to avoid the vicious tips. They passed an inch from his throat. Had he been any slower, his body would have joined that of the man’s, which was even now being hungrily devoured by the other carrionwyrmes.
Micah’s attacker continued towards him, forcing him back until he was balancing tenuously on the tubular conduit that led back to the main building from the observer’s platform on which the carrionwyrmes were finishing their meal. He walked backwards and then, when he judged himself to be a safe distance away, he turned and walked forwards along the wire to the main building. Already he could see the maintenance hatch that would lead him into the belly of the building and relative safety. The carrionwyrme which had first attacked him paused, cocking its head to the side as it watched the boy getting further away.
Micah was caught off guard as the entire wire suddenly jerked and went taut, almost falling, waving his arms wildly in an attempt to regain his balance. He turned his head and saw, to his horror, the encroaching form of the carrionwyrme, just ten feet away, its body pressed against the wire, its wings held aloft for balance. The wire groaned underneath them.
‘Please don’t break,’ breathed Micah.
The wire creaked again … then snapped, sending Micah plummeting to the ground, 150 feet below.
‘Damn boots,’ muttered Micah, and hit the floor, never to get up.

Luke Woodhead (16)

What now? he thought. It seemed hopeless, up there on the edge of the island. Before he made a decision, screeches came from just above him and the sound of rushing air. Then all he could see around himself were teeth. All he could smell was hunger. They all rushed together but past him to the corpse of the shoe donor. They all were distracted for long enough for him to search for a weapon. He never found one. Everything went dark. He could hear flapping, snarling and whimpering. He thought for one moment that he was dead. But no, he could see light again. And the biggest carrionwyrme ever seen. It must have been at least ten times Micah’s height. There were muscles all over its muscles, its tail was as thick as a tree trunk and thrice as long. Its eyes, a deep shade of purple and a mouth that looked as inviting as diving into a knife-filled canyon. He could the remains of his former predators in its teeth. If ever a situation felt hopeless, it was now. There was nothing he could do.
A gust of wind blew up, and he went with it. He was falling. All his journey upwards was flashing past him. With it, the memories of his hardships. There was a swooping noise. That was the last thing he heard before he woke up in a tree, bruised and battered. There was something looming over him …

Megan Swindell (14)

Micah started to run into the dark forest. He heard more cries coming from behind him. He looked down at the boots, wondering whether to scrap them. Carrionwyrmes always wanted everything off the corpses, even the boots. Micah shook his head. He had left his boots behind. And anyway, he thought, these aren’t as worn out.
With a sudden burst of energy he ran towards a wooden hut, just a speck in the distance, hoping the carrionwyrmes would give up. But in the back of his mind Micah knew they were after something else. His only possession, other than his clothes and new boots, a precious egg.
Batting away a branch laden down with leaves he looked over his shoulder. Two carrionwyrmes were still lumbering towards him. He knew that others were following by sky.
Sooner than he expected Micah arrived at the hut. He ran in and tried to catch his breath. A carrionwyrme broke into the window. Micah looked round.
Struck by inspiration he picked up a wooden pole lying on the floor, stabbing it into the carrionwyrme’s eye. Micah started to run outside. Looking round he couldn’t see any carrionwyrmes in sight. Suddenly huge claws grabbed his back and lifted him. After flying for a while the claws let go causing him to plummet to the ground. A girl about his age, helped him up. Micah was confused but knew the girl was a friend not a foe.

Willow Sanders (14)

He edged back slowly, hoping they would not see him. The first carrionwryme went straight for the corpse, its sharp claws slashed at the body till it was in shreds, then it devoured it within seconds, leaving nothing for the others. Knowing that their vision was limited to a 10 metre radius, he was safe unless they came closer, he crept away making no sound. The carrionwyrmes gave up.
Just as they were taking off, Micah tripped over a rock, bringing all the attention to him, the carrionwyrmes felt the vibrations through the ground and ran straight for him.
Micah sprinted as fast as he could, he couldn’t keep this up for long. The space between them shrank as the carrionwyrmes grew even closer. He could now feel the wind, from their wings, on his back as they stirred up the sand, making it impossible to breathe.
Through a mist of sand and dirt he saw a crack in the ground just big enough to fit in. He squeezed in just in time as the carrionwyrmes reached him.

Iqhra Nisar (13)

Micah wrapped both arms around the long neck of one carrionwyrme. He swung one leg over the left side of its body, hoisted himself up then whispered, breathlessly, a clear command in the carrionwyrme’s perked ear, ‘Aswyrthe.’ Immediately the creature took flight, firstly kicking his front legs and flapping its long wings before ascending higher into the sky. The wind caused Micah’s long hair to flap in a trail behind him. Finally they landed in the mouth of an ancient cave.
Micah jumped down from his position. ‘Have you the charmed boots?’ inquired a deep, male voice from the cave. Micah tugged at each lace then kicked off the boots.
‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘here.’
‘Finally,’ said the first voice, which now had a tall, slim body and a wise old face. ‘The magical boots which were my son’s so long ago now mine. I shall have a good, long life.’ The man had a faraway, yet happy expression in his eyes. As if stealing from his dead son, was something he always did.
Micah’s heart beat painfully against his chest. Why have I stolen from my beloved dead father?’ he thought. He stared at his happy yet evil grandfather. I only did it so Grandpa wouldn’t kill me, he thought, silently torturing himself. ‘I’m sorry father,’ he whispered, tears forming in his eyes.
Micah felt anger grow inside him. I will take vengeance on Grandpa, he thought, even if it kills me

Katie McGee (16)

The carrionwyrme stared at the corpse and Micah hesitated, should he run or not? The creature stepped towards the body making Micah take an involuntary step back. A twig snapped underneath his boot and the carrionwyrme jerked his head round to look at him. Red eyes glared at the boy and he ran. If he could just make it to the other side of the fence he would be safe, only humans could go to the city. He heard the beat of the creature’s wings and dropped to the ground. It flew over him, grasping the air where Micah had just been. Micah looked up to see the creature going higher before circling and coming back at him.
The teenager sprang to his feet and sprinted for the fence. He heard the creature and rolled just before it could grab him, but the claws still scraped his back causing him to cry out in pain. As he got to his feet he realised there were now another eight pairs of carrionwyrme eyes looking at him, seeing fresh meat. The fence was just a few feet away; would he be able to make it?
He ran and with a screech they followed him. He dived for the fence at the last minute and scrambled under before they could grab him.
He sat in the dirt on the other side breathing heavily before examining his back and seeing a large gash. He looked down to his boots grinning, ‘Totally worth it.’

Heather Lukins (13)

Micah studied the carrionwyrme. It was as tall as a three-storey house and was pearl white, with stegosaurus plates running all the way along its back. Its wings were stretched out to make it appear ferocious, which just made it look even more superior. Its eyes were like glinting blood-red rubies, set deep in its eye sockets.
Cautiously, Micah glanced from the carrionwyrme to the rotting corpse. He was still bent down near the corpse. ‘It thinks I’m eating its food!’ he realised. So slowly he stood up. Not taking his eyes off of the carrionwyrme, avoiding its eyes. ‘I mustn’t challenge it - not yet.’ The mantra in his head took a steady beat. The carrionwyrme cocked its head to the right, letting out a low grumbling growl. However, when Micah raised his hands in defeat to his chest and started to walk backwards, it let out a screeching cry, tilting its head to the sky. Micah’s hands covered his ears but it didn’t stop the penetrating cry reaching his eardrums. He turned round, his hands still clasped tight over his ears, then as quick as lightning, a carrionwryme landed heavily in front of him - blocking his exit. Micah toppled over, his heart drumming against his ribcage. He looked up, straight into its eyes. Uh-oh, big mistake!
There’s only one thing for it … Micah thought to himself. In a flash of light, a silver sword appeared in his hands. The carrionwyrmes flew down like rockets and Micah lashed out brutally.

Christine Cartwright (17)

Micah whirled around seeking his route of escape. He dodged up an open alleyway. The sturdy boots, slightly too big for him, dragged against him as he charged along, with the carrionwyrmes’ shadows flickering around his on the ground as they circled overhead.
They swooped lower and lower, their jagged wings appeared more sinister as the minutes passed. He raced to the first door likely to be unlocked, his fingers fumbling as he tried to tug at the stiff handle, panic making him clumsy as some carrionwyrmes began to land, their claws out outstretched.
Frustrated he gave up and retreated past them, his shoulder ripping painfully against one of the razor-sharp claws, his worn coat shredding at the contact.
He continued, seemingly closer as he kept his eye on the bridge in front, his teeth clenched against the stabbing pain in his shoulder, similar to a thousand shards of glass embedding themselves deeper into the smooth skin.
Micah focused on the towering brickwork, hoping to lose the carrionwyrmes beneath its shadows. Soon he became partly concealed under the deep, intricate darkness. He forced his weary body onwards, keeping his ears keenly alert for the quiet flutter of the carrionwyrmes’ wings, whilst carefully balancing near the water’s lapping edge. He heard the sinister flutter of wings and futilely tried to duck. A carrionwyrme collided with him shoving him into the cold, brutal wall with a sickening thwack. Dazed, Micah’s grip and balance were lost, he slipped, slowly scraping against the wall and into the water’s icy embrace. The water swelled at his splash, covering him from the carrionwyrmes’ view.

Kalika Puri (14)

The creature snapped its teeth angrily at Micah. The sound was like the sharp cracking of a whip, and made him flinch back, involuntarily stepping on one of the boots he had just kicked aside. Slowly, his eyes not leaving the carrionwyrme as it shuffled towards him, Micah pulled out the lace of the tattered boot. Then, when the carrionwyrme was close enough, he threw the lace at it, evidently obviously hoping to provide a distraction. Instead the lace poked it in the eye, and the creature let out a furious noise halfway between a squawk and a roar. Wasting no time, Micah dashed across the sparse plain as fast as his skinny legs could carry him, heading for a grouping of tall, dense trees.
Finally reaching the concealed foliage, Micah collapsed onto the ground, looking as lifeless as the corpse apart from his heavy panting. He had just begun to calm himself when a harsh squawk sounded above him.
Slowly turning his head, Micah saw another carrionwyrme swooping down on him lazily. It wasn’t in good condition; although its belly was swollen with its last meal, the creature’s feathers were dull and falling out. The bare flesh on its patchy neck was an unhealthy grey, and its teeth and claws were pitted and blunted. Micah still didn’t doubt that it could do a lot of damage. He was just about to jump up in a desperate attempt to fight for his life when the creature gave a sudden, gasping squawk and fell to the ground with a thump. Old age had evidently caught up with it. Micah walked over and prodded it cautiously with one of his new boots.
‘Hmm, lunch.’

Leah Carling (13)

‘Argh!’ An ear-piercingly high-pitched scream shattered the air, that was dense with tension. He turned to see the girl of his dreams and his heart melted like soft butter, but then he remembered where he was.
In one swift movement, he dived at her, pushing her into a cave where she would be safe. Grabbing a sharpened stick, he braced himself.
With his head down, he ran out. He stopped. How was he supposed to fight all of these carrionwyrmes and save his love?
They seemed to be mocking him as they lashed out with their necks and hit the barren land with their skeletal wing.
Without warning, the largest and by far the ugliest stopped, consequently the rest did too. An idea began to spark in his mind.
Using his inner strength and the thought of his beloved, he thrust the wooden spear through the air towards the leader’s chest. He had immaculate aim.
With a deafening roar, it crashed to the floor, shaking the ground.
The others froze. They turned to look at their fallen leader. Then him. They were deadly still. Blood-red eyes bore into him. Slowly they twisted their bodies like pathetic ballerinas.
With only one beat of their wings, they were charging towards him. He was doomed.
Suddenly, they turned upwards where they were engulfed by dark menacing clouds.

Saboorah Rana (13)

Its feathers glinted under the sun like jewels. Slowly the carrionwyrme circled Micah, was it smirking? Micah stood very still, his hands were clammy and his breath was quickening. Running wasn’t an option; the carrionwyrme was too close and without doubt hungry. It took one step back and then gracefully leapt over the corpse onto Micah. The fearful boy cried out as sharp teeth bit into his leg.
Suddenly the carrionwyrme froze; it loosened its grip on Micah and began to shriek. Another one that was inspecting the corpse made an unnatural hissing sound and they both took off into the air. They sounded scared. This is impossible, thought Micah. He repeated this in his head until a faint noise stopped him. It sounded like a strong wind and was getting louder. Rapidly something hit Micah, pushing him to the floor. Then he saw it. A tornado was coming towards him, destroying everything in its path.
‘What in this world?’ Micah breathed. He tried moving, yelling at his legs to work but the carrionwyrme’s bite had poisoned them. At that moment someone gripped Micah’s shoulders and dragged him. He had no idea where he was going but the whooshing sound of the tornado was fading away.
‘Thanks,’ Micah gasped, ‘I really thought … ’ he broke off when he saw his rescuer. A female carrionwyrme was leaning toward Micah with a savage grin.
Micah smiled. Carrionwyrme poison was deadly even to other carrionwyrmes. The carrionwyrme bit into his leg …

Tabitha Hayward (14)

Micah ran, his feet thudding against the ground in unison with the thudding of his heart. Don’t think, he told himself. You have the rest of your life to think. Now just run.
He concentrated on swinging his arms, picking up and putting down his feet, breathing steadily. He concentrated on staying on the exact middle of the dirt track, listening for the deathly wails which would herald the approach of the carrionwyrmes, looking where he was going. He concentrated on everything - everything except what mattered most.
Don’t think, he told himself again, don’t think. But the voice in his head was getting louder and more urgent.
‘How does it feel to be a traitor, Micah?’ the voice jeered. ‘How does it feel to betray him?’
‘Don’t think.’ Micah was saying the words aloud now, struggling desperately to blot out the voice.
‘You’re a traitor,’ the voice spoke with real venom. ‘A low-down, cowardly traitor.’
Micah couldn’t hold off the voice any longer, the voice of his guilty conscience. Exhausted by all that had happened he collapsed at the side of the track and looked up at the open sky, the hot, relentless sun, the carrionwyrme silhouetted against it, as they flew away, their scavenging done.
‘You killed him. You killed him as good as if it were you who took the knife to him. You have blood on your hands Micah.’
The sun was scorching him but the words in his head burnt even more painfully. He shut his eyes.

To see more fantastic work why not subscribe to Wordsmith below for only £16.00 and receive a free Wordsmith pen with your first issue.

UK Subscription
-£16.00 (free postage)