The fifteen minute novel writing experiment is a attempt to write a complete (and very rough) draft of a novel by writing for fifteen minutes each day. I have taken a timed writing from one of the daily prompts done in 2021, cleaned it up a little and used it as my jumping off point into a story. Each day I will take the last line of the story written the day before and use it as my sentence starter and write for fifteen minutes, growing the story as the year progresses.
Day 70: “I wonder if Lord Mathis can use the basin of water like she could?” Anya said as she peered into the water.
“I wonder if Lord Mathis can use the basin of water like she could?” Anya said as she peered into the water. Her breath rippled the surface. Despite everything she was shown, Anya still hadn’t seen what it was that Lord Mathis wanted. ‘He spoke of a dream,’ Anya recalled.
The silver of the moon darkened so the water looked black. Then the black parted and Anya saw Lord Mathis striding down the central aisle of the grand cathedral. He moved slowly, grandly as though making sure to pause after each step so that those around him could admire the play of light on his gem encrusted clothes.
Lord Mathis was dressed regally. To Anya it seemed as though the cathedral was packed, however when she tried to look at any of the people present they seemed mere shadow. She found it disconcerting. She looked away from the crowd as the man at the front of the cathedral began to speak. He too was shadowy, a bare outline of a presence and the voice he seemed to be speaking with sounded a lot like Lord Mathis.
‘And her is his ladies and gentlemen, the man we, neigh, the world has been waiting for. The man who will lead us all to greatness. The man who will rule all of what was once the Festian Empire consolidating the broken kingdoms into one as they were in days of old. He shall conquer…unite them under his forceful…mighty…magnificent, yes magnificent presence. “
Anya frowned as she listened to the patter. It seemed as though it was a speech being formed rather than one the priests would have ready for a presentation, or a coronation. At the front of the cathedral sitting on an alter was a crown. It was so heavily encrusted with gems that it looked as though there wasn’t enough metal to hold it together.
Someone in the audience shouted praise at Lord Mathis and Anya watched him stop and pose for his admirers. Anya’s eyes narrowed. The entire scene seemed more like playacting. She remembered when her brother’s would play with sticks pretending to be great knights fighting off dragons. This had the same feel as though it wasn’t real.
Anya smiled at herself. She was looking at pictures playing out the depths of a stone basin filled with water. Of course it wasn’t real. ‘I wonder what Lord Mathis is doing now,’ she thought. The picture shifted the image of Lord Mathis lifting the crown and placing it atop his own head fading. The picture that replaced it was less kingly. Lord Mathis lay sprawled in the chair where she had seen him last. His cup had fallen to the floor and a dark stain spread across the rung. Mathis had a sloppy smile on his face and a drool stain on his shirt.
“Mag ‘n cent,” he muttered.
“Magnificent,” Anya translated. The image faded and Anya felt a wave of exhaustion hit her so forcefully she wobbled, gripping the lip of the stone basin to remain upright. When the wave of dizziness passed, leaving simple exhaustion in its wake, Anya looked at the pool. It was silent and still gain.
‘Probably just left over from what the lady did,’ Anya thought. She turned away from the pool.
Ten til Midnight 