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 132: ‘It gives me time to figure things out.’
‘It gives me time to figure things out.’ Time it seemed was what Anya needed most. Time to figure out where she could go that would be safe if and when she left. Time to figure out what this magic everyone seemed to think she had was supposed to be used for and time to learn. Figuring that the leaves had steeped long enough, she poured herself a mug of the tea and settled herself on the bed. There were no chairs in the room and even though the bed was further from the fire, it was the softest place to rest.
‘Besides the room is warm enough now,’ she decided. The small fire had heated the space well. ‘If they had a bath in this room it would be about perfect,’ she decided. Anya still regretted that she had not been able to use the bathtub in the rooms she had been given for the winter. It not only had enough space for her to submerge herself in the water but it was set up so the water could be heated. As most of her baths came from the lake, Anya had been looking forward to trying out the luxury of a hot bath.
‘Maybe when the other chambers have magic repair them there will be one with a similar set up I can use.’ She thought. Anya leaned back against the wall and sipped her tea. She could use the orb to watch the others and see if Lord Mathis or his men returned, possibly learning if the Matron was a threat as well. She could feed herself and keep warm. She could bathe with the use of the pitcher and basin. She could study the books available and possibly figure things out. The only fear was that others might notice magic reasserting itself.
‘But there is a vast network of hidden spaces, many in areas that are completely uninhabited. When Anya studied the structure of the mountain she found that only the barest edge of the mountain was inhabited. The inner city deep in the heart of the mountain was almost completely abandoned.
‘But then there are fewer open spaces there,’ she thought. It is almost all hidden spaces locked away from the others.’ If the magic became more noticeable and people started searching, Anya thought she might be able to retreat that way and hide deeper into the hidden places of the mountain.
‘At least until the season begins and the gifts of the others return. But by then the roads will be passable and I can leave again. I just need to learn enough to keep myself safe and figure out where I am going before then.’
‘There are worst places to spend the winter,’ Anya decided. She sipped from her mug and decided that all in all, things weren’t too terribly bad at the moment. She was safe and warm and would more than likely continue to be for the foreseeable future. She reached for the book already opened by her side and turned it over, her reading picking up where she left off.
Life began falling into a quiet rhythm for Anya as the days slipped past. For most of the time, Anya read, curled up in her warm little room. The water pitcher was always full, the firewood box was always filled. Her mornings started with a visit to the orb to see if there were any changes in the situation. Marta was watched and it took three days before she was able to leave any rations for her by the stone bowl.
Ten til Midnight 