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 157: He sounded shocked.
He sounded shocked. “You are sure?” he asked.
Anya remembered her dusty foray into the upper shelves of the library as she attempted to see what information was housed there. “Yes, the books were quite dusty but the pages were fine. Now the dust is gone.”
Deran let out a long sigh. “Earlier you said there were ruins outside of your town of Tyrin?”
“Yes,” she said.
“From the Empire?”
“I think so,” Anya said. “At least I think so now. I didn’t know anything about the Empire before I came here. But the ruins by Tyrin and the tower where I was held both seem to be marked on the ancient maps.”
“Ancient maps,” he said. Deran let out a short laugh. “We knew there would be a distance of time between the fall and the reclaiming, but even those with the sight failed to say how long that would be. Do you know when the Empire fell? How long ago?”
“Not exactly,” Anya said. She remembered skimming through the history but not paying it too much attention. She was mostly worried about getting through the present and not delving into any past beyond her own. “I could see if I could find out.”
“That would be good to know,” Deran said. “It will help in guiding you forward. Dust on the spines. For the magic to have fallen back that far.”
“Will it continue?” Anya asked.
“Hmm,” Deran replied. “Oh yes now that it has been revived by your presence it should go on for a while. I don’t believe there will be any moldy tomes for years to come.”
“I meant that now the magic has started to work on the hidden places will it continue and once the hidden places are finished, will it spill out into the places now occupied by the House of the Star?”
“Oh I see,” he said. “Well it should finish with the Hidden spaces at least. Once they are in full repair, then It might see fit to work on the less hidden spaces. I believe though it would concentrate on the places that are not occupied and leave the occupied spaces to be kept by those occupying them.” He shrugged. “Perhaps. I must confess that sort of magic was not my strong suit. I was more of an herbalist. It is mostly my research abilities that ed me to be tasked with this position. The building maintenance types of magic were never really my focus. Luckily I should be able to help you find some volumes that might be able to tell you something.”
“Might?” Anya asked.
“I do know that the longer the spell is left to work without a person of magic to refresh them by their presence, the less effective they become. They retract in upon themselves, holding to the core, but slowly letting the rest fade. When the parameters were established, safeguarding knowledge was the main goal. So the books were always protected and as time passed, less magic was expended to maintain furnishings and other non-essentials, the focus remaining on the books. “
“And the fact that there was dust on the covers?” Anya asked
Ten til Midnight 