The fifteen minute novel writing experiment is an 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 195: Anya promised to bring any news and ended the spell, letting the circles and Deran fade away.
Anya promised to bring any news and ended the spell, letting the circles and Deran fade away. Anya left the chair where it was and banked the fire. She suspected it would go out before she managed to read through the first of the books and return to be tested by Deran, but figured it would at least be set up so that it would be easier to light when she did return.
Satisfied the room wouldn’t burn down in her absence, Anya returned to her own quarters. She found the first of the books that Deran asked her to read, and set it in the seat of her reading chair while she built her own fire back up. As expected having the fire going in the fireplace in the other room had transferred some heat to her quarters keeping them not as chilly as when she left for long periods of time. The air was still slightly chilly, so she built up her fire and swung her kettle over the flames once it was built up to a sustainable level.
With the water heating to a boil, Anya moved to gather her food for the meal. She ate her portion, wiped her hands and set the tea on to steep. When the tea was ready she took a mug and curled up in the chair preparing to read.
Her days began to take on a routine. In the mornings she visited the orb to see if there were any developments in the wider world that might affect her. For the most part life seemed to go on and talk of her flight south faded. A week after Marta left the larger pack, the orb showed the man who worked for Lord Mathis arrive. Anya wasn’t certain how he came to be in the House as she didn’t see him arrive. Once she got over her shock of seeing him there she was unsurprised to find those who felt that Anya shouldn’t have left the house talking to him and telling him of Anya’s flight south back to Dovish.
None of those who spoke to the man mentioned Tyrin specifically and Anya doubted the name of her town was actually known. She wondered if that was deliberate or if such details were unimportant. Later she tried to recall if she had ever mentioned Tyrin specifically to anyone. She knew that by her clothes the matron figured out she had come from Dovish, but couldn’t remember any further details being mentioned.
Aside from her trip to the orb, Anya stayed mostly in her quarters. She spent the bulk of her time reading and when she thought she read enough, she went to the room next door and used the circles to call Deran. She then had her mind and memory tested on what she learned. Anya learned from the first lesson that he was not simply interested in her ability to memorize information but to use it. In addition to learning the details he questioned her on how to use the information and what it’s meaning or import might be.
Once he was satisfied, Anya was sent back to her studies. In addition to what Deran called the basics, there were a few additional books added to his list.
Ten til Midnight 