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 248: It even had one of those large stone bowls Marta used to see images of the past and present.
It even had one of those large stone bowls Marta used to see images of the past and present. At some point Anya wanted to learn to use that bowl to see images in the water for herself. To see the truth of her past without the use of the orb. ‘Which will also give me time outside. ‘
Anya felt something deep inside her relax. She had a comfortable place to stay. She had fresh air and sunshine as well as tasks that not only occupied her but helped her with the possibility of planning for her future. She had the ability to learn how to provide for herself here and in Arkaron she had someone to help her plan to deal with Lord Mathis.
‘Why?’
The thought drifted up unbidden from the depths of her mind and Anya’s feeling of well-being dimmed. Even though she hadn’t planned to question it, the question was a good one. Why was someone like Arkaron willing to help her? He was a king. And yes while he was summoned by a being much more powerful than he was, he should have resented it. Anya expected the resentment.
Instead she received…amusement…interest…acceptance?
Anya thought through her conversation with Arkaron. Her thoughts then flashed on the memories of her family. Did Arkaron hope to use her?
“He has been keeping an eye on Lord Mathis,” Anya reminded herself. “I am another way he can do that. And I told him about the ponela wood. So he knows part of why Lord Mathis might want the Fairweather Estate.”
Anya nodded. She knew that a king Arkaron had other sources of information. “Probably some a lot more reliable than me.” A lot of the conversations she listened in on involving Lord Mathis made very little sense to her as she didn’t know the ins and outs of life in Rulash, let alone the lives of its elite upper class. “But I can see him wanting to use any information he could get.”
In light of what she was realizing about her family, Anya could easily see how Arkaron might want to use her. “Especially if I end up with magical abilities no one else he knows has.”
At the moment though, Arkaron was as useful, if not more so to her. “So I will work with him now and keep watching to see if he plans to use me,” she decided. Anya was not about to repeat the same mistake as she had with her family. “Right now he is helping me and getting a few pieces of information out of it as I find them so it is a mutual use.” She nodded. That Anya was fine with. She just didn’t want to go back to being used.
“No use in starting a new life if you just repeat the same mistakes as the lone you left behind,” she decided.
The thought settled her and Anya returned to her book. By the time her eyes were too heavy to remain open and bed was calling to her. Anya had a long list of things she would need to seek out before she could begin to set up the indoor agricultural area.
“And much of the set up should be done before the winter fades if I am to have things ready for spring.” Given the heating elements to the system, Anya knew that once established the system could provide year round food, but she liked the thought of starting with the spring planting.
Ten til Midnight 