Morning all and welcome to the Fifteen Minute Novel. Here I take the start of a story idea and work on it for fifteen minutes a day. I started with an old writing prompt that interested me, cleaned it up a bit to fit the basic outline of the story I want to write and then set aside fifteen minutes each week day to see it grow. Each morning’s writing starts with the last sentence of the day before. And so now we have the story of Kasca…
Day 3: She didn’t even know if the others had enough magic to open the mines or if they had to go the longer route skirting the edges of the mountain and working their way through the forests.
She didn’t even know if the others had enough magic to open the mines or if they had to go the longer route skirting the edges of the mountain and working their way through the forests. The mines had always been safer, but with fewer and fewer who could open the pathway, they weren’t used as much.
Kasca took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Once those who were Touched were considered the perfect runners. They were sent to crisscross the lands despite the Overlord’s desire to keep each of the districts separated. They brought news and information from the Northlands to the Southlands as well as Eastlands to Westlands. The districts stood at the compass points with the overlord’s centrally claimed area touching each. To reach a separate district, his personal territory had to be crossed.
To do so, magic, no matter how slight was a useful tool. It helped access the more hidden pathways, but somehow even those who didn’t use their magic when crossing the central zone had a higher percentage of success at surviving it.
‘Not a high percentage though,’ Kasca thought.
She swung her small pack off her back and delved inside for her lantern. She needed to look for signs of the others as well as navigate whatever obstacles the mine held. Before lighting the lantern, Kasca let herself listen for sounds within the mine, adjusting to the closed darkness. She could hear nothing moving around and felt the stone press around her, isolating her from the rest of the world.
Others she knew were bothered but the feel of the mines, but Kasca always found the enclosure comforting in some odd way.
Many runners, those with magic and those without died and village leaders became hesitant to send anyone Touched beyond the borders. They were too useful at home and the loss of each who did not return was felt keenly. Their numbers were few and no one wanted them to drop too far. While useful for daily life, the Touched had access to the secret places. There grain could be stored when the Overlord’s Governors and their agents came to collect. With hidden supplies, the people would be less likely to starve when the agents left too little behind in an attempt to meet an artificially imposed quota.
The touched could also open safe zones should the villagers need to hide. With fewer Touched, such things were becoming more difficult to manage. Most districts were no longer sending their Touched as runners. Kasca was only sent this time because the need was so great. Even then there were those who argued against it.
Kasca set the arguments to the side as she lit the lantern. She tucked her firestrike away and lifted the lantern high. She doubted any of the last three runners had enough magic to open the mines, but looking for their markers was habit. Before the Touched were prevented from travel, she worked as a runner for nearly a decade, but it had been several years since she passed this way.
Kasca looked around and found the only marker that was placed was hers, remaining untouched since her last pass through the mountain. She added another mark to it denoting her return visit and feeling saddened at the lack of other marks.
‘Something to mourn when I am home and safe,’ she thought looking around.
While there were no signs of any runners, there were also no signs of anyone else using the tunnels which meant they might still be safe. Even though she knew the entrance was sealed, Kasca had no desire to linger near the sealed door. There was always the chance someone could open it and she didn’t want to be the first thing they saw. She shrugged her pack onto her back and held her lantern high, studying the tunnels looking for damage as she began her journey.
Ten til Midnight 