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 7: The dreams faded with time but with the new doors the dreams returned.
The dreams faded with time but with the new doors the dreams returned. Kasca frowned. The base sign was the same in her dreams, but it had none of the other markings. There was no symbol of the overlord, no demarcation for treason. There weren’t any of the pre-overlord signs marking accident, or disease. There was just the symbol for death.
While Kaska wasn’t as fond of dream interpretation as many of the Touched were, even she could see meaning in some dreams. The earlier dreams stirred by the door replacements she understood, the change sparking old memories. She couldn’t see the connection now.
‘Maybe it is the missing runners,’ she thought. She tried dismissing the thought as she rummaged in her bag for her waterskin and a small ration. She drank and ate sitting in the darkness as her mind continued to turn over dreams of death. She had no further answers by the time she finished. Instead of dwelling on it, she shouldered her pack, lit her lantern and descended from the sleeping alcove.
She felt her full bladder but wanted to leave the tunnel where she slept before relieving herself. She climbed down carefully and moved to one of the other blocked tunnels to relieve herself before heading back towards the exit.
This time when she used magic to reveal the door, there was only a lightening of the edge. She eased the door open and found the sun was setting. The crimson light was only a red glow on the far horizon and most of the world was in shadow. Kasca eased herself out of the tunnels and sealed them behind her so the rock face was solid and unbroken.
The entrance was concealed by a carefully placed rockfall and Kasca eased herself around the rubble, the not quite a path slowly descending. By the time she emerged from the tangle of rocks, night had fallen fully and she had reached the tree line. Here there were woods, well-tended and managed for the use of the village. There was a main path that went around the mountain while the tunnels went through it. This was used by those taking goods to the Overlord. The road was clear and open.
It was inviting but knowing there could still be patrols, Kasca did not accept the invitation. She knew she did not have the proper permits for travel. ‘If they are even issuing them anymore.’
That was something she would have to check on in town. There were fewer and fewer travel permits being granted these days and nearly everyone possessing them had an obvious reason for travel. Without a wagon of goods, she doubted she would pass no matter what the papers said. ‘And even then, the wagon would need to go towards the Overlord.’
She kept to the deeper woods as she worked her way slowly towards the town. Once there she could speak to her contacts, pass on the information she was sent to relay and hopefully learn things in return.
Ten til Midnight 