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 74: She took a deep breath and realized her energy faded with the scrying and she would need to eat.
She took a deep breath and realized her energy faded with the scrying and she would need to eat. Still weighted down by grief the thought had little appeal but she knew she needed energy if she was going to accomplish the tasks she set out for herself.
“I need the information to keep myself safe and to figure out where I need to go so I can help others.” She told herself. Luckily the rations stored here needed little preparation work. They were the sort meant to be eaten without cooking involved. The fare always grew wearisome when she was traveling, but for now she just needed to refuel.
She expected a hot meal would be comforting, but it was also likely to cause memories to rise and add to the grief she was already feeling. ‘Trail rations are best now,’ she thought settling down to eat.
Kasca ate and when she cleaned up, she slept. She was too tired to dream and when she woke, Kasca decided that too might be for the best. She ate her morning meal and settled in with her scrying bowl. Familiar with how her mind and energy levels worked, Kasca started with the simple scrying. She scouted out the possible ports off the island and saw the expected snow melt making passage impossible. No one passage looked any better than the others. All looked abandoned and currently impassible, but all of them also had small boats around that she could maneuver on her own.
‘Something to monitor,’ she told herself.
She then turned her attention south to the sanctuary. Kasca started at the cottage where she spent the winter and seeing it as before, she went out of the palisade, traveling up to the Sanctuary. Halfway up the path, she saw a delegation walking towards the enclosure.
Kasca hadn’t heard their instructions but didn’t think they varied too much from the day before. She followed them back to the enclosure. It was strange seeing the palisade from the exterior. As she watched, she realized what else was strange.
They were moving as quietly as possible. Kasca blinked. Several of the people were guardsmen and had the appropriate weapons. All metal plate was switched for leather and all weapons were muffled with cloth so there would be no sound of metal clanking to give away their approach.
‘They mean to take me by surprise,’ she realized.
Kasca felt her mouth open slightly in surprise. She thought they would escort her to the boat and send her off to return to wherever she came from, possibly tracking her to see where she did go. This was something different. Kasca watched as they lifted the bar from the gate, moving quietly and deliberately.
‘Won’t help as it is barred from the other side as well.’ Kasca thought.
She waited and watched. The bar was removed but the gate didn’t open. There was a tersely whispered conversation involving the word blockages and one of the guardsmen moved forward. She saw him employ some sort of magical sight which turned the gate see-through for a moment. Kasca hadn’t seen that spell before and memorized the words and gestures thinking it could be helpful later.
With the sight they were able to see the secondary bar. A second guard moved forward and he used a different spell to send a line of heat into the interior bar, burning through the fastenings so the gate could be opened. This spell too Kasca memorized as it was used to open the gate. With the gate now unbared, it was pushed open just wide enough to allow entry. Kasca held her breath as the men slipped through the narrow opening.
Ten til Midnight 