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 75: Kasca held her breath as the men slipped through the narrow opening.
Kasca held her breath as the men slipped through the narrow opening. She watched as they slipped into the area enclosed by the palisades. They moved quietly in the early morning light. One of them pointed to the chimney and the lack of smoke a evidence that she was not yet awake.
Kasca watched in horrified fascination as they fanned out, several of the man going to the back door of the house as several went to the front. They slipped the latches. They were simple things, merely meant to keep the wind from blowing the doors open and not for keeping out other people. Kasca allowed her sight to slip inside, not wanting to miss what they did, how they reacted.
They entered through the two doors simultaneously. The cottage wasn’t large and it took less than an instant for them to see the made bed was empty, the fire cold and swept clean and the pack she brought with her gone.
To their credit, they searched the pantry and the storage loft. They looked in every single possible hiding spots, one even looking under the bed. After they trouped through the yard, searching the outhouse and any other potential hiding spot outside the cottage. One even poked the stacked firewood incase it had hidden depths.
When she wasn;t found, one man was sent back to the main sanctuary to report in, another was sent to the river to look for her boat and the rest fanned out incase she was somehow hiding outside of the palisade. Knowing she wasn’t in the woods and that they would find the boat gone, Kasca opted to follow the messenger back to the Sanctuary.
She was not surprised to find Jascon waiting.
“Is it done?” he asked when the man appeared. “Is the Overlord’s spy dead?” Jascon was still in his dressing gown, his breakfast tray newly placed upon the table. “I assume that is why you are reporting in,” he continued. “We will have to blame the contagion. Saying she was too far gone for my cure to work, of course. The loss of information on the Overlord will be regrettable, but clearly it couldn’t be helped.”
“She wasn’t there,” the guard finally gasped out.
Jascon’s head snapped up, his lazy, self-satisfied manner evaporating.
“Not there.”
“No, my lord, The cottage was empty. It looks as though she has been gone some time.”
“I see,” Jascon said. “Search everywhere in case,” he ordered. “I suspect she has scurried off to her master now that she realizes she will get nothing from us but it will be good to check. I will scry to see what I can ascertain.”
The guard nodded and bowed his way out of the chamber. Jascon let him go. Kasca decided it would be better to stay with Jascon, if only to see if he could locate her with his scrying.
Jascon seemed annoyed as he sat down and ate his breakfast. He consumed the meal but looked as though his mind was far from the food. Kasca almost left, thinking there was little she could gain from staring at him as he ate.
“Kelson’s gone,” he said finally. “So is Dollis.” He sighed. “We don’t have any scryers who can reach past the coast now. Damn the Overlord’s restrictions. Maybe Goran can try.” Jascon nodded to himself as ate. “He might be the best choice.”
Kasca listened and realized something that hadn’t occurred to her.
Ten til Midnight 