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 142: Kasca soon turned away from watching them.
Kasca soon turned away from watching them. She returned to her nightly study of the library, adding to her collection of spells and general knowledge. She was in fact amazed by the amount of subjects cataloged in the library. There was a great deal of disarray about the collection. It was as if they simply grabbed any book that came into sight and added it to the library regardless.
To her delight she found books that dealt with the kingdom where she lived and she learned more about it’s history as well as the history of the city where she now resided. It was interesting but there was a dated feel to it. It took her a while to realize why and once she did, Kasca marveled that she hadn’t though of it sooner. The books were collected as the Overlord began banning educational efforts and reading became the province of only a few. Many of the books were taken in for safe keeping simply so they couldn’t be destroyed.
‘And none of them are current because once the Overlord’s rule was established and the Sanctuary cut off, no more books arrived,’ Kasca realized. She shook her head wondering how she could have missed that.
‘Still, I suppose a little background information isn’t a bad thing.’
As she went to work in the shop downstairs, clearing it and getting it ready for the morning, Kasca wondered if she should pick up a more recently written book dealing with the city and the kingdom. She knew many of the noble houses that resided in the city and it’s surrounds mostly because she dealt with their messengers when the family needed medicine. She knew the name of the royal house but little else about the rulers of the kingdom. It seemed like a gap in her knowledge that she ought to think about filling.
‘Maybe tonight I’ll look into that,’ she thought as she tied her working apron on over her dress. Taking a little time to scry and find out a few things could prevent her from asking awkward questions when looking for information.
‘Even if I do have the money to purchase a book.’ Thus far she had only purchased blank volumes and loose papers in which to write her collected spells and to work on the elements needed for the Blood Death cure. She had yet to purchase a bound volume.
‘Although I haven’t bought much more than the absolute necessities,’ she reminded herself. When she arrived she slowly added the basic comforts of home so that the apartment above looked like a residence instead of a place where she was simply camping out. While it looked settled, once the disease began to spread through the city, Kasca put most things to the side.
She sent her clothing out for laundering, bathed, ate the basics and slept when she needed it. All of her market purchases were ingredients for potions, and despite keeping the cost for the cure low, coins flowed into her account. She put them in the bank because there was no time to spend them.
‘Not that I would spend that much anyway.’
Kasca thought about a few small luxuries but even then the list was short. She had no need for fine velvets and silks as work in the apothecary would soon ruin them. It was better to put them by for a time when they were needed.
Kasca knew to be seen buying a book would be seen as a luxury, but given her occupation, it might also be viewed as a work-related item.
‘I could look for a volume dealing with the cultivation of rare plants in the garden,’ she thought. Now that she knew what the former owner grew there, Kasca could see some gaps in the plantings. She thought that if she went into the bookshop and searched for such things it would be understandable. ‘I could add an extra book on the kingdom that just happened to catch my eye,’ she decided. It was a good plan so that no one asked why she had such little knowledge of the area. She would still scry about a bit to see how such a search might come across to anyone watching. She didn’t think anyone was watching, but it never hurt to be careful.
