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 145: Jeron leaned against the counter and looked interested in the story.
Jeron leaned against the counter and looked interested in the story. Kasca left out any part of the story that dealt with her scrying or the attack by those of the sanctuary. She merely claimed that she went to the sanctuary and learned of both the Overlord’s fleeing and death as well as the preliminary remedy.
“It was clear it wasn’t something that would work for everyone but I wanted to get back to my people and see if I could help them,” Kasca told Jeron. “I worked on the various components as I travelled to come up with a more viable option.”
“And did it help your hometown of…” Jeron let the sentence trail.
“Deva,” Kasca supplied. “No,” I got there too late,” She told him. “I couldn’t save anyone. In fact, I found only the dead and abandoned. So I crossed.”
“You came here.”
“It seemed safer,” Kasca told him.
“Safer than one of the hamlets?” He looked puzzled. “I would have thought one of the smaller villages…”
Kasca shook her head. “Not with the warning markers,” she replied. “The bodies of travelers were displayed along the road. The signage too was forbidding. I skirted them all and came here. I found a shop for sale that I could afford to purchase with the savings I carried and with supplies to hand I continued to work on the remedy trying for something that would be more effective should the Blood Death return.”
Jeron’s face cleared but he looked sad. He nodded. “I didn’t realize the warnings were still in place. The villages near the coast fared the worst and were, for a time quite lawless. I can see where the city was your safest bet. Even if I would not suspect a young lady to normally try for the city on her own.”
Kasca kept her thoughts on the matter to herself.
“May I watch you concoct the remedy?” Jeron asked. “I am no healer, my skills lay more in distance seeing,” he said. Jeron dipped his head in false modesty.
“You must be quite good if you serve the king directly,” Kasca replied.
“Well I do my best,” he replied, clearly flattered.
“I will be happy to set up another batch,” Kasca said, but it is a many stepped process that will not be completed by the time the magistrate sends someone to collect you for dinner.”
“I suspected as much,” Jeron said nodding. “If it were a simple concoction no doubt someone would have sorted it out earlier. Still if you could set up the start and walk me through the steps, that would be helpful.”
“Of course,” Kasca said. She cleared away the items she brought out for the potion she planned and instead collecting the items needed for the various infusions and potions she needed to create and blend together. As she set the items out, Kasca explained the items she was using and why to Jeron. She showed him how magic was used to enhance certain properties in the ingredients before the potions were even created. She then showed the different potions that needed to be brewed, cooled and then blended, again with both magic and binding herbs. Jeron watched quietly as she explained and then began her work.
