This was a productive week. I added 4,644 words to The Shadow of Vale bringing the word count up to 18,364.
I really enjoyed writing this week. I think I have some good material to work with.
As I have multiple strands going now, most of which I believe I have introduced you guys to, I wanted to give snippets from each strand I wrote in this week with the exception of one which I only wrote a major plot point in which I do not wish to give away just yet. 🙂
Scenes from this week’s work:
With Aila, Uri, and Leora:
“Surely its dark enough now.” Aila said impatiently. Being cramped within a hedge through out the heat of the day had made her irritable.
Uri looked out the gap once more. The sun had just set, the darkness hadn’t completely fallen yet. “Just half an hour more.”
Aila growled with frustration and leaned back against the wall. Leora who had been sleeping on her lap stirred. After looking around sleepily, she sat up. “Are we leaving soon? I want to see the underground nymphs.”
“Soon.” Uri told her with a smile.
Now freed of her sister, Aila stretched her legs. She wished to stand. Her back ached, her legs were stiff and the still air of their hiding place made her long for a breeze against her face. “We could stand against the wall at least until its dark enough to head to Tooli.”
Uri looked out once more then back at the annoyed nymph. “Alright.”
Aila nearly ran over her sister in her rush to be free of the blind she had made. Uri climbed out just quickly enough to not be shoved out of the way. While tempted to scold her, he just smiled to himself.
Aila reached her arms up as far as they would go, standing up on her toes. She then touched her toes and tried to run through moving every stiff muscle. Leora tried to imitate her.
“Better?” Uri asked.
Aila felt her face warm. “Yes. Thank you. I’m sorry for being rude about it.”
Uri nodded, “I was ready to be out of there as well. I am just trying to keep you safe.”
“I know.” Aila smiled and followed him against the wall to wait for the darkness to deepen.
And a scene with Akil, Cyrus, and Zuriel:
The bridge had a singularly strange feel to it. It was too narrow to allow for the usual comforts of a sub realm where the illusion of size could be created. On either side of them was a thin membrane of reality that somehow got into their heads. The nymphs had lined trees along the path to lessen the effect, but it was just so small.
Akil looked down the path to the end where the nymphs continued to push out. Zuriel was nestled against him as he leaned against a tree. Cyrus lay sleeping not far beyond the small camp they had set. It was night, but this thin strip of reality had no day or night. It was always a nymph lightened dawn.
More than the strange lighting, Akil sat awake thinking of Enid. He feared for it. Though he knew it was not him, or Agur who set their world on the path it now travelled, he couldn’t shake the feeling of responsibility for it. Lux lay dark, he had at a minimum helped to speed that. Now they had left Enid behind to its fate.
“Is the light bothering you?”
Akil turned to the nymph who had wandered from the camp behind them where the nymphs were resting from an earlier shift.
“It will be difficult to get used to their being one light all the time.” Akil said with a slight smile.
“I could make a shelter for you, it might help.” She suggested.
“That’s very kind, but I couldn’t ask you to spend yourself when you are supposed to be resting. I honestly don’t think it will help me sleep that much anyway.”
The nymph nodded and sat down nearby. “I am having trouble adjusting to the light. Not able to sleep.” She spoke with her eyes on the child sleeping against Akil’s chest.
“What’s your name?”
With some effort, she pulled her eyes from the child to answer the naim, “Ashnah. I was told your name is Akil?” She looked at him to confirm what she had been told.
“I am. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I heard Lux was destroyed. Is that true?”
Akil sighed, the welcome distraction had come around to remind him of what was weighing on him already. He nodded.
Ashnah looked away a moment, trying to find a way to get answers for the many questions the strange rumors she heard had brought up. “It’s the child we are trying to get to Halcyon?”
He didn’t reply for several moments. Ashnah was on the point of apologizing and excusing herself when he finally decided on answering her.
“Yes. That is our duty.”
“To ensure Samael can’t destroy the Lux nymphs?” He looked with open curiosity at Akil.
“In a sense. Really, we are doing it to stop Samael from destroying Vale. It will take time, but this brave child is the key to a plan to restore peace to Vale.”
At this Ashnah smiled, “I should very much like to be apart of stopping him. Of restoring peace.” She looked at the child with a happy sort of confusion. “I don’t understand, but I am glad of your efforts. Glad to be part of them.”
“We appreciate your work.” Akil said, growing more serious than he had been. He made a mental note to express more appreciation to the nymphs who were so expending themselves to get them safely north.
