I had so much fun writing this week. I loved writing the new sequence. It was really fun and I think it will be good once its polished up. Reading over it, it reads like its written in fast forward if that makes sense? Everything just happens really quickly without a lot of description or down time. I’ll fix that later.
So this week I added a new high for me. 19,286 words bringing the total to 113,389 words.
I had no idea it was going to be this long. I’m getting close to the end now.
Here’s some highlights from the labors this week:
As a warning, there is death and mourning/loss and suicide discussed in the second scene.
I wanted to share about six more, but it would be really cumbersome post.
“You’re the king? He made you the king?” Halvar demanded, interrupting Zuriel as he spared with Cyrus.
“What?”
“Agur. Agur made you king?”
“Agur made me king?” Zuriel looked at Halvar confused.
“You didn’t know?”
“I knew he was going to name me his successor, he made me king?”
“What do you think it means to be a successor?” Halvar asked, incredulous.
“That when he died, I would step in. Where did you hear that I am king?”
Halvar handed Zuriel the note he had snatched off a messenger. “He sent out messengers with this.”
Zuriel grabbed it and read it over quickly. “The end of the month. I become king in a month.”
“You didn’t tell me you were going to be the king of Vale?”
Cyrus stepped forward, “You’re going to be king?”
“Excuse me, I need to see Agur.”
He made to pass them but ran into a block both of the naims put up before him.
“Oh no you don’t. How long have you known?” Halvar asked, Cyrus stepping beside him.
“I don’t know, maybe a month.”
Halvar opened his mouth in surprise. “A month?”
Zuriel sighed, pushed his hand through his hair. “I needed to decide if I was going to accept or not. It wasn’t a done deal yet. I would have told you before you found out another way if I knew he was planning to tell everyone today.”
“You’re going to be king!” Cyrus said as a cheer, clapping Zuriel on the back.
“Does Agur not want to be king?” Halvar asked.
“He thinks his rule has been undermined by Samael’s deceit. The people already follow me in the north. It might make the transition away from Samael easier if I take over. I am untainted, so to speak.”
“I had to twist your arm to get you to lead the men out against Samael and now you’re willing to accept the crown?”
“I would prefer to fight and get Agur his throne back, yes, but he thinks this is best. I can’t explain it very well, but it made sense.”
“I think it’s a great idea.” Cyrus said with a smile.
“I didn’t say it wasn’t a good idea, I just don’t know what to think of it. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” He gave a short laugh and shook his head. “Well,” he drew his sword and stabbed it into the earth before kneeling. “Just want to officially pledge to serve you.”
“Oh, Jesus. Halvar, get up.”
Cyrus smiled and copied Halvar’s display.
“Guys,” Zuriel shifted uncomfortably. “Get up, I’m not even king yet. He is just announcing the intention to crown me before we march south.”
Halvar rose with a grin, followed by Cyrus.
“Am I free to leave now?”
“You make the rules, majesty.” Halvar said, still smiling.
Zuriel rolled his eyes and turned away.
“Aila?” He called, looking around the empty room. Hearing no reply, he made his way slowly through the house, finally noting the back door standing open. An obvious trail was left in the dust before it.
He found her seated on the ground before a mural of stone. Without a word he sat down beside her. She rested her head on his shoulder.
“When I came here with Kyra and Zelena we came here. We were exploring all the gardens. I had never seen stone gardens before.” Aila said, eyes fixed on the mural before her. “I looked forward to coming here. I thought we could warn them, that they could flee north with us and we could all join Agur and fight Samael.”
Zuriel glanced at her. Her voice was flat and her face expressionless despite the tears that glinted on her cheeks.
“When we got here it was dusk, just like today. We could tell before we reached the city that there was no one here. It was too dark. A nymph city would never be that dark at night. Maybe I should have been happy to see that there was no one. The city was empty, but the nymphs hadn’t been slaughtered. The buildings hadn’t been destroyed.
“But I just felt empty. It was dark. Just like Lux; just like Enid. I desperately wanted to see the light again. I needed to.” She absently wiped a fresh tear that fell. “I was so broken. I stood right here and wanted to die. It wasn’t fair. Leora was dead. My parents. But I was here in this dark city and I didn’t want to be. I wanted to be with my sister.”
Zuriel moved closer to her as her voice shook, wrapping his arms around her.
“Zelena told me that I couldn’t quit.” She smiled, tears dripping from her chin as her eyes remained on the wall before her. “I asked her why. Why did I have to live and she told me because I am the light. I am a nymph and therefore a light bearer and if I want to be in the light, I had to keep going and carry it with me.
“She told me that if I quit, he wins and he doesn’t get to win after what he did.” Her body trembled with the effort of keeping herself composed enough to speak. “Here I am again. Before this same wall, without them.” She broke, allowing herself to cry freely as Zuriel held her, his own eyes watering. He had been so distracted; he forgot the scars she lived with.
Aila sat up and wiped her eyes. After a moment she lifted her eyes and smiled, her lips trembling. “It’s still there.”
Zuriel followed her gaze. The stone which represented the sun in the mural before them, either rising or setting over the mountains, shone faintly with nymph light.
Aila got carefully to her feet, keeping her eyes fixed on the stone. She walked to it and softly touched it, as if afraid she might put it out. With a faint smile she pushed more light into the stone until it shone as it had the day she first infused it with light.
Zuriel stood beside her, taking her hand. “Darkness flees before light.”
Aila nodded, squeezing his hand. “Light is real and the darkness is not.”
