I trust that catching up with comments isn't too much trouble? I did try to switch the writing out for a month for shorter things so you both didn't miss too much and wouldn't have to comment a lot on them :)
The Magician "Well, someone's arrived," said Fabian. He sounded much calmer than he felt; his heart was racing in his chest. "I wonder who thinks that that is knocking?" Rystin stared at him, his eyes wide. "You're spending too much time around the HR manager," he said. "How can you be so calm? That's either the Empire come to kill us all for messing around with their secrets, or the Auditors." "Come to kill us all for messing around with their secrets," said Dread, sounding as calm as Fabian. Rystin switched his wide-eyed gaze to Dread, who shrugged. "Seems likely whoever broke in here just now is looking for us, and I doubt it's for Fabian's autograph." "We have to dismantle this," said Sebastian, pointing at the altar. Fabian thought that the gesture was a little unnecessary, and then it occurred to him that Sebastian could probably see more things there than he could. "I don't think we have time," said Dread. "At least, I'm pretty sure we're going to be interrupted if we try doing it now." "We have to!" Sebastian's voice was a howl of pain and rage. "How long will it take? Maybe we can delay whoever is coming while you--" "Days," said Dread promptly. "This is a complicated spell, well spells actually, and it's been running for years. This will not turn off by waving a wand and wishing." He hauled Sebastian to his feet. "But we don't know much about it, still, so for now we are going to go and hide and see if these visitors will give us more information." "What?!" Rystin and Fabian spoke together this time. "Is there another way out?" Fabian frowned. "Obviously," he said. "But I don't know where, we've only looked at the exhibits up here really. Not even them, to be honest. But there will be a back door, and side doors, and tradesman entrances, and probably a big goods entrance an--" "Do you know where any of them are?" Dread sounded slightly impatient as he interrupted Fabian's litany of exit potential. "Ah... no." "So for now, we hide. Everybody, upstairs." "Upstairs?" Dread started pushing Sebastian ahead of him. "Yes. Remember the statues of Esmaranth? We're going to go and hide up there, amongst them." "Didn't you say they were dangerous?" Dread looked back over his shoulder. "Hurry up! And yes, I did, but I also looked them up yesterday and learned about their activation symbols. You're all to stay away from the Magician -- I'll point it out when we're up there -- and we should be just fine." "Famous last words," muttered Fabian, but he hurried along after the other three, wondering how long it would take whoever had broken in to climb the stairs after them.
Greg - ah, it's all good. I enjoy reading your writing, so the length is never an issue. Just finding time to work through the backlog that I keep allowing to grow so damn big.
Hah, quite enjoyed Fabian and Dread's reactions. Quite unexpected. And I appreciate your incorporation of the prompt. Curious to see what is soon to be revealed.
2 comments:
I trust that catching up with comments isn't too much trouble? I did try to switch the writing out for a month for shorter things so you both didn't miss too much and wouldn't have to comment a lot on them :)
The Magician
"Well, someone's arrived," said Fabian. He sounded much calmer than he felt; his heart was racing in his chest. "I wonder who thinks that that is knocking?"
Rystin stared at him, his eyes wide. "You're spending too much time around the HR manager," he said. "How can you be so calm? That's either the Empire come to kill us all for messing around with their secrets, or the Auditors."
"Come to kill us all for messing around with their secrets," said Dread, sounding as calm as Fabian. Rystin switched his wide-eyed gaze to Dread, who shrugged. "Seems likely whoever broke in here just now is looking for us, and I doubt it's for Fabian's autograph."
"We have to dismantle this," said Sebastian, pointing at the altar. Fabian thought that the gesture was a little unnecessary, and then it occurred to him that Sebastian could probably see more things there than he could.
"I don't think we have time," said Dread. "At least, I'm pretty sure we're going to be interrupted if we try doing it now."
"We have to!" Sebastian's voice was a howl of pain and rage.
"How long will it take? Maybe we can delay whoever is coming while you--"
"Days," said Dread promptly. "This is a complicated spell, well spells actually, and it's been running for years. This will not turn off by waving a wand and wishing." He hauled Sebastian to his feet. "But we don't know much about it, still, so for now we are going to go and hide and see if these visitors will give us more information."
"What?!" Rystin and Fabian spoke together this time.
"Is there another way out?"
Fabian frowned. "Obviously," he said. "But I don't know where, we've only looked at the exhibits up here really. Not even them, to be honest. But there will be a back door, and side doors, and tradesman entrances, and probably a big goods entrance an--"
"Do you know where any of them are?" Dread sounded slightly impatient as he interrupted Fabian's litany of exit potential.
"Ah... no."
"So for now, we hide. Everybody, upstairs."
"Upstairs?"
Dread started pushing Sebastian ahead of him. "Yes. Remember the statues of Esmaranth? We're going to go and hide up there, amongst them."
"Didn't you say they were dangerous?"
Dread looked back over his shoulder. "Hurry up! And yes, I did, but I also looked them up yesterday and learned about their activation symbols. You're all to stay away from the Magician -- I'll point it out when we're up there -- and we should be just fine."
"Famous last words," muttered Fabian, but he hurried along after the other three, wondering how long it would take whoever had broken in to climb the stairs after them.
Greg - ah, it's all good. I enjoy reading your writing, so the length is never an issue. Just finding time to work through the backlog that I keep allowing to grow so damn big.
Hah, quite enjoyed Fabian and Dread's reactions. Quite unexpected. And I appreciate your incorporation of the prompt. Curious to see what is soon to be revealed.
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