NaNo 2017

So I finished NaNo on the 18th, and was quite happy with my progress.  Not only did I reach 50K, I did it early, so I didn't have to worry about writing over Thanksgiving days.  I got a little over half-way through the story, so I will get back to writing in December and hopefully finish this book by the end of the year.  (yay!)

So for now, enjoy a few excerpts!

One

“Tonight, we will prepare for the celebration as best we can, and alter our appearances.  If she doesn’t suspect us, she won’t play close attention.  We just need to avoid instant recognition and not draw attention to ourselves.  That’s all.”

“Not draw attention to ourselves?  We are a traveling band of minstrels!  We go around playing music and hoping to draw attention!”  I waved my hands for emphasis.  “We are practically going to walk in front of Queen Moreno, play a song, and scream, Look at us! We’re your most hated enemies! Come and kill us!”

“Okay, so there is a small flaw in our plan, but...”

“A small flaw?  You call instant death a flaw?”

“Maybe a minor set back, but...”

“So death is just a minor set back?”

(Yeah, Marywyn can be a bit dramatic...especially when she's worried, stressed, and panicking...)

Two

“We might be able to rally a number of the Silencers, but they are leaderless, and men without a brave leader are not brave on their own.”

 “Could I convince them?”

 “You could.  But you are not a warrior, Marywyn.  Warriors do not need words to put them at their bravest.  Warriors need their leader - the one they look up to.  That’s where they get their strength and their bravery.”

 I closed my eyes, refusing to let the still fresh tears flow.  “What about you, Rayn?  You’re the Second in Command of the West Band.  You’re the Captain now, come to think of it.  You can lead them.  The Silencers will follow you, at least.”

 “I’m not their captain, and they know it.  The Silencers died when he did, Marywyn.”

(Hits me in the feels - every time.)

Three

I opened to the first page, though the darkness made the words unreadable.  “Thank you, Nahale.  I will try to read it as often as I can.”

“And if you need help, I would gladly read it with you.  Or Lavern, or anyone else.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and don’t be afraid to go to the Lord for help.  Acknowledging your weaknesses is not foolish, but rather the first step to overcoming them and receiving help.”

(Marywyn gets her first copy of the Bible.)

Four

This was more people than I had ever performed for before.  The practice I had had had had no means to prepare me for such a gathering.  So many eager faces, waiting for a good song, staring up at me.

(Seriously, those four hads...I ran around the house showing it off to everyone and laughing manically when I realized what I had written...)

Five

I shifted my lute, swallowed as naturally as I could, and finished my breakfast without looking up.  An attempted casual scan of the room showed him still looking at me.

Time to leave.

Preferably a take-off-in-a-flash-of-cloak-and-sword-and-no-one-even-glances-up-Duren-style leave.

Six

“You will take me there?  Do they have real services?  Do they sing?”

“Yes and yes.  Have you never gone to one?”

“Never.  My old nurse read the Bible to me, and I read it on my own now.  I try to sing, but I cannot risk being overheard.  I would go to a worship service, but I don’t know where to go, or how I would go without escaping notice.  But I’ve longed for a day when I could go to church, and sit with other believers, and learn even more about the Lord and have my little faith strengthened.”

(Imagine being a grown adult and a Christian and never gone to Church before.  Spoiler: she cries.)

Well, enjoy!  And drop a comment if you have any questions about the trilogy - I'd be happy to chat about it.  :)