More story. Pretend there are 1. actual descriptions and 2. three or four more characters. These folks won't be necessary again for a long while, and I just don't want to spend the time on them right now. “They’re like vultures, hanging around to pick at the remains! And he isn’t even dead yet!” The young man with a mop of disheveled brown hair and spectacles that marked him as what he was—a junior scholar in the palace library—wasn’t really paying attention to what he was saying. His companions hushed him. “Oh, dear… sorry Veri.” He sent and apologetic glance to a young woman with dark hair and her own pair of spectacles, perched precariously on her nose. “It’s okay, Len,” she replied softly. “It’s true. That’s why I left. I’ll have to go back, but… it’s nicer here.” The others—a mishmash of people who clearly belonged in this un-exalted yet interesting section of the palace—shifted uncomfortably. Verynn was their friend, more or less. She spent as much time here than she did in the Tower, even if she mostly researched esoteric magical subjects for her father, in areas so dry they did not interest even the most diligent mundane scholar. So what if she was the daughter of the Master Magician, and a frequent guest at the king’s table? A daughter couldn’t follow her father’s footsteps, and the Tower didn’t hold much for non-magicians. The regulars at the palace library had always felt vaguely sorry for their friend, when they remembered that this ordinarily animated, intelligent young woman was not technically one of their number. But Verynn wasn’t animated now, and that made them nervous. Everyone wanted to talk about the dying Master—it buzzed around the palace, and this group had been up all night discussing it—but they couldn’t bring themselves to gossip while the man’s daughter sat among them. Besides, she was their friend. Anxiety was short lived—the individual in question rose, said her goodbyes, and made a graceful exit. The library hummed, happily discussing the procedures for selecting a new Master Magician, previous cases in which in the succession had been in doubt, and the ancient but extremely binding documents that prevented them from going to the Tower and seeing for themselves what was going on. What would happen next, and how would it impact the very real possibility of war with Tarden? Could anyone possibly match the legend of Mendar Goldenhawk? The Master Magician was dying, and it touched even here, where few outside events intruded. If I really wanted Verynn to display interesting character development, I'd have to start much earlier in the story. At this point in her life she's accomplished and confident... just not always in public. ~Erin, 10:54 PM Comments: Post a Comment
