Sunday Snippet: Whatever It Takes

Terrific week on the great office cleanout! I got a ton of shredding done and cleared out from under my table and desk. I got a great hand-vac that did an awesome job of getting the carpet cleaned up. The cabinet I got to put under my desk fits really well and I'm closer to being sorted and organized! One more cabinet for under my table and three bookcases to go. Okay, not quite true. I still have a major amount of shredding to do and then I have the rest of the finding where to put everything phase. But … I can already notice a big difference in having a semi-clear area to work in. It's amazing!

Kind of a slow week for television. I'm working on a developmental edit that requires a lot of focus so I don't use anything as background noise.

I watched a lot of Silent Witness. I'm well into the third season and I like the cast changes.

I also caught several more rune videos. They're actually quite relaxing as well as informative.

Last but not least, I watched the first season finale of The Witcher. Gotta say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I rather liked getting a small bit of backstory about Geralt. Also quite impressed by the mages and Yennifer's role in the battle. I've been a little on the fence with her character but she's definitely growing on me.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Whatever It Takes, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lysanor Bela runs the gauntlet and while she survives the experience, it messes with her mind. She has a vision of killing Baron Saltman—and gauntlet revelations are never wrong. Lys will do whatever it takes to keep Baron alive as long as possible—even if it means walking away from their relationship.

And a preview snippet…

Lys caught her breath, trying not to succumb to a heavy lethargy. "I don't have time." Rising on wobbly legs, she fought her weighted limbs and trudged forward. "I will not fail."

Eerie howls and screeches filled her head. Wraith-like shadows followed her everywhere. Inky darkness swallowed her whole.

"Holy shit. Did I fall into a void?" She might not find her way out if she had.

She shook her head. No … voids were rumored to exist but no one had actually been lost in one. At least not to her knowledge.

But what if they are real?

No. Even if they were, she couldn't give in. She had to get out.

Trying to focus and block out the chaotic noise, she moved, never stopping even when her body fought her. Driven by instinct, she started a climb—she couldn't progress any other way. The drowning sensation got worse the higher she went but her senses also grew sharper.

Pulling herself one hand and one foot upward at a time, she struggled to breathe. "I'm so close. I can feet it." She finally broke free, tumbling out of the gauntlet, gasping for air.

Disoriented, she dragged clean, clear air into her lungs but her vision blurred. Exhaustion won out and she collapsed, facedown, on the ground. Med techs swarmed around her. Who called them? Baron. Of course. Always thinking of me. When the techs whisked her off, she had one fleeting glimpse of Baron. The urge to reach out hit hard, but the predictive image of her slicing his throat wouldn't fade away. She survived the gauntlet and achieved mage status but the cost might just break her. Turning her head away, she closed her eyes. She couldn't face yet … maybe not ever. I won't be the instrument of his end. It's my turn to take care of him.

I like the challenge of writing Lys and her journey. Baron is a steady guy but he'll face a set of hurdles too. Fun stuff!

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye