Sunday Snippet: The Souvenir

Well, February has so far been a crazy mix of freezing, in the teens temperatures and mild almost spring-like weather. Mother Nature is in a mercurial mood right now and it's wild trying to figure out how to dress for the day. I miss being able to get my winter stuff out and not having to bother with warm-weather clothes for a couple of months.

Had a busy week with work projects and have a couple more lined up in the near future. I'm kind of happy they're all different types of manuscripts and none are in the same stage of editing.

Had a slow week of television. I'm still working to get everything from the old PC to the new one and ran into another snag with trying to set up my email accounts. Spent a large portion of the week trying to figure that out and get it working. Bleh.

I did catch the pilot episode of Pennyworth and really enjoyed it. I've heard great things and now that I know season three is the end, I'm going to attempt to watch before it disappears too.

I also watched the second part of the Battlestar Galactica miniseries with one of my friends. I'm so excited to have this rewatch party to look forward to each week. We'll be trying two episodes a week starting with season one.

Got a start on the latest season of Midsomer Murders. Barely got through the opening credits so I'll have to finish up this week.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from The Souvenir, a novella that starts a four-book series that has yet to be named.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Melick Traynor and Ramona Peartry, childhood friends and top students in the Academy of Light, compete for prominence in their respective classes. But when Melick throws out a challenge, Ramona takes an insane risk to prove him wrong and winds up tangling with the dragon plaguing campus grounds.

And a preview snippet…

Melick Traynor stormed into the mage superior's tower. "You can't call off the search for Ramona." He risked much, voicing his opinion, but the mage superior would at least let him vent.

The man happened to be his grandfather.

Melick stopped in front of Afton Traynor's large table. "We can't give up on her." Missing for most of the day, the hour approached midnight when the cumbersome beast liked to plague the campus with its ire. No one not on patrol should be out alone. And Ramona didn't report in, which didn't necessarily mean anything, but the weird vibe Melick couldn't shake said otherwise.

He'd been blessedly happy for the session break because she'd have something else to focus on like figuring out if she wanted to stay in dorms or move to a residential cottage. The bane of his existence, Ramona loved nothing more than pulling pranks, stunts, and practical jokes whenever he'd be close at hand. And usually on the receiving end of more than a few.

He'd gladly forgive every single happenstance if they found her. Melick didn't realize how much he'd grown to care about her until he no longer had her underfoot.

The mage superior glanced up, his eyes stern. "Do you believe I want to?" He unclasped his hands and indicated Melick should sit.

Melick didn't. Instead, he paced. How did he express how important Ramona had become? Afton cared deeply, of course he would. Ramona's grandfather had been Afton's best friend. When he passed on, the elder Traynor took on the role of surrogate keeper.

"It's session break and we're spread too thin to keep this up." Afton rose and gathered his robes, draping them like a mantle over his shoulders. "We must be vigilant and guard against more attacks."

He slowly walked around his table and Melick noticed how tired his grandfather appeared.

Afton stopped by the tower window, gazing out at the grounds below. "Ramona is capable. Very much so. Her natural ability surpasses many of the upper level ranks." He angled his head to shoot Melick a knowing look. "You, of all people, know this."

Melick did. But she lacked control, especially when it came to physical manifestations and that usually led to trouble. And Grandfather is well aware of that.

Melick heaved a sigh. "I won't give up on her." He met the older man's gaze. "No one can stop me from searching on my own time."

The no one Melick referred to was Master Sawitch. His grandfather's oldest living friend and number two in the Academy of Light echelon. Sawitch had a major problem with Ramona. They butted heads over everything from the pranks she played to his rigid adherence to the Book of Lumina. Ramona thought set boundaries should be pushed against and Sawitch believed the opposite.

Their opposing point of views made for some interesting debates in open forum.

And Ramona got away with pushing the envelope due to her status as the ward of the mage superior. Afton doted on Ramona, much to Sawitch's consternation. Melick quite enjoyed the drama centered on the dynamics when they played out, especially when not directed at him.

I'm still trying to decide if this will be an Academy of Light story or if I'll rename the place of study, but Melick and Ramona don't care as long as they're front and center.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye