Silver James

It’s Wednesday. I have new words but they are not the new words you might be expecting. See…sometimes, the story jumpst up and surprises me. Last week’s Thursday Threads prompt was…a tough one. You’ll see why later. First, I have to explain why this week’s snippet has nothing to do with the prompt. And yes, I’ll explain that too. The prompt…it’s weirdly worded and after reading it several times, it sort of made sense but not really. So I dashed off this weird scene to match the words and dang if I hadn’t written a major turning point/spoiler in the book. I love sharing snippets but I try hard to keep them from giving too much of the story away. So, today, you get new words unrelated to the prompt, but they are a continuation of a series of scens posted here previously. When we left off, Ariel and Druic wre having breakfast at their hotel in Rochester and discussing dreams. The beginning of the snippet has been posted before. The new words start in after Ari admonishes Druic to not say her name.

Ariel forked a piece of the French toast, lifted it to his mouth and chewed. “She enjoys the game, Druic. Do you know why it is said that dreams drive us mad?”

Wide-eyed, the kid shook his head.

“Because that is what she does. She crafts the dream, casts it upon her victim, weaving her gossamer web with infinite care. She plucks memories, twists them, trapping her victims until they can do nothing but her will.” Pausing, Ariel stared at the window across the restaurant. “Then again…” He cut off that train of thought. It wasn’t possible.

“Then again, what, Ariel?”

“No. It cannot be. She’s been muzzled for over a century.” He held up a finger staying Druic’s response. “No. Do not say her name. To do so gives her power.”

“Fine then. I will change the subject. I have discovered something.”

Ariel took another bite, waiting.

“The library.”

“What about it?”

“It is far more than it seems.”

“How so?” Ariel had already guessed as much but he was curious about what the boy had discovered for himself.

“We know of the ley lines. And we know there are places where the veil is thinner here. The library is a nexus.” When Ari didn’t respond, Druic continued, disappointment in his voice. “You already knew that.”

“I suspected as much.”

“Are you aware there is a direct line between it and that crypt at the cemetery?”

Ari slowly lowered his fork, a bite of waffle still on it. He stared at the other. “You are positive?”

“I am. I…” Druic hesitated, glancing around. Then he lowered his voice and admitted, “I tested it.”

He really wanted to chastise the boy for being so brazen. Ley lines and nexuses were not to be trifled with, especially by one inexperienced. Instead, he nodded and said, “Be careful when you use them. And finish your breakfast. I think it is time we both visited the library.”

There you have it. And yay, I’ve written a couple of times in the past week, despite this stupid cold. Which has once again reared it’s ugly head. I blame it DST and sleep disruption. Anyway, the actual prompt from last week is: *“They’re staying through every climb and fall.”* If it speaks to you, give it a shot. If not, I don’t really blame you. That said, I hit a major point because of it so yay. Progress. Anybody else make progress on their projects–whatever they might be?