Still rather far behind, but making headway faster than I would have thought. These lunch hour 1k’s are coming in handy. Hopefully I can catch up to word count this weekend. Snippet below, for your consideration:
from THE CATALYST
“Your hair. Do you know what it means?”
Her hands itched with the urge to lift her hood and hide under it, but she clenched them at her sides instead.
“It means nothing,” she said.
“No,” the Master said, his tone suddenly low and full of import. “It means a great deal.”
Too many memories swirled in her head at once, and the force of her shame was too much to bear. Stella pushed past the wizard and ran for the door, thinking only that she must leave there as quickly as possible. In her haste, she brushed against the Master’s side, and the bundle he had been carrying fell to the floor. A myriad of items scattered across the wooden floor, stones and a small chalice, a pendent in the shape of a cross and vials of dark liquid. Without thinking, she crouched to help gather them, twenty years of good breeding taking over in an instant.
The object nearest her hand was a small bottle of liquid the color of night. She picked it up lightly between her fingers and extended her hand towards Master Riordan. Before he could take it, however, the liquid inside began to bubble, burn, and she dropped it like the hot coal it had suddenly become. She was aware that both the Wizard and his Apprentice were staring at her with unabashed shock, but she couldn’t bring herself to lift her head and meet their eyes.
Long moments dragged by. No one spoke. She couldn’t tell if she’d done something wrong, or if the silence was from anger or surprise. Either way, she had no wish to stay there any longer. Summoning up her courage, Stella rose to her feet and turned to the door without a word.
“Wait!”
The Master Wizard’s tone was not to be argued with.
She turned, one hand on the door frame.
“I knew I would find you,” he said.
