Snippet On The Loose!
Sep. 19th, 2007 05:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mmerriamFey and Mage In Need of a Title
"Do you know which group wanted your birth?"
She shook her head, making the pig-tails dance. "No."
"And Howard knows nothing of any of this?" I asked.
"No. My father believes I am his only begotten daughter. I am--unsure--of the exact circumstance of my conception. I only know what was in my mother's letter." She paused for a moment, her brow wrinkled in thought. "There were things in the letter suggesting both groups desired my birth. Please. My birthday is in five days. I do not want to die."
I took another deep drink of my bitter coffee and considered. She sat across from me, her black eyes hopeful and moist. It was enough to melt a heart. Fortunately mine had been torn to pieces over a decade ago. I decided to give her the best advice I could.
"You should run, child. Gather up your mother's magical belonging, take whatever money and personal possessions you cannot survive without, and flee."
She frowned, her eyes narrowing. "And how long do you think I would last before someone discovered me?"
"Longer than you would last here."
"I can pay you," she said. "I could give you treasure enough to keep you comfortable for the rest of your mortal span."
I shook my head. "I don't want your father's money."
"I have my own resources." She paused and peered at me through lowered eye-lids. "I could pay you in other ways, if you wish. I have a few magical abilities and I am not without certain charms..." She let the statement trail off.
I looked into those black eyes and found desperation and fear. She knew she was going to die. Hell, I knew she was going to die. Running would just postpone the inevitable. She was an aberration, an abomination, a taboo creature. Even if one of the parties involved in her creation gained control of her, I suspected the greater magical and faerie communities would work together to end her existence.
"I am no knight in shining armor, Holly Ellefson. I'm an old man who lives alone with this useless cat in a tiny apartment. I'm a bitter, mean bastard who hates the world outside his door. Most days I'm convinced that the best thing would be the extinction of all humans and intelligent non-human races. Offering me money and sex isn't going sway me, Miss Ellefson."
She looked close to tears now. I had her set up perfectly.
"Then what would you ask of me, mage? I would offer you anything within my power to give, in exchange for your aid."
"Anything?" I asked, trying to keep the small grin from forming on my lips. On the bed Samson let out low growl, as if my familiar guessed what I was about. I picked up my rose rock foci from the table.
She nodded her head and took a shaky breath. "Anything."
Her pig-tails swayed as she answered and I wondered what kind of person she thought I was, breaking into my apartment looking like a little girl and offering herself to me in exchange for magical assistance. A lone tear rolled down her cheek to her no-longer smiling lips. For a moment I felt something stir inside me and I feared I might be undone. I forced it down and gave her my terms.
"I will give you what aid I can offer, Holly Ellefson. In exchange, when I have secured your continual safety, you must kill me."
"Kill you?"
"Yes."
"But, why do--"
"Why I desire my death is not your concern," I snapped. "Do you agree to the terms?"
She took several breaths, staring at the floor. On the sixth breath she looked up at me, catching my eyes with her black ones. She wiped the trail of tears on her cheek away and gave me a small, relieved grin.
"I agree."
I reached out my hand with the rose rock nestled in my palm. She took it in her own hand, moist with her recent tears, and I felt the magic rise up, sealing our fates together and making our agreement a binding magical contract.
Holly Ellefson could have been my daughter, had Ylsildra lived.
And I had just made her swear to take my life.
"Do you know which group wanted your birth?"
She shook her head, making the pig-tails dance. "No."
"And Howard knows nothing of any of this?" I asked.
"No. My father believes I am his only begotten daughter. I am--unsure--of the exact circumstance of my conception. I only know what was in my mother's letter." She paused for a moment, her brow wrinkled in thought. "There were things in the letter suggesting both groups desired my birth. Please. My birthday is in five days. I do not want to die."
I took another deep drink of my bitter coffee and considered. She sat across from me, her black eyes hopeful and moist. It was enough to melt a heart. Fortunately mine had been torn to pieces over a decade ago. I decided to give her the best advice I could.
"You should run, child. Gather up your mother's magical belonging, take whatever money and personal possessions you cannot survive without, and flee."
She frowned, her eyes narrowing. "And how long do you think I would last before someone discovered me?"
"Longer than you would last here."
"I can pay you," she said. "I could give you treasure enough to keep you comfortable for the rest of your mortal span."
I shook my head. "I don't want your father's money."
"I have my own resources." She paused and peered at me through lowered eye-lids. "I could pay you in other ways, if you wish. I have a few magical abilities and I am not without certain charms..." She let the statement trail off.
I looked into those black eyes and found desperation and fear. She knew she was going to die. Hell, I knew she was going to die. Running would just postpone the inevitable. She was an aberration, an abomination, a taboo creature. Even if one of the parties involved in her creation gained control of her, I suspected the greater magical and faerie communities would work together to end her existence.
"I am no knight in shining armor, Holly Ellefson. I'm an old man who lives alone with this useless cat in a tiny apartment. I'm a bitter, mean bastard who hates the world outside his door. Most days I'm convinced that the best thing would be the extinction of all humans and intelligent non-human races. Offering me money and sex isn't going sway me, Miss Ellefson."
She looked close to tears now. I had her set up perfectly.
"Then what would you ask of me, mage? I would offer you anything within my power to give, in exchange for your aid."
"Anything?" I asked, trying to keep the small grin from forming on my lips. On the bed Samson let out low growl, as if my familiar guessed what I was about. I picked up my rose rock foci from the table.
She nodded her head and took a shaky breath. "Anything."
Her pig-tails swayed as she answered and I wondered what kind of person she thought I was, breaking into my apartment looking like a little girl and offering herself to me in exchange for magical assistance. A lone tear rolled down her cheek to her no-longer smiling lips. For a moment I felt something stir inside me and I feared I might be undone. I forced it down and gave her my terms.
"I will give you what aid I can offer, Holly Ellefson. In exchange, when I have secured your continual safety, you must kill me."
"Kill you?"
"Yes."
"But, why do--"
"Why I desire my death is not your concern," I snapped. "Do you agree to the terms?"
She took several breaths, staring at the floor. On the sixth breath she looked up at me, catching my eyes with her black ones. She wiped the trail of tears on her cheek away and gave me a small, relieved grin.
"I agree."
I reached out my hand with the rose rock nestled in my palm. She took it in her own hand, moist with her recent tears, and I felt the magic rise up, sealing our fates together and making our agreement a binding magical contract.
Holly Ellefson could have been my daughter, had Ylsildra lived.
And I had just made her swear to take my life.
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no subject
Date: 2007-09-19 10:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 10:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-19 11:37 pm (UTC)I really like it, it flows really well. It's interesting how the dialogue seems more formal than the narration, usually it's the other way around.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 10:13 am (UTC)Bouncing Elephants
Date: 2007-09-20 02:56 am (UTC)It was the perfect image for a "straight-out" day.
Thank you,
D
Re: Bouncing Elephants
Date: 2007-09-20 10:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 10:04 pm (UTC)::::Raising hand to volunteer as First Reader when it's done::::
no subject
Date: 2007-09-21 12:29 am (UTC)How have you been?? I haven't seen or spoken with you in a long time and I'm going to miss TCSFWN this weekend.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-23 10:17 pm (UTC)I'm good--finally coming up for air after a busy summer. I haven't written much, but getting back to TCSFWN today was a step in the right direction. It's got me thinking like a writer again.
I'm planning an SF movie night in October...either Oct. 13 or two weeks later, depending on which is better for Hilary. Hope you can come! There will probably be one so-bad-it's-good movie of for us to mock, MST3K style, and another one that's actually good.