<br /><br />NaNoWriMo Update - Talien's Tower<br />

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Monday, November 3

NaNoWriMo Update

Soon I saw it. Another fence, this one made of traditional iron, long since rusted. It had fallen apart and the gate was partially off its hinges. The graveyard was apart from wherever the village might be; perhaps out of superstition.

Yaga grunted. "Now, we will create some soul seeds." She stepped out of her tub. Then, holding one bony claw out before her, she closed her eyes.

For a moment nothing happened. Then slowly, something nudged the earth near one of the tilted gravestones. The ground wavered as if it were quicksand, and a corpse slowly floated to the surface.

"The soul seed is created from the heart, or where the heart used to be." She held one hand over the ribcage. "It is the very essence of the person's soul." Yaga closed her eyes and concentrated.

There was a flash of red light beneath the ribcage.

The corpse turned to powder, almost indistinguishable from the cemetery grounds. Yaga reached down and delicately plucked a single gemstone from the ground. She unscrewed the lid and tossed the gem into jar with me. It was easily the size of my head; peach-pit sized, at least.

"Now let's see if you can do any better, hmm?"

She screwed the lid back on and, holding me under one arm, extended her hand again. Yaga closed her eyes.

I closed my eyes too. This had better work…

I could feel the energy flow out of me and into Yaga, and from there out into the many corpses buried beneath the earth.

"Sorry fellas," I thought to myself. "I don't have any choice."

There was an explosion. Yaga took a step back as every corpse in the cemetery bobbed to the surface at once. Yaga stared, wide-eyed, as the energy continued to flow from her fingertips.

A red wave of heat thrummed from her outstretched hand, pulverizing the corpses. In each of their places was a single gemstone.

Yaga chortled, a horrible sound. "Magnificent!" she shouted. "I can harvest my seeds in half the time!"

"Will you let us go now?" I squeaked.

"Let you go?" Yaga pulled the jar near her to stare at me with one bloodshot eye. "Oh, no my dear. You're not going anywhere. You're about to become my familiar."