100 Words a Day 1119

“At best, man is an ill-prepared, unwelcome visitor to the ocean’s hidden depths.”

It wasn’t until he had descended deep enough such that his world was a solid blue color, impenetrable as the night, that he finally understood his teacher’s words. When he looked ahead, he worried about what was below. When he looked down, he wondered what lurked behind him.

The fish he encountered swam away in irritation. In their eyes, he was a strange beast, best to be avoided in hopes it would leave. Other, hidden things also marked his slow progress, tailing him lazily through the water.

100 Words a Day 1118

The powdered design flared up, white hot for a moment, when Huragard slammed his hammer down on the shield with a holy shout. It cooled to a smoldering orange. The lines on the steel were straight and even in color.

“This will fetch a good price,” Huragard declared, barrel chest swelling with pride. Truly, the gods continued to smile on him. The high priest of Ashome had even installed one of his hammers in the temple to Fire to Steel.

Ulgar examined the shield with his merchant’s eye. “It might be hard to sell. I’ll have to find a nobleman.”

100 Words a Day 1117

“I’ve been told you sell souls.”

“That I do,” the old woman replied. “What kind do you want?”

She leaned forward and grinned at me, eager eyes wide. It made me uneasy.

“A boy like you probably wants the soul of a nice girl.”

She looked me up and down. “Or a naughty girl.”

I swallowed. “Uh, no. Just the cheapest one will be fine.”

Her smile fell to a frown.

“Get yourself in debt, did you?”

I blushed.

“Don’t worry, boy. Happens all the time.” She waved her hand dismissively and started puttering towards the back of her shop.

100 Words a Day 1116

“You’ve still got that old cat?” Greg asked.

“Of course,” Steve replied, picking up the cat in question and cradling him in his arms. It rumbled when Steve picked him up, but deigned to be held.

The cat wasn’t quite a bag of bones, but it moving in that direction. Its fur was thinning in places. Frostbite and fights had taken bits of its ears over the years. After Steve put him down, the cat limped, its back leg was arthritic, over to its spot near the heater. He plopped down in his bed and started grooming his thin tail.

100 Words a Day 1115

Gaaz placed her hands on the cave floor, listening to the vibrations. She couldn’t summon the energies to meld with the stone. But she was confident the darkness, ever an ally to her people, would protect her. A heavy limp slowed her considerably and it wasn’t long before the echoes of pursuit reached her. She turned down a familiar side passage, carefully skirting a pit in the middle of path. On the other side, she drew a stone from her satchel. After whispering a few words to the pebble she threw it at the hole. Then she turned and fled.

100 Words a Day 1114

“Do you think we should go look for them?”

“No, I think you should shut the damn door and stop letting the cold in. If they can’t travel further, they’ll make camp.”

Kaz shut the door reluctantly and returned to the fire.

“I’m worried about them,” he said. “I can’t remember the last time it was this cold and they’ve never been this late before.”

“I told you,” Leja snapped. “They’re fine. They probably just made camp for the night.”

Leja’s words failed to quell the worry bubbling in Kaz’s gut. He kept glancing at the door throughout the night.

100 Words a Day 1113

Kaikura held his hands over the corpse and whispered the prayer his father had taught him long ago. He had been attempting the ritual nightly for two weeks with no results. Zhoggal had either ignored his entreaties or his limited energies had been focused elsewhere. Kaikura had feared that tonight would be the same.

Then he felt a turgid energy begin to swirl through the small basement room. It stank. He smiled and kept praying. The corpse rose to its feet and waited. Kaikura finished his prayer and stood, elated. The animated body stared straight ahead, awaiting its first command.