#leshanna took a much better shape for me this draft. as did aspiration

[space-writes]

find the word

tagged by @aalinaaaaaa, thank you! my words are deal, picture, fire, magic. these are all from the redraft of the first Valloroth book because. i miss. my babies.

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deal

They stood out tonight—after days in the city, Aspiration had grown sick and tired of the itch of Excellence’s illusory disguise, so despite the risk, had gone without. Suspicious looks she could deal with; she’d spent enough time doing business in Naazgarash as a Zashi that a few glares meant nothing. The real danger was the presence of the Wraith, and his grievance was with Sorrow, who refused to wear a disguise anyway. Her being bare-faced wouldn’t keep him from spotting his glittering target a mile away, and if he wanted either or both of them dead, there were more than enough shadows in Voah’kasis, night or day, that there was nothing she could do to stop him.

picture

Vren’s knees hit the dirt, infernii boots heavy on the backs of his calves to keep him from getting up. Only boots, no hands. His thumb twitched towads his ring—then he snatched up the pouch. Inside was the gleam of gold; no red diamonds, but the pouch was stuffed full. He pulled out a coin, unsurprised to find it was an Imperial scale. “That enough to outbid Fenthari?” [said Sorrow] A hundred scales, at his best guess, maybe more. None of it taxed, all of it his. This, plus the Fenthari’s diamonds…calcuations ran over one another in his head, years of his tally erased in one grand swoop. He could picture the look on Zhira’s face, the masked rage that his favourite knife was suddenly a few decades closer to freedom.

fire

A chime rang out. Through fading curls of smoke, Hope stumbled forwards—Wit darted out to catch her, slinging an arm around her waist. Her hands moved shakily as she signed. “Dragon got Harmony and Passion. Saw before fire. After—” A cough wracked her body. “—after demon.”

magic

Lucian went rolling past them again, followed by Quest, who bounced rather more than Aliyne was expecting. “Can’t you just use a rock or something? Rocks break.” “Spells require specific components, so no.” “Do it witch-wise instead without them, then.” Leshanna stiffened. “That is not remotely how magic works. I am a wizard, not some mumbling village hag. A skilled scribe does not hurl ink at a page and hope for letters.”

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no-pressure tagging @mjjune @talesfromaurea @ceph-the-ghost-writer and @loopyhoopywrites with the words lost, trying, shine, and crackle

Valloroth taglist: @cherrybombfangirlwrites @reininginthefirewriting @memento-morri-writes @foxboyclit @lawful-evil-novelist

@at-thezenith @morganwriteblr @fayeiswriting @serenanymph

@sam-glade @viscerawrites @thegreatobsesso @flower-reads @the-inkwell-variable (ask to be +/-)