“So what happened yesterday?”

I settle into a chair in the corner of the dark room. Smells of cooking fat and stale beer waft up from the taproom. I don’t know why he stays in this pit. Wait. Yes, I do.

“You know what happened.” Jarod’s voice, cold, hard comes from the bed.

“You scared the tavern owner half to death and…?”

“Am I allowed time to recover? To get used to this?”

“You’ve had a day.” I stand and brush the dust and dirt from my clothes. I tug at the shutters and grey, morning light bursts into the fusty room.

“You enjoy this,” Jarod mutters.

“I’m a writer.” I shrug. “Making your life hard is what I have to do.”

I stare at the man as he shoves aside the covers. I can see why Shena screamed…

I ignore the twinge of guilt. It’s necessary. I thought Jarod had accepted that.

I have.

“Inago?”

I stop on the stairs. That was definitely been another thump from his room.

“Inago? Are you all right?”

He’d told me, told me that he wouldn’t be the same today. The man is eaten up by something and has an unhealthy obsession about Fen Dakis… but I thought it was just drunken talk.

Yet, now it’s early morning, the last of the stragglers have found a new home in the gutter and he is usually up and scribbling at his corner table.

I rap on his door. “Inago?”

The room is in darkness, the shutters still pulled tight.

“Go away, Shena.”

I should do as he orders. I should. Instead, I enter and stand at the end of his narrow bed. My eyes grow used to the gloom. Curled into a tight ball, he has the sheets twisted around him. “Do you need a doctor?”

A bitter laugh escapes him. “No doctor can help me.”

“But—”

He erupts from the bed. “Look at me! Look what’s she’s done.”

I scream. And I can’t stop.

Samwise’s morning at Nursery involved going on a sponsored walk today, LOL

Barnados Big Toddle, to be precise. Toddle to the nearby park, toddle around the park, managing to get lost under bushes, trees and behind rocks. Have a picnic… and managing to get lost under bushes and trees. No rocks in the picnic area. Unless you count the neolithic standing stone. But that’s not very big, LOL

We then retired to the swings. After several rounds of the slide, he was getting tired and we came away early.

He had a fun day. Which is cool.

Not much writing done today (see above) – but I did sent a chapter of to the Romance Junkies Writing Contest. Again. Not saying what, or what name I attached. *grin*

Now I have to go and update the other blog.

Oh and The Ent, who now also blogs, referred to me as Novelist Supermum. Nice of him, LOL… but I’m sure there’s a bit of creeping involved. *grin*

“Are you all right?”

He moves his pile of parchment and I put the bottle on the table. Shadows are heavy beneath his eyes and his shoulders slump under his hide tunic. He looks bone tired. I stop myself from smiling. Funny for a Magician.

“Fine,” he mutters, covering his writing with a fresh piece of parchment. I know better than to look, anyway. He takes the bottle and downs half of it. “She’s at that point.”

“She?”

He sits back in his chair and the old wood creaks. “The woman who has me sitting here, writing. Writing that she won’t even let anyone see.”

He scrubs at his heavy face and lets out a slow sigh. “Tomorrow I’ll probably look different, Shena.”

“You seem to change day to day, getting worse, if I may say so.”

He laughs, something hollow, brittle. “Tomorrow.” He lifts his bottle and salutes me. “You’ll see.”

I wring my apron, it’s none of my business, but… “You’re a Magician, sir. How can anyone tell you what to do?”

A real smile touches his mouth and a spark of fire flashes in his disconcertingly silver eyes. “You’d think that, wouldn’t you.” He shakes his head. “She’s different.”

His spine straightens. “You know, what Shena? Damn her. Grab a bottle and sit with me. My tab,” he says as I hesitate.

I look back to the empty bar. Jerem is asleep in his usual chair. The tavern is dead.

“All right.”

His fingers lightly touch the parchment and the writings hidden beneath. There’s a bleakness in his gaze that twists my insides. “And if you would, you can tell me about Fen Dakis…”

I got the first chapter of Alchemy banged into shape and I am awaiting upon Madam Kruger to slash her claws through it *grin*

I subbed ‘A Rare Feast’ to Enchanted Ramblings this morning. It was inspired by an ex-boyfriend. If you read it, remember not to get on my bad side, hehe

And I’ve just printed off the The Third Proposal. That was the sub from the Amber Quill comp back in March. I got an offer to revise and submit, so I’m taking another look at it. It needs more sex, apparently, LOL

Now I just have to shoot over and update Jarod’s blog.

The Ent also started a blog today. *grin* http://darkdwarfblog.blogspot.com

Well, I’m up to chapter fifteen, which is about 55k – so I’m definitely on the homestretch – sort of, maybe, LOL

I’ve just updated Jarod’s blog. He’s got a difficult point of view – so I did something naughty, *grin*

And now I’m getting back to a bit of Alchemy before I go to bed. I think I might by able to sort the first chapter by the end of the week.

I also have to edit a story for Enchanted Ramblings and sub that. Not my usual faire. Way more gore and absolutely no romance. Cool.

He’s sitting at the back of the room, a musty place where the light never reaches. An oil lamp sits on the table and casts a weak, golden glow over his hands. I can hear the ink-stick scratching on the parchment from here.

But then it’s quiet in The Hand today. All my usual Sevens are still working. There’s only Jerem near the open window, slumped in a booth, snoring softly. I smile. He’s drooling and muttering. As usual.

I look back at my stranger.

He’s not a Seven. A Six slumming? But then he doesn’t look like he sits behind a desk all day. No, it’s not my business. I’m paid to get my clients to take the fights outside and serve up the ale. Nothing else.

And if my stranger wants to stay in that corner, he’s going to have to buy something. House rules.

I brush down the front of my apron and lift my chin. My tavern. Mine. I step out from behind the counter.

“You want me to order something.”

That stops me. “House rules.” The words sound choked and I swallow. “So. What will it be?”

“Those bottles I had. One will do.” He looks up and silver eyes pierce me. The lamp light burns over the fierce Devourer Tattoo scoring his right cheek. “Start a tab.” A smile tugs at his mouth and he reaches into his pocket. I don’t miss the flash of a Spell-carved dagger on his belt. He flips me a gold coin. “I’m good for it.”

Out of habit I want to bite the coin. Probably not a good idea around this man. “I don’t doubt it, sir.”

“Bite the coin.”

Heat rises under my skin. Was the damn Magician in my head? Could they do that? “No need.”

“What’s your name?”

“Shena Moar.”

He looks back to the parchment. “Do you know Fen?”

Fen? The woman keeps herself to herself. What trouble could have this man looking for her? She’s my friend. I can’t lie. But I won’t give her up to this man. “I think she’s been in here. Once or twice. I’ve not seen her for a while.”

Something about my answer makes him smile again. He picks up his ink-stick. “Good,” he murmurs. “Exactly the right answer, Shena Moar.” The scratching over the parchment starts again. “Tell that to everyone you know.”

I stare at him. “I’ll get your bottle.”

“You do that.”

Just updated my other blog. Yup, it’s official, running two blogs is hard, LOL.

I’m up to chapter fourteen in Bone Magician and now over half way. I can see the end in sight, hurrah!

Writing it out from scratch is a nightmare, but I am catching a hell of a lot of errors and crappy sentences that even printing it off and going through with a red pen didn’t catch. So the pain is worth it *grin*

On the hobbit front, Samwise went to pre-school this morning and stayed the full 2.5 hours. Which was cool. As he sat down to his lego, I even got a “Bye, Mummy” and a wave. No shrieking, no tears, no vomiting. I’m glad we persevered with it and didn’t cave, LOL

Frodo seems to be doing really well with the assistant who now sits with him most mornings. His communication and interaction has improved in the short weeks she’s been there. And now he wants to got to school to play with Sharon. Which is sweet, LOL

Now I’m off to look at the first chapter of Alchemy for a while. Eep.

She doesn’t trust me.
Not that I blame her. I wouldn’t trust me either. After all, I could tell you the truth…
So the final version will be subject to her whims.

Who am I?

I am Jarod Vae. Bone Magician and Lord of the Inner Circle.

And I want to make one thing perfectly clear, from the outset.

For years, I’ve followed my cousin, Marrus. Worked for him, protected the woman he believes is the fabled Sorcerer. That’s been my job. Hiding Fen Dakis. I would never betray him. Never. Those are lies spread by that writer.

No. Fen Dakis is a means to an end.

Nothing more.

Understand?

I’ve done a bit of jiggery pokery with my blog today… mainly because I was insane enough to set up another blog. I know. I can hardly keep up with this one at the minute.

However, there is method in my madness.

I officially have two names that I write under

Kim Rees – Your above average Hot Contemporary *smirk*
and
Kim Knox – Dark and Dirty Fantasy

DDF is going to be specifically about the Fantasy I write and run, mainly, by the characters.

Which should be… erm.. interesting… eep!

Anyway, back to Bone Magican. Jarod’s already complaning. See his post LOL