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Inspiration by: The Arena –Lindsey Stirling (New album out in August!) ; Five for Fighting – 100 years
Before we get to this weeks writing prompt, there are a few orders of business I’d like to announce. First, if you missed it, I guest blogged on The Figment Writer’s website. You can check out that blog post here. As always comments and feedback are welcome. A big thank you to them for allowing me to write for their website.
Secondly, if you did not see the buzz on my Facebook page; all three novels are getting a design face lift and a layout clean up. I am very excited to announce that book one’s new cover and layout are complete. Also, for those of you wanting to get your grubby mitts on my first book, there will be a free Kindle download available on July 11 and 12. Mark your calendars. The offer is good on Amazon for 48 hours. Again, feedback and reviews welcome!
Now, on to this weeks prompt. Dear Hostess, you had me last Thursday when you posted this prompt but, as usual, these boys were stubborn about talking to me. This weeks prompt was “Would you want to live to be 100 years old?” So I took this and ran with the two gentlemen that decided to start running their mouths as soon as I read it. Enjoy!
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Time.
Time marched forward whether he wished it to or not. He wondered if Giddeon knew exactly what he was doing when he cursed him. Nicholas Taltos watched the streetlights come on from his apartment in the capital. Though it was true he had a house deep in the woods far from prying eyes, he loved the hustle and bustle of the capital. Even as a boy, the capital called to him. A liveliness, a sense of purpose wound through the city streets. He could not explain his draw here. Whether it was his duty, or the capital’s own charm, Nicholas could not separate the two.
Perhaps it was because he was the guardian, ever eternal, ever watchful. The lore, the book and crests, the rituals; they were all his responsibility. His lips thinned to the line as he thought. Who else would know what to do if the world came full circle, as it so often did? The warriors of ages past had long since been put to rest. In a way he was glorified librarian. Long gone were the Children of Light. The woman he loved, their children and grandchildren were long gone. Like him, they had taken their place among history.
How time had progressed, Nicholas mused as he sipped his coffee. Just beyond the city lights he could sense the setting sun. The only other survivor of their era would be joining him soon enough. At times, he wondered at Fate’s sense of humor when she bound them together to live beyond their counterparts. Maeseloria had grown beyond her magic. Technology was the prime focus these days and forgotten were the days of fire, earth, and wind, water, shadow and holy. Few truly believed anymore. In fact, his great-great-whatever grandchildren were unaware of their heritage. What would his beloved Alexandra say about her very existence becoming a thing of myth? A wry smile curled his lips as he thought about her. Chances were good she would say that was as it should be. “Time passes,” she would have said. “We must roll with it or be crushed. Is that not what you have always told me?”
Light above even after these centuries he missed her. He missed her laughter and the way she would look at him when she was full of mischief and light. He missed their quiet moments together and their growth. She challenged him at every turn and, in many respects, made him a better man for those challenges. Their hearts were connected and would remain so until he joined her in the Light. The smell of roses brought her image before him. Through their bond, he should have joined her in the Light but Giddeon’s curse seemed to trump their Fate-blessed bond. If only they had considered what might happen should she leave the world before him. “To you, my love.” Nicholas raised his cup with a chuckle. “Someday, I will see you again.”
“Stop being morose, old man. They would not want us to dwell on what was.” A new voice intruded upon his musings. Dominic Deveraux appeared in his apartment with a grin. After all, Dominic was the only who could truly catch him unaware in this age. Most of the youngsters in these times were too noisy—both with their actions and their thoughts. Once a month, Nicholas needed his cabin in the middle of nowhere to lower the blocks he constantly kept in his mind. How could his Alex, with her clairvoyance, ever have survived this age? “Fate has to have a reason for keeping us both here long after the others.” Without asking, his best friend flopped on Nicholas’ couch. “Let it be. We have trouble. An invitation of sorts.” Of course Dominic would cut to the chase. To the realm at large, Dominic ran Delevere Investigations while Nicholas served as an advisor at the local university. Nicholas Tammond and Dominic Delevere were their names on their birth certificates; social security and on all cases of public record. Nicholas has been an active member of the University since its inception though no one would know it. In fact some fool dug up an old painting and attributed the university’s founding to him. In truth, it was his, Tessa’s and Evelyn’s brain child. They all believed that their people deserved education regardless of class or gender. What had begun as Tessa’s makeshift hospital during the war evolved into so much more.
Dominic only requested his assistance with difficult cases that may have required a skill set he did not possess. Those instances were few and far between because anyone that could have challenged them with mental and magic gifts was long gone and most of the realms populace would not believe unless smacked in the nose with the truth.
“What is it now, Dominic?” Trouble was not often a word used between them. After all, they survived years of so-called trouble. If one could consider both civil war and the chronicled Kindred war mere trouble. A curious brow perked at his friend’s tone. Nicholas moved to the kitchen to refill his coffee mug before he determined what Dominic had deemed trouble. The years had been kind—as if they truly had a choice in the matter—silver speckled his dark hair and there were a few new lines at the corners of his eyes but, for the most part, Nicholas Taltos remained unchanged by time. Nicholas sensed the nervousness in Dominic demeanor and scowled. That too was unusual.
Dominic did not offer further explanation when the man returned to the living area. He simply set the invitation on the coffee table between them. “We have been summoned.” Much like his friend, the circumstances of his life separated him from his mate and trumped the marital bonds of their realm. Those bonds no longer existed in a realm where people thought faith was simply a service rather than living, breathing being.
Nicholas looked at the scripted invitation on the table. His nimble fingers plucked the document from the table. He wondered why Dominic set it down as though Nicholas had set it afire. As he read, his expression became concerned. Queen Adrianna Morningstar respectfully requests the presence of Nicholas Taltos and Dominic Devereaux… “Shit.” Nicholas rendered the invitation to ash before they discussed the matter further. This could not bode well. The invitation meant that at least one of the royal houses kept tabs on them and understood that they could be reached in the direst of consequences. In all these centuries they had not received a single request for assistance. The invitation specified a time and place later that evening and after dark. “Whatever she could possibly need does not bode well for the realm. “
Sandra Hults 
That was awesome 😁😁😁😁 I love it
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I love the suspense! Like.. what does the queen want? Dun dun DUNNN! 🙂 Your stories are the best!
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I’m actually still trying to figure that out without having major book spoilers lol.
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