🌌 A Spell At Midnight
A simple exercise to write more compelling prose.
It flies through the darkness seeking its target. The likes of which, one Agnor Ulthread. The keeper of keys. The one who walks between. An old forest druid now wizened and retired.
On the other side of town, the old man finishes his tumbler of Brandy as a heavy storm beats against his home. The sound of shattering glass startles him. Did he hear it? Or was it his imagination?
And then, a sudden sharp pain blooms in his chest; so deep it steals the breath from his body. His left arm tingles with a cold numbness.
He knocks over the side-table in an earnest attempt to find the nitroglycerin pills. The same life-saving tables that would reverse a heart attack.
But this was no ordinary heart attack.
The creature born of midnight and madness creeps from the shadowy hallway.
Raising his free hand, Agnor shouts an incantation and a burst of holy light fires from his good hand. The creature dies. The killing spell is vanquished. But the damage is done.
Agnor stumbles one last time and falls dead on his carpeted living room floor.
What happens next? Who did this and why? What chain of events are set in motion?
You could say, in the coming days, a number of things will happen:
1) A police investigation into the murder of Agnor Ulthread will begin.
2) The mayor’s office will be notified by the police chief about the death of the key holder.
3) The mayor’s office will dispatch a member of the city council to investigate the death.
4) The mayor’s office will contact the head of the local magic order to inform them of the situation.
Perhaps on the other side of town, a young man in his early thirties stands in front of a mirror. Each hand tipped with motes of faery fire. On one hand the brilliant sparkle of light magic, and on the other, five flames dark unholy black.
Story is all about questions. It’s all about what ifs. This example is a great way to set the scene and character, and then create some substance to work with.
Thank you for reading,
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