I think my favorite thing about flash fiction is how it gives me the chance to develop characters or catch glimpses of what they’re like outside of their larger pieces. Lately, I’ve been working on developing Elle – Saxon’s partner in crime in Withered Legacy. It’s been a great way to prep for NaNoWriMo. Hope everyone else’s NaNoWriMo prep is going well! We’ve got a little over a week before things get crazy.
I thought about continuing the vampire bride story, but this week’s prompt didn’t lend itself to that one. Instead, like I mentioned above, we’re getting a little bit of Elle and what her life was like after she lost Reyn and before she met Saxon.
Prompt: “Would the others come for it?”
Enjoy!
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Waiting
I was getting reckless – at least, that’s what Reyn would tell me. It was difficult not to think of her when I was hunting and capturing wraiths. My current bounty gnashed and clawed at the air between us, held back by a chain around its neck and a circle of consecrated dirt. It was a good thing wraiths are so single-minded. If it actually bothered to try escaping instead of tirelessly seeking prey, I wouldn’t have been able to hold it in this room. As long as I stayed within its sights, though, it wouldn’t care about anything but getting at me.
Reyn’s sword felt heavy in my hand, and I had to fight the urge to kill the damn thing. But I couldn’t, or it would lose its usefulness. How long would the chains hold, though? And would the others come for it? I’d never seen wraiths actually help each other, but it was a safe bet that its energy footprint combined with mine would attract more.
My thoughts were broken by a sudden stillness – a silence that penetrated every corner of the space. The wraith had stopped trying to get to me, but simply hovered, eyes trained on me like a shark watching patrons at an aquarium. Its gaze chilled me to my core. As suddenly as it stopped, it let out a wail, its mouth opening to an unnatural size, before lunging.
For now, the chains would hold. All I could do was wait.
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Check out the other responses throughout the day at the prompt link for some awesome stories!
Friendly reminder: This week, #TuesFlashFicTrain has three entries! So be sure to check them out and vote for your favorite 🙂
UPDATE: This entry turned out to be my first #ThursThreads win! Hooray!
As always, think happy thoughts!
FictionTrials 