Today was a quiet day. Returned some DVDs, hired some more, including Predator, just to have a background on the nasty for when I go to see Alien Vs. Predator. I wasn’t that impressed with Predator, and going by that I would expect the new movie to be a mismatch along the lines of Bambi Meets Godzilla. Is Predator 2 worth seeing?
I also watched Dreamcatcher, which I enjoyed. I preferred the original ending (available in the extras section to the theatrical ending.
A trip to the library yielded a few books to read. I’d better read fast as soon, hopefully, I’ll be losing my reading time on the bus. I don’t know the status of my replacement bicycle. A week ago when I spoke to the insurance people they said the bike shop had not yet submitted a valuation report and they would chase it up. If it’s anything like the replacement briefcase, the shop will now have a purchase order with no instructions to contact me. My month’s bus-pass expires on the ninth, so I’ve got until Monday 13th before I want to be using it. I’m still limping so another week on the bus will probably be for the best.
I made some bread today. I tried adding a swirl of the leftover chilli sauce I’d made, but there wasn’t enough to get the effect I wanted. The bread was okay. The drumsticks I’d had marinated in a Moroccan base were better. Two days of marinating as they thawed was good for them. It’s tomorrow night’s dinner too.
I did a bit of writing for a short story but I’ll need to be pushed to complete it. Does the beginning have too many clichéd actions?
Maralk listened. There were two people in the room with him. He heard a woman’s voice speaking what was obviously an invocation. At the end of it the other person, a man, spoke, “Thank you Mistress Pesanda.”
Maralk opened his eyes. He was in a small warehouse of some sort. Ignoring his headache he turned his head he saw a matronly woman watching a man flex his wrist, as if newly released from a cast. There was no sign of a cast. He laid back and accessed his injuries; his shoulder was worse than his head but most of the left side of his body hurt.
Maralk listened as the man left the room. As the woman approach him he opened his eyes.
“You must have Lady Atha watching over you. Eight people died when the inn exploded. Your injuries are the worst. We’ve sent for a disciple of Auran but in the meantime the watch will want to question you to identify the nature of the explosion. Sorcery likely, mark my words.”
Maralk looked at her without saying anything. He had no recollection of an explosion, nor even where he was.
“Let’s see if I can fix you up a bit now you’re conscious.” She started chanting the same invocation he heard earlier and gestured with both hands. Maralk noticed her bracelet reflecting more light, as if a dozen candles were behind it to light it up. It only took a few moments, and as she finished and placed her hands upon him Maralk felt a warmth permeate through his body easing some of the aches and pains. He sat up, and gasped as a searing pain lanced through his head.
“Take is easy. My meagre healing ability isn’t enough to cure you. You need to wait for the disciple of Auran.
“Where am I?” Maralk asked.
“You’re in a warehouse near the inn. The rain has helped contain the damage to just the inn, but it’s hampering the search for other survivors.”
Update: On reflection, his name starts too many paragraphs. Oh, and I wrote it on my four year old Palm m100 using graffiti character recognition.
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