Exciting news!! I got my manuscript assessment back from my mentor and…it wasn’t horrible! It was better than I expected. She confirmed some things that had been niggling at me, gave some really good insight into smoothing out the pacing in the mid-section, and some suggestions on things to consider. Some I will and some —probably not.
So I spent the weekend editing, rewriting scenes, tightening up dialogue, moving things around and generally getting reacquainted with my novel and all the characters. I thought about reposting some of the chapters that I reworked here, but decided against it. Don’t worry —there wasn’t that much in the first few chapters that changed. I’ve still got a lot of work to do as I wrap up editing and move into the publishing process. That means agent submissions, query letters, rejections, and hopefully a few requests for the full manuscript.
So, back to Bex…we left her fuming at the perceived lack of interest in finding her hero’s killers. She made a bit of a spectacle of herself in front of the community and drew the attention of Hadrial Abuzi. Let’s find out what Abuzi thought of her…
Chapter 6
Hadriel Abuzi walked around her desk and sat lightly as she leaned her elbows on her desk, steepling her hands into a cathedral to capture her contemplative thoughts. A delicate smile spread across her round sun-kissed face. In the heart of the room a gentle amber glow held court. It washed the walls with a radiance that hinted at centuries of mystery, while the edges were shrouded in the somber hues of forgotten memories.
She pressed her palms to the top of her desk, tapping several fingers in a very specific manner. When she finished, there was a soft snick of a lock being released and a panel slid vertically up from the center of her desktop. Tapping on the screen, she entered her credentials and pressed the red image of a button. Then she sat back and waited.
It didn’t take long before a face appeared in the center of the screen.
“Have you found it?” the silvery face shimmered out at her.
Well-honed professional courtesy forced her to sit up. A face of shimmering silver. High cheek bones. Almond shaped eyes. Others might have thought them remarkable, but Abuzi felt the lips were thin making her too pointed and sharp. Though truth be told it did at least accurately reflect her tongue.
“I believe I know who may have it,” Abuzi started.
“You believe? May have it?” Olena’ba’Tor scoffed. “Either you know, or you don’t. And if you don’t, then you are wasting my time.”
“I understand, Torsoma.” She swallowed. Was she ready to pose her theory? “It’s just…the girl I believe has it may be the next Resyn.”
The image of Olena’ba’Tor leaned into the viewer, “What makes you think that?”
“During the council meeting today, she stood up and challenged me. If she had been closer, I believe she would have spat in my face. There was an energy radiating from her. If I’d had my lens, I believe it would have been bright purple.”
“Well,” a silvery eyebrow arched. “That is interesting. What do you know of this girl?”
Abuzi sat forward, “She is recalcitrant, head strong, always leading her friends astray and would hang on every word that Xan Janal spewed in his storytelling sessions. It was she and her friends who found him in the alley with his guts hanging from his belly.”
“And you think she now has the manuscript?”
“Yes. I believe Xan directed her to retrieve it, keeping it from the Erismati,” Abuzi’s gilded nails drummed on the desk, nervousness peeking through the rhythm.
“And who else knows of this?” Olena’ba’Tor inquired in the subtle manner of a blade cutting to the quick.
“I’ve not shared my suspicions with anyone else.”
“Good. Keep it that way. If the other advisors find out there may be a new Resyn in our midst, they’ll get restless and start grooming their own recruits,” she turned away briefly, nodded, then looked back at the viewer directly at Abuzi, and spoke in a quieter tone, “Do what you can to confirm she possesses the Dar’nilyen. If she does, then guide her. Gently. We don’t need a repeat of the last Resyn candidate. And, if she is as young as you say, then it will take time for her to mature and gain her full strength.”
“Understood,” Abuzi nodded her head. “I’ve already requested her visit me tomorrow. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“Of course you will,” and the screen immediately went blank.
Abuzi leaned back in her chair and calmed her racing heart as the screen descended once again. It was not always so unpleasant speaking with Olena’ba, but this business with a murder had her rattled. She tapped out the command to open the file she held on Xan Janal. His wizened face appeared beneath her fingers next to the details of his life. She scrolled through his history. He had been a magnificent Resyn. Fit in both physical and mental capacity. He quickly passed all the challenges set forth for him. She still couldn’t understand why he had turned down the position of Torsoma. He left abruptly and she had often wondered if he had stolen the book when he departed.
She opened a second file. This one displayed a picture of Bexlin Gartan. Her life details and history were much shorter, only filling a single page. Mostly it told of the many complaints from her tutors about her insolence. She was still young and hadn’t acquired the stories that Xan Janal boasted freely about. Abuzi had no doubt that Bex’s file would grow and soon. She leaned in to look more closely at Bex’s picture, then she tapped on Xan Janal’s image. She pressed her finger on his photo and dragged it next to Bex’s. There was something familiar in them. Maybe it was the shape of their face or the color of their eyes. They both had cerulean blue eyes and red toned hair, unusual, but not rare. No, it was that same damned defiant smile that hid impertinence and boasted joviality. If Bex were what they needed, then she was already too similar to Xan Janal and would need careful handling.