A Slice of Orange

by Janet Quinn

I have been spending a lot of time working in Augeas lately and finally have managed to finish story five and six. One is about an inn keeper with secrets. The second is about twins who have very powerful magic. The two tie together, which is the first time I’ve done that with a set of stories. Working with magical children was fun, but as always, working with children is a challenge. Trying to make them sound like children and keeping them from being boring is like walking a tight rope.

As with any society, when there are two races, there is interbreeding. So, the half-breeds are born and along with them societal statements. Are they accepted or shunned? Do they have magical powers like one of their parents or none? If they do have magical powers, can they be as strong as a purebred. How long will they live? So Brencis finally settled on an age. He’s not an Ancient One, however, his father was. He’ll live longer than a human, but maybe not as long as an Ancient One. Other half-breeds might live only as long as a normal human. He has magical powers, but not all of his kind does. His powers are strong, but other half-breeds have weaker powers or no powers. And what do the half-breeds want? To be accepted? To rule? Do they all want the same thing? Probably not since even the purebred can’t all agree on what they want. But the half-breeds bring another layer to the world as they hide and work within the society.

Last month I was talking about the drawings I had made and wondering if my characters wore underwear. My critique partner, Debra Young, and I finally met and I showed her the picture of Dorjan. Her comment was that because of the era, they probably didn’t wear underwear, which makes the picture even more risqué.

This month I have a picture of Carissa. She is a very strong Ancient One in one of the first set of short stories. She is middle aged for her kind with an agenda of her own.

She could see the lord’s guard. They were coming for them. She jumped up. “Grandmother!” she shouted.
All turned to stare at her.
“Quiet her,” snapped Inuus.
“No!” shouted Dyna. She looked directly at her grandmother. “Carissa, we must leave now.”
Carissa blinked at her, searched her mind, then rose.
“Sit down,” ordered Inuus. He stood and glowered at Carissa.
Carissa smiled at him. “I must quiet my granddaughter. For some reason, she is distraught.” Carissa stared into Inuus’ eyes, unblinking. “It is nothing but a fit. I would never consider leaving before we discuss what we are to do.” Her voice came in a low, soft murmur.
Inuus slowly sank back onto the cushion. She motioned to Govert and Elga. “Come.” She beckoned to Dyna.
“We must take the child.” Govert moved toward the back of the house.
“Leave the child.” Carissa swept past Dyna.

With each step in creating a fantasy world, as in adding half-breeds to the mix, the world changes and grows. It becomes an ever evolving society with added intrigue and layers.