a new snippet
May. 20th, 2007 04:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ksmithThe first couple of paragraphs of the proposal. Could end up going somewhere. Could end up in a desk drawer, or on the virtual cutting room floor.
The day the men of Gideon burned Nicholas Bane dawned warm. Tom Blaylock worked in shirtsleeves for the first time since the autumn, binding straw and kindling into loose bundles, then dipping the ends into the bucket at his feet. It held ground herbs, a king's ransom's worth, a special blend that Master Cateman himself had procured from family back East. A combination of things, he'd said, to send the traveler on his way. And to ensure he stayed where he was sent.
Tom paused to rub his eyes. The aromas from the bucket, sharp as peppercorns and cloying as syrup, drifted around him, strong enough to draw tears. He coughed, then winced as rough burning raked his throat. Shivered, even as he felt the heat of the winter sun on his back.
"It's a great day, Tom."
Tom flinched, then looked up to find the familiar bearded face smiling down. "Yes, Master, it is indeed." He hadn’t heard Jacob Cateman approach, but then, no one ever did.
The day the men of Gideon burned Nicholas Bane dawned warm. Tom Blaylock worked in shirtsleeves for the first time since the autumn, binding straw and kindling into loose bundles, then dipping the ends into the bucket at his feet. It held ground herbs, a king's ransom's worth, a special blend that Master Cateman himself had procured from family back East. A combination of things, he'd said, to send the traveler on his way. And to ensure he stayed where he was sent.
Tom paused to rub his eyes. The aromas from the bucket, sharp as peppercorns and cloying as syrup, drifted around him, strong enough to draw tears. He coughed, then winced as rough burning raked his throat. Shivered, even as he felt the heat of the winter sun on his back.
"It's a great day, Tom."
Tom flinched, then looked up to find the familiar bearded face smiling down. "Yes, Master, it is indeed." He hadn’t heard Jacob Cateman approach, but then, no one ever did.
