#tm+tm

WIP Introduction: The Matron and the Martyr

Ashborne is a historic but bustling medium sized city, said to be the birthplace of the six Originals– those from whose bloodlines all magic originated. It has stood for longer than magic itself, and since magic’s inception has been a hotspot for strange magical happenings due to abundant and strong ambient magic in the area, but was still a fairly normal place until recently. That is to say, until people began to go missing. Some seemingly forgotten or all physical traces of them removed, some turning up dead, others simply gone without a hint. When a child disappears from the Ashborne Boarding Academy and Orphanage and half the city seems unwilling– or unable– to remember them long enough to look into their disappearance, the matron of the orphanage seeks out help. Meanwhile, a Mediator agent has arrived from out of town to investigate strange happenings, and at the local forensics lab the head scientist is running into mysteries of her own, struggling to continue her research without higher ups shutting her down with no explanation. A feeling of darkness has settled over the city, and only the truth will bring everything to light.

The Matron and the Martyr is a collaborative urban fantasy work, written by me and Kit @charlottedotexe​. It follows several sets of characters investigating the mysteries of Ashborne in their own ways, each on a collision course with the others as they draw ever nearer to the darkness at the heart of it all.

The Characters: The bolded characters are my own, those written predominantly by Kit will be italicized. These are the basic characters introduced near the beginning– others will come later, as well as full character intros for some of the ones listed here.

Lenora Bane– the matron of Ashborne Academy, a school and orphanage that strives to educate children with difficult Gifts (or anyone else who needs the help and support the school provides.)

Colby Nguyen– A teenage student at Ashborne Academy, sent by their parents to learn to control what appeared to be a pyrotechnics Gift, and to “fix their bad attitude.”

Joey DeSantos– a local Mediator with a photographic memory. Was consigned to desk work after an odd incident in which he was accused of aiding and abetting the escape of a suspect, although no one can explain how he would have done it.

Raphael Michaels– an Agent from an out-of-town branch of the Public Mediator’s Agency. Has a lovely houseplant collection. 

Antigone Hartwright– a forensic scientist working in the lab of the local museum, though her hobby is writing. She hides her Gift at all costs, prefers the company of lab equipment to people, and keeps her personal life very private.

Anne Andre– the Very Bored forensics lab assistant. She can see electromagnetic fields and read disturbances in them

The World: Every child knows the legend of the Originals, and of how magic came to exist both in the world as ambient energy and in humans in the form of a “Gift.” Simply put, long ago six beings entered the world bearing the first Gifts. The First bore water, the Second air, the Third earth, and the Fourth fire. These four are historically documented– they lived human lives, albeit much longer than most, had families, bore children, and passed the gift of magic along. The basic elemental magics combined with one another to create brand new Gifts, broadening the scope of magic as it spread. However, humans could not make use of the Gifts they had been given at first. The human body does not contain enough magic to support it, and even the Originals could only use their Gifts to their full potential in the presence of the Sixth.

The Sixth had no active Gift of his own, but instead was a seemingly endless well of magical energy and potential. Simply being in his presence was enough to power up the Original’s Gifts, and in this way they became the world’s heroes. But the peace could not last. Darkness crept over the world, insidious at first but eventually impossible to ignore. The people had no way to defend themselves. Even the few children of the Four with gifts could not use them, and had no way to pass them on to future generations. Try as they might, even the Four fighting alongside the Sixth could not drive the darkness back. And so the Sixth made a sacrifice. He martyred himself for the sake of the world, and the sheer force of the magic contained within him drove the darkness back. It spread across the world, ambient magic that imbued water, air, earth, fire, and all the spaces between with power that could be drawn on by anyone.

The world was safe, but it was changed. Anyone with a Gift could now use it. The Four continued to live out their lives, shaping the world and passing Gifts to their descendants. Any gift, even thousands of years and generations later, can be traced back within a person’s bloodline to some ancestor with the same Gift, or two that combined to create a new Gift– and from there, they can all be traced back to the Originals. The legend arose, found in writing and in oral tradition, making sure the the history of the first Four and the sacrifice of the Sixth would not be forgotten.

And what of the Fifth?

Well, no one really knows.

I’m finally getting around to posting something I wrote weeks ago-- sorry I haven’t been posting much of my own writing recently! Hopefully this will help me get back into it. Anyway, this is a legend that figures into the base lore in the world of The Matron and the Martyr. Imagine it as a part of history-- taught in schools, studied and debated by historians, one of the only remaining relics of its time.

    In the days before magic, before history was recorded outside of stories and songs and spoken words, there were born the Six. It must be imagined they were born as normal children, for how else would something so incredible enter the world but through the most mundane means? They were born, six of them, with power that entered the young world with them for the first time. The First came into being before the rest, as Water was the first at the physical world’s creation as well. Nothing can live without water, and in the same way magic would be stillborn without it. She came into the world flowing with life, and in this way the very first Gift came to be.

At long last, @charlottedotexe and I have put finger to keyboard and have the beginnings of TmTm’s main story! This may or may not be the official beginning book-wise, but it’s the first meeting of the two main characters who start our story off. (This is collaborative writing, written by both me and my co-author Kit.)

Anne Andre had the sort of bored, deadpan countenance that most people find just a touch intimidating. Her brows were strong, dark, and well groomed, and her mouth was in a constant dismissive frown. Her clothing was nice, and she looked about as clean and orderly as the resume now sitting squarely in front of Antigone’s face. She seemed a bit young to have all those degrees.

“I’m sure you’ll find I’m more than adequate for the job.” Her voice would be monotone if not for a slight hint of cockiness emphasising the more. The gold bracelet on her wrist jingled as she gestured. “I don’t have much in the way of hands-on experience beyond those couple of internships, but I’m certain I’ll pick up on anything you give me quickly enough that it won’t matter.”

Dr. Antigone Hartwright gave a soft hum as she glanced over the resume. She’d already read it, of course. Ms. Andre’s application had been perfectly submitted, unremarkable in nearly every way, and with the remarkable parts presented as unquestionable fact. Several things were clear to Antigone just by glancing over the qualifications, but one thing most of all. Antigone had an opinion about those who spent the time and money going to school enough times to have that many degrees. It wasn’t entirely positive. She had to be sure this bored-looking young woman wasn’t just some spoiled child who saw crime and forensic science as a diverting pastime, fun for a few months, and then mundane once more. Inexperience, she could work with. She could even train someone who fainted at the sight of blood with only a small amount of hassle, a few extra sleepless nights to make up for work lost. But she would not tolerate an annoyance.

“I think we both know you’re more than qualified. The job can be yours— if you want it.” Antigone leaned forward slightly, her narrowed eyes glinting like the sharp edge of an obsidian knife. “My question is, why do you want it? And do you intend to take it seriously?”

Rules: summarize your WIP in one sentance!

I was tagged by @kure-writes

La Mer: a young woman who loves the sea must face nature, law, betrayal, and worse, family, in her quest to become the world’s most feared pirate.

The Matron and the Martyr: the stories of several groups of people living in the historic town of Ashborne come together when a mysterious “darkness” threatens magic as they know it, and the world itself.

Rebel Blue: a starship full of criminals, mercenaries, and vigilantes traverses the universe in an episodic story, growing into a family along the way.