Nanowrimo Bits - 11/24/19 (Patreon)

A snippet from today's Nanowrimo -- 

Flannery and Elwood held the doors open for Tristan as he carried Sorin over the threshold and into the coffee shop. Granny stood behind the counter, brewing something in the espresso machine. She looked up with a smile, her smile falling when she noticed the still sleeping Sorin.

“Is he alright?” she asked.

“The spell is gone,” Flannery said. “He just hasn’t woken up yet.”

As she said that, the smell of coffee filled everyone’s nose, including the sleeping Sorin. His face twitched, and he took a deep, waking breath through his nose, inhaling more of the coffee scent. They watched with baited breath as his eyes fluttered open.

“Who’s making coffee?” he asked, reaching up to rub his eyes. “Smells good.” 

“Okay, Matilda could not possibly have written that coffee is what wakes Sleeping Beauty,” Tristan said, turning to Flannery. “That’s just stupid.”

Flannery shrugged. “Matilda didn’t write anything about what woke Sleeping Beauty. That’s all Sorin.” 

“Oh shit,” Sorin said, realizing what he’d just gone through. “Those bastards really did a number on me. How long have I been asleep?”

“Not even a full day,” Flannery assured him. “Tristan wouldn’t let you be kidnapped for long.” 

Sorin smiled, reaching up to run his fingers through Tristan’s hair. “Yeah. He loves me too much.”

“And you love coffee too much if that’s what broke the spell,” Tristan teased, sitting down but refusing to let Sorin go.

“I am a man of few vices,” Sorin said, his voice still heavy from sleep. “But coffee is one of them.” 

“I keep telling you,” Flannery said, rolling her eyes. “Tristan’s kiss broke the spell, Sorin just took a bit to wake up.” 

“Where are Yuki and Ashe?” Sorin asked, clinging to Tristan.

Flannery frowned, letting one of the locals take on the task of breaking that news instead.

“They’re calling Officer Yamada,” Elwood said. “You know, Yuki’s uncle. We…we found Ms. Carl’s body in one of the upstairs rooms. Looked like she’d been dead for quite a while.” 

Granny gasped sharply, covering her mouth with one of her hands. All color and Sorin’s face immediately faded. He clutched even tighter to Tristan.

“I think…I think I remember seeing her,” Sorin said, his voice barely above a whisper. “They put a spell on me, you know, to get me to obey them. I tried to fight it, but I couldn’t find Sleeping Beauty. I didn’t have the practice like Flannery and Kai and the others do. The door was open when I climbed the stairs. The smell was awful. I don’t know how those two can live in that house. I think the horror of it was enough to put a pause on the spell, because I wouldn’t follow them past that point until they closed the door.” 

Flannery felt her stomach sink. That had to be awful for Sorin. She remembered when she’d been unable to move, and how much that terrified her. She couldn’t imagine moving without her own consent, being forced to do things you didn’t want to do. 

“I think Sleeping Beauty reached out to you, though,” Flannery said, hoping it would make Sorin feel better. “When you fell asleep, you created a barrier of thorns between them and you. Their house was covered in it by the time we showed up. I think you’ve connected with her by following her story, even if you hadn’t planned to.” 

Sorin blinked owlishly, taking in the information. “Oh…” Flannery watched the gears spin in his head. He looked down at his hand, and Flannery gasped as thorny vines appeared from under his sleeve, wrapping around his wrist. His eyes grew wide, and he held up his hand to show them.

“Holy shit, you guys,” he said, his voice breathy with disbelief. “I have magic.” 

“Hell yeah you do!” Tristan cheered, pressing a kiss to Sorin’s hair. “You’re amazing, babe.”