Lord Merk Lindrum
Human, Lord of Blackvale Castle, sorcerer, first appeared in chapter 27 of Shadows in the Stone
The brush touched the canvas lightly, dabbing grey shadows on the undersides of fluffy clouds floating outside the window. Satisfied, Merk Lindrum turned his attention to the cat lounging on the sill. It also required more shadowing.
He glanced around the easel and scrutinized his pet; its white fur shined as it lay stretched in the sun, sleeping. A few strokes on canvas and it would be perfect. His fan brush gently stroked the watercolours together to create tiny hairs that stabbed into the shadow.
Next he added highlights to the diamonds in the red collar. His lover had bought it for her beloved pet; countless cats had worn it since, one replacing the other, hoping his mate would believe her pet had survived to see her return. A disturbance in his diaphragm stirred a familiar feeling, firing the acids in his stomach, and he gripped the brush until his knuckles turned white.
Merk rose slowly and went to the window. Below a slave carried a basket of potatoes on her hip. The elf strolled the courtyard as if she lived free. Elves…they were the bane of his existence. If not for them, he’d not warm his blankets alone. The cardoons had robbed him of life’s greatest pleasure.
He raised his hand, and the red ruby in his ring glinted in the sun. A simple twist of his fingers caused the bottom of the basket to collapse. The slave stopped and gawked at the spilt load. Even from this distance, he sensed the fear in her actions. The woman rushed to the well in the centre of the courtyard, snatched another basket and returned to retrieve her load. Nothing but a cardoon, he scoffed.
His lips broadened, and he returned to his painting, at ease, ready to continue his masterpiece.
Castle Keepers Vignette: Almost five years has passed since Isla was kidnapped and Bronwyn left Maskil in search of her. In many ways, not much has happened; the inhabitants of the Land of Ath-o’Lea have continued their daily routine. But if you look deeper into the individual lives you’ll see much has changed in little ways.
The Castle Keeper vignettes provide a glimpse into the time between Shadows in the Stone and Scattered Stones. You’ll have already met many of the characters, but some you will meet in Scattered Stones.
These vignettes won’t be complete stories, only 300 words of a moment. I consider them exercises in writing and editing. I hope to write two a week and post them on Mondays and Thursdays as we lead up to the release of Scattered Stones, the second fantasy novel of the Castle Keepers series, on May 6, 2016.
The collection of vignettes will be organised on the Castle Keepers Vignettes page. On the first of each month, I will post the schedule of the characters I will write about that month.
Diane McGyver 