Fleeing their would-be murderers in the Capital, Devi and Ahava wait for an escape and reminisce what they’ll miss most about the city they’ve called home for 20+ years.
More Burn Says the Martyr content bc I need to prove to y’all I’m doing SOMETHING for camp nano rip
DEVI had hoped the Revolution would end the slaughter, but she couldn’t have been more wrong. KIMON has manipulated the death of a prominent magician to kickstart his blood-soaked revolution. In just a few days thousands of ruling-class Magic Insensitives are dead, and Devi might be next.
Devi finds herself on the run with the usurped monarchs, BARACHIEL and DESDEMONA, with only her friend AHAVA to keep her sane. Devi hated the old regime and its tyrannical anti-magic laws, but now she must work with the monarchs to survive a Querevage that has been turned on its head. Hiding together in the notorious Quereven badlands, Devi never thought the horse-sized pack animals would be the least of her problems.
When Kimon manages to find Devi alone - unprotected, vulnerable, desperate - he offers her a devil’s deal, and it may be the hardest choice she’s ever made.
Will she turn over the true monarchs and secure her own safety, legitimizing a government that intends to kill millions, or will she risk everyone she holds dear to keep Kimon from the throne?
= B U R N says the M A R T Y R - camp nano wip intro
G E N R E lgbtqia+ fantasy
S U B G E N R E S abuse ; forgiveness ; betrayal ; hurt & comfort ; found family ; morality ; identity
In my continuing attempt to not succumb to the overwhelming desire to eat 48 billion fudge brownies rather than write procrastination I’m going to be posting daily quotes from my current draft of Burn Says the Martyr (sequel to Run Says the Devil)! These will be tagged “#bstm:nano” if you want to block the tag.
I missed yesterday but here’s Nov. 2nd!
“ It made Devi want to curl up and cry, the idea that she could scare Ahava, frighten her, chase her away, without even trying to, without even meaning to. ”
= a-z challenge for R U N says the D E V I L
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= word count: 403
= T R I G G E R W A R N I N G for mentions of suicide & death
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What looked like the remnants of a fight marred the path to the clinic, spiraling out of the Blind Owl and spilling onto the street like eviscerated intestines. Soldiers and drunks alike milled about; red dripping from the latter’s lips like booze, matching the stains on their knuckles. The guards eyed Devi suspiciously, recognizing the Devil with ease. In an alley, tucked next to the bar, lay a crumpled lump of blanket. A body. Right across from the clinic.
Fear yanked at Devi’s knees as she approached one of the guards standing by the corpse.“What happened?” she asked, throat dry.
He looked at her with some disdain, silent even as he sneered.
Devi gestured at the body with her foot, hands tucked into herself for warmth. “A patcher?” She didn’t get an answer beyond the slightest twitch in his gaze, and panic latched onto Devi’s heart. Was it Ahava? She prayed it wasn’t a tell. “I’m Insensitive, same as you. Just curious, is all.”
The guard sighed. “A riot started and the witch got caught in the center of it—they were pretty much torn to pieces. Can’t say they didn’t get what they deserved, though. The folks we’ve asked say they were practicing.”
Practicing. God, it couldn't Ahava under that blanket, could it? She was smarter than that. Had her eyes faded yet? Was Ahava safe? Where was she right now? The clinic?
Devi tried to hide her panic even as she looked back at the clinic. No light came through the shuttered windows. “Are they an Aeran patcher?”
He grunted. “No idea. Their eyes were gouged out.”
Devi nodded numbly, before turning away from the scene, heading towards the clinic. First Barachiel and now this? Her skin itched, fists clenching by her side as Devi did her best to keep walking forward, rather than running back to the corpse to rip off it’s blanket, claw at its face until it told her the truth. Was it Ahava?
What would the doctor’s face look like, gold eyes hollowed out by violent, indulgent fingers? Blood dripping from dark pits and claw marks down her cheeks. Would there be bruises on Ahava’s knuckles, signs that she died fighting? Or would she be barely recognizable, just a body beaten and bruised and torn; limp as a doll? Would she cold, skin pale and unfeeling beneath Devi’s calloused fingers? No longer sunlight, no longer warm.
Please, Devi thought, as she tried to stifle tears, please let her be alive. Devi didn’t know what she’d do if Ahava died. Maybe she’d kill herself.
The clinic door was locked and the windows were bolted and Devi didn’t have a key. Too bad for Ahava. Devi began pounding on the door with vigour, not quite desperate enough to start yelling yet. She was scared, yes, but attracting the attention of the Guard wouldn’t help anyone.
There was the sound of movement from inside the clinic, followed by the flashfire light of a lantern being brought to life. Devi heard a thud, several small things clattering to the floor, and Ahava cursing loudly.
The Devil quietly thanked whatever gods existed for saving the doctor.
“Who is it?”
Devi took a moment to collect herself, feeling impossibly shaken as her breathing came in uneven, relieved gasps, wet with grief. “It’s Devi.”
Thanks for asking! (And for waiting) Loving the idea for a more lighthearted piece so I hope you enjoy this blurb featuring Devi and Ahava.
19. “According to this survey, most people agree you are, in fact, a gigantic asshole.” - Prompt list (send one in!)
Word count: 749
Devi sat in the clinic’s med bay, nursing a cheap beer dragged over from the Blind Owl, Ahava’s sat on the counter, dark glass glinting in the moonlight. It was strange to not be the one getting patched up but Devi had the night off and Ahava was always up late, consistent as the moon. So when Devi couldn’t sleep - adrenaline burning in lungs, expecting a fight, twitchy as an insect - Ahava’s seemed the logical place to go. The night was softer there.
Some idiot punk, fresh from a bar fight sat in the chair as Ahava ground together some herbs, gold eyes flashing with irritation. Two other casualties from the same fight sat outside in the main room. Their soft bickering fluttered against Devi’s ears.
“This is going to sting like a mother fucker,” Ahava announced, idly, “but it will stop the burns from getting any worse if you’re consistent with it.”
The patient - Adeinn? - didn’t seem too enthusiastic about that, his shadowy silhouette hunching in the tiny chair as he made a face.
Devi, out of the loop and curious for a story, leaned forward in her chair. “Burns?”
Adeinn squirmed sheepishly.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” Ahava shot, before turning to Devi. “Play nice, adjya, can’t have you harassing my paycheck.”
“Oh, like you’re not curious.”
“Never said I wasn’t.”
“I don’t mind telling the story,” Devi could see the glint of a smug smile spreading across Adeinn’s face, “especially not for two lovely ladies such as yourselves.”
“Another comment like that and I’ll hit you,” was Ahava’s only response.
His smile faltered. “Jeez, sorry…”
“The story!” Devi pressed as Ahava huffed.
“Okay okay, so I’m sitting in the bar, minding my own business.”
“That’s how all bar fights start,” Ahava grumbled under her breath.
Adeinn scrunched his nose at her, before rolling his eyes. “Anyway, I’m minding my own business, and Jasper comes in - big blond bloke - and his brother Jacob - bigger blonde bloke - they’re twins.”
“Is Jacob the evil twin?”
“Devi!”
Adeinn laughed at Devi’s comment despite Ahava’s chiding. “He is the evil one; a fucking patcher!”
Devi felt her mouth go dry. Patcher was a disgusting word for magician and Ahava, a non-practicing magician herself, tensed in Devi’s peripheral. Devi’s shoulders stiffened as Ahava just stared dead-eyed down at the mix, her gentle stirring grinding to a halt. God, she hated these anti-magic pricks.
The patient, oblivious to the sudden tone shift, continued on undeterred. “So we’ve been rough ever since I found out Jasper’s brother was, well, like that and he actually had the nerve to be like ‘you’re a giant prick’ and ‘what’s your fucking problem’ like he doesn’t know what my problem is. So obviously I told him to go fuck himself which only made him more pissed. And, well, next thing I know a goddamn lantern’s being smashed in my face.”
He stretched in the chair, staring up at the ceiling as he groaned. “What an asshole.”
“I hope you don’t mind my saying,” Devi hissed lowly, “but I think you’re the ‘asshole’ here.”
“Hey, you can’t say that I’m a paying customer!”
Ahava shifted as if to turn to him, but stopped, staying fixed at the counter instead. “Devi can say whatever she wants - she doesn’t work here.”
“Then what’s she doing in the med bay?!”
“Moral support,” Devi said, taking a sip from the previously forgotten bottle of beer she was holding. It was lukewarm at this point but she drank anyway. She had badass appearances to keep up, damn it, couldn’t blink in the face of the enemy.
“She translates my anger,” Ahava elaborated, finally allowing herself to turn around and lean against the countertop. “For example, I too think you are an asshole.”
Devi hummed in solidarity, nodding.
Adeinn blubbered for a bit. “Oh fuck you guys too. No better than the jackasses out there. I’m not an- an asshole!”
“Oh, Really?” Devi mused. “Because according to this survey,” she gestured between herself and Ahava jerkily, “most people agree you are, in fact, a gigantic asshole.” She took a swig.
He blinked at Devi, before jerking to face Ahava. “And you’re going to let her say that to me?”
Ahava shrugged. “Yeah.”
“Bitch. I should have taken my money somewhere else.”
The doctor’s stare was cold as ice. “Yeah, you probably should have. Now get the fuck out of my clinic.”
I know this isn’t necessarily nanowrimo based but are my babies gonna be /okay/ ;-;
im always down to answer questions about the gang!! I’m going to need you to define “okay” but i can guarantee at least half of them are alive next book o w o
= list of major characters from R S T D because character intros are hard
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= likes/reblogs greatly appreciated
A H A V A
= she/her / character intro / character tag
= grumpy doctor trope, runs clinic across from local bar; “The Blind Owl”, salty & gay, magician of Aeran heritage, suffering from a lost culture & sense of disconnect with her past, done with Devi’s self-destructive behaviour
A L P H O N S E
= he/him / character intro / character tag
= father of Satyr & Gemini, married to Kimon, close friend of Devi’s, exceptionally powerful magician who has been forced into hiding after Querevage banned magic, skilled magician capable of matter manipulation
A M A T O R
= he/him / character intro / character tag
= deceased, murdered by Barachiel & Desdemona, powerful necromancer who helped found Querevage, old friend of Devi’s, known for his ambition & legacy of human rights improvements, retired Coliseum battle mage
B A R A C H I E L
= he/him / character intro / character tag
= king of Querevage, high general of Querevage until the end of RstD, regal appearance & tastes, in charge of legislature, human disaster prone to substance abuse, will casually just break into Devi’s house to see her
D E S D E M O N A
= she/her / character intro / character tag
= queen of Querevage, serves as the public face of the monarchy, main decision maker between her and Barachiel, knows what she wants and takes it, highly intelligent, built the anti-magic movement into what it is today
D E V I
= she/her / character intro / character tag
= bruiser in the Arena, mom friend, old friend of Barachiel & Amator - has come to hate the former, forced into poverty after Amator’s death, desperately trying to cultivate a new normal, prone to suffering in silence, loves tea & blankets
G E M I N I
= she/her / character intro / character tag
= acting general of Querevage, training under Barachiel, forged her documents to obtain her desired position of power, claims to be working with Barachiel to form a “new Querevage” where magicians and Insensitives have equal rights
K I M O N
= he/him / character intro / character tag
= Coliseum battle mage, married to Alphonse, father of Gemini & Satyr, specializes in electricity-based elemental magic, snarky asshole, frequently out of the house, favours Gemini, constantly fighting with Satyr
S A T Y R
= he/him / character intro / character tag
= smol bean, used to be able to predict the future, now specializes in illusion magic, cheerful but not necessarily carefree, cares deeply for his family, presently travelling Mezilon with other magicians hiding from the law
Querevage has never seen a darker period in its history. The divide between magicians and the increasingly common Magic Insensitives peaked with the death of AMATOR, the nation’s founder and renowned necromancer. Left leaderless, the laws of succession ruled that his murderers DESDEMONA and BARACHIEL should take the throne. The pair immediately forced an anti-magic dictatorship onto the Quereven citizens and began a campaign of conquest that sought to wipe magic from existence through means of genocide, starting a war that would eventually consume the entire continent of Mezilon
Caught in the middle of the storm is DEVI, a close friend of both Amator and Barachiel. She is struggling to cope with the strange new nation that has formed around her and desperately trying to reconcile the diplomat she once knew with the ruthless monster Barachiel has become. Through years of hard work, Devi has managed to settle down, creating a delicately balanced life for herself, complete with good friends - AHAVA and ALPHONSE - and a job that manages keeps her out of the mines. The shack she lives in isn’t home, but it’s good enough.
However, this is all thrown upside down when she discovers that KIMON, Alphonse’s husband, is having an affair. Fearing for her friend’s heart, she tells him without hesitation, only, he doesn’t believe her. Instead, he calls her a liar, a fiend, and a manipulator. Alphonse, a magician clinging to the remains of a family destroyed by politics and war, refuses to believe that the man he loves would betray him.
So Devi is left with one option: expose Kimon.
She uncovers a revolution instead.
= R U N says the D E V I L
G E N R E lgbtqia+ fantasy
S U B G E N R E S fluff & angst ; queer themes ; ambition ; hurt & comfort ; found family ; morality ; identity
P R E V I E W chapter one (tw for sewing needles in a medical context)
W I P T A G #rstd
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