feat: drafted nineteen and twenty

.gitignore

@@ -4,4 +4,4 @@ node_modules/
 *.pdf
 *.docx
 *~
-
+dmoonfire*

README.md

@@ -82,3 +82,17 @@ fire investigator
 Hawk-faced guard.
 
 ## Cobbler's End
+
+## New Brunil
+
+Larger city.
+
+## Palanis, Roldal, Gainsburg, and Gamis
+
+Smaller village between X and New Brunil.
+
+"Want a ride? I'm heading through the villages until Roldal. Then I'm heading west to Gamis but you'll still be going north there."
+
+Gainsburg is where the first time she played for money. 15 miles from home.
+
+# Penesol (Her home town)

chapters/chapter-17.md

@@ -8,13 +8,13 @@ summary: >
 
 After another day of disappointment, Linsan didn't have hopes for the next village. After the good luck with earning her keep with her violin and then catching a ride with Maril, she had hoped that the gods would reveal the murderers within hours. Sadly, even as wagon stopped at each village throughout the day, no one could provide even a hint to the men Linsan was chasing.
 
-With a sigh, she leaned against the side of the wagon and peered down at the wheel. There was still mud still clinging to the wagon. As the wagon rattled over a wooden bridge, flecks of half-dried mud cascaded down and created a path.
+With a sigh, she leaned against the canvas bags heaped on the side of the wagon and peered down at the wheel. There was still mud still clinging to the wagon. As the wagon rattled over a wooden bridge, flecks of half-dried mud cascaded down and created a path.
 
 Maril groaned. She squirmed in her seat for a moment before flicking the reins to sped up her horse along the bridge.
 
 "Going to make it?"
 
-The older woman waved her hand dismissively. "Been doing this ride for thirty years. I know every bathrooms and water closet for fifty leagues. It's the way my dad had to travel and it's the way my girls will when they are older."
+The older woman waved her hand dismissively. "Been doing this ride for thirty years. I know every bathrooms and water closet for fifty leagues. It's the way my dad had to travel and it's the way my girls will when they become old ladies."
 
 She pointed ahead to a brightly painted building on the side of the road. "In fact, Old Gal's Pals has one of the best ones in the areas. Old Gal runs the general store and the public house here in Jonas's Gate. Gal's sisters are all pepper farmers and they all make award-winning chili. Once a year, they have a fair for their meals and you really appreciate indoor plumbing that night."
 
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ Linsan watched her for a moment and then sat back down. She watched as the villa
 
 "Yes, do you need me to get anything from the store?"
 
-"Some willow bark would be nice. Something to chew on, not drink. I've been peeing enough as it is. And moon pads, if you are willing. If not, I'll grab some myself."
+"Some willow bark would be nice. Something to chew on, not drink. I've been peeing enough as it is."
 
 Linsan had enough for that. "No, that's okay. I can get those. Fair is fair. After all, you are giving me a ride."
 
@@ -116,13 +116,13 @@ She froze. "W-What?"
 
 Spinning around, she grabbed the door to peer in. "But they were here, right?" Her voice rose in excitement.
 
-He peered up at her, nodded, and then returned to his tiles. "Try Old Gal's. They stopped there for dinner."
+He peered up at her, nodded, and then returned to his tiles. "Try Gal's. They stopped there for dinner."
 
 Linsan gasped and then raced away. Her violin thumped against her hip as she crossed the road and into the general store.
 
 Inside, the brightly-painted business was both a store and a public eating area. The separator between the two was a table filled with jars of peppers, jellies, and other savories. Everything had a pepper motif from the murals on the walls to the tablecloths underneath the supplies. Even the little price tags neatly affixed to the wall had hand-drawn peppers.
 
-Her ears pounding with hope, Linsan looked around for someone to ask. She spotted the hallway marked water closets before her eyes caught movement on the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw an old woman sitting behind a counter reading a book that had a half-naked man painted on the front.
+Her ears pounding with hope, Linsan looked around for someone to ask. She spotted the hallway leading to the water closets before her eyes caught movement on the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw an old woman sitting behind a counter reading a book that had a half-naked man painted on the front.
 
 "Excuse me?"
 
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ Linsan opened her mouth.
 
 Gal stopped her with a look. She rotated the book slightly on the counter. Then, she folded her wrinkled fingers together and leaned forward. "Now, how may I help you?"
 
-Sheepish, Linsan forced herself to take a deep breath. She wanted to scream or call out. She was s close, so near finding that she was going in the right direction. "T-The banker said three men had come in earlier. They all had long, ground-length coats and wide-brimmed hats. One them had a guitar. Have you seen them?"
+Sheepish, Linsan forced herself to take a deep breath. She wanted to scream or call out. She was close to finding out that she was going in the right direction. "T-The banker said three men had come in earlier. They all had long, ground-length coats and wide-brimmed hats. One them had a guitar. Have you seen them?"
 
 Gal smiled brightly. "Of course, Sweetie."
 
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ She trembled as she forced her fingers off the counter. "S-Sorry. I've been chas
 
 Linsan froze, her heart pounding and the world spinning violently around them. "T-Three days? How did they get here so far? No, it can't be them."
 
-Gal shrugged. "Not a lot of people play guitars. Or wear coats like that. Sounds like your guys. Your band abandon you?"
+Gal shrugged. "Not a lot of people play guitars. And wear coats like that. Sounds like your guys. Your band abandon you?"
 
 Linsan took a deep breath. She considered lying. "N... No."
 
@@ -168,23 +168,23 @@ Linsan took a deep breath. She considered lying. "N... No."
 
 "What's are those?"
 
-Gal grinned. "Pretty girls like you chasing after singers because they got a wink or just want a chance at them?"
+Gal grinned. "Pretty girls like you chasing after singers because they got a wink or just want a chance at their beds?"
 
 Linsan stared for a moment. Then her cheeks began to burn. "No... no! They stole something of mine... ours and I'm trying to chase them down."
 
 Gal cocked her head for a moment, her eyes peering at her.
 
-"Please?" Linsan whispered. "I just need to find them. I've been traveling for three days since... since..." Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to say they were murderers. "... I just need to find them. I swear."
+"Please?" Linsan whispered. "I just need to find them. I've been going for three days since... since..." Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to say they were murderers. "... I just need to find them. I swear."
 
 Gal's eyes softened slightly.
 
 "Please?"
 
-Gal shrugged. "Well, you are a couple days behind them. They were just for dinner before driving off. They didn't stay here for the night. Just bought a few snacks and headed out."
+Gal shrugged. "Well, you are a couple days behind them. They were just for dinner before driving off. They didn't even stay here for the night. Just bought a few snacks, two jars of jam, and headed out."
 
 "Left? At night?"
 
-"Well, they are making those auto-driving vehicles faster these days. It was a pretty nice one too. You don't see fancy ones in villages like this very often."
+"Well, they are making those auto-driving vehicles faster these days. It was a pretty nice one too. All black and gold. You don't see fancy ones in villages like this very often."
 
 Linsan froze. They had a car?
 
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ Wiping her face, Linsan took a deep breath and tried to stop the sudden despair
 
 No, she couldn't. Not in front of Gal.
 
-She spotted the chews and feminine pads that Maril wanted. With a shaking hand, she picked them up along with some snacks and carried them over to the counter. "C-Can I get these?"
+She spotted the chews that Maril wanted. With a shaking hand, she picked them up along with some snacks and carried them over to the counter. "C-Can I get these?"
 
 "Of course, Sweetie," Gal said in a sympathetic voice. "That will be four crowns."
 
@@ -212,21 +212,21 @@ Would it matter if they would get to Moon Over Stone Waters long before her? How
 
 "I'm sorry, Love, I thought you knew." Gal handed her Maril's supplies in a small paper bag.
 
-"I didn't. It just..." Linsan wasn't sure if she was going to give up, it felt like the right thing to do. But, she had to keep going. If anything for Duncan's and her family's honor. "... I'll catch them sooner or later," she finished with a lie.
+"I didn't. It just..." The storm of emotions made it impossible to make a decision. "... I'll catch them sooner or later," she finished with a lie.
 
 Gal leaned over and peered at her closely. "What did they do?"
 
-Linsan hesitated. Then she sighed. "They killed a friend and stole something from my family. I was hoping to catch up to them and then get guards to bring them back home to pay for their crimes."
+Linsan hesitated. Was she suppose to say she was chasing murderers? Or thieves? Her parents haven't given her any suggestions. Then she sighed. "They killed a friend and stole something precious from my family. I was hoping to catch up to them, tell some guards about it, and then somehow get them back home to pay for their crimes."
 
-The harsh look on Gal's face softened even more. "Killed?"
+The harsh look on Gal's face hardened. "Killed?"
 
-Linsan nodded. "He was a friend. He ran a local bank in Cobbler's End and... and... I just want to find them."
+Linsan nodded. "He was a friend. He ran a local bank in Cobbler's End. Like the one here. "And... and... I just want to find them."
 
-"That mean you're leaving to go after them?"
+"That mean you're leaving to go after them? By yourself?"
 
 "I have to wait for someone. She's in the bathroom."
 
-A face softened the lines on Gal's face. "I thought I saw someone rushing by. Well, why don't you sit down and help yourself to some bread and jelly. It's my special recipe. On the house."
+A smile broke the harsh expression on Gal's face. "I thought I saw someone rushing by. Well, why don't you sit down and help yourself to some bread and jelly. It's my special recipe. On the house."
 
 "I really should get going." Linsan gathered up her purchases. "Thank you."
 

chapters/chapter-18.md

@@ -8,33 +8,33 @@ Linsan tried to find a comfortable position on a heavy canvas bag. The fragrant
 
 She squirmed for a moment and then tried to convince herself to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, though, her thoughts began to spiral into despair as she thought about how far ahead her quarry was.
 
-With a groan, Linsan rolled over and tried to find a new position to sleep.
+With a groan, Linsan rolled over and tried to find a new position to sleep. She tried pushing the contents of the bag around to adjust but the bag remained an uncomfortable lump digging into some part of her body.
 
-On the other side of the wagon, Maril let out a loud snore. She had three blankets on top of her and another two wrapped around her feet.
+On the other side of the wagon, Maril let out a loud snore. She had three blankets on top of her and another two wrapped around her feet. One hand was wrapped around a short knife and the other on a metal bar.
 
-Linsan sighed miserably. It was late and she couldn't go anywhere with Maril snoring on the other side of the wagon.
+Linsan sighed miserably. It was near midnight but she couldn't go anywhere with Maril sleeping. No matter what she did, the wagon wasn't moving until morning.
 
-Every hour the older woman slept was one more hour that the murderers were moving ahead. In their car, they could easily travel a hundred leagues in a day where she could only do a dozen. The wagon wasn't much better, even with the increased comfort.
+Every hour the older woman slept was one more hour that the murderers got ahead. Every minute Linsan wasn't rushing forward, they were going ten times as fast. In their car, they could easily travel a hundred leagues in a day where she could only do a dozen. The wagon wasn't much better, even with the increased comfort.
+
+Nothing would let her catch up.
 
 Tears threatened to rise up. She fought them, not willing to break down.
 
 With her throat dry and her chest aching, she looked around for any comfort. Spotting her case, she reached down and picked it up. The leather scraped against one of the bags. Pulling it into her lap, she wrapped her legs around the base and pressed the head against her belly.
 
-She bowed her head. Taking a deep breath, she let the smells of wood stain, dust, and age fill her lungs. The comforting smells of an old instrument pushed back the growing despair.
+She bowed her head. Taking a deep breath, she let the smells of wood stain, dust, and oils fill her lungs. The comforting smells of an old instrument pushed back the growing despair.
 
 Tightening her grip, she rocked back and forth.
 
 Why wasn't she giving up? Why couldn't she just turn around and head home? She knew her parents would understand. No one would blame her when she walked back into the house.
 
-Linsan let out a long, shuddering breathing.
+Linsan let out a long, shuddering breath.
 
 She would know that she had given up.
 
-After so many years steeping in the history of her family, so many visits to the ruins of the workshop, all the music, playing, and seeing her family being worn down, she couldn't given up.
+After so many years steeping in the history of her family, so many visits to the ruins of the workshop, all the music, playing, and seeing her family being worn down, she couldn't give up.
 
-She pressed her lips against the violin case. "I can't give up," she whispered.
+She pressed her lips against the violin case. "I can't," she whispered. "I can't. Even if it takes me years, I can't give up on you."
-
-"Even if it takes me years, I can't give up on you."
 
 She wasn't sure if she was talking to her mother, father, or both. Her thoughts were too confused. For all she knew, she was calling out to Palisis or Duncan's spirit.
 

chapters/chapter-19.md

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+---
+title: Prayer
+---
+
+After two nights of being unable to sleep, Linsan's days had become a hellish mixture of dozing and anxiety attacks. More than once she caught herself considering jumping off the wagon and running the opposite direction. She had also found herself praying that she wouldn't wake up when she began to doze.
+
+"Have you tried prayer?"
+
+Linsan looked up in confusion.
+
+Maril glanced over. "Something is eating at your gut. Old Gal told you something?"
+
+Cringing, Linsan nodded. She hadn't told Maril what Gal had said. However, the wagoner had made an announcement that the worst of the pain had passed and she started skipping villages. They had easily doubled their rate but it was still glacially slow compared to whatever vehicle the killers drove.
+
+"Something is eating at you, Lin. Even I can tell that. Is it about the men you are following?"
+
+Linsan nodded.
+
+"How far ahead are they?"
+
+"I don't know, but they have a car."
+
+"Are they still heading to Moon?"
+
+She nodded again.
+
+Maril glanced at the road ahead and then turned her body. "Thinking about giving up?"
+
+Linsan poked at the bag underneath her. "Yes."
+
+The old woman said nothing for a moment. "Why haven't you?"
+
+Linsan struggled with her answer. "I don't know. I... I know I can't catch up in time, but maybe I can do something. I just don't want to give up."
+
+Reaching back, Maril patted Linsan's thigh. "If you have to take another ride, I'll understand. But let me know, otherwise I'll be waiting for you and that's just rude."
+
+For some reason, that brought a smile to both of their faces.
+
+Linsan nodded. "I promise, I'll let you know."
+
+Maril patted her again. "Good. Now, let's see if we can find you a faster ride. Most of today is just going to be little one store villages but we'll be coming up to New Brunil tomorrow afternoon. If you are going to find a faster ride, that will be the place."
+
+The tension in Linsan's shoulders relented slightly. She didn't even realized she was clenching them.
+
+What wasn't said was that any faster ride might be more than Linsan could afford. She might be able to buy a horse, but not a carriage and definitely not a car.
+
+She glanced at Maril to make sure the wagoner wasn't looking at her and then let her face fall. Thought it may lose her more precious days, she may have to busk a lot more to afford a trip.
+
+Despair rose up, a choking grip that squeezed her throat and chest. She shook her head.
+
+"Try praying," Maril said without looking back.
+
+Linsan and her family wasn't religious, but she knew at least the basic prayers. They had taught them in school. It was better than nothing. Closing her eyes, she began to whisper what she remembered.
+
+After a few phrases, Maril joined her. "For the Divine Couple who watches over us, grant us blessings to make it through our journeys. From the Blessed Wife, all we ask are lessons to help us grow as your humble children. May they be difficult but educational. And from our Holy Father, watch over us to see what we stumble, then take our hand to give us one more step. Grant us respite so we may learn, darkness so we can dream, and the bright sun to wake us again."
+
+The prayer didn't give Linsan any peace but hearing the comforting voice that spoke them did. Linsan let the tears flow as she closed her eyes. Her lips worked the prayer along with Maril, stumbling over the words she couldn't remember but not caring anymore.
+
+Then, with a smile, she finally fell asleep without the threat of nightmares or fear.

chapters/chapter-20.md

@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+---
+title: New Brunil
+---
+
+Linsan walked along the street of New Brunil with a sense of dread and hope. She also was completely overwhelmed by the crowds that streamed along both sides of the road. There were people wearing work clothes, suits, and fancier wear that looked more like her mother's outfits for the stage than something to be worn in the middle of the day.
+
+No one was looking at each other as the chaos swirled around her. She kept bumping into people. Every time she found herself pressed against one of the many painted brick walls of the city, she wondered how everyone else could move without touching others.
+
+Leaning against the sharp edges of brick that framed a shoe store, she let out a shuddering breath. Maril didn't even give her a hint of how noisy and overwhelming it would be.
+
+She clutched her violin case with one hand and looked down at a piece of paper in her other. The local Ralonix branch had helped her come up with a list of seven garages that were most likely to have serviced the murderer's car. The banker's reasoning was confusing, but apparently most vehicles had a guild affiliation with the current warring mechanical guilds. Most the guild-affiliated garages would hesitate to work with an outside car which winnowed down the list to only a few.
+
+She flipped the paper over. There were also three names on the other side, all stables. It was her second task for the day, to find a way of catching up. A horse seemed like the best option. With her limited funds, she could only afford a cheap one.
+
+Linsan dreaded the idea of going to the stables. She wasn't comfortable around equines. Taking care of the mount was also outside of her expertise, which meant more expenses to pay for stables along the way.
+
+She wasn't sure if a horse was even an option she should take. It would require her to ask for more money from her parents. She hated to even venture to ask because they would try to give her what little they had remaining.
+
+A vague idea that she could busk for the money didn't help her either. She had only played for a single night to a small village in the middle of nowhere. She doubted she was good enough to earn enough for a horse.
+
+Maril had given her three hours to find what she can. Linsan would decide about the horse then.
+
+Linsan shook her head and turned over the page. She didn't want to even think how she was going to leave town. Running her thumb down the alphabetical list, she picked one in the middle: Glorious Mechanics of Iron and Steel. It had a fancy name, maybe it would be a good choice.
+
+At least until she found herself standing in front of a crumbling brick building with a fading sign. The place had originally been called "Mechanics" but someone had added " of Iron" in one pain, "and Steel" in a second paint, and then "Glorious" with a third. The sloppy artwork and graffiti did nothing to comfort Linsan.
+
+The front of the garage had two large doors but they were both closed except for a crack of darkness. She could see where they had been dragged through the rocks and dirt by the swept area in front of each one. A smaller door to the right had a small glass window.
+
+Linsan made a face. If this was the best choice the banker could come up with, the rest of her investigation bode poorly. She rested her hand on her violin case and stepped forward.
+
+"Get away from me!" screamed a familiar voice from inside the garage. Brook's tone was infuriated and furious, a sound that Linsan had heard many times over the years.
+
+Linsan stumbled to a stop. Her hand gripped on her case tightly as she stared in shock. Brook was here?
+
+"I said stop!"
+
+The front doors to the garage exploded in a explosion of sound and wind. Tools and men came flying out in a cloud, flung off the ground from Brook's blast.
+
+Linsan braced herself and ducked her head to protect her face. The concussion wave slammed into her, crushing into her chest for a moment as her body was pushed back from the force. She shook her head and looked up before her ears stopped ringing.
+
+Brook stood to one side of the garage's interior. To her back was a workbench heaped with tools but the rest of the room had been tossed apart. Her small hat was half caught in her hair and she wore a blue dress with a dark stain on one shoulder. There were more stains on her matching gloves as she pulled them apart to clap them together again.
+
+Across the garage, four men stood up. One of them, the leader Linsan guessed, wiped his chin and shook his head. "That was stupid, Doll. Now I'm going to take a lot more than purse of yours."
+
+To either side of Linsan, the men who were tossed out of the garage were scrambling to their feet. She saw one of them flick his hands up and the rocks around his feet rose up in the air to orbit around him. Another one snapped his fingers and his hand burst into flames.
+
+Inside, the leader held out his hand and beckoned toward Brook.
+
+Brook crouched down but then a hammer launched itself from the workbench behind her and shot toward the leader. The iron head slammed into her shoulder, twisting her out of place, before the tool smacked loudly into the man's hand.
+
+One of the men behind the leader stepped up as his squat body began to shimmer. "I'll catch the noise, Rab. You teach her a lesson."
+
+"Thanks, Cal."
+
+Linsan watched both men near her from the corner of her vision. She ran her finger along the quick release of her case and slid her hand to wrap around the warm neck of her Sterlig.
+
+Brook groaned as she straightened. She clutched her shoulder as she looked around. When her eyes caught with Linsan's, they opened wide.
+
+Rab stepped forward and hefted his hammer. "Now, be a good girl and hand over that little purse of yours. While you're at it, the key to your hotel because I'm sure you have a lot more with you. Rich dames like you never travel light."
+
+Brook's eyes didn't leave Linsan's. There was a moment of rage, surprise, and then pleading.
+
+Linsan wasn't sure how to respond. Her heart beat loudly but then she concentrated on the strings that were strumming underneath her fingers. She nodded once and then spun around, dropping the case as she pulled out her violin. With practiced skill, she jammed it along her neck and brought the bow into position as she finished her turn.
+
+The first note cut through the air with the sharp sound of the battle anthem from *Death of the Butterfly King*. It was a song that she knew Brook had heard, she only hoped it would help in some manner. She threw herself into the rapid crescendo of the second movement. Her body vibrated with power as the world around her shimmered with energy.
+
+The man with the floating rocks turned with a hiss and threw his hand toward her. The rocks shot out with dizzying speed.
+
+Linsan's notes cut through the air, catching the rocks and tossing them aside.
+
+Brook clapped her hands together, blasting the air around her. The concussion wave slammed into Cal's shimmering body and split apart, tearing apart the back wall of the garage but leaving three of the men untouched. The fourth was slammed into the wall and he slumped to the ground.
+
+Rab threw his hammer at her with a loud grunt.
+
+Brook jerked to the side, but the tool swung around and came back with violent force. It clipped Brook again, knocking her to the ground as the hammer slammed back into his palm.
+
+Linsan started toward Brook but heat blasted her. The other man's flaming hand slammed into her shoulder and singed her hair.
+
+Spinning away, Linsan sent a blast of music toward him.
+
+Brook's concussion blast destroyed Linsan's sound before it could strike him.
+
+Linsan frowned and then dodged more rocks. She couldn't keep her music attacking if Brook interrupted her. They had to work together which meant their attacks had to synchronize. "Brook! Only on the beat!"
+
+"What?" Brook dodged another hammer throw and clapped her hand again. The energy tore through Linsan's music and tossed the telekinetic rocks aside but otherwise missed the man attacking her.
+
+"On the Couple-damned beat!" screamed Linsan. Her bow brought out a quick flurry of notes to knock aside the rocks being thrown at her. She belted out an uplifting measure to slam into the flaming attacker before he could hit her again.
+
+"Like hell!" snapped Brook. She brought her hands up to clap again.
+
+Rab held out his bare hand. The tools behind Brook began to shudder as they were summoned.
+
+"Just listen for once you, you stupid cow!" Linsan snapped. She twisted between her two attackers and then sent a sharp note screaming into the garage. The force smashed into the screwdrivers lifting from the workbench and threw them into the far wall. Their points stuck into wood as they shook violently.
+
+"On the beat!" she yelled and then spun around with a kick that caught the fire wielder in the knee.
+
+He dropped with a bellow of pain.
+
+Linsan turned to see more rocks flying toward her. She couldn't form the music to block them. Cringing, she steeled herself for the impact.
+
+The music reached the brief pause where a beat would be. Hoping Brook understood, Linsan braced her foot against the ground.
+
+There was a concussive blast.
+
+Air slammed into Linsan, the two men, and the rocks. Only Linsan remained standing.
+
+She couldn't stop. Still playing furiously, she brought herself around as she thought through her song. "Brook, your part is coming up! Get out of the garage!"
+
+Brook frowned but she backed away from the workbench and toward the door.
+
+A hammer came flying.
+
+Linsan knocked it out of the air.
+
+There was a rhythm section in the song, a place where the drums beat with a steady beat. If Brook caught her cue and used it to attack, she would be vulnerable.
+
+The mechanics were following faster Brook, shielded behind Cal. Rab was summoning more tools to his hand.
+
+Linsan took a deep breath and let her body relax. She had to time her notes between the beat of Brook's clapping. Grimly, she tensed herself.
+
+"You better be right," snapped Brook.
+
+"Now!" Linsan brought the song into the bridge.
+
+Brook screwed her face and beat her hands together, slamming wave after wave of concussive force into the garage. The blasts tore the doors off the hinges and caused the walls to shake. The workbench collapsed, spilling looks across the ground.
+
+Rab threw screwdrivers and chisels at her with lethal speed.
+
+Linsan's notes caught them and tossed them aside.
+
+Brook continued to pound her hands together. The walls began to crack and the ceiling sagged. With her back to Linsan, the noise was quiet but she could see Cal and the other man clapping their hands over their ears as they dropped to their knees.
+
+Linsan saw the man with rocks getting up. She continued to play notes to block Rab's attack as she hopped over and kicked him in the face. The solid impact caused her to miss a note but no tool flashed out to strike either Brook or herself.
+
+Soon, they were next to each other. The air beat around their bodies, vibrating with the music and the steady pounding that tore the garage apart.
+
+Brook's face was screwed in concentration. Her hands were shaking. "This is really hurting."
+
+"Then one big one, bring it down," gasped Linsan.
+
+She shielded Brook as the other woman brought her arms far apart and then clapped them as hard as she could.
+
+The concussive wave slammed into the garage, collapsing the front wall.
+
+Rab stopped throwing tools when Cal grabbed him and all three of them sprinted out the door as the roof collapsed on itself.
+
+Linsan grabbed Brook by her dress and pulled her back. "Run!"
+
+Brook hesitated only for a second, then she turned and sprinted away.
+
+Linsan grabbed her violin case and raced after her.

frontmatter/legal.md

@@ -10,7 +10,10 @@ Cover art by D. Moonfire
 
 All characters, events, and locations are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons, past, present, and future is coincidental and highly unlikely.
 
-Some themes that appear in this book: bullying. There is no sex or explicit scenes. There is no rape.
+Some themes that appear in this book: anxiety,
+bullying,
+death of named characters.
+There is no sex or explicit scenes. There is no rape.
 
 Broken Typewriter Press\
 5001 1st Ave SE\

language.json

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {
 	"knownWords": [
+		"Brunil",
 		"Dukan",
 		"Dukan's",
 		"Gainsburg",
@@ -28,4 +29,4 @@
 		"Tisin's",
 		"Valian"
 	]
-}
+}

removed/blonde.md

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+She glanced down at the opening into the garage. One door was propped open with twisted and burnt metal. The other rapped against a large brick used to kept it open. Inside the dark opening, she could see lanterns shining on some sort of wide vehicle with a plow in front and covered in mud.
+
+Cringing, Linsan walked up to the door. "H-Hello? Is there anyone here?"
+
+Someone crawled out from underneath the vehicle and stood up. Linsan spotted a flash of blonde hair before the mechanic turned away from the vehicle. With the lantern behind them, there was no question it was a woman who had just stood up. The large bust and curly hair made that impossible to mistake.
+
+The mechanic turned toward her. "Just a second, Doll." She had a high-pitched, melodic voice.
+
+The muscles in Linsan's chest tightened as she watched the other woman work her way around toolboxes and crates.
+
+When the mechanic came out into the sunlight, she was nothing that Linsan expected. She had a heart-shaped face, a brilliant smile that looked like it belonged on the stage with her mother, and she was covered entirely from head to boots in grease. She gave smile and shoved a screwdriver into one of the countless pockets on an old stained apron before she wiped her hands on the dirty fabric. "Now, what can I do you?"
+
+Linsan was at a loss for words. It wasn't for the unexpected woman in front of her, but because she didn't know how to explain her mission. She gaped for a moment.
+
+The blonde looked at her and then smiled. "Got an auto-driver?"
+
+"No... no, I'm looking for... one," Linsan stammered. "It is..."
+
+Then she held up her finger. Taking a deep breath, she remembered how her mother spoke. "I'm looking for three men in a car. They would have come here about five days ago, maybe six?"
+
+The blonde smiled. With the smear of grease over her mouth, it gave her the impression of wearing black lip color and darker eye shadow. "Let me guess, three guys in dusters with some sort of musical instrument and driving a 1851 Len Brant Roadster?"