Oracle, A WIP Introduction

Original image by Brian Patrick Tagalog on Unsplash

Synopsis

​In a world of magic that runs like lifeblood through the very earth, Ro is a rare outlier: a null. Magic doesn't affect her or work for her; she instead cancels it out. This comes in useful; as an assassin, Ro slips through all magical defences and snares easily.

When two different contracts come her way, requesting that she assassinate Queen Alyss of Miraré's oracle for a truly obscene amount of gold, Ro happily, eagerly accepts the assignment. For one, she's never killed an oracle before. For another, the reward is practically a king's ransom, and Ro loves nothing as much as gold. 

It takes months, but eventually Ro gets herself into the perfect position to kill the mystical oracle...only she hesitates. Not out of any moral quandary, but out of ​curiosity.

And that single hesitation has far reaching consequences for an entire universe, because the oracle isn't an oracle. He is something else far more influential than that, whether he knows it or not...

Characters

Alyss | also called the Red Queen, ruler of Miraré through usurpation, one-time destined saviour of the world, currently attempting to forge an alliance with Teimor.

Ro | also known as Carrow, a null and assassin whose moral compass points to 'gold' or 'would be fun', depending on the situation.

Sage | an oracle who isn't, motivated by a dual desire for revenge and finding a way home, full of secrets.

Fintan | leader of the Order of the White Hare, a rebel organization dedicated to removing Alyss from the throne, also known as Fin.

Jac | Ro's one-time guardian and current liaison for assignments.

Author's Notes

Remember how I said I'd be doing more subtle references to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland duology? Well...I changed my mind; it's much less subtle now. Still, I'm quite excited about this! All my characters are sort of awful but still sympathetic, which is a treat to write, and I have a very developed backstory for everything that I'm eager to slowly reveal. Speaking of which, the backstory is hefty enough and interesting enough to be its own story told in a more straightforward manner but...I don't want to write it like that so I simply shan't.

I am, however, already falling into the trap of trying to develop and implement a big, world-changing plot which is not my thing at all. It's a strange instinct to have when I don't want nor actually have the capacity to follow through on such a thing. I think I may have just gotten into the habit of thinking up Big Plots™ because I tend to read Big Plots™ and also almost all the writer peers I have or know of tend to write Big Plots™ too.

So I'm trying to simplify it, or at least, make it more character-oriented (which is the type of plot I enjoy and excel at writing to completion). Currently the synopsis is perfect as is, but you'll notice it's not really plot-focused.

The plan so far is to 1) have Ro and my oracle, Sage, on the run, being pursued by the villain, 2) slowly reveal Sage and the villain's secrets and entwined pasts, 3) have Ro and Sage trying to get sanctuary with a group of people who have their own agenda, because that group is the lesser of the two evils for Sage who 4) ultimately just wants to go home. 

It's good enough for now! I shall just keep tinkering with it and see where I end up.

As for the cover: I absolutely adore it, and it has lots of symbolism, which I only realized after I'd settled on this design. Let me be a stereotypical English student for a second and dive into it:

1. The knives represent Ro (assassin) but also an ouroboros, which represent cycles (self-destruction, rebirth, and prophecies, if they are self-fulfilling) as well as betrayal (since the daggers point both directions)
2. The background as a whole represents space (black and stars) but also earth (planets/planes of travel/home) 
3. The cracks in the background symbolize betrayal (something broken or breaking) and questionable sanity and morality (unsound)
4. The white of the daggers represent a void, emptiness, and falseness (because they lack detail and are only silhouttes)

Not much of this will mean anything to you as of yet, because I'm keeping ahold of spoilers, but it's all relevant and if you have any speculations, I'd love to know what they are! In the meantime, check out the dedicated page to this wip here. 

Until next time, happy reading and writing!