Progress report:

Last time looked at: 7/11/14

Last actual wordage added: 7/11/14

Pages added 7/11/14: 4

Current page count: 30

Final page count: Maybe 350?

Deadline: None. Speculative.

Comments: This is interesting; my comments last time said, “Burren has withdrawn from the Red Chamber, as matters of state such as are being discussed there are none of his concern. After refreshing himself, he has settled in the Falcon Parlor.”

That’s not in any surviving draft I’ve located so far. It also doesn’t match my memory. And the page-count doesn’t match — the progress report says I had 27 pages, but the file I’m working on had 26.

I’m not sure whether I lost a page, or threw some stuff out. Thinking about it, I’d guess I threw out a few pages; I have a vague recollection of stuff about eating that I decided wasn’t advancing the story and removed.

This is what comes of leaving stuff untouched for so long.

Anyway, I wrote four pages tonight. I had stopped on page 26 right after Dalvos and Orivan left the Red Chamber for a private discussion, and have now written a conversation where Sorden Garthis (who had appeared before but didn’t have a name until tonight) asks Burren a few friendly questions about his connections with the royal family.

This story seems determined to have lots of short chapters; I think I’m nearing the end of Chapter Four already. Chapter Five will be set a few days later.

Haven’t decided whether Aldir will make it in time for the funeral.

Word count: 7,643