Dwarves caught in cursed crystal still dream. Especially when they’re not dead. Especially when they’ve got something to say.
Secondary Characters Speak Out has always been about other characters having something to say. Especially when their scribbler treats them as secondary as far as Quartz is concerned.
Why was he dreaming of these three? They weren’t secondary characters. Especially not the two tiny, slight boys with shaggy golden hair, distinguised only to be their blue and green silk vests over their white tunic, gray trousers, and boots.
That and one of them had glittering silver triangles in the violet-blue irises of his eyes.
Tayel turns to look at Quartz, fixing those glittering eyes upon him.
Tayel: Other worlds are trickling dreams and curses in.
Danyel: Don’t they always? (He’s the boy without the triangles, but there’s a faint green glow emitting from his small fingers, one of which is pointed at the elegant white-haired man in front of him.) What I’m wondering is why we’re here with you.
Dyvian: You share a letter with me. You cannot escape me, my little beauty, even though your beloved twin can leave if he wishes.
Tayel: Letters and patterns may block my way. Still I remain.
Danyel: (grabbing Tayel with his other hand) You won’t separate us, no matter what you scheme.
Quartz: (clearing his throat) Hmph.
Dyvian: (not paying attention, his icy prismatic gaze fixed upon the twins) Ah, but I will. How else will you begin your stories? You cannot escape from your Once Upon a Time. Either of you.
Quartz: Right.
Tayel: Our stories begin as one as did we.
Quartz: Now I know you’re ignoring me.
Danyel: Tayel’s right. Why should we separate? We’ve always been together. Right from the beginning.
Quartz: Is anyone listening to me?
Dyvian: You were one before you came into being. You may yet become one again yet you have to find out whom you are as two. Your paths are destined to go in different directions. Just as you have different letters beginning your names.
Quartz: EVERYONE SHUT IT AND LISTEN!!
Everyone is quiet and looks at him. Danyel blinks as if he’s just realized Quartz is here. Dyvian and Tayel raise their noses with an identical offended air.
Quartz: Right. I’d wonder who’s whose twin with that air. Just as I’m wondering what I’m doing here.
Danyel: I don’t know. What are you doing here?
Quartz: It’s time for Secondary Characters Speak Out. My blog! What are you all doing here? None of you are secondary characters.
Danyel: Yes, I am. In Stealing Myself From Shadows. That’s Christopher’s story. Not mine. Not Tayel’s.
Tayel: As lights which trail a shadow do we Christopher. Not that I intend to leave Danyel. Not for any scribbler nor blog.
Quartz: Right. And what’s your excuse?
Dyvian: Why, we were simply settling ourselves in for Blogging From AZ April Project: Characters Blurbs. Once more we’re together, bound by letters, even if Tayel no longer belongs.
Tayel: Belonging is far more than a letter and a fragile bond is easily broken.
Dyvian: I’m quite secondary in Stealing Myself From Shadows. Why I’m less than a shadow. More of a memory ghost.
Danyel: That doesn’t make you any less manipulative. You’re not taking Tayel from me.
Dyvian: You sound very sure of that.
Quartz: Enough! All right, I think I understand. You’re arguing for or against being together in the same blog next month. During Blogging From AZ.
Dyvian: Correct. We shall be together at inspirationcauldron.blogspot.com.
Danyel: Not that there won’t be Blogging From AZ April Project: Character Blurbs here. Christopher will be here.
Quartz: Yes, he will, although I’ll be at inspirationcauldron.blogspot.com. Some strange sorcerous type named Questioning will be here.
Danyel: Why is there a second Cauldron?
Quartz: Blame the scribbler.
Dyvian: Once upon a time our scribbler was told by her publisher she needed a blog. She set up this one. The Cauldron of Eternal Inspiration at inspirationcauldron.wordpress.com
Quartz: Didn’t work for the publisher. They were in on blogger. To be able to share her blogs with them, the scribbler created a Cauldron of Eternal Inspiration at inspirationcauldron.blogspot.com.
Danyel: I remember being there. She tried to keep up both blogs, didn’t she?
Quartz: Yes, she did, but it was a lot for readers. Turned out being a lot for the scribbler, too. Once the formatting got hard, she moved over completely to the Cauldron at inspirationcauldron.wordpress.com.
Tayel: Once a year she returns and we return. During the Blogging From AZ April Project. We go back to inspirationcauldron.blogspot.com.
Quartz: Not everyone. Those of us who’ve always been there.
Danyel: I remember! We’ve Blogged From AZ at inspirationcauldron.blogspot.com.
Tayel: We’ve been silenced. Leiwell was blocked for his abusive and dangerous words.
Danyel: Leiwell isn’t abusive!
Dyvian: He most certainly isn’t. Just who dared to accuse my Leiwell of such things?
Quartz: No one knows. Not sure why Facebook blocked that Cauldron. It may be just the scribbler was sharing too much from two blogs every day.
Danyel: (shivers) Scary.
Quartz: Aye, it is. Hard to avoid doing again. Especially if no one says what the abuse was.
Dyvian says nothing but his shadow looms, becoming colder, more ominous.
Quartz: Enough of that. Happened years ago. What about now?
Danyel: What about now?
Quartz: If you don’t want to be together, why are you here?
Danyel: (looking sheepish) Well, our scribbler started writing and we started talking…
Dyvian: (folding his arms with dignity) I fear these children forgot we were supposed to express ourselves in blurbs. They made me forget myself as well.
Quartz: Right. You started arguing. Your blurbs became one angry dialogue.
Everyone looks a little sheepish at his words.
Quartz: (looking in my direction) And just why did you drag me into this, scribbler?
Me: Well, I’ve had a lot to write and a lot to catch up on what with the emergency change of computers. I started writing, realizing it was dialogue, not blurbing, and I didn’t want to waste my work-
Quartz: Right. So you wrote me into this mess. Made it my Secondary Characters Speak Out.
Me: Er, yes.
Quartz: Right. I’ll let you off, scribbler. I know you’ve had a lot to cope with of late.
Me: (breathing a sigh of relief) Thank you.
Quartz: And you all. (glancing at the readers) Conversations with Christopher, Secondary Characters Speak Out, and everything else will taking a rest for Blogging From AZ.
Danyel: (waving) Christopher will be here, though, at C is for Christopher! Look for Damian, Peter, Melyssa, ‘Lyssa, Gabrielle, Hebe, Juno, Una, and Vanessa as well!
Tayel: Some of us will blurb forth in the bubbles of the Cauldron at inspirationcauldron.blogspot.com. Such as the three of us. Such as Map, Leiwell, Jupitre, Oleander, Quartz, Seraphix, and Thomas. (He wrinkles his nose.)
Dyvian: Not to mention other characters from other tales. Finished and unfinished.
Danyel: See you all there?
Quartz: Right. That’s enough. I’m going to back to my cursed sleep. You work me too hard, scribbler.
Me: I thought I didn’t give you enough attention.
Quartz: That, too.
inspirationcauldron 