Joely Sue Burkhart

Day’s word count:

• Venna’s interview:  954
• Road words: 2709
• Total:  3663

Favorite line:  “It’s amazing what a little wild lovemaking on the shores of the Silver Lake can accomplish.”

79,673 / 100,000 (80.0%)

Yeah, yeah, I know I said to expect short and sweet updates until I finish the first draft, but Venna would NOT shut up until I spoke to her.  So welcome back to the show “Every Character is the Star of Her Own Story,” brought to you in order to create more satisfying secondary characters. The star of the show today is Venna, an evidently very misunderstood villainess in The Road to Shanhasson who refused to wait to tell the rest of her story until I finished the first draft.

~ * ~

The woman wouldn’t even stop sobbing long enough for me to get a word in edgewise. Why on earth had Venna come to see me? I had her storyline safely wrapped up, thank you very much. This sub-plot villainess was done. Finito.

:Evidently, you were mistaken.:

I shot a glare at Gregar as he sauntered toward the door. Yeah, I knew saunter wasn’t his word, but I was too pissed at him for allowing her to bother me here in the homestretch to let him glide. The smug bastard winked at me over his shoulder and shut the door.

I put a fake smile on my face and tried to think of something positive to say. Maybe Varne wanted to chat with me again? Even Theo would be better than this woman.

Venna cried into her hands. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“Sure I do. I know all about the poison, Venna. I know you want to be Khul’lanna. I’m sorry, but I’m very, very busy. I really must get back to Shanhasson you know.”

“You don’t know me!” She jerked her head up, her face splotched, the skin around her brown eyes puffy from crying so much. “You don’t even have a picture of me!”

I winced. “I looked, honestly, but I couldn’t find anyone who… inspired me. Not for you.”

“You even have a picture for Theo and Stephan, the lying, cheating curs who got me into this mess. But you don’t have a picture of me! What do you really know of me, then?”

Maybe she had a point. In an effort to make this story as rich and detailed as possible, maybe a few questions wouldn’t hurt. “I know your goal is to be Khul’lanna. Everything you do is aimed toward eliminating your competition.” No matter how dishonorable and murderous.

Her sobs quieted, a bit of hope sparking in her eyes now that I was listening. “Why, though? Did you ever ask yourself why?”

Inwardly, I groaned. I really, really hated that question. “Sure I did. The position of Khul’lanna is the highest female honor on the Plains.”

Venna nodded, her eyes locked on to me like I was the only lifeline saving her from drowning in a bottomless ocean. “Every girl dreams of growing up to be Khul’lanna of the Nine Camps of the Sha’Kae al’Dan. But there’s more.” Isn’t there? hung in the silence, whispered by her pleading eyes.

“I know Rhaekhar hurt you when you were both young. He ended up challenging Tehark, your mate now, and nearly killed him.”

Venna actually had the grace to appear embarrassed, her cheeks coloring more evenly as she dropped her gaze to her hands. “Girls often have crushes on handsome warriors, but he made it very clear he was not for me. Tehark is a good warrior.”

“He loves you,” I said slowly, trying to feel my way through this mess. I knew Tehark sincerely did love her, despite the horrible things she’d done.

“Do you know what it was like? Hiding all the time, so afraid he would find out…” Her hands began trembling, so she played with the hem of her butter-yellow memshai, so close in color to the gold she coveted. “I only wanted to honor him. I only wanted to help him defeat Rhaekhar and become Khul. It wasn’t just for myself, I swear.”

I nodded, waiting silently, hoping she would continue.

“So much pain. So much disappointment…”

I frowned. “What pain? What are you talking about?”

“Did you truly think a gold memshai was enough to make me tarnish my mate’s honor and plot to murder another woman? For outlanders?”  Her mouth curled with distate.  “Am I truly that shallow and hard-hearted?”

Guilt choked me. Yeah, I’d made her that shallow. I’d never tried to find any softness or redemptive characteristic in her. I’d broken my own premise.

Even the darkest Shadow quails before the sacrifice of love freely given. Even the Blackest Heart can be redeemed.

She waited, twisting that cloth until the hem was tattered and tears dripped down her cheeks while I wracked my brain, trying to come up with something, anything. “In the gathering tent, did you happen to overhear Dharman? When he first sat down with Shannari?”

Her mouth flattened, a hard glint coming into her eyes. “Aye.”

My heart beat quickened, my mind churning on the details. “What you overheard pushed you over the edge, didn’t it? You wanted it so badly, so very, very badly.”

Venna nodded her head hard, her hands fisted on the cloth. “I’ve suffered so many losses. Over and over, until I despaired of ever honoring Tehark. I love him, truly, yet I failed to give him the one thing a woman should give her warrior.”

“So when Stephan approached you in Dalden Bay…” I could see it all now, how it had played out. Stephan knew exactly what card to play, how to sway a woman to the murder of another. Jealousy, yes, but not just for title, not even for the pride of a woman scorned.  I suddenly knew Venna’s most secret heart’s desire, and it wasn’t merely the title of Khul’lanna.  Not at all.

I reached over and put my hand on hers, white-knuckled on the skirt. “I’m sorry, Venna. I know, now. I’ll make it very clear in revisions.”

“On your honor?”

“Aye,” I whispered solemnly. “On my honor, I’ll make it right.”

She smiled and suddenly I knew exactly who she was. I’d known she was beautiful, a tawny lioness willing to drag down another to take over the pride. Now I had the full face and background to go with her.

“And I have your picture, too.”

Venna