A little unedited excerpt from this year’s NaNoWriMo Novel – Markaz

The loud laughter of middle-aged men erupted throughout the bar. Isott looked over to the disturbance, shaking her head. Daniel tapped her on the arm, gesturing to her to look again. What she saw was impossible. One of the two men was pointing at a drink, concentrating on a glass that had the drink flowing straight up into the air. He then carefully brought his arm down and the fluid went into the glass. They both laughed and his partner yelled, “Higher”. The other man focused his attention on the glass and the liquid rose out of the glass higher than before. He then gestured to an empty glass and moved the liquid to it, splashing as it fell into the glass. They slapped each other on the back. The tavern was silent by now watching the two. They didn’t notice the silence or attention. The one moving the liquid said something to the other, who nodded his head. The strange focusing of the two men returned and the liquid at the table went into the air. The one gestured to an empty glass at a table near them were some merchants were watching and dropped the beer into one of their glasses. Sloshing most of it onto the table. The woman picked it up the drink and toasted them, laughing.

Isott’s looked back to the two men, they were concentrating harder now. Beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. The men noticed everyone watching them now and the one seemed to be focusing on all the tables at once. They both seemed to glow? And then all the drinks on almost every table rose into the air, higher and higher, almost touching the ceiling.

“I am the greatest,” bellowed the man standing holding both hands high in the air. He was in ecstasy from something and then all the drinks in the air fell soaking the patrons, producing screams and complaints. Isott watched as the man arms still high in the air grew brighter and then collapsed like a sack of corn to floor unmoving. His companion now stood looking at his own hands. He too seemed to glow. He cried out, “I can’t get rid of it!” Looked down at his chest, “No” and exploded.