The first chapter of my new book will publish here on Patreon on Saturday, February 27, and will continue on a weekly schedule afterward. With this timing, everyone who is currently a patron should be able to read the first chapter for free.
Imsiikila breathed a sigh of relief. He did so every time he returned to Albei and passed through its gate, every time he returned to civilization. The thick stone walls, the rowdy noises of hawkers and store clerks, the pyramid looming over the c...
2021-02-06 17:19:17 +0000 UTC View PostInnleioleia gazed down at his one good hand; not so good anymore. Even though the skin was slack and wrinkled, the muscles underneath were taut--too much so for him to grip the clay mug with stability. The stump that would’ve been his left hand ...
2021-02-06 17:18:27 +0000 UTC View PostI liked how book 1 ended with reflections, so let's do it again!
As a reminder, these reflections are approximately 1,000 words long and written from the perspective of characters other than Eight. They're a way to counterpoint his views on ...
2021-01-30 23:16:44 +0000 UTC View PostOn the morning of the celebration, rain poured down in wavy sheets. I could barely see the neighbor’s longhouse from Bihei’s door. The path in between was a muddy mess too. No lightning or thunder though, which was a shame.
A couple of t...
2021-01-30 19:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostHello, dear readers.
We're rapidly approaching the end of Eight's book 2--it's only a chapter and two mini-reflections away. As such, I thought I'd share my plans with you.
First and most importantly: there will be a gap between ...
2021-01-29 19:30:30 +0000 UTC View PostThat evening I was scolded by Billisha, a long teary lecture on the importance of preserving my life, which in turn inspired Aluali to redouble his efforts to secure a promise from me to not take chances when I went hunting. Bihei didn’t add to ...
2021-01-23 18:36:11 +0000 UTC View PostI felt hot and sweaty. The air was stuffy too. I shoved the blanket aside and turned over, but a sharp pain in my side jerked me upright. Instead of a lightning bear, though, late afternoon light greeted me.
I was in Bihei’s longhouse. Her...
2021-01-16 18:48:38 +0000 UTC View PostNone of the other hunters had the qi to spare for Camouflage, so they hid themselves in bushes and behind trees. When they were ready, Mumu signaled Borba (with a hawk’s cry) to lure in the King of the Forest.
I gripped Bearbane tight and ...
2021-01-09 18:04:04 +0000 UTC View PostNote: I changed the narration in this and the previous two chapters to be from Eight's perspective instead of the merged Eight/Yuki consciousness. The change doesn't affect what happened previously though. (More info in the comments if you're ...
2021-01-02 17:48:10 +0000 UTC View PostA single incandescent streamer arced toward Borba and flung him to the ground, convulsing. The streamer bridged the air to Inleio, and he was knocked away too. He kept his footing though. The lightning protection potion worked.
The King swip...
2020-12-26 18:43:05 +0000 UTC View PostNote: We're at the stage of our journey where there will potentially be many cliffs. Just sayin'.
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The weather was balmy, with patches of clouds in the sky, the kind that looked quilted. A light breeze blew, bringing reli...
2020-12-19 16:31:27 +0000 UTC View PostThe ritual room under the lodge was lit by a small fire. The merchant Imsiikila walked around the room to examine the tapestries and read the stories they told. He was a thick-set man, and wore a dusky-orange vest over a blue blouse and dark blue,...
2020-12-12 19:24:52 +0000 UTC View PostKesa called for Ben, the hunter on her team who knew Spark, and pressed him into service in order to test the information about lightning. The spell was the hunters’ closest approximation to the real thing.
Mumu retrieved three sets of arm...
2020-12-05 18:32:09 +0000 UTC View PostAfter a lunch of grilled trout, the rest of the day was spent filling the glen’s larder. There were only two tendays and change left before the hunt for the King of the Forest, and I wanted to focus on preparing and not have to worry about our n...
2020-11-28 20:01:34 +0000 UTC View PostThe stink from the hellmouth’s body worsened as the morning warmed, reminiscent of rotten kale with a healthy dose of putrified pig offal mixed in. Going anywhere near it caused me to gag, and the poor wolves with their keen sense of smell must...
2020-11-21 19:29:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe invader approached from the southeast. I climbed an oak at the top of the cliff for a better view, but there was no sign of it yet. The woods were still riled up from the storm earlier, so my spirit eyes weren’t of any help either.
Ikf...
2020-11-14 18:39:47 +0000 UTC View PostI stopped by the glen on the way to the blynx den to make sure I still had Ikfael's permission to bring them home. She’d been skeptical at first, but once I explained the benefits to me and the glen, she’d agreed to let them stay. It only cost...
2020-11-07 18:28:58 +0000 UTC View PostBlood seeped from a cut along the blynx’s flank. Her breaths came short and fast. A moment ago, she was fury incarnate, but now she was spent--her legs collapsing under her when she tried to stand.
We approached cautiously, our mana flowin...
2020-10-31 17:09:33 +0000 UTC View PostA light rain fell, causing the long grass to bow in supplication. Hidden among the trees along the ridge above, I listened as the drops blipped and blopped on the forest canopy.
The ground, torn up where we’d fought the musk ox bulls, soft...
2020-10-24 16:36:57 +0000 UTC View PostI'm sorry, dear readers. My note at the end of last week's chapter was prescient. No writing happened over the past seven days due to the flu. (That's confirmed, by the way. The COVID-19 test came back negative.)
Fortunately, I am finally fe...
2020-10-17 17:03:47 +0000 UTC View PostThe sun was directly overhead by the time I left the lodge; so bright, I had to block its rays with my hands to give my eyes time to adjust. An elderly couple greeted me as they walked past, and I replied automatically. My mind was elsewhere, spin...
2020-10-10 18:27:32 +0000 UTC View PostInleio walked a circle around the ritual room, lighting the candle stones as he went. Meanwhile, I started a fire inside the circle of stones at the room’s center. It was a circle within a circle and the two of us in-between. Mi abuela would’v...
2020-10-03 16:15:16 +0000 UTC View PostKiertie was beautiful. There was no denying it. And she used her beauty like a knife; to stab into the heart of Woldec, Ghitha’s beloved brother.
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“Is this the same woman?” I asked. “She looks different here. Colder. More cr...
2020-09-26 17:31:35 +0000 UTC View Post“Is there something wrong, Zasha?” Aluali looked with concern at my bowl still half full. “Do the dumplings not taste good?”
He’d made them with Bihei’s help; the two waking early to assemble them from shredded smoked musk ox mea...
2020-09-19 15:19:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe meditation rooms at the Hunter’s Lodge were small, no more than closets really. The only advantage they had was a lack of decorations to reduce distractions. The doors were thin, though, and there was plenty of chatter to be heard from the h...
2020-09-12 17:24:27 +0000 UTC View PostThe lodge was noisy for a good long while. People chatted, drank, and joked. There were even hunters with enough energy to roughhouse. It was all in good fun though; a way to drain any leftover nerves from the hunt.
I helped butcher the musk...
2020-09-05 16:41:36 +0000 UTC View PostWe spent much of that night inside Otwei. While the kids wove their baskets and Bihei worked at her loom, while Bindesei’s ghost hovered at the edge of our consciousness and our body sat in apparent meditation, we eavesdropped on the discussions...
2020-08-29 17:04:06 +0000 UTC View PostI stretched, working out the kinks from the night before. My skin and hair were sticky with sweat and my mouth fuzzy, like I’d spent the night drinking. A bath was in order.
Soap. I’d somehow forgotten to buy soap when I was last in Voor...
2020-08-22 17:17:23 +0000 UTC View PostThat night I dreamt.
A pink tide poured from the Cave of Origins; down the side of the escarpment to fill the land below. Every plant, every insect, and every animal was soaked through, and they began to move as one body. They thought ...
2020-08-15 16:02:41 +0000 UTC View Post