3seed

Eight 4 Update

This is a quick note to say:

1. Patreon charges will resume in November, because...

2. I've started writing the first chapters for Eight 4, which means...

3. You will start to see those chapters being posted in the next week or two.

That's it for now. I just didn't want anyone to be surprised by the charges.

Eight 3: Here Comes a Surprise

Hey all. Remember the scene in Undaunted, the one where a kid is willing to become Eight's slave in order for his siblings to learn the Healing Water spell?

You hated it. The folks on Royal Road hated. And even I hated it.

Actually, hate might be too strong a word, but we all sensed that the scene didn't feel authentic to either Eight or Diaksha. So, as part of the revision process, I deleted the scene and came up with something different. Something more dramatic.

A...

Eight 3 Cover and Pre-Order Information

It's been a busy couple of months since my last update. Both line and copy edits on Eight 3: Undaunted are now complete, and all that's left is e-book formatting. Given how quickly that process is going, I feel comfortable moving up the publishing date to October 12, 2023.

That's right—Eight 3 is now available for pre-order.

By the way, I've once again commissioned Tithi Luadthong for the book'...

Undaunted Update and a Look Ahead

Hello, all. I wanted to take a moment to update you on the current status of things.

The developmental edits for "Undaunted" are complete, and I handed the manuscript over to my editor for line edits about a week ago. I'm expecting it back any day now.

I’m aiming for a release in late September or early October. It's ambitious, especially since I'm juggling a full-time job alongside my writing, but I'm determined. I’ll know more once I see how heavily marked up the manuscript ...

Update: Book 3 First Draft Complete

Well, that's it. The first draft of Undaunted is done, and it's been such a wild ride.

Chapter one published on May 18, 2022, so it's been almost exactly a year in the writing. Thank you for your support throughout. It has meant and continues to mean the world to me.

The truth is that the past year has been tougher than usual, with all kinds of stuff going down, but I always knew I could come back to writing, to the regular cadence of chapters dropping weekly.

It was like ha...

3.53. Perspective: Xefwen

Author's note: This is the third of three short alternate-POV slices.

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The hierophant of Albei stood atop the pyramid at the city’s center with hands behind his back. From his vantage, he had an unobstructed view from wall to wall, and he often came here to observe the lines of luck and fate, so that he might interpret what the future would hold.

None saw him, of course. He’d paid good money for the enchantments to hide his presence from the small ...

3.52. Perspective: Aslishtei

Author's note: This is the second of three short alternate-POV slices.

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Aslishtei basked in the warm glow and bright chatter of a leisteila full of her people. Magic wove between them as she and the representatives from threee other families maintained the Unity spell that strengthened the bonds between them.

For the ritual, she’d taken the east position—not participating directly this time, but still enjoying the beauty of the moment. There was another lei...

3.51. Perspective: Mulallamu

Author's note: This is the first of three short alternate-POV slices.

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Mumu put down her spoon to stare at her soon-to-be spouses, the bowl of elk stew temporarily forgotten. She saw them clearly enough—their longhouse had two candle stones to light the snow-bound days—but had she heard their proposition correctly?

“You want me to give up being lodge master and have Tegen take over?”

Dena, uncharacteristically, looked away, but Haol had that ...

3.50. Nine

A handful of clouds had come out to obscure the moon, darkening the village except for where the watch fires burned. A cold wind swept past. It was midnight on the longest night of the year; you’d think it’d be quiet and peaceful, but the sheltered animals cried out in a mishmash of crowing, lolling, braying relief. The humans too. There was cheering, and people started singing, the song spreading through the village until every voice was raised in exhausted exultation.

My translati...

3.49. The Long Dark IV

We left Musa behind. He’d still been alive too, although the odds of him lasting for much longer weren’t good. Without Haol and I there, nothing would stop the musk oxen from trampling him.

I felt sick about it, but without time to think, all we’d had was our training to rely on, and it said that when suddenly faced with an enemy more powerful than you, retreat. Save who you can, if you can, but the priority was to get away so that you could come back later with the preparation ne...

3.38. The Long Dark III

In the early, early morning, I was wrapped in a blanket, tucked against the wall—not exactly cozy but as comfortable as I could make myself. All around, the fighters were conked out. We’d gotten our first respite after four days, and I’d even managed to sleep for six hours, but a stomachache woke in the middle of the night and kept me awake.

The moon hung wan over Voorhei with only a few wisps of cloud brushing her face, and all was quiet except for a lone, plaintive voice singing...

3.47. The Long Dark II

It was the second day, a little after three in the afternoon, and I hadn’t slept more than four hours in the past sixty. The rest snatched when and where I could, while the more experienced militia members had a knack for sleeping through the alarms affecting the other sections of the wall.

That wasn’t something I could do yet. Every time the alarm rang or every time the drums beat, I startled awake. My eyes were gummy, and my face felt plastic.

Previously, the longest I’d e...

3.46. The Long Dark I

Early in our relationship, Ikfael had once told me the gods give gifts with ten hands, meaning that they always had more than one purpose for everything they did. Diriktot had brought me to this world after I’d died to show his gratitude for introducing him to cell phones. What else he’d intended—the other nine hands—had remained a mystery, at least until this clue.

I thought about the Deer God, and wondered if him tagging along was an accident. Or maybe Diriktot had been anglin...

3.45. Homecoming (Updated)

Change Note: I added a short scene after the lodge meeting to give Mumu and Eight an opportunity to meet with Inleio. 

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Stepping out of the lodge that day was like waking up from a dream. The air was clear and cold, the breeze rustling my hair the same way a friend might. Great billowing clouds raced across the sky, urged along by the much faster winds up there. The rain they carried was benevolent and would nourish the land. I knew that like I knew my hands wer...

3.44. A New Path Forward

When Inleio had talked about becoming dawn, he said it was the first time he’d ever truly felt the will of the World Spirit. There’d been a gladness to the experience and an innate acknowledgement that he was firmly on the Path to Perfection.

In the quiet moments hanging out with Moon, he’d said something similar, except the World Spirit had honored him for his sacrifice, which implied he too was on a path. In both cases, they were rewarded for their efforts, and that was the sens...

3.43. The Sum of Steps

The audience helped clean up the sand and dog piss from the previous fights. It was a tradition stretching as far back as anyone remembered, and I thought it was a nice touch—a measure of gratitude to the organizers and the fighters for their hard work. Once they were done, I had room to lay down the boundaries for a new, larger ring for the tournament’s final bout.

People surrounded the circle in a wide, colorful band, a mixture of the previously elminated fighters and festival goe...

3.42. Learning From the Tournament

The organizers were once again gathered to discuss Ichkadeshtu when Haol dropped a bomb: “He's not the only one. You’ve all been focusing on him, so you haven’t noticed, but all the factions are doing it.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Take, for example, the land soldiers: They spar when matched up against each other, competing just hard enough to determine who’s the better fighter. But if their bout is with someone from another faction, they expend themselves reck...

3.41. Here Comes Trouble

The dawn broke clear and bracing cold. My team and I had been working since five in the morning to set up for the tournament’s first day. For me, that meant carrying around a giant skin full of dog piss.

Apparently, the boundaries of dueling rings were traditionally drawn using a mixture of sand and dog piss, so that the fighters might be inspired by the loyal animals’ unwavering bravery.

Anyway, we had two hundred thirty-seven contestants competing for Ikfael’s Boon, a...

4.40. The Unexpected Entrance

The next morning, the weather turned blustery, and pellet-sized hail fell for a couple of hours after dawn. My team filled up on the pozole I’d made, and bundled up before heading to the booth. From the direction of the pyramid, we heard singing and music as the world speakers held a ceremony to greet the day. In about another hour, they’d lead a parade to the Butchery to officially kick off the festival.

I was sorry to miss what was surely an incredible experience, but there were o...

3.39. Making a Splash on Festival’s Eve

Haol took seven days to refine his qi, and Mumu five. They both already had access to mana magic, so a portion of Yuki was suddenly free to be placed elsewhere.

Mumu approached Miri to let her know Teila might—

But Mumu didn’t even finish explaining; Miri jumped in by saying, “Yes. Do it. Whatever it takes.”

Miri wasn’t an idiot—she’d seen how my team was monopolizing Ikfael’s Boon before making it officially available through the tournament—and her respons...

3.38. Steps Along the Way

The day was bound to be a busy one. We had to report Kuros's and Banan's deaths to Silasenei, update Kila’s family on the new loan amount, continue our guerilla marketing campaign, research the requirements for renting a section of the Butchery’s plaza as the event space, figure out how we were going to deal with injuries, and so much more. It was overwhelming given that we only had about a month to plan.

I scrounged up paper and ink in preparation for writing up the ultimate To Do ...

3.37. The Midnight Munchies Lead To...

After the interrogation, a land soldier took me to a richly-appointed bedroom two levels down from Ithia’s throne room. Noospet and her guards had left, so it was just the one guide. I thought that might demonstrate a new level of trust, and we’d take a straightforward path, but the route turned out to be just as roundabout as before.

The room itself wasn’t very big, but the carpet was thick and decorated with a diamond pattern in reds and ochres surrounding a beautiful seven-poin...

3.36. Another Cell, a Different Interrogation

The cell smelled like old cheese—stronger toward the back where a handful of slots had been carved into the wall for ventilation. Without my armor or jacket, it was cold, but the bed to one side had a fur on top. The hay in the bed was relatively fresh, as was the water in the large pot in the corner. A length of twine connected the pot’s lip to a mug hanging from it.

I was in remarkably better shape than the last time I’d found myself imprisoned. I hadn’t been questioned, and t...

3.35. Third Time’s the Charm?

The Court of Earth and Blood was located under the city wall, just south of the boundary between Scathta and the Butchery. According to Agath, the buildings in the area “clung to each other liked panicked deer.”

“It’s a forest made of thorns,” Moon added. “The residents are difficult to deal with.”

“Let me guess,” I said. “The land soldiers don’t like to go there.”

“Oh, no,” Agath replied, “they love it, especially the rough ones. There’s alwa...

Eight 2 on Audible: January 24th

Hey all,

This is just a short note to say that the audiobook for Eight 2: The Way of the Hunter will release on Audible on January 24th, with the talented Gary Tiedemann once-again narrating Eight's story.

Pre-orders are live, so please check it out.

3.34. Another Attempt

We waited a hundred breaths before looking out the door. There was no one. The corridor was devoid of both life and ghosts. If only that were of comfort. Ollie/Eight had had Silasenei in his eyes before he became aware of her presence. Would our combined consciousness do any better?

Slowly, we eased our way up the passage toward the third lobby, passing through the spirit boundary Ollie/Eight had encountered before. We had no new insights regarding it other than it felt like passing thr...

3.33. Kicking the Pyramid II

Author's Note: I rewrote the sequence of events at the very end of chapter 32. To head off any confusion from folks who read the old version, I'm including the new language here, so that they don't have to go back to look for it.

If you're a new reader catching up on chapters, you can skip to down below where it says "Chapter 33--Kicking the Pyramid II."

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“So, you’ll help?”  I asked.

Sheedi smiled—the kind that said she had a winning...

3.32. Kicking the Pyramid I 

I left Uncle Kila’s residence feeling cautiously hopeful. We’d talked through three mugs’ worth of atole, long enough to get invited to lunch, which we’d eaten while working. From the way Kuta had rolled his eyes, it seemed to be something that Kila did frequently.

Anyway, I’d sold the tournament as best I could, and now it was up to Kila to pitch it to his family heads. Fortunately, they’d recently emerged from seclusion, and were available to make a decision about the loan...

3.31. The Hunters' Judgement II

Author's Note: As promised, here's the second part of chapter 31.

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Over the course of the evening, we pieced together the order of events, as well as a couple of interesting tidbits: After her testimony, Aslishtei had come straight to the inn to make an offer on me, and she’d done it with a splash so as to scare off anyone else who may have been interested. In doing so, she hadn't stayed at the trial long enough to hear the land knight pronounce the punishment, whi...

3.31. The Hunters' Judgement I

Author's Note: I'm sorry, but writing schedule is all out of whack at the moment. I'm posting another partial chapter today, but I'll do my best to get more out during the week.

____

A candle stone lit the inn room, picking out the ridges of the scar on Mumu’s face, the one she’d gotten from the kalihchi bear. Even with the stone’s warm glow, the scar was pale from the tension in her expression, from the fierceness in her eyes.

The hunters sat in a circle with her, lik...