3seed

3.30. A Long-Awaited Introduction II

Author's note: As promised, here is the second part of the previous chapter.

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The next morning, Yuki was all smiles. They chattered on and on about the stories they’d shared with Tegen and what he’d said back. There were some things that were apparently private too, and the uekisheile apologized—genuinely feeling sad—for having to keep them secret, at least until such a point Tegen gave his permission to share them. Which was fine with me; I was curious,...

3.30. A Long-Awaited Introduction I

Author's note: This part one of the chapter. Part two will publish early next week.

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Because we were establishing a formal relationship between the Hunter’s Lodge and Ikfael, she proposed a two-year test first in order to ensure the tournament was as good an idea as we hoped it to be. Then, if it proved profitable after two years, she’d agree to extend the agreement in five-year increments.

The approach was a sound one, and it surprised me, giving me new ins...

3.29. Mercies, Negotiations, and Agreements

The rest of the morning passed in a haze of talking, brainstorming, and planning, but none of us felt good just sitting around—our hands needed to be as busy as our mouths—so we cleaned and oiled our gear at the same time.

Then, it was time for lunch, and we trooped downstairs for a meal corn and squash pudding. The stuff didn’t look appetizing at first, but after a spoonful, I discovered a layer of cheese and bacon, and I polished off the bowl right quick.

The cooks made a ...

3.28. A Surprsing Grace

The next morning, Teila glared all through breakfast. It was noticeable enough for Haol to pull me aside afterward to ask if everything was all right. I smiled and gave him the Diaksh equivalent of a thumbs up.

When I explained, he shook his head. “I’m so glad not to be young anymore.”

I rolled my eyes. The man was just twenty-five years old, and adulthood didn’t really start until the human brain finished developing, which was somewhere between twenty-five and thirty year...

3.27. Negotiations, Expected and Unexpected

After lunch, I picked up the knives from the weapon shop. My young master disguise didn’t let me string them across my chest, so Agath had to carry them for me, including the bone stilettos. The new hilts looked great, by the way, the artisans having used Ikfael’s figurine as a model.

It felt weird not to be armed, so after a couple of blocks, I reclaimed one of the new hunting knives to hang it from my belt. Given the rough nature of the city, that seemed appropriate enough.

...

Heads Up: No Chapter on November 26

Hi y'all.

As the title says, there won't be a chapter published on November 26.

As you read this, my wife and I are on a plane headed to Tokyo for a much needed break. We'll be there for ten days, and plan to walk around a lot, visit cafes, eat good food, and otherwise chill. If there's interest, I'll share pictures.

The publishing schedule should resume on December 3.

3.26. A Reunion

The next morning, Mumu gathered the hunters for a briefing, but most of them had already heard some version of the previous day’s events, and it was just a matter of setting the record straight and filling in details.

A somber relief swirled through the room as the hunters listened, shifting towards worry once Mumu got to the part about her and Tegen’s injuries. That turned into dread when she spoke about what she’d learned from the grandmaster.

Apparently, the wind-touched ...

25. Introducing a Complication

Mumu led us along a different path than before—to circle around and approach the Butchery from a different angle. We ran southeast until the adults’ Camouflage spells ran out, then shifted to striding briskly with our hoods down, exactly like everyone else on the street.

The increasingly bad weather didn’t deter people from doing business; it just sped them to their destinations. Even the thick, brooding clouds overhead weren’t a deterrent. Our determination, our hurriedness, an...

24. Questions and Their Answers

The land soldiers stuck us in one of the bedrooms while we waited to be questioned. We weren’t sure how long it’d be, so we rested in shifts. The bed was a proper four-poster—the first I’d ever seen in this world, not even Ghitha had one—and it could easily sleep an adult and two children.

A chest at the foot contained a woman’s clothes, and there was a writing desk and cushion in the corner, above which a candle stone was embedded in the wall. A window also let it in some l...

3.23. Grim Resolutions

A Camouflaged Krees poked her head up from the stairwell. When she saw that the fighting was done, she padded up the rest of the stairs. I was still working on undoing Mumu's Siphon, and ignored the scout approaching us. It wouldn’t do to give away that I could see her. From the way Mumu tensed, I gathered that she sensed Krees too.

The scout looked over the scene, taking a moment to examine the spears still embedded in Borba’s body, before retreating back to the stairwell. A moment...

3.22. Stronger Together

As I crept towards the occupied tent, there was only the sound of the wind chimes hanging from the nearby bridges. The cul-de-sac was otherwise empty. Not a soul moved other than Aslishtei and the representatives from the Healer’s Lodge.

I heard them arguing only once I came closer

Vorkut’s voice was peevish. “And I said, there’s been no change to their condition. Until we know more, these homes must remain closed to visitors, or else we risk spreading whatever this diseas...

3.21 The Truth Seen Clearly

We left Crunei’s Garden more hopeful than when we’d arrived. And relieved too. It wasn’t like the team had wanted to risk themselves at the Intersection of the Assassins, but it had appeared to be the only way to pick up Borba’s trail. That idea was now proven false though, and we’d learned a last-known location for him—without endangering Tegen and Teila.

Mumu asked for directions once we were back on the street, and then we were on our way again. We continued to be mindful...

3.20. A Friendly Spar

I thought I’d fight Crost in the garden, but Wusta led us towards the door to his house instead, the dolbecs with him following right along. Mumu and I were like baby chicks in the crowd of giants, so she whistled to call over the rest of our team, and... we were still baby chicks, but at least there were more of us now. And more dolbecs too, because the knitters also came over in anticipation of watching the show. They’d apparently been paying attention to the conversation on the porch.<...

3.19. Crunei's Garden

Tegen had a complicated expression on his face when he took my hand. “Nephew,” he said.

The sound of street noise grew louder from up ahead; we’d soon be among people again. We’d have to pretend to be related again. I squeezed his hand to let him know I understood. Teila was just behind us, while Mumu and Haol trailed after her, their faces stormy.

They didn’t look like a couple on a date anymore. Instead, they were two hunters who... who’d been cheated by a merchant m...

3.18. An Unfair World

The morning was chilly and damp, with heavy clouds moving quickly across the sky. It wasn’t raining, but the cobbled street in front of the inn was wet from an earlier shower. The city’s residents seemed to think it’d likely rain again—they walked past the inn wearing cloaks and their carts were covered in oiled cloth.

From the second floor, I watched as Dura’s and Susu’s teams headed out in opposite directions. My team was still inside, looking out from the meetin...

3.17. The Realization of Mistakes Made

I woke up expecting to see the sunrise; instead, the room was pitch black, the snores of exhausted hunters all around me. Even Tegen, who was supposed to be keeping watch, was slumped over asleep at the door. My Status clock said that it was only eleven in the evening.

Yuki?

Ikfael is here.

I must’ve been out of it, my mind a foggy mess, because I realized then that she’d been tugging on my hand all along. I recognized the feel of her paws, so I cracked...

3.16. The City Can Be Dangerous

Dura’s team stayed behind to report Salu’s murder to the gate guards. The reasoning was that if we left without doing so, it’d likely cause a stink with them later and we’d need to be cleared of wrongdoing since we’d technically be fleeing the scene of a crime. That, in turn, meant being subjected to forced truth-telling again, which... No thanks. Not ever again, not if I can help it.

Mumu wasn’t willing to wait for the guards, so the teams split, leaving ...

3.15. Albei and Its Ghosts

“Is this wise?” I asked as we walked.

“We left wisdom behind a night ago,” Mumu said, “but we do what we have to.”

“Hunting in the dark, I mean. When we’re all just barely hanging on.”

“The more we let Borba get ahead,” Mumu said, “the harder it’ll be, especially here in Albei. We have to stop him before he can steal any more spells, otherwise he’ll become impossible to hunt.” Her voice cracked then, but she kept going. “He needs to die for wh...

A Sample of Eight's Audiobook

The folks at Podium, the audiobook publisher, were kind enough to send a sample for me to share, so I posted it to YouTube.

Gary Tiedemann is the narrator, and I love the emotion he brings to the reading. You can hear in his voice how Eight's been through stuff even before arriving on Diaksha.

This is actually something I requested from Podium before they set out to cast the narrator, and...

3.14. Conversation With the Grandmaster

The grandmaster’s office was big enough for a low desk and a meeting table surrounded by cushions. On, the wall behind the desk hung a painting of a forest scene—the setting dark, with just a hint of a sunbreak in the background and a chliapp lion prowling forward, away from the light and towards the viewer.

Tapestries hung on the other walls—more forest scenes, but nothing as ominous as the lion. That one continued to draw my eye.

The room’s other big feature was a metal ...

3.13. Albei and Its People I

I opened my spirit eyes, and Calfet of Huwata flickered into view. He stood where I’d last seen him—about forty yards out towards the river east of us.

From beside me, Aslishtei asked, “What do you need to perform the ritual? How should we support you?”

I shook my head. “It’s already done, and I see him. Come on, follow me.”

The people waiting to get into the city stared and pointed as our strange group got moving. There was Mumu and me, of course, along with S...

Edit to the Chapter 3.12

I wasn't entirely happy with one of the scenes in chapter 12, so I went back to flesh it out. I'll edit that entry, but also wanted to share it here to make it easier to find and read.

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“Inleio’s death was not your fault,” I said.

"I should’ve put Borba down like you’d suggested, but I didn’t.” Mumu shook her head in dismay. “He was so useful, though, and Kesa and Inleio both believed we should keep him until the Long Dark. They are the villag...

Big Announcement: Pre-Orders & Audio Book!

The first two books are coming to Kindle and Kindle Unlimited! Here are the links:

Eight

Eight 2: The Way of the Hunter

They are currently available for pre-order, and will go live on August 30th. Also releasing at the same time is the 2022-08-13 16:59:20 +0000 UTC View Post

3.12. Forced Truths II

Mumu patted my back as I dry retched. It was a deeply uncomfortable experience, bound as I was, with my stomach heaving but my body unable to support itself. At least the stone floor was cool; I rested my cheek against it when I wasn’t trying to hack up my intestines.

Inside me, Yuki circled and listened attentively as Mumu finished explaining the reason for our visit to Albei.

“So, you chased this Borba down, but didn’t warn the soldiers at the gate that a murderer was in t...

3.11. Forced Truths

Albei’s walls were tall—at least fifty feet if the people standing in front were anything to go by. The stones were mostly uniform in shape and size, but I couldn’t help noticing that they also looked distressed—with off-color patches and other discolorations, including what looked like burn marks.

At the top, the parapet appeared prickly from a series of metal spikes driven into the crenelations. And there were—of all things—a couple of cranes at work. One of them was curre...

3.10. Changing Directions

That night, I dreamt of the Deer God, his body titanic as he stood above the forest surrounding Voorhei. His legs rose like towers, and his antlers pierced the clouds, cutting through them when he shook his head.

I hovered in the air watching, as he bent forward to tear away tree tops and grind them with his teeth, just enough to swallow. Then, he went down once more, and the tree spirits didn’t complain at all. Just the opposite, they clamored for his attention, practically uprooting...

3.9. Healing Water

Heicata was putting me in a tough spot. Technically, the Healing Water spell hadn’t been approved by the Hunter’s Lodge yet, so the lodge’s rules didn’t apply—I should be able to share it with anyone, and there’d be nothing they could do—except the situation was more complicated than that.

First, she had to get Ikfael’s permission, which actually was simple—all it required was making a deal with the otter, and she happened to be with me, occupying the stone sc...

3.8. Two Villages

For the next three hours, Yuki and I focused on meditating, driving the qi through my channels, pushing as hard as my meridians could handle. An internal heat built up, a glow centered on my dantians that spread through me. The heat felt good at first—it being a damp and chilly autumn day—but then got steadily more uncomfortable.

Enough time passed for me to recover twenty-four points’ worth of mana, effectively filling my tank, but then I spent it out all again casting Healing Wa...

3.7. Cutter Hawks

An unnatural quiet settled over the forest. The trees themselves didn’t seem to mind the hawks’ presence, but the smaller animals kept themselves still. They hid among the roots and the leaves, occasionally calling out to warn the others of their kind about the danger present.

The hawks stirred in response, and a bird or two took flight, only to land again shortly after. It was difficult to get a read on so many clustered spirits—they blurred together—but there was a sharpness t...

3.6. In the Woods

The rain started to fall in earnest as the team leaders consulted. Big, fat drops plopped against the forest's canopy, the water collecting together and connecting into thin streams that poured down on the hunters. My lodge brothers and sisters crouched among the trees waiting to hear how we’d respond to what Borba had done.

Everyone looked pensive. It didn’t stop them from being alert and keeping their eyes roving over the woods in case something dangerous approached, but there was...