3seed

3.5. Hidden Strengths

A light rain fell as I stepped out the longhouse door—just enough to let the world know it was there. Clouds were continuing to gather on the horizon, though, so there was a chance it might storm for real later. I didn’t see any flashes to indicate lightning, which was probably for the best. While I loved a good thunderstorm, I’d feel bad for the other hunters. Not to mention what a downpour would do to obscure Borba’s trail.

I gave my shoulders a shake to settle my hauberk, and...

Some Updates: Holiday, Royal Road, and Name Reveal

Hi all,

I have a few quick updates for you:

1. I’m taking a week-long holiday starting on Tuesday, June 14, and while I have every intention of writing while I’m traveling, that’s never actually happened whenever I’ve tried it in the past. As a result, there’s a good chance chapter 5 will be delayed.

2. However, when chapter 5 does publish here on Patreon, chapter 1 will simultaneously publish on Royal Road. My goal is to keep patrons at least four chapter...

3.4. A Family's Care

Ahlrein was Teila’s father, a member of Susu’s team. I hadn’t seen him with the hunters drinking earlier; he must’ve arrived after I’d closeted myself away. As I greeted him, others drifted into the main room in pairs and small groups, including Teila herself. She was holding hands with her mother Miri, another hunter but on Dura’s team.

The lodge split up hunters from the same family whenever possible. That way if anything catastrophic happened to a team, families woul...

3.3. A Gift to the World

Every hunter reacted differently. Kesa and Ben’s spirits eased when they heard Borba had left the village. They brightened a little when I relayed Inleio’s farewell. Mumu and Haol, on the other hand, were wound up tight and their skins sizzled with the desire for revenge. That’s what it seemed like, anyway.

Their feelings were understandable—Inleio had been a fatherly figure to more than just me. For a long time, he’d been an important part of the lives of everyone in the lodg...

3.2. Blood Tells the Tale

Tell us what happened, we said.

Bihei began to speak, and the memories of the night’s events arose within her.

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She slept, but none of it was easy. Instead, it was a restless thing suffused with worry. Bihei tossed and turned—her dreams full of giant owls carrying young Eight away into the darkness. The bright spark that was his life disappeared, and without him to defend the longhouse, the owls came for Billisha and Aluali. She was left alone. Again. Just he...

Book 3, Chapter 1: The Hunt Begins

Death swept over the darkened forest on silent wings—an owl invisible to all except for my spirit eyes. With a tilt of his wings, he landed on the strongest branch of the oak across the glade from me. Finally, we’d lured him out. It was our second night waiting for him.

Giant Owl (Animal, Dusk)

Talents: Shadow Wings, Hidden Hunter, Grab ‘n Go, One with the Night

The pale spirit light of the tree’s branches obscured my sight, but I ca...

Front Matter: Book 3 Cast of Characters

The following is spoilery, so if for some reason you haven't read Eight or Eight: The Way of the Hunter—the first two books—then you should skip this.

Earth

First Family

• Alejandro Sandoval, grandfather
• Catalina Sandoval, grandmother
• Gabriel Sandoval, father
• Anne Sandoval, mother
• Miguel Sandoval, younger brother

Also in Sherwood, Oregon were Uncle Miguel Sandoval, Aunt Adela Sandoval, and a ga...

Front Matter: The Albeityel Region

This is a map of the area surrounding Albei. The village of Voorhei is to the west of the city, and the Glen a little farther west than that.

Finally, an Update

Hey, y’all. Thank you for your patience. It’s been a busy time, with a lot going on, and I appreciate how you’ve held on for so long; almost a year has passed since I wrapped up work on The Lions of Dawrtaine. The good news, though, is that you don’t need to wait any longer–the first chapter of book three will drop shortly.

And there’s more good news: Eight was picked up by an audio book publisher! It’s still early in the process, however, so we’ll have to wait ...

Still Alive, Still Editing Book One

TL&DR: The editing of book one has turned into a much more involved process than I expected, and I likely won't be able to start writing book three until late spring 2022. Patreon charges will continue to be turned off until then.

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Friends, it's been a slog. As I mentioned previously, I hired someone to provide developmental edits for book one, and the result is that he caught every place where I cheated, skimmed, skipped, lapsed, or lost focus. He highlighted all the incon...

Update on Eight's Book 1

Hey all,

I’ve finished my pass on Eight’s first book and handed it off to an editor for a developmental read; meaning the editor will be looking at the overall story, pacing, and characters. They’ll also be checking for plot holes and anything else that might mar the overall narrative.

Paying for a developmental edit wasn’t something I was sure I wanted to do, but given the structural changes I’d made, I thought it wise, especially since this book will be my debut on Ama...

Update: I'm Revising Eight

TL;DR: I'm revising Eight for publication on Amazon. There'll be no Patreon charges until I start releasing new chapters.

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Hey all, thank you for your patience while I've been radio silent. As originally planned, I took two weeks off from writing after finishing The Lions of Dawrtaine. Also as planned, I began reading Eight to re-ground myself in the story and characters. That's where things got hung up--I started making changes.&nb...

Lions is Complete... What's next?

There she is: the story of the Lions of Dawrtaine has come to a conclusion. A satisfying one, I hope.

You may be wondering what's next.

First is a much-needed break; not too long, but the fields need a week or two to lay fallow. Once that's done, I'm excited to start on Eight's third book. I have some ideas I can't wait to start fleshing out.

It's going to take a while for those first chapters to be published though, so I'm pausing this page for July. Depending on how the wr...

46. Epilogue

Update: Unlocked for all patrons.

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The city cries like an animal in pain. It is its third straight day being battered by wind and rain. The streets flood, and the citizens huddle in their houses, praying for rescue. Little do they know their prayers have already been answered.

The siloxin is gone, swept up by the wind. The circle of compulsion under the city was similarly dispelled. The process Hallon and Milo started was completed by the flooding. More—the w...

45. Endings and Beginnings

Update: Unlocked for all patrons.

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The lines of thought, fate, and karma go wild, flailing like the arms of a maddened thousand-limbed octopus. There’s no way for Eratosthenes to read them, pressed as he is on all sides. He flies through the air, rending the shadows around him with tooth, claw, and magic. They, in turn, burn him with their hate and malice. The battle requires the attention of all the facets of his 38-aspected mind.

Below, the other guardians ...

44. The Wind Returns

Update: Unlocked for all patrons.

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“We have to survive,” Hallon says. “This battle is lost.”

“There’s really nothing we can do?” Milo asks.

“Pray,” Hallon says. “The gods are always listening, although it’s a mystery how they’ll respond. For now, we’d better get indoors.”

A wind rises, its equations swirling around Milo, but dimmer than before. There are sections missing, as if they’d been gouged out. We fought, bu...