3seed

100. Reflection: Imsiikila

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 city--they signaled to him that he was home.

Not that he minded the villages nearby. The homespun people who inhabited them had their own rough charm. And some of them were capable, quite capable indeed. He turned to look at the four wagons foll...

99. Reflection: Ineioleia

Innleioleia 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 was necessary to keep it steady.

He’d unstrapped the false hand he normally used and set it aside for now. The damn thing squelched on hot humid days. It and the cane to which it was attached stood propped up in the corner of Ghitha’s stabl...

Vote: Whose Reflections Do You Want to Read?

I 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 the world and himself.

The question, though, is which characters. Please vote for the ones you most want to read. We're using the honor system, so please limit yourself to two choices.

P.S. I've already written reflection...

98. A Complicated Family

On 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 the hardier farmers went to keep an eye on the village’s fields, but everyone else stayed indoors. That included the hunters. They’d done their job the previous day and brought back something that looked like a giant shrew. Most shrews were small-...

Update: A Gap Between Eight's Books 2 & 3

Hello, 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 Eight's book 2 and 3. As much as I love him, Eight's been in my head for a couple of years now, and I need time away to keep his story fresh. Don't worry though--I have at least one more novel about him in me.

Second: in the meantime, I'll be w...

97. A Completed Quest Means Rewards

That 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 their pleading, but the haunted look in her eyes spoke volumes.

The thing is: they knew that it was impossible for me not to take risks sometimes. I lived--we all lived--in a dangerous world. There wouldn’t always be time to prepare and minim...

96. Truth and Dare

I 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 loom stood in the corner. Steam rose from a pot simmering over the cookfire, a corn porridge from the smell. Propped up beside the door was Bearbane. The spear had been cleaned and polished.

At the corner of the bed, Aluali lay curled up in a ...

95. The King of the Forest III

None 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 forced myself to keep breathing, but Borba was too engrossed in dodging the bear’s attacks. Mumu had to signal him twice more before he changed direction and zigzagged toward us.

Borba looked terrible--his clothes in tatters and his skin as r...

94. The King of the Forest II

Note: 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 curious about why.)

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The trees draped in wires intercepted the King’s lightning. It was enough to protect the hunters though the wood smoldered and the metal softened like taffy being pulled apart. When the lightning abated, ...

93. The King of the Forest I

A 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 swiped at Inleio, but the master hunter dodged back and flicked his spear forward to pierce the gap between the bear’s claws. The King scowled, and I saw a cunning in his eyes, an intelligence that noted the combatants around him, as well as those fart...

92. A Field of Spears

Note: 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 relief to the sweating hunters preparing for the battle ahead. I worked alongside, and planted another spear into the earth.

The open field in which we worked was covered with them, their hafts wrapped with wire. More protected the approaches to th...

91. Preparations for a Dangerous Hunt III

The 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, almost-black, pants. His hat was more of a cap with a gold tassel wound around it. He was also the first person I met on this world with mutton chops.

Mumu prepared tea for our meeting. The rest of the hunters had all long gone home, it being ...

90. Preparations for a Dangerous Hunt II

Kesa 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 armor from the ritual room below the lodge. The brigandine and mail, I’d seen before, but the third armor was made from layers of wood stitched together with leather ties. It reminded me of Roman lamellar.

All they needed now were volunteers, an...

89. Preparations for a Dangerous Hunt

After 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 next meal.

I brought home blueberries, broad beans, greens, plums, acorns, walnuts, and onions. Along the way, I caught sight of a beautiful stag. His antlers were still developing, but he was fully grown and well-muscled. I picked up his trail ...

88. Memory's Voices

The 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’ve suffered even more.

Moving to the far side of the glen helped, but there was no escape when the wind shifted. The wolves’ fur shivering usually gave me a split second’s warning. I wasn’t always fast enough to hold my breath, but it w...

87. The Fifth Wolf

The 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.

Ikfael hid in the bushes below the tree. She chirruped to get my attention. “Wolves,” she signed. “At least five.”

Yuki had already passed a warning to the blynx, and she and her kittens were safe inside the cave. How safe would depend on ...

86. Title TBD

I 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 an additional fish a week.

Ikfael gave me the okay sign I’d taught her, and I was immediately on my way again. The extra time I spent with the kids and Bihei was important, but I didn’t feel at ease. My heart wouldn’t rest until I saw th...

85. Found and Lost

Blood 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 flowing liberally into the wooden bowl gifted by the stonewater serpent. The Grace spell unfurled.

Prior, we learned that the spell’s effects were dulled against animals with strong predatory instincts, but the weakened blynx wasn’t able to resis...

84. An Arrow Flies True

A 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, softened and its wounds closed, the earth returning to the shape it’d held before the hunt. The dried blood had washed away before my arrival. The scavengers didn’t leave much behind either.

I wasn’t here to hunt, not yet anyway. No, my goal ...

Update: No Chapter This Week

I'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 feeling better and should be able to post a new chapter next Saturday.

83. Stories and Complications

The 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, spinning in circles.

Ifkael may have been human once.

Also, Ghitha was right--the Hunter’s Lodge worked to undermine his Family’s influence. Not without good reason, but still, he was allowed to fight back, wasn’t he? Not by killing Bin...

82. The Truth, Guaranteed

Inleio 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’ve approved.

The last time I was here, it was for my initiation into the lodge. I was too busy then, but as we settled in and Inleio prepared the tea, I had the chance to look around. What stood out were the tapestries surrounding the room. They...

81. Broken Dreams

Kiertie 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.

###

“Is this the same woman?” I asked. “She looks different here. Colder. More cruel.”

Yuki sat on my shoulder, a pink Tinkerbell. In the waking world, they’d snuck into Ghitha’s house and infiltrated his dream. It was a set of skills in which they were becoming increasingly facile. For Borba, we’d merged so that I ...

80. A Day in the Life

“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 meat and acorn flour. The dumplings were served in a bowl of soup made from bones that’d been left to simmer overnight.

“They’re delicious,” I said. And it was true--the soup was rich and nourishing, full of umami.

I took another bit...

79. An Interrogation in Two Parts

The 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 hunters visiting the lodge. They came all through the morning to pick up their portions of the smoked meat, drink tea with their brethren, and take care of any gear in need of attention.

I was supposed to be studying Spiral Pierce and Iron Heart...

78. City Games, Village Games

The 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 oxen and confirmed there were no obvious spells to learn from them. Whatever they used to Charge, Iron Fur, and Blood Burst was beyond my (and Yuki’s) ability to discern. What a disappointment.

Charge, at least, would’ve been cool. I wasn�...

77. Bull Hunt

We 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 between the village's leadership and the hunter team from Albei.

Inleio, in particular, pushed Ghitha to delay the hunt for the lightning bear. In exchange, he'd give his blessing for the whole Hunter's Lodge to participate, but they needed mo...

76. Life and Everything in Between

I 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 Voorhei. I’d have to remedy that. Or make it myself. The process wasn’t hard--I’d just need to make lye first.

Who was I kidding? Making my own soap would’ve been fine weeks ago when my only concern was surviving, but there was too much to ...

75. Eight Saves the World

That 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 with one mind.

In Ikfael Glen, the kids and I were already stained pink. We welcomed the tide and let it flow over us, sweeping down the hills, following the folds and streams, across the cropland and pastures, over the walls of Voorhei, and al...