So, I've spent the last two months working on Web of Dreams along with my rewrite of Aeonica Book 1. The latter is almost 60% done, but I've been getting overwhelmed by juggling two books at once, and I feel like I'm not giving either project the time/attention it deserves. You know that feeling ...
2022-01-17 01:44:05 +0000 UTC View Post“Someone’s coming,” Glim said from the vent above Elend’s bed.
He cracked his eyes open, craning his neck to look up at the ceiling. “Who?”
“That hot cultist lady. She brought two guards. And a pot of coffee.”
Ah, the Ethersmith. It must be time for Elen...
2022-01-10 02:00:31 +0000 UTC View PostAkari passed through a wooden archway, stepping into the outdoor practice dojo. The fighting ring was thirty yards in diameter—the exact size of Last Haven’s arena. Wooden platforms surrounded the ring on all sides, complete with benches for spectators. Beyond that stood a forest of tall bush...
2022-01-02 15:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostKalden rubbed the sleep from his eyes as they pulled into a fuel station. They’d driven for most of the night, stopping only to swap Hector’s truck at the safe house. They were in his cousin’s car now—an old, four-door sedan with leather seats. The station’s lights were almost blinding ...
2021-12-30 15:26:16 +0000 UTC View PostApparently, Elend couldn’t even walk down the street without getting captured these days.
The Martials were bad enough. Who could have guessed some Golds would have Etherite—the strongest material in the known universe? In hindsight, he should have tried breaking these cuffs before<...
2021-12-26 14:19:05 +0000 UTC View PostThree Fangs.
Relia bit her tongue and resisted the urge to say, ‘I told you so.’
Fangs acted as officers and elite fighters in the Dragonlord’s army. More importantly, they were Artisans. The power gap between them and Relia was as wide as the gap between her a...
2021-12-19 19:56:04 +0000 UTC View PostKalden reclined on his bed, reading the local newspaper. Akari had called him an old man for this, but he didn’t care. They were in the outside world now. It might not be the part they’d expected, but they still had years of events to catch up on.
Relia paced back and forth like a caged...
2021-12-12 00:45:55 +0000 UTC View PostThey spent the day doing chores around the Cantina. If this were a movie, they would have breezed through the work in a quick montage, then skipped to the cool parts where Relia taught them Mana Arts.
But their lives were more like a comedy at this point. Kalden was completely helpless when...
2021-12-04 21:02:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi everyone! I had the day of from work, so I made a full map for the Web of Secrets world!
This is much rougher than the original Archipelago map we saw for Book 1 (no nations, states, cities, etc. yet) But it should give you an idea of where the all the major continents are! (For referenc...
2021-11-27 17:50:35 +0000 UTC View PostKalden pushed open the door behind the cantina, stepping out into the cool morning air. There wasn't much back here—just a narrow parking lot with a pair of overflowing dumpsters. A battered car sat in one corner of the lot, and a chain link fence ran along the opposite edge, keeping a jungle o...
2021-11-26 21:30:36 +0000 UTC View PostAkari cycled her mana as she sprang forward. Skyscrapers surrounded her on all sides, stretching into the gray mist above. The buildings themselves were all weathered brick with ornamented windows and balconies.
Akari had seen this place in her dreams before. Could it be Koreldon City? It w...
2021-11-21 21:23:22 +0000 UTC View PostAkari stepped out of the bathroom and into the hotel room she shared with Relia. She’d changed into a tank-top that revealed some harsh tan lines around her shirt collar. Sunburn. That explained why the water had stung so much in the shower.
The room itself looked as old as the b...
2021-11-17 01:41:26 +0000 UTC View Post“We’re so far behind,” Akari said as she watched the fight outside. Elend had just killed the enemy Artisan, and Relia had taken on three dragons by herself. Not to mention the ones she’d already killed in the alley.
Martials were one thing, but these guys were Apprentices ...
2021-11-13 19:59:09 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone, I just added a new section to my website for worldbuilding articles, and the first one is the calendar for the WoS world, including the names of the months and days.
2021-11-07 18:29:25 +0000 UTC View PostThey landed on the roof a second later. Relia stumbled on the uneven surface, catching herself on the clay tiles. Her eyes still stung from the sand, but closing them felt worse than holding them open.
“Here.” Hector pressed a bottle into her right hand. “Wash it out”
Relia he...
2021-11-07 17:08:40 +0000 UTC View PostRelia followed her master onto the cantina’s covered patio. By now, the sun was a red sliver of light over the jungle, and the buildings cast long dark shadows over the town square.
“Wait up!” someone called out from behind them. Relia held open the door, and the boy from the bar foll...
2021-10-31 19:26:28 +0000 UTC View PostKalden followed the others down the beach, still marveling at their sudden change in scenery. Arkala’s climate had been far cooler than this, more like Espiria or northern Shoken.
This place seemed downright tropical by comparison. He even spotted a few palm trees growing beyond the mana ...
2021-10-25 01:02:30 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone,
Chapter 2 will be up tonight, but I have a quick author's note first.
Until now, I've been using the name "Cathar" for one of the continents in the WoS world. It never bothered me in Book 1, but I only referenced it in passing then. Now that the characters are actually he...
2021-10-25 01:01:25 +0000 UTC View PostAkari opened her eyes and spit out a mouthful of saltwater.
"Kalden?" she called out in a raspy voice. "Relia?"
No answer. No sound but the wind and the ocean waves. She pushed her palms into the wet sand and forced herself to sit up. Her vision was a blur of bright colors as she look...
2021-10-22 01:20:53 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone,
I just realized I never left an update regarding the status of Web of Secrets Book 2, so here it is!
Whenever I finish a book, I have a tradition of taking a few weeks off from my regular "chapter writing" routine. Instead, I'll spend that time working out the plot outlin...
2021-10-09 11:28:34 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: Final chapter of Book 1!
Kalden leaned on Akari as they stumbled toward the shore. Well, he stumbled. She acted like a coiled spring held down by his body weight. They'd made a few bandages with scraps of clothing, and Kalden kept pressure on his shoulder with...
2021-10-02 16:50:49 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: Second to last chapter for Book 1!
Akari ducked her head as she crept over the rocky ridge. She didn't engage her armor yet, but she didn't need to. Even without the Constructs, this fabric was made for the dark.
Four Martial soldiers scoured the beach below, exa...
2021-09-26 12:48:08 +0000 UTC View Post"Turn around!" Akari shouted as their boat hit the waves. "We lost Kalden!"
"I know." The Grandmaster's breathing came out rough and ragged. His eyes were weary as he gazed at the sea ahead.
"Then turn around," she repeated.
A brief silence followed as the waves smacked aga...
2021-09-18 17:08:54 +0000 UTC View PostKalden clutched his seat as they soared over the courtyard. Hundreds of Missiles erupted from below, but Elend's shield repelled them all.
A cluster of anti-air guns waited for them beyond the wall. Their helicopter dove toward the grass, weaving between the larger Missiles. Akari kept...
2021-09-16 01:43:39 +0000 UTC View PostKalden followed the others outside the cell. These hallways had been so sterile when they'd first arrived. Now, corpses covered every square foot—prisoners and Martials alike. Sirens echoed beyond the walls, along with the muffled voice of someone speaking into a megaphone.
Could they rea...
2021-09-11 17:15:32 +0000 UTC View PostThe Grandmaster had the same broad shoulders and muscular arms from his videos. He even wore the same tight-fitting black t-shirt. Close-cropped silver hair framed his face, and a day's worth of stubble covered his sharp jawline.
Akari had half-expected to find a caveman, considering how lo...
2021-09-06 12:58:21 +0000 UTC View PostAkari leapt to the side, getting out of sight. Steel clasped against steel as the ice chamber sealed shut.
Silence followed, and her heart pounded like war drums in her ears. She barely had time to process everything before she heard a familiar voice.
"We've got her," a man's said int...
2021-09-01 12:27:33 +0000 UTC View PostAkari's arms felt like jelly as she crested the prison wall. As if sprinting across the field wasn't bad enough. She should have trained harder these past few months. She'd done plenty of pull-ups on the Cliftons' swing set, but no one told her she'd be wearing half her weight in ar...
2021-08-29 12:20:52 +0000 UTC View PostKalden ran in a half-crouch as they left the cover of the trees. The prison was still a quarter-mile out, but they didn't risk using their flashlights. A Martial sharpshooter could still spot them if they weren't careful.
Fortunately, their distraction was on the way.
An engine roared...
2021-08-25 01:08:59 +0000 UTC View PostAkari sat in the darkness, surrounded by a ring of monitors. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she tried to hack the Archipelago's most secure databases.
The Martials' mainframe was still off-limits, of course. That thing was ancient, and you had to go through a physical terminal in t...
2021-08-18 00:50:27 +0000 UTC View Post