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Eight 5.31: The Missed Option

The fortress went into motion like a kicked beehive. The visiting builders were put to work patching up and returning the outer compound to a pristine state, while the lower-level soldiers washed every surface clean, and the same thing happened on the upper levels—the proud silvered seemingly w...

Eight 5.30: The Beginnings of a Plan

Broken Tooth died about fifty yards from the fortress’s walls. Peeking out through the stone, I saw him go down in a flash of light. The Ray of Hope turned out to be meant literally; their team leader could shoot lasers from between his hands.

Burns and cuts covered the bull moose’s bod...

Eight 5.29: Miniatures, Models, and Observations

The deadline we gave ourselves was two weeks, which was when the body intended for Baxta’s revival was expected to be delivered. The ritual might fail—it sounded like the previous attempts had—but we couldn’t risk the chance this one would succeed.

So, Fala built a replica of the fo...

Eight 5.28: Project Birthright

Baxta looked just like Amleila remembered him, with dark eyes accented by thick brows, a strong nose, and cheekbones so sharp you could cut stone with them. You might call him handsome, but only if you didn’t know his history.

At the moment, he appeared impassive, as if gazing on the rest...

No Chapter This Week

I'm sorry, y'all, but it's been a bear of a week. A family thing came up on Monday, and then I had three straight 12-hour work days in a row. I hardly did any writing at all, so there won't be a chapter publishing tomorrow.

That's all done now, however, and I should be back on track to resu...

Eight 4 Coming to Audible May 27th

Hey y'all. I'm excited to announce that Eight 4: New Blood, Old Bones audiobook is coming to Audible, and the pre-order page is now available. We're also lucky to have Gary Tiedemann ...

Eight 5.27: Scouting the Way II

Fala may have lost her Ritualist talent when she became my beloved, but the knowledge she’d accumulated hadn’t disappeared along with it. She led me through the process, this time asking me to pay special attention to the way my spirit let go of its attachments to my body.

The hope was ...

Eight 5.26: Scouting the Way I

Author's Note: The audiobook for Eight 4 is publishing on May 27th. I'll share the pre-order link as soon as it's ready.

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The next day, we delayed our departure because of freezing rain. It was late in the season for such bad weather, but the temperature aboveground had d...

Eight 5.25: The Crystallization of Purpose

The next morning, I grilled the innkeeper about the local merchants, expressing my dissatisfaction with how small-time their operations appeared to be. Afterward, Fala made sure she was overheard suggesting we move on to more-profitable, more-civilized towns within the empire. We had a license to...

Eight 5.24: In the Lair of the Beast II

The safe’s interior was padded on all sides with a soft quilted fabric the color of ripe persimmons. Two slim journals lay inside, along with a mahogany box similar to the kind you’d keep cigars in.

Using a granite rod, Fala flipped open a journal to reveal pages filled with hand-writte...

Eight 5.23: In the Lair of the Beast I

The streets were dark and the air still heavy from the smell of meat butchered earlier in the day. Looking out the window, I saw a pair of patrolling soldiers, their lanterns bobbing as they walked past.

The common room downstairs was quiet. The inn’s staff had all gone to their beds exce...

Eight 5.22: The Sweet Scent of Interrogation

Sonasen and her crew knew their business—their woodcraft was solid and the area around Bashtencru was clearly familiar to them. They didn’t have the personality of Melwei and his people, though, and I found myself missing that band of misfits. 

Fala and I were mostly ignored. No on...

Eight 5:21: A Sudden Escort

There’s a joke among Voorhei’s hunters: “The philosophers say the year consists of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, but that’s because they don’t know the fifth season—mud season.” 

Well, I never said the joke was funny. What it was, was true. When Kana had anticipated...

Eight 5.20: A History of Holes

I had to school the expression on my face while on walking back to camp, otherwise I would arrive with a goofy smile on my face.

The others were just about ready to go, so my timing was indeed good. I grabbed my pack, slung it over my shoulders, and got into formation.

Next to me, Fal...

Eight 5.19: Consequences Follow Choices

I reacted before I could control myself, throwing an unerring knife into the young bandit’s neck. Using my camera followed immediately after. 

Koorein (Human, Dawn) 

Talents: Knows What’s What, A Spear in the Back, Soft Steps, Diminished Pres...

2025-03-09 12:18:19 +0000 UTC View Post

Eight 5.18: Sightseeing Along the Way

Author's Note: Just a warning that the chapter ends on a cliffhanger.

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The next morning’s travels went smoothly. The clouds to the north had moved on, so all we saw were blue skies and a few patchy clouds. Without any powerful creatures attacking us, we could’ve bee...

Eight 5.17: The Torn Veil

A core materialized among Gergerol’s remains, a hunk of dark and silver that was about the size of a man’s fist. Fala picked through the mess to retrieve it.

The core pulled at my attention, because of course it did, but my authority drew me to the large outcropping first. My foot was s...

Eight 5.16: The Spirit King

I felt a drive to push farther into the hollow, yet I wasn’t willing to risk the skents turning undead. So, I moved from bird to bird to pull the cores from their bodies. The result was a collection of silver-speckled, black marbles, each about the size of half a jelly bean. The cores felt dens...

Eight 5.15: Slaughter's Hollow

While the flora and fauna continued to stay the same, the hills began to stretch out into long, tear-drop shapes. Melwei took us over the shortest sections, cutting across to keep us away from the broader, flat area to the north.

My thought was that the colossal kalesk must’ve really spoo...

Eight 5.14: Network Testing and Random Encounters

We met that night in my dreams in the main room of Ikfael’s shrine. Yuki had placed a garland of marigolds around the statue’s neck, and ripe plums sat in the offering bowls before it.

We began the session by enjoying a coffee cake with blueberry drizzle, along with some hot earl gray t...

Eight 5.13: Codes and Circumstances

Tru came back to the campsite with a satisfied smile on her face. Kana, though, held his side like he’d bruised a rib. Melwei immediately sat him down to apply Nature’s Spring to the injury and about twenty minutes later, the dolbec breathed a sigh of relief.

The actions of all three ap...

Eight 5.12: First Steps

The next morning saw our first rain shower in nearly two weeks. The rain fell for about an hour, signaling the end of the clear days we’d been enjoying. The air outside smelled of damp wood and mud, and the street below was dotted with puddles. I felt it whenever people splashed through them, a...

Eight 5.11: The One Who Got Away

Author's Notes: One, I'd like to thank everyone for their well wishes. Both my wife and I are feeling much better now. And two, I making a small retcon to the previous chapter. It didn't make sense to me for Eight to be able to cast a spell on the flyer and not see that it was a giant goose.<...