“Sit down,” Vivienne said.
It was a large kitchen with plenty of counter space near the stove and a small round table tucked into one corner. There were two chairs, one where Vivienne was sitting, the other directly opposite her.
Just like an interrogation, Hump thought, ...
2021-09-25 13:50:13 +0000 UTC View Post“You will not touch us with your dark magic, Witch,” Albry spat. He was shaky on his feet, his skin pale, the damage from the spirit was showing. He was in no condition to argue.
“Don’t make yourself any more of a fool than you already have,” Vivienne said. “You look halfway to ...
2021-09-21 20:56:10 +0000 UTC View PostPanicked footsteps sounded throughout the inn as Hump followed Celaine outside, a tired Bud stumbling along behind them. They stopped at the doorway, staring up at the sky as other townsfolk did the same around them.
“Do you have any idea what they are?” Celaine asked.
Hump shook ...
2021-09-18 11:34:37 +0000 UTC View PostTambria was a region of green grass, rolling hills, and farmland, with stone walls made of piled rocks marking the boundaries between the fields. Out here, no users of magic could have made them, meaning that each of them was painstakingly constructed by hand.
They followed the narrow path ...
2021-09-14 22:04:40 +0000 UTC View PostHump stared at Bud with all the intent that he could muster, scrutinising him from head to toe, including the increasing awkward expression on his face.
“How much longer are we going to try this?” Bud asked.
The three of them were sitting around the campfire, concealed within Hump...
2021-09-14 22:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostI will never take you for granted again, Hump thought, as he stared up from where he huddled on the floor at the fading rays of sunlight that filtered through the window. His hands stung with cold, his lungs burned as if he’d choked up a bucket full of water, and every muscle in his bo...
2021-09-11 19:12:44 +0000 UTC View PostBud knelt on the floor of a private prayer chamber in Kelisia’s temple. He took a moment to calm his mind, feeling the flame at the core of his being flickering with cold blue beauty. He clutched his hand to his chest and reached for that flame with his mind, drawing it out. Blue light burst fr...
2021-09-07 22:14:10 +0000 UTC View PostThey were only a few steps from the enchantery when Hump felt his spellbook shake. He froze mid-step, heart thumping in his chest as he stared down at the book on his belt.
Celaine stopped and glanced back at him. “Everything okay?”
He looked at her, barely containing the massive ...
2021-09-04 22:54:12 +0000 UTC View PostFrom the moment Hump stepped into the enchantery, all sense left him. Hundreds of artefacts surrounded him, made of all sorts of precious metals encrusted with heartstones. Swords, rings, amulets, shields, wands—everything that an adventurer might need.
Almost everything Hump owned was on...
2021-08-31 20:19:01 +0000 UTC View PostIt was six days later when the white rock of Sheercliff finally came into view, almost three weeks since they’d left Blesbury. A splendid white cliff—the city’s namesake—rose from the ground and formed a plateau that towered over the city. Surrounded by nothing but flat farmland, there wa...
2021-08-28 20:41:33 +0000 UTC View PostThey were two days from Kelwoth when the storm struck, and dark was fast approaching. Shelter was few and far between on the Tarlak Plain, with grass in all directions and only the occasional tree. Hump shivered and wrapped his cloak around him tighter, not that it did much good for him. He was a...
2021-08-24 20:19:51 +0000 UTC View Post“What are you doing?” Celaine asked, sheathing her dagger. She’d removed the heartstone of both trolls and temporarily stored them in a second cloth pouch. Until they were cleaned off, none of them wanted them anywhere near the rest of their gear.
“What does it look like?” Hump sn...
2021-08-21 15:54:12 +0000 UTC View PostThere was nothing like a troll hunt to wake you up in the morning, or so Hump had thought. So far, their hunt had consisted of camping atop a small slope that overlooked its cave while Celaine tried ceaselessly to pound in the lessons that every Dragon Keeper must know, as she had done f...
2021-08-17 12:30:38 +0000 UTC View PostNote: If you haven’t read the final chapter (Chapter 47) that was released today, read that first.
Book 1 is now concluded! Thank you all so much for your support, and I hope you continue to enjoy The Hedge Wizard moving forward into Book 2.
This is just a small col...
2021-08-14 22:48:53 +0000 UTC View PostPart of being a hedge wizard was making do with what supplies you could find locally, and slowly building a collection. A place rarely had everything one needed, and the field station was no exception.
Hump skipped the essence elixirs this time and purchased the ingredients to make them him...
2021-08-14 17:43:27 +0000 UTC View PostSeven bright and shining gold coins—more money than Hump had ever had. They glistened in his hand like suns, and he stared at them gleefully. Was it worth almost dying? Yes. Absolutely. He’d need to replace much of his equipment of course. Wizardfire alone would cost almost half that, and the...
2021-08-12 21:11:59 +0000 UTC View PostHump awoke to chatter outside his tent. He couldn’t help but smile at the sound of familiar voices. Bud, Celaine, and Vamir had come to visit. He sat up and leant against the bedrest, putting his egg back into its basket. A minute later, his party entered. The three of them were out of their ar...
2021-08-10 16:29:45 +0000 UTC View PostHump’s body slumped weakly, and it took everything he had just to stay perched against his staff. Everything hurt. His skin felt raw and burnt, his core as cold as ice. The power from the formation was gone and all that remained was an empty void where its power had once been. But he still had ...
2021-08-07 13:51:05 +0000 UTC View PostEssence poured into Hump. It came in waves; the dragon’s heartstone still brimming with power. Pulse after pulse filled him, a heartbeat of essence, rekindling what his previous spells had cost him. In an instant the cold of a day’s fighting was gone. Infused with essence, he felt rejuvenated...
2021-08-03 20:45:00 +0000 UTC View PostAs suddenly as the white light took him, Hump was floating through clouds. He felt the warmth of the sun beat against his back, and wind brushed his face, cool on his skin. Down below, a luscious green forest stretched out across the land. On and on it went, further than he had thought possible, ...
2021-07-31 14:00:25 +0000 UTC View PostHalf a dozen straggling undead stood between them and the nest. They wandered back and forth like ants that had lost the trail, their bodies savaged by bloody wounds that no living creatures could have survived. If it was just them, Hump might have felt confident. But with the horde and dragon on...
2021-07-27 21:51:10 +0000 UTC View PostHump helped Celaine to her feet and together they retreated until they were firmly behind Bud. He stood with his back to them, facing Kassius head on, his sword at the ready. Hump glanced at the Black Paladin, who dragged himself along the ground, seemingly without direction. Across the chamber, ...
2021-07-24 10:33:23 +0000 UTC View PostAs the veil faded, a golden aura shimmered around the old priestess of Lady Light. The same one that had greeted them with her powers when they had escorted the villagers to the surface the day prior. She was positioned at the rear of the group, defended on all sides by the encampment’s stronge...
2021-07-20 14:16:38 +0000 UTC View Post“What?” Hump’s heart stopped. He glanced at Celaine, who stared at him with wide and terrified eyes. “I… I can’t do that.”
“It’s a shame, I know,” Kassius said. “You’re clearly quite fond of her, but you must understand my predicament. Talk is one thing, but I need y...
2021-07-17 19:44:33 +0000 UTC View PostCelaine scurred back as the paladin stomped closer like a demon of black steel.
“Leave her be, Kassius,” Hump shouted. “She’s done. She can’t fight anymore.” He forced himself to stand, practically pulling himself to his feet, using both his staff and the wall for balance. “Do...
2021-07-13 10:57:48 +0000 UTC View PostThe dragon propelled itself at the kobolds with a violent sweep of its wings, leaping through the air and crashing down amidst them. Now free, the dragon unleashed its fury. It snapped its jaws shut on the closest kobold and shook it like a dog, before tossing the limp body aside. It sailed throu...
2021-07-10 11:19:59 +0000 UTC View PostHump found himself standing in front of Celaine before he’d spared a thought for what he was going to do next. Heat singed at his face the moment the dragon’s breath exploded from its mouth. The air howled, and a wave of searing hot wind surged forth.
Instinctively, he planted his staff...
2021-07-06 13:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe tunnels grew warmer as they descended into its depths. Celaine’s idea of a brisk walk clearly didn’t match up with Hump’s, but each time he tripped, she caught him without complaint, dragging him on into the darkness.
Hump still felt the effects of his time practicing River and Wa...
2021-07-03 20:21:46 +0000 UTC View PostHump instinctively placed his free hand on his spellbook, as if somehow that would keep the bloody thing from shaking. As if it could sense his thoughts, it chose that moment to shake again. He sighed. “It shakes when it wants me to open it.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. “It’s...
2021-06-29 09:52:13 +0000 UTC View PostCelaine’s eyes vanished into the darkness and Hump’s heart raced as he stared at the spot where she had just been. It was hard to think. His ribs ached, his arm ached with a sharp pain, his head pounded—he must have knocked it on the way down. He tried to get his bearings, but the only ligh...
2021-06-26 10:42:59 +0000 UTC View Post