Note: I feel like these last few chapters have been downers. That changes soon!
Corvus tumbled through the air, ripping at his burning overtunic and then the shirt underneath it. His fingers stung from the flames, but it was nothing compared to his arms and his back.
He was burned. Maybe horribly, he could...
2022-04-22 05:52:04 +0000 UTC View PostNote: New(ish) month, and I'm coming up from editing hell with a new chapter. Expect the next one on Friday! (And some news, maybe!)
Corvus turned to Hattie. "You know Daff—"
Lightning flashed, followed by a roll of thunder so close and intense that it shook Corvus's teeth inside his head.
... 2022-04-07 05:50:16 +0000 UTC View PostCorvus supposed he shouldn't have been that surprised that Hattie proved to be a decent rider. Though Charm's neck was much wider than that of a typical horse -- or whatever her water demon was -- she had a light and well balanced seat and seemed to show no fear from falling off.
She sat in front. Corvus was not going to have the demon gir...
2022-03-26 06:26:58 +0000 UTC View PostCorvus spent the next few hours with the demon girl, excitedly writing out rune after rune from his private dictionary and translating them into words.
This kind of thing — discovery and research — it struck a pure note in his soul. A part of himself he hadn’t fully realized had been neglected until now.
Since the ratkin siege,...
2022-03-19 06:08:27 +0000 UTC View PostHey guys,
Apologies for being quiet this week. I've been spending every evening after work stuck in editing hell with Book 2, Nomad. (Turns out I have a lot of typos. Who knew! What was that...? Everyone? Well then.)
In any case, it's all cleaned up and has been officially transmitted to Podium to get recorded. I'll let you know as s...
2022-03-18 06:45:44 +0000 UTC View Post“You should go on and dive the dungeon without me,” Corvus said. “Level up as much as you can.”
Roan and Starella, especially, needed to increase their levels. They had just begun their Pathwalker journey last week and both were still in the low single digits.
Roan and Starella looked surprised though Gwen nodded as if she ha...
2022-03-08 07:00:31 +0000 UTC View PostWhile Corvus had been busy wrangling the overall management of the city, he had put Starella in charge of the dungeon reconstruction project.
True, Starella couldn't speak with the Nest Guardians, the subterranean species of dragons who lived in secret below the city, but Cosmos could.
And if he could only communicate in simple terms...
2022-03-02 06:25:19 +0000 UTC View PostA few hours later found Corvus sitting in a meeting, surrounded by nobles and city officials. Corvus sat at the head of the table with Starella on his right side. Both listened politely as Roan, who was still dirty from the road, explained what his father had learned.
Technically, it should be Kale who was delivering the bad news since he ...
2022-02-23 06:13:08 +0000 UTC View PostCorvus braced himself for an attack. Connecting with someone else via a party had never felt like much of a risk before, but there was much about the Path system that he didn't know. Even with Perry's assistance over the last few weeks.
There was every chance that connecting with her left him vulnerable.
So he tensed, one hand drifti...
2022-02-16 07:43:36 +0000 UTC View PostCorvus’s mind raced the entire flight back to the Grand Palace. Roan had elected to return at a much slower pace with his father. At the speed a non-magical horse could travel meant it would be hours until they arrived at the city gates. Another hour at the very least until he made his way through the newly cut jungle paths and to the Grand Pa...
2022-02-11 07:52:47 +0000 UTC View PostNote: Look for a chapter today, tomorrow and Friday as I catch up.
***
Charm pumped her wings to gain speed through the air.
Down below, Corvus heard Roan give a shout and CloudStrike increased her speed too.
Charm made growl of dissatisfaction and increased her speed. Down below, the hor...
2022-02-10 07:05:03 +0000 UTC View PostNote: I fully admit this is one of those rehash chapters to set the stage. We'll get into the real meat of the plot next chapter. (Aiming for tomorrow!)
“Roan is never going to let me live this down,” Corvus observed.
"Good," Charm told him. "It is good know that you can study endlessly in your books a...
2022-02-02 07:33:44 +0000 UTC View PostNote: Yesssss it's back.
I thought there was a good chance I would be sick as followed Tiberius down the stairway to the trainer's podium. Distantly, I heard the roar of the crowd around me, but it all sort of blurred in my mind. I felt disconnected, just focusing on not losing my lunch.
In contrast, Tiber...
2022-02-02 06:26:15 +0000 UTC View PostNote: We'll be back to Corvus and company with the next chapter!
Only half of the noble teenagers had chosen to come along with Kassen on this insane venture. Most were boys. Hattie maintained a couple of feet between herself and them, remembering her mother's lessons on trying to walk gracefully while in riding...
2022-01-26 04:40:55 +0000 UTC View PostNote: Welcome to the start of book 3! As a heads up, the first two chapters will be prologue. But after that we'll be joining back up with the main story.
Two Years Ago...
Hattie met the other half of her soul on a warm, syrupy spring day. The flow...
2022-01-26 04:26:52 +0000 UTC View PostRage and humiliation powered Daffodil's flight up north to the Capitol city. As he followed the rough mountain chain that bordered this fractured kingdom, he thought of nothing but Zriah.
He had loved her with the simple, pure love of a hatchling. His heart still ached for her, and he had tried to piece it back together with the princess w...
2022-01-26 04:14:18 +0000 UTC View PostPerry led Gwen and Corvus down to the sublevels of the tower, just above the level to the dungeon. Unlike the dungeon entrance, this was well traveled and guarded by standing soldiers.
A thought occurred to Corvus. He looked at Gwen. "Is Roan still intent on signing with the guard?"
"Nah." Her smile was of a sibling who'd had the ple...
2022-01-21 05:45:43 +0000 UTC View PostNote: Second of two chapters today! Make sure you check the first... uh, first.
To Corvus's relief, the city was not on fire. And aside from the bones of half a dozen goats and outstanding IOUs from Ratkin Queen bounty hunters owed from the treasury, Charm had not taken too much advantage of her position of powe...
2022-01-14 06:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostNote: Two chapters today!
"I have a question," Roan said. "If I'm understanding this right, they've protected this nest for how many years? And now they're just going to let you give them anyway to anyone who can afford them?"
Roan, Gwen, an Starella could not understand the Guardians, but it seemed the Gu...
2022-01-14 05:53:47 +0000 UTC View PostNote: Sorry for the wait everyone. News has not been so hot on the family front. One of the aunts is still very ill (though everyone, including myself seem fine!). Times have been tough but one thing that's kept me sane and optimistic is thinking of this book and doing some more plotting for the next. I can't wait to show you all what's ...
2022-01-11 06:44:05 +0000 UTC View PostSorry for the silence everyone. Like the title says, I got the plague. Fortunately so far it's a case of the sniffles. Unfortunately it's hit my family a bit harder and the last few days have been full of urgent care visits, waiting in hours long testing lines, and taking care of household business. No hospitalizations yet, so fingers crossed. 2022-01-05 04:23:18 +0000 UTC View Post
Sorry for the wait between chapters all. Coronavirus has once again struck the Seabourne house. Not me. (So far). I have managed to dodge all the waves like Neo dodges bullets. But mysteriously the unvaccinated members of my house haven't. For a second time.
(If you're sensing frustration in there... yes, there's some frustration ...
2021-12-30 03:39:36 +0000 UTC View PostNote: Really enjoyed the theories on if Roan and Gwen does/does not get a dragon...
Quick note that I plan on posting another chap tomorrow! Hope you all had a happy holiday if you celebrate and a fun weekend if you don't!
Starella started pushing past nest guar...
2021-12-28 06:50:14 +0000 UTC View Post"They can't be dragons," Starella said. "They... simply can't be!"
"What kind of ugly, stunted--"
"Roan!"
Thankfully, the nest guardians didn't pay attention to the three of them. Though they'd come out of their bows, they remained turned toward Corvus as if he were the magnet to their iron filings.
They shifted as a grou...
2021-12-24 07:07:43 +0000 UTC View PostThe walk back to the glen and the eggs seem to take a lot longer than it had going back.
I didn’t say much to my dragons. I wasn’t sure what to say.
For her part, Arcee was a mix of defiant and chagrined. On one hand, she had gotten herself a pretty good new form. Unfortunately, I didn’t know if it would hold up against a Void ...
2021-12-24 05:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostNotes: Two quick editing changes. Corvus dislocated his shoulder not his knee. (That got screwed up in the rewriting). Also one of his future subclass options has been changed from Rune Weaponsmith to Runic Soldier.
Alert! Due to sudden extensive bodily damage, you are in a state ... 2021-12-21 06:46:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Note: Apologies for the wait. These are the most important chapters in this book and I've struggled to tell it properly. I'm still not entirely happy with it but... I at least wanted to get part 1 out now. Part 2 will be tomorrow. (And there might be a part 3. We'll see!).
Species: Nest Guardian 2021-12-20 04:44:23 +0000 UTC View Post
So… I ended up ditching Jane and Sienna behind for egg-watching duty.
I freely admit: It was a little fucked up.
But Arcee was adamant that we needed to get a move on. She wanted her new form ASAP and as her bonded tamer, her chances were a lot better if I went along with her.
Tiberius, of course, came along too.
And so...
2021-12-18 22:37:30 +0000 UTC View PostRoan stared at the message so long that Corvus had to bite his cheek from telling him just to choose already. It would be wrong to rush him. No matter what, this had to be Roan's decision.
"Does this mean what I think it means?" Gwen asked as Roan continued to stare.
"Maybe," Corvus said.
Her hand clamped over his fo...
2021-12-14 05:50:19 +0000 UTC View PostSpecial Saturday chapter! (And perhaps a Sunday chapter too...)
The tunnel out of the dungeon was much shorter than the one leading in. There had once been paintings on the walls, but the images had been ruined by years of seeping moisture. Corvus saw impressions of bright colors – a word here and there – bu...
2021-12-12 03:16:36 +0000 UTC View Post