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Fate's Attendant 1.18

Rather than carry the storage chest with them, Kang Lian collected the few pieces of good clothing left and wrapped them in a bundle, which she then tied to her back. The knots looked well-practiced to Hong Fei, and he wondered if Little Ruyun’s idea to flee to the south hadn’t been entirely discounted by her mother.

Once the knife was...

Fate's Attendant 1.17

Author's Note: Surprise! This bonus chapter is offered in gratitude for your support of this story. It's a thank you from me to everyone reading. :D

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The alley ended at the southern wall leading up to the middle city. Underneath it sat a four-story inn meant for temporary laborers. A few men and women gathered at a s...

Fate's Attendant 1.16

The lower city rang with the sounds of chisels and hammers striking stone. The early morning air was already hazy from the dust swept up by the wind which blew constantly at the gorge’s base. The sun’s light had yet to reach the tops of the buildings. Hong Fei noted how it crawled down the rocky walls at a sedate pace.

A pair of men ca...

Fate's Attendant 1.15

The punishment of the gambling ring cast a pall over the house. Everyone knew a person affected by it. A noble house was like a small war camp—from maids to gardeners to guards, one couldn’t help getting into the other’s business.

When Hong Fei stopped by the main kitchen for lunch, the bowl was the same size, but the amount of meat ...

Fate's Attendant 1.14

Auntie Ling lost patience when Hong Fei was on his fourth cup of tea. She summoned herself to the courtyard and appeared under the cherry tree, one of the petals landing by happenstance on her nose. Shaking it away, she found a comfortable spot in the shade. Moments later, the qi in the air flowed toward her.

Seeing her diligence, Hong Fei...

Fate's Attendant 1.13

And so it went; the days rode past.

The physical training that Hong Fei had originally intended for the youths never came to pass. Instead, he held a series of lectures for the young people who showed up at his door every morning.

They were vibrantly physical in everything did, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into their formal les...

Fate's Attendant 1.12

The next morning, Yu Yong showed up at Hong Fei’s door with a righteous expression on his face. The boy also had his sister and both their companions in tow.

All of them had been speaking excitedly, and Hong Fei had heard them coming well before their arrival. He’d had more than enough time to stow the bowls of empty rice porridge in h...

Fate's Attendant 1.11

The roof drummed as a sudden rain fell, filling the awkward silence left in the aftermath of Yu Yong’s command.

Hong Fei noted the boy’s jutting chin and the way his weight shifted forward. The embarrassment from the previous day had transformed overnight into an aggressive posture. Perhaps it was a desire to prove himself to the newes...

Fate's Attendant 1.10

Mei Hua and Yu Ning took it upon themselves to drag Hong Fei through the entire household to introduce him to the maids, the cooks, the gardeners, and all the other people who made a noble house run. He memorized each name and face; it was the same honor he’d give any soldier under him or any enemy he knew he must fight.

Mei Hua grew bor...

Fate's Attendant 1.9

It being a beautiful spring day, lunch was to be served outside under a pavilion nestled between the training hall and primary kitchens. Flowering vines wove through the gaps above, wafting their fragrance below. Nearby, a stream pleasantly warbled.

The table was set for nine, but only two sat at it currently—one at his leisure, Zhang De...

Important Update: Some Seriously Big News

Hey y'all,

I wanted to share some news about what's happening in my personal life and how it affects this journey we're taking together.

I was recently laid off from my job, and while this wasn't exactly how I planned to make the transition, I've been thinking about writing full-time for a while now.

So, here's the plan: I'm go...

Eight 5.40: Perspective - Athkala

The café was busier than usual, with orders piling up one after the other. Athkala glanced past the espresso machine refusing to work and saw the number of customers increasing. A crowd had even started to form outside.

So far, no one was angry. Most were paying attention to their phones, listening to the latest government report. There�...

Eight 5.39: The Journey Home

The next morning, we found some small game that we butchered and cooked up—a squirrel and a couple of rabbits—and talked through our plans for the light we’d collected from the Maltrans.

Before leaving the fortress, we’d stored all the darklight in the Hoarder’s Pocket. We hadn’t even weighed it; there’d simply been too much ...

Fate's Attendant 1.8

Hong Fei, freshly barbered and dressed in his new clothes, looked like many of the old veterans who’d washed up against the duke’s gate over the years. The guards noted the similarity—the sword carried openly and the way Hong Fei moved with it, like he’d been born with the weapon at his side. There was also the familiar tautness of his e...

Eight 5.38: No More Holding Back II

Stepping within ten yards of the stairwell’s landing triggered the sound of a bell tolling, along with a blast of disorientation like I’d taken a punch to the chin, rattling my brain. I withdrew immediately, yet I still caught the tail end of a Thousand Spears spell across both arms. Water poured from the Hoarder’s Pocket to snake around t...

Fate's Attendant 1.7

Two handspans of the sun’s travel later, Auntie Ling explained to an amused Hong Fei the nature of the changes to his card, but there was only so much she could do with gestures and dirt drawings.

Hong Fei smiled and nodded along, but it was hard for him to focus on anything that wasn’t how good his body felt. His lungs breathed easy, ...

Eight 5.37: No More Holding Back I

Author's Note: We're getting close to the end, y'all. Only a couple more chapters to go after this one. Also, in case you didn't see it, the first chapter of Fate's Attendant is now available for Level 5 patrons.

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Fate's Attendant 1.6

Hong Fei woke up feeling damp. His clothes, his hair, and his skin were slick with the previous day’s rain plus the dew that had accumulated overnight. The feeling wasn’t pleasant, but given the alternative—not waking up, ever—he decided it was acceptable.

Opening his eyes, he saw the first blush of dawn light touching the tops of ...

Eight 5.36: More Than One Knife

Yuki’s voice wove through the rhythm of the fight, guiding the cadence of attacks, feints, and withdrawals. At the speed we were going, there was no time for complete thoughts, so they moved at the speed of reflex, of instinct, and of a network overclocked by the hidden mind’s influence.

So when Baxta grew two new arms, we adapted. Yuk...

Fate's Attendant 1.5

Hong Fei knew that something had happened to Ling. The question he faced as a result was in which direction he should flee. Going forward meant death and to north was the cliff overlooking the Tistkil River. That left either climbing the mountain to go around the danger or reversing directions to return to Blue Lotus City.

There was money ...

Eight 5.35: The Plan in Action III

Author's Note: Just a reminder that these are first-draft chapters, and some of them are definitely going to be rough, including this one, for example.

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The obsidian knife floated closer, so that Fala could examine the runes. Then, she flew through the rest of the chamber in her own inspection of the walls. ‘This ...