3seed posts
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Reflections?
Hi all!We're approaching the end of book one, and I wanted to celebrate by writing a series of 2-4 reflections. These are short vignettes about Ollie, but presented from the perspective of other characters. Each would be approximately 1,000 words long, and depending on the number, I'd share them over 1 or 2 weeks.In the past, I've hesitated about writing from alternate points of view, because I didn't want to spoil the sense of discovery. However, the story's next long arc will be about contact with civilization, so a little...
47. Let's Eat
Just-another day-hunt tummy-full. There was a smugness to the uekiesheile’s qi.Well, we were both pleased with ourselves. The raid went much better than expected, and I felt giddy all the way back to the cave. All the hard work, the training, and the adapting to this world had paid off. Almost too well. A part of me wondered if there was another shoe waiting to drop.No, I worked hard for this victory, and I was going to dang well enjoy it. I was careful, sure. There were chishiaxpe, chliapp lions, and kahlichi bears still out there. But my mo...
46. Midnight Raid
A sliver of moonlight shone in the sky, but it was enough for enchanted eyes to see me safely up the narrow ledge to the escarpment. Enchanted muscles helped me carry a full load of sharpened stakes on my back. At the top of the escarpment, I let the enchantments lapse, and the weight of the stakes pressed down on me. Oof.The enchantments were insurance for the hike up. From now on, I needed to be mindful of how I spent my resources. Adjusting the backpack’s straps, I lit the Candle Stone and hiked south towards the bulge in the escarpment. O...
45. Preparation for a Raid
Please note that I made a change to chapter 43: When they first meet, the children showed Eight small, parallel scars on their forearms. They were also willing to cut themselves. The implication is that's how children prove they're not Little Horrors.-----I dragged the poisoned bishkawi upstream, the water helping to buoy her weight. Like her troopmate before, her face was locked in a rictus of terror. I didn’t mind seeing my enemies troubled, but it wasn’t good to let an animal suffer like that. As soon as it was safe to do so, I p...
44: A Bloody Care Package for Bishkawi
About two miles south of the cave, the escarpment bulged. The layers of limestone stacked such that they rounded like a pregnant belly. The angle was gentle enough for me to pick my way down. Mostly I climbed, but a couple of times I had to ease down on my butt. From there, I traveled north, back in the direction of the stream feeding Ikfael Glen.I put my worry for the otter aside, and the same for the children. This was the kahlichi bear’s territory--I couldn’t hurry, no matter how anxious I felt. My utmost focus was needed to walk through...
43: Three Times is Intention
Kaad was dead. Once again, I’d come a hair’s breadth away from dying. If it hadn’t been for the Healing Water spell, I’d be dead now. Trading the magic dagger for it was the right decision. I shook the thought away. There’d be time to reflect on what happened later.My hands shook, as I searched for the key to the children’s chains. Some of that was due to adrenaline, but I’d also just killed two people. The weight of that pushed down on me, but I resisted. There were circumstances--“Come on, Ollie,” I muttered. “Not now. Jus...
42: The Taste of Justice
In 1961, my family moved from Mexico City to Sherwood, Oregon. We didn’t fit in, none of us, but we stuck to ourselves and stumbled our way through the gaps between cultures. Mi abuelo took me hunting, The Phantom Tollbooth introduced me to science fiction and fantasy, and I vowed never to speak Spanish after being teased at school. So it goes.A year later, Michelle Dickinson from the sixth grade disappeared. Search parties combed the woods with dogs. News reporters came to town with their vans. Even me, in my own world, noticed the uproar.An...
