earlier this week i was tagged by @cometworks in a last line challenge! so here’s my latest line from of the gods!
“It’s metal,” says Tano. He bites down on his bottom lip too hard. “It always hurts. You should be dead.”
“Dis metal’s the only reason I ain’t dead.”
“It kills everything it touches.”
“Even the gods, pup?”
Tano thinks, I wish it killed them, and then he thinks, this is a test.
A taunt, a challenge. This is a dare – are you really that afraid?
and i’ll tag @inked-foundry, @deadlyessencewhispers and @writings-of-a-narwhal!
okay so, hoofbeat mysteries needs a bit more work on the, uh, mystery? and i’m not sure i’ll have ti figured out in time for nano. as a backup, i’ll either be doing
Runeless - when Aola accidentally stumbles into a fight between two high ranking military officers and ends up obtaining a crystal that amplifies the strength of magick, he’s spirited off to the capital of their military-run country and put into protective custody by Colonel Elise. Which basically means a lot of errands and small work that keeps him under her thumb and out of everyone else’s eyes. Which would be fine, if not for Aola’s blatant hatred for the military. And also the human chimera that he finds in a set of hidden tunnels beneath a prominent military base, thus revealing a corruption within the very foundation of the country,. That kind of throws a wrench in his plans.
Of The Gods - it’s far past the point where gods and spirits were revered. Now, humans are discovering how machines can change the world - and destroy it in the process. Tano has been raised by wolf gods and forest spirits, and taken up arms against Lady Bain, who is set on destroying the forest and those within to further her city and humankind as a whole. Things shouldn’t change much when Lorit, a human, stumbles into the forest...but they do. Tano grows fond of him, and then grows fond of him...and then realizes that no matter how kind you are to humans, they will always prove to be monsters at the end. Who knew you could be hired to hunt god’s for profit?
Bound For Providence - years ago, the last Old Dragon was killed and her clutch lost to the mainlands. Pirates have been searching for the hordes for centuries, often hiring themselves out as “egg hatchers” in hopes of finding the right dragon. Lucas has never left the mainland before but always dreamt of dragons - so when he comes into an egg, of course the first thing he does is hire a pirate crew and try to hatch it! It’s not his fault that he was naive enough to hire the same crew that struck Providence down...or that his egg is from her clutch and about to hatch.
the first chapters of hoofbeat mysteries and of the gods are available at patreon.com/abalonetea!
here’s a snippet from each! my favorite writing parts from today!
hoofbeat mysteries
Zipper returns the greeting, stepping into his stall without question. He’s got a bad limp on his back hind end, dark red staining otherwise white fur. He is a beauty; the sort of horse that makes it onto a postcard. Seventeen hands high with a perfect black stripe down his back that turned into his namesake, a spot on his face, a heart shaped mark on his muzzle.
He is tall, and broad chested, and more gentle than a baby bird. It makes something in Chelsea ache to see him like this, to know that he had a journey home without a rider, that he had something go so horribly wrong. She runs her hands over the side of his neck, tangles her fingers in his short mane. “It’s going to be okay,” she tells him. “You wait right in here, and I’ll get Doc on the line. We’ll get you fixed up, boy.”
Zipper’s ears flick. There’s something soft and knowing in his deep brown eyes. Chelsea finds that she can’t return the look for long without her own eyes feeling hot and wet. So she kisses him on the side of the face and steps out of the stall, double and triple checking that the door is latched correctly.
Her cellphone doesn’t take calls in the barn. The tin roof messes with the service. She steps out in front of the red building, into the early morning haze, and hits the contact on her list labeled Doc. It rings four times and then his heavy twang filters through the speakers. “Doc. This an emergency?”
“Yes,” says Chelsea, louder than she needs too. “It is absolutely an emergency.”
of the gods
He can always run in the forest.
The shadows might stalk him here, now, but they are spirits of the same sort. They will offer cover to any god, and to any god’s kin.
Still, this is a mortal here, in the forest. It’s a mortal, no matter how friendly that smile, how soft the slope of his shoulders. There’s still something in the glint of his eyes, the way he moves when he takes a half step forward.
Lorit gestures at Tano with his metal hand. Lorit light reflects off the metal in a way that’s anything but natural. “Mind ye, no bitin, pup."
“My leg’s fine. They’re lucky about that, too.” Tano wipes at his leg again, but that just smears it. “And they’re not lost. They’re coming.”
“Oh, sure dey are. But dey ain’t here yet, and that leg looks right painful.” Lorit takes another step closer, makes a vague gesture to the forest around them. “I reckon I’d be able to hear a beaut like dat god come runnin’ round in these parts.”
“Her name’s Baoba,” says Tano, on instinct, because most people have forgotten that the gods have names, that the spirits are more than just aimless beasts. And if there’s one god that never deserves to be forgotten, it’s Baoba.
The wolves are old, and strong, and powerful in ways that some gods have grown too weary to be. The forest might be a dying thing but, for now, the wolves still thrive within its boundaries.
Tano grins, all teeth and gum. “I think you’re the one that’s lost. This isn’t where humans should be. It’s not yours. That was their problem, you know? We’ve told them before, but they don’t listen.”
tag list - let me know if you want on or off the list!
oooh! for both of your nano wips!! do any of your kids go to parties?? it could be huge parties, crazy parties, classy parties, or even just small parties with their group of friends.
chelsea does! little local ones! the local church and also there’s this little community center. both places frequently host events like disco night and card games and raffles! she loves going! she also sometimes drags abby along, but abby would much rather just stay home at the farm and be out with the horses tbh.
a big plot point for the second book actually involves that! i have a very serious and very personal overarching plot in mind for the three books that are planned in the series! fascinating, eh?
lorit stays away from people as much as he can. he doesn’t particularly like the mindset of humans, his own included. and tano doesnt even know what a party is, unless you count, like, hare chases as a party?
i finally hit 500 words and think ive got my stride back for this chapter!
here’s a quote from it i really like!
He answers the door in a pair of boxer’s that don’t fit quite right, sit too low on his hips, with air dried hair that sticks up in all directions. It’s the same guy that usually delivers out here, though, and Theo knows for a fact that some of his neighbors have opened their doors looking a Hell of a lot worse.
a description from the newest chapter for of the gods!
They end up on an outcropping of petrified wood. The tree that it used to be part of has been cut into by the weather, the passage of time, and the old gods that used to live within it. No snakes live in the forest these days, though. They’ve retreated deep into the mountains, too frightened of the humans to risk staying, too stubborn to die out completely.
i guess there are petrified trees in the forest now?
