About an hour later, they slowed and allowed themselves a bit of rest. Soon enough, it was obvious the pursuing riders were redoubling their pace. They would be boxed in if they stayed where they were. With a weary stretch and a yawn, Caewen got back up on Dapplegrim’s back and helped the boy up…
A Charm for the Nameless Child #118
They rode for three days, stopping only to eat and to allow Caewen and the boy to catch what small snatches of sleep were possible during these brief stops. Otherwise, they had to take turns sleeping in the saddle. Dapplegrim–being not a little unnatural in his blood–was near-tireless… but near-tireless is still only near-tireless. By…
COVID finally caught up with us
And hopefully that’s it for the endless round of winter bugs. Finally, after a couple years of avoiding it, COVID caught up with everyone in the house. It really has been insane this winter (Southern Hemisphere). I’m hoping that the move into summer will reduce the number of preschool bugs rattling through the house. It…
A Charm for the Nameless Child #117
As they approached, Caewen leaned forward, and said at a whisper in Dapple’s ear. “Stop. Stay here.” She swung herself down then, landing lightly on the grey and moor-damp turf. She left them, and crossed the last few hundred paces on her own. Wetness oozed in her footsteps, welling up from the soaked ground. It…
Back posting
It’s been awhile since I last posted any story updates. It’s just the usual explanation. I took a break, intending it to be just a week or so, and then preschool bugs ran rampant through the house. I think we had something like four weeks in which at least one person in the house was…
Pausing a moment
I’m nearing the final chapters of A Charm for the Nameless Child. I’m going to take a moment to pause, do a bit of revising and then continue. I’m finding that posting this book is involving quite a bit of editing and rewriting. In some places I’ve had to rewrite (or write) whole passages and…
A Charm for the Nameless Child #116
They rode together on Dapplegrim’s back, the boy behind and Caewen in the front, with Fleat gliding along beside them. Every hour or so, he would circle back, sailing out of sight, only to return some time later. After the third or fourth of his sorties back, he returned with as dark a look in…
A Charm for the Nameless Child #115
He saw the hard expression of her face, the cold angry look in her eyes. She was staring fixedly at Athairdrost, and there was perhaps even a gleam of enjoyment in her eyes. He shifted uncomfortably, without saying anything. Eventually, it was Dapplegrim who interrupted her. “Caewen.” She looked at him. “The knights aren’t going…
A Charm for the Nameless Child #114
She looked at him, then back at the circle. Then she looked at him again, searchingly. Her eyes seemed to settle on something. Her expression changed from wrinkled-up thought to a clear smile. “I have it.” She carefully pulled a single hair from her head, between finger and thumb, and laid it inside the circle….
A Charm for the Nameless Child #113
She looked at him narrowly and then waved a hand at one of the nearby paupers of the court–a hunched and much put-upon looking man-servant, bent-backed with rheumy old eyes and skin splotched by liver spots. His lips were wet and loose, and his hair thin and grey. “Make that man rich enough to buy…