elizabeth_oswald

Chapter Three hundred thirty-two (Kyla)

Now that the Woodblades were officially a tribe again, and the Magmablades’ hidden den was no longer hidden, several of the pups Kyla knew were gone, while others had come from the main den. These had never really had a den-mother before, and while the older pups were doing their best to help them, they had a lot of catchin...

Questions!

If you were a character in Broken Knife, and you met someone who could answer questions about Qiangde, his court, the making of the kobolds, etc, what questions would you ask? Not that I'm saying such a person exists, or that they would answer any such questions (that's a big ask) but if you could. What gaps need fil...

Chapter Three hundred thirty-one (Kyla)

“-and then she went into the Luzhijia!” Kyla finished, looking from Lianhua to Yingtao. They were standing in the human hut, with no one else around, but as soon as Kyla started talking, both females became serious, and Lianhua drew something on her hand.

Yingtao’s calm mask was back in place, so she only...

LR Chapter Twenty-three - To Hell and Back

Chapter Twenty-three - 

As soon as Pandy hit the ground - or rather the shrubbery - her wings vanished, which was exactly what happened in the game. Wings of Glory was a spell that took a lot of Stamina, and lasted only until the next time Clara landed. Because it was so Stamina-intensive, Pandy usually only used i...

Chapter Three hundred thirty (Kyla - meanwhile)

Kyla lay on her side, staring as Mei licked her first pup, cleaning away the fluids and other things that coated its skin. It was barely larger than Kyla’s thumb, its dark eyes visible beneath fragile eyelids, and its ears and tail were barely more than nubs. The little creature was also completely hairless, so Kyla couldn�...

Chapter Three hundred twenty-nine

As with most of the other ‘secret’ doors Kaz had found, this one was decorated with a map. It focused on the mid-levels, and for the first time, he was able to pick out the rune for the number seven, carved from stone and painted in a rich, deep red. Not terribly surprisingly, the sevens marked the levels he’d just pass...

Chapter Three hundred twenty-eight

The voice sounded like a whole tribe howling at once, with an odd echo as the last tone faded away. Kaz froze as it entered his mind, but Li was already moving, dipping her shoulder as she pushed against his back.

<Get on,> she said, <or I’ll pick you up and carry you away in my claws.>

Kaz had no do...

Chapter Three hundred twenty-seven

They checked all seven arms of the cavern, finding dragon skeletons down three of them. There were broken eggshells in several of the egg alcoves, though always in the first hundred or so down a new cavern. They didn’t find any sign of dead hatchlings, so perhaps those eggs simply crumbled after years of neglect?

All ...

Chapter Three hundred twenty-six

The pit was deep, and with the unknown binyi-thing possibly at the bottom of it, Kaz and Li didn’t dare fly down quickly. Instead, Li glided as much as possible, flying in tight circles by making minute adjustments of her wings, then flapping a few times to drop as far as they could see in Kaz’s ki-light.

T...

Pandy in a dress!

Still working on those images, but I'm using this one on Royal Road to try to get more people interested in Lucky Rabbit, so you get it first!

LR Chapter Twenty-two - Surprise!

As soon as the front door opened, Pandy could hear the subdued murmur of many voices coming from the dining room. This room was usually only used for dinner, with breakfast, lunch, or tea taken in the conservatory or outside in the garden. Geraldine clasped Thaniel’s hand and pulled him along after her, with Miss Cupcakes r...

Chapter Two hundred twenty-five

They were out of paints and charcoal, and the wall was less than half done. Still, it was enough to see the outline of several winged xiyi figures, and bring out details of the rectangles behind them, which were easily recognizable once they had depth and color.

“So the hoyi didn’t create...

Author introspection

When I first write these chapters, I really am focused on getting the story down. I won't say it's like a fully-fleshed outline, because it's definitely more than that, but there's a lot  going on, and I want to make sure the story doesn't get derailed. (Which is a shockingly easy thing to have happen.)

Chapter Three hundred twenty-four

There were a surprising number of rooms in the first two towers, so it took a while to explore. In the process, Kaz realized that someone had indeed lived here, or at least planned to do so. Most of the towers were taken up with small rooms containing carved stone beds that were more like those humans used than the piles of f...

Chapter Three hundred twenty-three (Kyla)

There were so many kobolds crammed into the cavern that Kyla couldn’t even count them all, and every one of them was looking at her. Well, that might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but not much of one, and while Kyla used to think everyone paying attention to her would be a good thing, now she wasn’t so sure.

S...

Chapter Three hundred twenty-two (Kyla)

The howl was about to begin, and Kyla’s stomach felt like she’d swallowed a dozen jiyun grubs without chewing. Not only was this the first howl she’d ever attended that was for her, but Ija had solemnly informed her that this was also the first full howl which would include both the old Magmablade...

I have totally not been working on this instead of writing...

LR Chapter Twenty-one - Secret Parties

The next week passed with no sign of Lian’s return. Thaniel asked about his brother every day at breakfast, but the answer was always a soft, understanding smile and the words, “You’ll be the first to know when we hear anything.” Soon enough, he only seemed to ask out of a sense of duty, not because he actually expect...

Chapter Three hundred twenty-one

“The Dragon?” Kaz repeated, while Li turned her gaze on the core before them with sudden interest.

Heishe sighed, nudging the silent core with her nose almost as if she expected it to wake and speak to her. It didn’t, of course, but she curled around the remnants of its resting place almost protectively.

<...

Chapter Three hundred twenty

The wall twisted, but unlike the other hidden doors Kaz had found in the mountain, this one carried the floor with it as well. Stone ground against stone as what seemed like half the cavern dropped into a pit, making Li dig her claws into Kaz’s shoulder as she instinctively flapped her wings, trying to lift them both back u...

Gifting the Broken Knife!

Stuck on gift ideas? Skip the socks and give the gift of a subscription to The Broken Knife (and maybe even Lucky Rabbit!)—where stories come to life, and your loved one gets exclusive content (and your cool factor skyrockets). Plus, it's way better than that fruitcake you've had stashed in your close...

Chapter Three hundred nineteen

<Those are hoyi?> Li asked, staring at the horde of insects scurrying through the cavern below. They stood on the stairs that led into the hoyi nest, and from there into the mines. Kaz had told Li that the largest ki-crystals were found here, and she’d insisted they see if there was a way to gat...

Chapter Three hundred eighteen

A dozen puppies ran in circles beneath Li, barking and leaping up toward her dangling tail-tip. This was particularly amusing because not all of them were kobolds, and the tiny round-pups rolled and tumbled like fluffy toys.

Over the last day or so, Kaz had learned quite a bit about these new little creatures. Like the ...

Chapter Three hundred seventeen (Kyla)

Kyla stared at Ija, and for the first time in a long time, she didn’t know what to say. Usually, she was ready with a story or, better yet, a distraction, but there was no talking her way out of this. She had left the mountain without telling anyone where she was going or why, and though they knew her well enough to guess, ...

LR Chapter Twenty - Détente

<Minor Heal. Minor Heal. Minor Heal. Min->

Casting of Minor Heal successful. 5.26% experience gained towards next level.

You have no Mana. Using Life Force instead.

Healed Pandora for 2 LF.

Minor Heal triggered the instant Pandy set a paw inside ...

Chapter Three hundred sixteen (Mei)

Mei lay in the little nest her Monster had made for her. She could feel her young move in her belly, and somehow knew that they would be born in only a few more days. That would be good, because she was tired of carrying them around. She was meant to be graceful and silent, and now she laid in her nest, allowing the Monsters ...

Chapter Three hundred fifteen

Kaz and Li had been slowly slinking closer and closer to the door for at least half an hour. Or, if Kaz’s mental time-keeping was correct, a minimum of three days. The people in the room didn’t even need him any more, not now that they had gotten past the bit with all the yelling. Husede were far more emotio...

Chapter Three hundred fourteen

“Are you still there?” Dax asked quietly as a large husede male stepped toward the pedestal. Several other people had been waiting for this platform, but Dax had insisted upon having it ‘to himself’ so that no one would bump into or step on Kaz and Li. This had made the group of mostly husede&nb...

Chapter Three hundred thirteen

Kaz hadn’t offered his name, any more than Dugo had, but obviously his blue fur had given him away. He wasn’t sure he liked having strangers know who he was, but it did explain why Dugo had been so willing to guide Kaz to this hidden place. If the other kobolds really did believe Kaz had slain Zhangwo, then they might fee...

Chapter Three hundred twelve

The bright lights of the yumi fields shone down as Kaz allowed his wet paws to dry naturally, rather than using red ki to hurry the process along. He and Li had spent the last hour or so slowly wandering through the fields, watching as gatherers cut down the stalks and pulled thick roots from the shallow water. ...