Hesketh Tolson posts
Posts: 110
Files: 17
Lich, Please 76: Terrible Lizard
Chapter 76Terrible LizardI wind my way slowly along the woodland paths, giving myself time to adjust to the feeling of the forest in my soul. After a while the sensation recedes. I grow comfortable with the idea of bedrock, of loam, of the strange duality of having ferns and bushes as well as hair. No longer do I look at my digits expecting to see twigs.As I walk farther it disappears almost entirely. Perhaps my soul has settled and the memory wi...
New Twilight Kingdom cover for the forthcoming Amazon release
Candle is not abandoned, merely recovering emotionally in a cave for the meantime, I promise.The artist is Jeremy Adams.https://www.artstation.com/jeremy_adams
Lich Please 75: Night Flowering Jasmine (attempt 2)
Chapter 75Night Flowering JasmineThere are two things I have to do before I can reclaim Fairhaven and wipe the floor with Javier’s icy nether regions. Two important tasks.Firstly, and most importantly, I need to transfer my soul to a secure location. Secondly I need to discover and destroy Janvier’s own phylactery, and thus his soul. Preferably before he locates mine. The black rooster as a phylactery is just too unsafe of a keeping place. I ...
Author Note: Rewriting and Audiobook News
Sorry for the late release! I wrote two chapters, 76 and 77 and I was not happy with them. My plan was to write the liching of Jenkins next but I realised this is an important event that might need a couple of chapters and cannot be rushed. They are fine but I think they need to be later in the arc. I don't want the plot to turn into spagetti.Hugest apologies, I have backtracked and rewritten chapter 75.Maud will now be visited by the Whisper...
Lich, Please 74: The Lich’s Guide to Defensive Gardening
Chapter 74The Lich’s Guide to Defensive GardeningThe clerics are delighted. The Wavewalker Friar and the Bright Sister send word to their respective churches immediately. Their joy is tempered by the knowledge that they need a lich to reproduce the potion, but then the feeling is mutual. It is not an ideal situation for any of us, but it does ensure that until we can do away with the undead plague permanently, there must be an uneasy truce. I d...
Lich, Please 73: Witching and Liching
Chapter 73Liching and WitchingOnce the acolytes have gone it is soon settled. Friar Julian will accompany me to Downing, and the Archon will send me my dim-witted sunshine yellow nun friend to make the Bright One’s holy water. How nice. I thought about asking them all to come to Dunbarra Keep but decided against it. The wraith castle, its screaming walls and haunted incumbents, might be a little off-putting to the deeply religious. Not to menti...
Lich, Please 72: Nun of That
Chapter 72Nun of ThatRacing through the cathedral city of Barrowmere with a stolen priestess of the Bright One over my shoulder is not how I pictured spending today. I suppose life, or in my case, death, takes you to unexpected places. My mother was always on at me to get out more. Well, mother dearest, here I am! Galloping through a city, admiring the sights, chased by a positive horde of admirers.An arrow pings off the stone wall above my head....
Lich, Please 71: Bottles of Sunshine
Chapter 71Bottles of SunshineI smile my friendliest smile but then remember she can’t see me beneath the veil. Or not much of me anyway. What can I do to entice her off the hallowed ground?“I’m on a quest,” I say. The Bright One’s worshipers love that sort of thing. And it is actually true, now that I come to think of it.“Oh?” she says, stepping closer, a questioning look in her eye.That’s right my little pious nun. Just a bit clo...
Lich, Please 70: The Cathedral City
>Still feeling ill, but can write again! Yay :DChapter 70The Cathedral CityLeaving my busybodies to their tasks, I pack a small bag with emergency sewing supplies, and crystals. I make sure to include both fully charged empty gems, and some with souls in case I should have need of sustenance. This last seems unlikely. Since my sojourn in Fairhaven, I am almost as fat as a human, and I have never been so powerful, but if I have learnt anything ove...
Author Note: Apologies
Sorry no chapter today - been feeling ill the last few days. Will try to make it up by the weekend. Cross fingers its not covid.
Lich, Please 69: The Rivers of Life
Chapter 69The Rivers of LifeI retrieve the necromancer-chicken from his cage in the castle kitchen. He squawks all the way up to the study, kicking his scrawny little chicken legs ineffectually. His screams bounce harmlessly off the walls. The peasants and wights scatter before me and I grin as we mount the stairs.“I’m so sorry about this,” I lie, keeping one hand firmly clamped around his thrashing neck, “but you really have outlived you...
Lich, Please 68: The Grimoire
Chapter 68The GrimoireIt takes me all night to make sure the forest is empty of the abominations, and most of the next day as well. I am well aware that if I miss even one then my labours are for naught. As it is, as soon as I think I am done, another howling fiend comes shuffling out of the darkness. The humans are easy enough to purge but the animals are more problematic, especially those with wings. Fortunately, the creatures are so aggressive...
Lich, Please 67: Maud vs Undead Plague
Chapter 67Maud vs Undead PlagueIt is a still, clear night. The moon rises high, reflecting off powdery snow as I trudge through the forest. The destroyed settlement is not far. I am hopeful I can be back in my cupboard before the night is old.I am dressed in full battle regalia with pauldrons, breastplate, horned helmet, and long velvet skirt slitted to mid-thigh, to allow for ease of movement. My pantaloons are visible when I kick. It feels a li...
Lich, Please 66: The Lich in the Broom Cupboard
Chapter 66The Lich in the Broom CupboardI sit in the darkness of the small broom cupboard, my needle darting in and out of my velvet. Several weeks have gone by since I stole all the souls from Fairhaven city. Several weeks since I successfully tweaked Lord Liches’ shapely, undead nose.I grin in satisfaction at the memory, but then my grin fades. I would like to say I returned from the city victorious, but in truth I cannot. It pains me to admi...
Lich, Please 65: A Torch In the Darkness
Chapter 65A Torch In the DarknessWind hissed over the soft, powdery snow at the edge of the clearing. Frost fingers pricked up and down Rachel’s spine and she whirled, eyes intent on the space beneath heavily wooded boughs. Her breath came short and sharp. Why? There was nothing. Densely packed trees groaned under the weight of their ice. Was that the noise she had heard? Had there even been a noise?The darkness stared back at her, innocent and...
Liching Hour Cover
I received the cover for book 2 which I'm hoping to get edited and ready to publish sometime in Feb.
Author Note
A Note About Chapter 61If you joined recently, don’t worry about this announcement (and welcome)After some feedback and lots and lots of thinking about agency and focus, I have rewritten a couple of the last scenes, starting with chapter 57. They are mostly small changes but have one large difference that effects today’s chapter:Maud does not leave the candle on the streets of Fairhaven.When she wakes up after being killed she has lost everyt...
Liches Get Stitches
So I can finally tell you all what I have been up too. I wrote a book called Liches Get Stitches for the Inkfort Publishing Derby (which had conditions of anonymity) . It ended last night so I can finally share!This is the first book - about 72k, and here is the whole thing to thank you for supporting me.I am currently serialising on Royal Road:https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/45493/liches-get-stitchesand the Amazon link is https://www.amazon.co...
Dawn Watch 26: The Tempest Rose
26The Tempest RoseEzra left Audric to his experiments and walked through the midnight camp. For once, things were peaceful, which he didn’t trust for one minute. He kept one eye on the sky, on the darkly silhouetted mountain. The night was cold, and a chill wind blew down the slopes as he glared at it, shivering. It was an eyesore, an eyesore wreathed in clouds, a slumbering giant of crags and bush, and a savage reminder of everything that was ...
Dawn Watch 25: Ezra
25EzraThe Sky Lion landed back at the camp with a gentle thump. Ezra slipped and slid down the rope ladder, wrestling to control his emotions. They had searched for hours. There was no sign of Ansel, or his stolen ship, or the rats who had fled with him. Rage and betrayal tied Ezra’s innards into a complicated knot and he fell on the last rung, landing awkwardly in a bad-tempered heap, one foot tangled. He swore vehemently and shook it free.He ...
Dawn Watch 24: Ancestors Own
24Ancestors OwnThe room was small, sparsely and practically furnished. Two bobbing witch-lights hung suspended in the air behind the pale-faced demon woman, and an old man glared at them from her shoulder. The Mester steepled her fingers as she watched them.“Well?” she said. “Can you give me a good reason? Why should I let you live? After everything your people have done to mine? To my country?”Her flawless Lochlanach was jarring, and he ...
Author Note
Hey all. I'm doing really well creatively with something new I'm working on.Unfortunately I can't share it until October/November, but as you have probably noticed my output on Dawn Watch and RS has slowed. I'm not dropping either project but I do want to focus on the new one for at least the next month.I'm letting you know so you can cancel your subscriptions before you get charged on September 1st.Hesketh <3
Dawn Watch 23: Broken Jaws
23Broken JawsAnsel and Kjell set off in the Sky Cub as the sun crossed its zenith, sailing south-east towards the savage village. Jethro and Kip stayed behind to mind the camp. Kjell refused to let Ansel go alone despite his deep unease with the idea of trying to trade with the natives. The big man sat squeezed in the narrow ship, the arquebus he had insisted on bringing clutched in his lap, and an expression of grim determination plastered on hi...
Dawn Watch 22: Valley of Dying Stars
22Valley of Dying Stars“If I paint the hull blue,” said Ansel, thoughtfully, looking up at the tiny airship bobbing overhead, “the ship would be very hard to spot from the ground.”“Alright,” said Kjell. The big man set down his hammer. “How do we make blue paint?“Eggs,” said Ansel. He scratched his chin trying to remember the recipe. “Water, oxides, clay?” His voice went up at the end. He wasn’t sure. “I think. Lapis laz...
RS 45: The Chasm
Chapter 45The ChasmFred and company sank into the deep darkness, watching the walls of the chasm rise ominously on either side. Soon the sun was just a faint smudge above them, a mere memory of distant light. Then, that too was snuffed out by the gloom. Gradually the water changed colour from indigo to darkest blue, and then to pitch-back.The silence was oppressive. The water, noticeably colder, was sparsely inhabited by pale, ghostly fish that f...
Dawn Watch 21: Wind in Dry Grass
21Wind in Dry GrassAnsel squinted into the sun, steering the little airship as close to the wind as he dared. If the ship tipped now it would be a long way down to the rocks. He had only installed one safety harness, and that was just a rope looped around his waist. Scant protection from disaster in the sky and no help at all for his companions.They had a good start, but the ships of the Lochlanach fleet were rising from their berths like vengefu...
RS 44: The Beautiful Briny Sea
Chapter 44The Beautiful Briny SeaFred blinked.[Ding! Congratulations! You have become one with the ocean!Isn’t it better now that you’re wetter? Let’s find out. All party members + 100XP]The water was warm and everything was blue. It was peaceful and very, very quiet. Sounds were present, but muffled. The hull of the Heart of the Ocean was a dark shadowy bulk above them, bobbing as lazy waves slapping against it. Down below he could hear th...
Dawn Watch 20 - Stillness the Dancing
20Stillness the DancingAnsel swore and ran after her, but it was too late.Talcott hurtled through the crowd, pushing people out of the way with unnatural strength. Her hands flamed like glowing beacons. Men turned towards her uttering cries and yells of consternation. She was dripping liquid flames down to her wrists, and they flared brighter and brighter as she worked her way towards the pyre. People went flying as she shoved. Some of the airmen...
RS 43: Ship in a Bottle
Chapter 43Ship in a BottleThey all gathered around the bottle.It lay on the sand glinting innocently as the sun hit the glass.“What if it’s just a bottle?” said Prince Erik. “How do you know it’s a quest? It could be just a bottle? A discarded item floating with the jetsam of life. The ocean is a haven for lost things.”Everyone stared at him.“Unlikely,” said Fred.“But think about it,” said Prince Erik, warming to his theme. Pr...
Dawn Watch 19 - Fire with Fire
19Fire with FireAnsel dreamed that he woke in the night. There was a shadow sitting at the end of his cot and he could feel the weight on his legs. The smell of old blood hung in the air, mingling with the frost.“Ezra?” he said, mussily. “Is that you?”In his dream Ezra spoke to him, low and intense. Ansel listened in confusion but nightmares and reality muddled his brain into a thorny tangle. He blinked, and Ezra was gone, leaving only re...
