Tachartasan Seachdaineil

The happenings this week have certainly been interesting—but they’ve also turned out to be blessings in disguise.

I discovered I had an entire week of vacation scheduled that I’d completely forgotten about. What started as a normal three-day weekend suddenly became eleven days off.

The upside of that is that I got all of my cleaning done. I cleaned out my desk drawers, rearranged my closet and dresser drawers, and got the bathroom cleaned.

I finally solved a problem I’ve been grumbling about for months—I installed Linux Mint on my laptop. It has been wonderful saying goodbye to constant updates and a fan that sounded like it was preparing for takeoff. Even with multiple browser tabs open, my CPU usage rarely climbs above fifty percent.

I also took the chance and signed up for Atticus and will be using it in place of Scrivner to help me make Epubs and pdfs.

Now for the part you’ve been waiting for: I had time to write two chapters during my time off. In addition to that, the next chapter is scheduled for release on Royal Road.

If you’d care to see that chapter before anyone else does, you can sign up on my Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/cw/JosephLWiesscreatingworlds and join at the citizens level.

This week’s additions include:

• An Tiene na Rugadh (the common Crannic people)

• The Chaos God Iktomi

• His reluctant High Priestess, Brigid Augustdottir

• An introduction to Divine Magic

Below this space, you’ll find a piece of the chapter I recently finished on The Draoidh’s Return.

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The spider tattoo on Iktomi’s forehead appeared to dance as he walked down the corridor towards the chamber he had taken over.

“Who should I intrude upon first?” He quickly discounted stepping to the domains of Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopochtli, or Mixcoatl. He didn’t consider himself strong enough to go near them yet. That left only the goddesses that he could visit.

But which one?

“ Xiccuepa nocuāllōtl, īhuān mā nechhuīca in citlāltōnalli campa chantia Tonān Chantico.”

Iktomi’s eyes closed as the ritual magic took effect and his form shimmered, shrinking into a two-inch-long brown bodied spider with three rows of eyes.

As soon as his form solidified, the second part of the ritual enacted, sending him across time and space, depositing him in the corner of an Aztec kitchen. Using his forelegs, he wiped his eyes and looked around the hearth-space.

His hunting instincts kicked in as the scent of freshly cooked meat and corn washed over him.

Iktomi had to fight the instinct to scamper across the room and glanced around until he saw the old Aztec woman watching him from across the hearth.

“As a general rule, tocameh don’t venture near my hearth.” Her eyes seemed to burrow into him. “But you aren’t a tocatl, are you Iktomi?”

Iktomi froze, amazed that she knew who he was. His eight eyes blinked, and he dismissed the spider-form with a thought and offered a half-bow and a smirk.

“Very clever, Grandmother,” he said with a small measure of respect.

She inclined her head, “We’ve been expecting you, Iktomi and it is good that you chose to visit me before the others.”

He sank down into a squat and watched her. “Why is that, Grandmother?”

A faint smile crossed Chantico’s lips. “If you had chosen to torment either Ananke or Despoina, they might have taken you back to your former captivity.”

“And you?”

Chantico pointed her finger at the prepared tortillas. “Astinmah has not claimed you as an enemy yet, so you are free to sew your tricks and chaos.”

“Even if my goal is to deprive the wheel of souls?” He leaned forward as curiosity brought an itch to the back of his neck.

“Of course. She, more than any other, knows that chaos will shake the balance and create growth.” She handed him the wooden bowl. “You could always visit her and find out for yourself,” she suggested.

“I am not ready to face her yet, nor the Guardian or the Feathered serpent.” Iktomi replied as he accepted the food and tasted a bite. He looked at her, one brow raised. “Why aren’t you stopping me?”

“Because, as of yet, you have not caused the death of any of my children.” Chantico frowned. “Yes, yes, I am aware of the deaths at the old Monastery. Even though my priestesses were among the ones devoured by the Suffron, I will not raise my hand against you. They knew the risks and faced them with my name on their lips.” She leaned forward, her mouth narrowing. “But should you attack the innocent again, I will inform the guardian and dreamer as to your presence.”

“Of course, Grandmother, I understand.” He said, finishing his meal and offering her a half-bow. “Thank you for the warning.” At her nod, he resumed his spider form and slipped away to check on the other goddesses.

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