Hoveria at 300 Pages

Just before the year end numbers, KoTohLan II-The Hoveria (2nd of the seven kingdoms of the former Karnexian empire Karn, Hoveria, Haltoria, Jorland, Camoria, Ottoria and Fellane) book has reached 300 pages.

Currently 90,036 words long. A quick break to shout out and then back to it. We are closing in, about 11 pages, from a 1.3 million word year.

Also this last week read another Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, and reviewed at my book review page and other places.

The novel has reached the first major action point and that is spanning a few chapters. As before with such action scenes my initial plot outline seems to make this area grow. One chapter is never enough to develop battles. It always seems to take more. Further in hindsight in this tale, I do not know if I flesh in the growth of our characters enough leading up to the chapter I am at. In editing I might have to add a flashback, a scene, or certainly one or two lines here and there that suggest other events happened that got our heroes to where they are.

Otherwise the tale has come along well.

From Chapter 3

The Shrinking Border of the Empire

"Jack, this is by rights your home. Any ideas?" Magnus sat next to him as they came up to the town of Lemore. It was the last town of Karnexia before they crossed into Hoveria.

"I have been waiting for you to ask. Here I am Hoverian, Master Farthing is from Fellane, John is from Jorland, and Mischa from Karn, you, well by rights you were born here also landsman, eh?"

They had all accepted the tale of his birth, being the son of Willfred Larstier and that a group of people were hiding the secret. "Yes but I left here a short month or so after my birth. Taken to Haltoria where my childhood memories are."

"It does seem that our little group has some tie to nearly all the kingdoms. We do not have anyone from Ottoria or Camoria. Would have liked that man Bix with us. Older than spit, but I think he can pull a sword near as fast as Farthing."

The Ko Master had been showing them what he could do with his short blade. He said that no Lord of Fellane was truly complete unless they had both the long and short blades to show rank. He had given his long blade to his second son, for the oldest did not want to lead his clan when Farthing decided to retire. His son would have to give him back a long blade so that he could now continue his work. In the meantime he was showing the men he travelled with how to better use their swords. He had techniques, even tricks, that more than twelve years of blade work had not taught Magnus, and he had spent time with masters of the blade from Fellane before.

"I expect you may be right about Bix, but he guards the Duchess and she, I believe went to Camoria to visit her father. Now however, we are on the border of your old homelands and I must, or we must make some decisions."

"You must, Carl. We follow you. It seems I have followed your lead from the moment I met you and I had over two hundred men in my company. No, once you came to our aid at the Blue Boar, it was foreordained that I was your man. I had placed aside certain parts of the code of honor when I became an Imperial Officer, but that was part of the oath. The Imperials are smart enough to have we of Hoveria and those of Fellane do so. Else we might not only be tied up in our own rules, but end up sparring with our brother officers and soldiers. Sparring you know that could turn deadly." Jack said.

"Yes, I have made a study of Hoveria as the years have gone by. I come here because I want to see if those who were witness to my birth still live, or spread this story. It will not take the emperor so long to remember that if Willfred did have a child, it would have been with Ballene, his lover and that they both were here throughout Hans' reign as well as his coup. That Joss sent Duke Mikal here to kill them and he said he had done so. Never reporting that there was a child."

"But Mag… Carl, I mean. It still is hard to remember to call you that. You said yourself that Trader Cortier whisked you away weeks before Mikal reached your parents. That you were safe on your way to Haltoria and all who knew of your birth were sworn to secrecy, first because they did not want Hans to know of it."

He nodded. He also agreed it was a struggle to call him Carl, but he had to be known by another name else things could indeed be difficult. Soon enough, unless Joss was totally stupid as well as vindictive, the man would send agents to investigate the source of the rumors. If they had said that the Larstier heir existed, then Carles might have been the father of such, or Saul. Saul could have fathered a child before he became a priest. Certainly before he castrated himself.