Special note: I have renamed “Lalhàn” to “Velerè”, pronounced “Vell-air.” It was pointed out to me a while back that the resemblance of “Lalhàn” to “Lhan” was confusing. I also noticed I had a “Lilhàn” a few volumes back. So Tiana’s oldest living sister is now “Velerè”. I will revise this in prior chapters as well. § My effigy requires …

§ Only our threat to the beast prevented him from looking down and attacking the train. Or perhaps his quarries were Lady Serera and me, the two most powerful souls on hand, in the first place. Which meant, he did not see my strength equally through Daq or Sirth’s less powerful effigies, nor did he see the real strength behind …

§ At first, I focused upon keeping my balance and providing ranged support. Fortunately, Pendorian rail car roofs were flat rather than the convex of the rail cars in Robert’s memory, which made using them as a fighting platform feasible. What should not have been feasible was the presence of Daq R’mion wielding a weapon completely out of place on …

§ I recognized my mistake as soon as my comrades raised the shield above us. The initial direction of the blast might have been upward, requiring us to prepare for a hail of rock and debris, but the subsequent energy flood, once the stream reached full eruption, would be omnidirectional. “[Shield of Oranos!]” I shouted as I flew forward, pointing …

Well the “one week break” went a bit longer, didn’t it? The interface for Patreon posts even changed, and I’m not too thrilled with it, but that’s between me and Patreon. For the record, it kinda sucks. My apologies for the sudden stoppage. A perfect storm of poor health and all my headaches at work this summer suddenly coming back …

§ Lady Serera’s eyes widened when she noticed my approach, and she used a voice projection to demand, “Your Grace! What are you doing out of the castle?!” <I’m still there! This is an effigy!> I called back as I flew into position, taking a much higher point facing the new threat. The ‘me’ in the castle isn’t the real …

§ The amazon helped herd the townsfolk into the waiting railroad carriages, her nervous charges unsure of boarding a vehicle which they were seeing for the first time. Her sister literally floated mid-air, helping the fairy warriors provide air cover for the evacuation. Naturally, this small one had not told her in advance, so she learned only this morning about …

§ In the evening hours, all the Lower Pendorian combat mages and their support troops crammed onto Pasrue’s air boat, embarking on Diurhimath’s raid into Parna. A few hours later, Morrígan arrived in Oseri via projection to assist the fairies as they began the initial steps to dismantle the formation buried beneath the town. This small one was not present …

§ I haven’t gone anywhere. I’m still here. I repeated those words within my soul, while channeling my identity as Lydia.  I didn’t know how long I could maintain this condition, functioning as one awareness containing both women, while another instance of me does the same in another body, but the reassuring knowledge that I had not swallowed Lydia whole …

§ While my nightshift chambermaids were drying me and reading a gown for me, my sisters were in the midst of helping the two fairies not using raiments get dressed. Neither of them needed help, but I had been around fairies enough to recognize another fairy excuse for skinship. I noticed belatedly while they dried me that nobody cared about …