§ I am tiny. I already know that. But it takes situation like facing three soldiers from the Mountain Troop of Pendor’s First SAS squadron for me to grasp just how tiny I am. The term “Mountain Troop” means a troop specialized in mountain fighting, doesn’t? Why did it feel like it actually means a troop composed of human mountains …

§ I’m not the only one scouting for the expedition. If the mortals would listen to us, the fairies and I, plus maybe the people of the Hero’s Party, would be the only ones working as advance guards and scouts. The mortals of the Pendorian military would only be the interior guard, protecting the two non-combatants with them, acting as …

§ Mireia grew alarmed the moment I assumed a posture for spellcasting. She grabbed my arm, leaning close, and said, “My Lady, you mustn’t.” “I’m not going to cast Healing.” “My Lady?” Nurse Eldis inquired. I pressed my lips together and told her, “She was concerned that I would cast Healing. As you are probably aware, I am a vampire. …

§ Other magic users have levels to classify their relative proficiency in their arts, but healers are not normally rated using that system. The reason is simple: for the great majority, their spells, if assessed using the definitions applied to elemental magic, are all ‘level one’, with the only upgrade, an enhancement of those same spells when a focus (which …

§ The most foreign thing I have encountered in this foreign place is not the unfamiliar people and customs, even though they are indeed very strange to me, but rather the ability I never anticipated to gain, to hear the thoughts of a different and separate me, this “Lady Tiana”. Hearing thoughts isn’t what one might imagine. One doesn’t read …

§ I was discovering that I could tell fairly consistently what sort of thoughts Lydia was having, at least in a general sense on the surface, so I knew she had just resolved herself somehow, as we entered the headquarters tent at last. Sadly, it wasn’t a good time to ask her what her resolve was all about. As the …

§ The journey down the mountain and out beyond city limits in one of those huffing mechanical monsters that the knights call a ‘steam carriage’ brought us to the large army camp on the north side of town. A little over three weeks ago, a massive attack on Narses devastated this place. Mireia told me that she visited shortly after …

§ I woke to the lovely sensation of Mireia’s lips on mine while her tongue explored my mouth. I could sense her aura, so I knew from the very start that it wasn’t the goddess still messing with me. Thus reassured, I simply contented myself with enjoying the flavor of the real Mir and returning her attention. The morning sun …

§ With a sigh, I rose from the bed and then reached across the sleeping courtesan between us to gently shake Mireia by the shoulder. “Wake up,” I urged softly. “You were going to Rod’s room once your task here was done, remember?” She opened her eyes and stretched lazily, then looked at the others. Celia, the blonde in the …

§ I dropped my fork and wrapped my arms around myself just after they served dessert. In terms of how fast it came on, this was the worst yet. “My Lady?” came Mireia’s worried voice from across the table. By that time my head was down and my eyes were squeezed shut. I couldn’t see her anxiety, but I could …