§ The blast kicked me farther away from the battle, into the rising mountains beyond the mine entrances. It also kicked me higher, which prevented me from drilling a hole in those same hills. It also separated me from Trisiagga, who had been sent in a different direction, but Fan Li was resolutely tracking her through the [Blood Sigil]. Sirth …

Returning to two chapters per week. Thanks for your patience! § After hearing Lord Durash’s voice announcing the beginning of the demonic onslaught, Trisiagga grinned and tore into me with renewed vigor. At the same time, Sirth, who was now keeping track of my [Blood Tracker] bat in addition to the sigils and her Wind Spirits, received confirmation that the …

§ Colonel Tieg’s regiment moved up to become our columns rearguard facing the orcs when Captain Macias’s cavalry company swept around to block the mortal main force attempting to circle our north end and outflank us. Neither had air support, because any flyer on our side was busy dealing with the wave of demonic flying beasts, and the Hamagaaran aerial …

§ My announcement above the marching ranks of Hamagaaran troops and the less organized ranks that were probably the Hamagaaran adventurer’s corps had an important purpose. Unlike in Greenwater, here I was dressed out properly and fighting officially as a fairy knight. Fighting demons or non-civilized monsters without announcing myself was fine, but the people below me, although they had …

§ The torrent of mana that gushed forth from my spiritual vessel was like nothing I had ever produced or even experienced before. Even the colossal shockwaves of opposing mana produced in my most dramatic sword fights did not compare. The wind from my wings blew back the cloud before me, revealing at least some of the Hamagaaran troops hiding …

§ I had been fully prepared to argue with Ged, to beg and plead, to do whatever I needed in order to convince him. To my surprise, none of that was necessary. While Ged had the officers recalled for another emergency meeting, we used the crystal ball network to brief Uncle Owen, Mother, Rod and Uncle Matthias, who was looking …

§ Prince Ged’s eyes remained narrowed in thought and fixed on the half-full wine glass in his hand. Aenëe and I waited, giving him time to mull over the puzzle pieces I had just given him, occupying ourselves with munching slices of hard sausage or cheese. Aenëe had turned her nose up (as politely as possible) at the canned peaches …

§ The emergency briefing soon devolved into a brainstorming session for the colonels and their intelligence officers, to work over various theories of what the enemy planned to do with this nasty surprise I had stumbled across. Starting from before the meeting began, my ‘bat’ continued its journey through the tunnels and galleries of the Carael Mines, slowly confirming the …

§ Fan Li had called herself ‘quite anxious’.  Those words reflected her bad habit of seriously understating matters. “May I ask what is wrong, My Lady?” Aenëe begged as we rushed back at the fastest speed she could fly… which was quite a bit slower than my maximum, even though wasp-winged Aenëe was doing her fastest. Our after-lunch foray had …

§ As this small one settled once more into meditation, Oranos spoke again. “Do not attempt the entire translation, Little Sen. Only deduce the broad form of the language and test your translation on a few lines.” Confusion could cause my thoughts to lose their order. For that reason, despite the arrogance in questioning his wisdom, this small one had …