Talesworn

Chapter 27 - A Familiar Cave

“What should we do?” Piper whispered as she stared down at the Crimson Guard, who were now setting up tents near the barn. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “Is there another wa...

Chapter 26 - Between a Rock and Hard Place

Piper stood in front of the longhouse ruins, a few tendrils of smoke rising from the charred wooden beams. The structure had burned down to the ground, and little remained of what had been her home...

Chapter 25 - Calling the Banners

Justina rubbed a hand down her face as she listened to Ransford’s tale, a dull throbbing in her temples heralding an oncoming headache. When she had been selected to become a vampire many years a...

Chapter 24 - Bad and Worse Options

The sound of clattering metal wrenched Piper from a deep slumber, and she surged to her feet, the blanket falling from her shoulders. Without thinking, she curled up her tail to attack, searching f...

Chapter 23 - The Price of Healing

Piper expected chaos inside of the healer’s hut when she entered—almost like her last day in the hospital—but instead she found the wizened old man standing in the corner talking nonchalantly...

Chapter 22 - The Long Road to Alderwick

Piper took nearly a minute to regain her feet, and even once standing, her legs were barely strong enough to hold her weight. She’d probably lost a lot of blood from Ransford biting her neck, and...

Chapter 21 - The Demoness Stands Alone

Piper watched the events of the battle through a red haze, while a raspy voice in the back of her mind urged her to slaughter every mortal. She watched as one of the men turned and fled, dropping h...

Chapter 20 - Ashes of Home

Piper ran until her lungs ached and it felt like her legs were made of lead. But still, Alfred didn’t slow down. He ran like a man possessed, tearing through bushes and smashing branches in a mad...

Chapter 19 - Search for the Tomb

Piper raised her face toward the morning sun, its warm golden rays bathing her skin. Behind her, she could hear the steady drip of the icicles melting on the side of the longhouse, while birds flit...

Chapter 18 - Shrouded Truth

The wind howled past the longhouse, making the wooden beams creak, and snow drift down from the smoke hole in the roof. Inside, Piper huddled under a blanket and cursed the winter weather. Even wit...

Chapter 17 - Trial by Flame and Fang

The lion’s roar made Piper freeze, her eyes widening at the sheer size of the creature. The power emanating from the beast nearly made her knees buckle, and the air felt thick with menace. This w...

Chapter 16 - On the Hunt

The door to the longhouse banged open, and the huge form of Alfred appeared in the entryway. He stomped inside, a blast of frigid air following him. As he shook the snow off his cloak, he pointed a...

Chapter 15 - A New Face

The two moons had risen high into the night sky by the time Piper had the strength to make her way over to the kitchen table. A couple of rushlights lit the room—something rarely used due to the ...

Chapter 14 - A Glimpse of Future Power

“I see now why you wish to pursue a path of magic,” Astaroth said from directly behind Piper, nearly making her jump out of her skin.

She spun around and scowled at him. “Would you put ...

Chapter 13 - Just Another Easy Starter Quest

As Piper’s demonic guide Astaroth started to float away, she held up her hand to stop him. There was no way she was fighting another demon. A single imp had nearly taken her out. If she had to fi...

Chapter 12 - Menu of Damnation

The sounds of pursuit had faded long ago, but Piper continued limping along in the direction of the slumbering dragon with a castle perched on its back.

It felt like she’d been fleeing for ...

Chapter 11 - Arrival

Piper hurtled through the darkness for what felt like an eternity before a glowing blue portal split open directly in her path. Raising her arms to protect her face, she shot through the opening an...

Chapter 10 - Awakening

The gentle lowing of cows awakened Piper from a deep slumber, and when she opened her eyes, she saw sunlight pouring in through the smoke hole in the roof. A surge of excitement shot through her ve...

Chapter 9 - A Lesson in Blood

Piper tensed up, preparing to run, as her tail swished back and forth nervously under her dress. With the mounting tension in the air, she wasn’t even worried about her secret being discovered. A...

Chapter 8 - Crimson Shadows

Piper waved goodbye to Beatrice as Ethel’s sister climbed out of the wagon in front of her home. As soon as the woman was inside, Ethel snapped the reins and the wagon trundled deeper into the vi...

Chapter 7 - A Borrowed Face

Piper stood in the middle of the courtyard, her hands clenching nervously, while Ethel, Alfred, and Ophelia looked on. In front of her stood Beatrice, looking almost like a clone of her sister Ethe...

Chapter 6 - What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Less Human

Piper didn’t know how long she was out, but as she began to regain consciousness, she was almost overwhelmed by searing jolts of pain. Agony worse than any she’d ever experienced in the hospita...

Chapter 5 - Oozes are Supposed to be Easy

Piper blinked her eyes several times, still trying to process what Ophelia had just said. While she’d never seen a real monster before—called aspect beasts in this world—Alfred had made it cl...

Chapter 4 - A Very Bad Idea

The sensation of something sharp poking Piper in the ribs tore her from a peaceful slumber, and she was greeted by the sound of giggling. Groaning, she rolled over to see Ophelia with a stick in ha...

Chapter 3 - Die Foul Demon

Piper told Ethel her tale about falling ill, spending time in the hospital, and finally dying. The woman nodded along politely, but she could tell from her expression that she didn’t understand e...

Chapter 2 - Demons Lie

Piper wanted to lie in the sunlight forever—it had been so many months since she’d felt its warm caress on her skin—but she couldn’t ignore her thirst any longer. After a few more minutes, ...

Chapter 1 - The Second Breath

Piper had grown used to the rhythm of the hospital, with nurses showing up at regular intervals to give her medicine, and groups of doctors stopping by to murmur about her condition in concerned to...