#Lee Hadan Masterlist

[officialleehadan]

Masterlist Masterlist 10/21/2019

Hello darlings! Here it is, newly updated for your reading pleasure! Lots of new stories and series here!

As always, Subscriber Only stories are available on my Patreon for only $1 a month! subscribe now for all kinds of awesome rewards and a lot more stories!

If you want to go straight to the source, here’s a link to my Patreon Masterlist!

+

I also have a TWO ANTHOLOGIES AVAILABLE!

Buy NO MOON HERE!

Buy  SWORD, STAFF,AND CROWN HERE!

As always, the blacklist tag is Lee Hadan Masterlist.

Happy Reading!

+++

Sci-Fi Masterlist

Anything to do with Space and space travel. This includes the Guiding Stars, and the Human Galactic Empire!

+++

Fantasy Masterlist

Magic  and historical stuff, frequently at the same time. Includes Never Free,  The Lightning Witch, Spider-Eating Elves, and The Last of Loki’s Brood.

+++

Superhero Masterlist

Anything  to do with Powers, Powered Humans, or non-magical modern era can be   found here! Includes Opposing Elements and Doctor Rimehart.

+++

Demons Masterlist

Demons,  angels, and also a handful of ghosts. Anything to do with the   supernatural, that isn’t superheroes or in space. Includes Higher Being Housemates.

+++

Microprompts Masterlist

Every now and then I’ll open microprompts for a week or so. Mostly this will be for holidays or large events. Here they all are!

+++

Lore Masterlist

 Here are all the Asks and Worldbuilding essays about all my writing! This masterlist will include links to my public Asks, but also to the $2+ lore on Patreon.

+++

Uncollected Masterlist

These  are all the stories that don’t have continuations, or are just bits and  bobs separated approximately by genre. Some of these will turn into  longer collections, but I don’t have anything planned for them.

+++

BOOKS ON AMAZON!

The Idol of Astre

A thief with a secret, who didn’t steal something.

A mage, who heard a prophesy from a madman.

And a demon-lord who lost a battle, but not the war.

+++

No Moon

The collected anthology of HGE Smoke Before Fire and HGE - Learn to Fly, complete with EIGHT NEW ANTHOLOGY EXCLUSIVE STORIES!

+++

Sword, Staff, and Crown

The collected anthology of Never Free, complete with ELEVEN NEW ANTHOLOGY EXCLUSIVE STORIES!

+++

Goblin Armor

There has never been much in way of peace between the Faerie Realm, and  the Shadow Wold of the Goblins. Generations of hostility and mistrust  will do that. Still, for two generations, the border has been quiet, and the fearsome Goblins hidden away deep in their dark forest.

Until now.

With the Goblins on the march, and Princess Snowbell’s king-father flying to meet them, It’s all Snow can do to keep her family, and her Realm, from falling to treason.

+++

The Sunborn:

Return Again (Book 1)

Leap Back (Book 2)

I thought my father was normal. The kind of dad who deals with work, and homework, and the troubles that come with being a single father to a seventeen-year-old girl.

I didn’t know he went to a different world when he was a teenager. I didn’t know he was the Chosen One of a magic sword. I didn’t know he saved a whole kingdom, maybe their world, before he was twenty. That was thirty years ago.

Now they need him back, and I’m going with him.

+++

If you want to blacklist these masterlists, the tag is Lee Hadan Masterlist

[officialleehadan]

Masterlist 1/12/2019

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

here’s my masterlist of stories, fully updated and organized as always. There’s a new category now: Microprompts! These will be seperated by approximate date filled, but otherwise in no particular order.

As always, the blacklist tag is Lee Hadan Masterlist.

Happy Reading!

+++

Sci-Fi Masterlist

 Anything to do with Space and space travel. This includes the Guiding Stars, and the Human Galactic Empire!

+++

Fantasy Masterlist

Magic and historical stuff, frequently at the same time. Includes Never Free, The Lightning Witch, Spider-Eating Elves, and The Last of Loki’s Brood.

+++

Superhero Masterlist

Anything to do with Powers, Powered Humans, or non-magical modern era can be found here! Includes Opposing Elements and Doctor Rimehart. 

+++

Demons Masterlist

Demons, angels, and also a handful of ghosts. Anything to do with the supernatural, that isn’t superheroes or in space. Includes Higher Being Housemates.

+++

Microprompts Masterlist

Every now and then I’ll open microprompts for a week or so. Mostly this will be for holidays or large events. Here they all are!

+++

Uncollected Masterlist

These are all the stories that don’t have continuations, or are just bits and bobs separated approximately by genre. Some of these will turn into longer collections, but I don’t have anything planned for them.

+++

Books on Amazon:

The Sunborn

Return Again (Book 1)

Leap Back (Book 2)

I thought my father was normal. The kind of dad who deals with work, and homework, and the troubles that come with being a single father to a seventeen-year-old girl.

I didn’t know he went to a different world when he was a teenager. I didn’t know he was the Chosen One of a magic sword. I didn’t know he saved a whole kingdom, maybe their world, before he was twenty. That was thirty years ago.

Now they need him back, and I’m going with him. 

+++

Goblin Armor

There has never been much in way of peace between the Faerie Realm, and  the Shadow Wold of the Goblins. Generations of hostility and mistrust  will do that. Still, for two generations, the border has been quiet, and the fearsome Goblins hidden away deep in their dark forest.

Until now.

With the Goblins on the march, and Princess Snowbell’s king-father flying to meet them, It’s all Snow can do to keep her family, and her Realm, from falling to treason.

+++

The Idol of Astre: ($2 a month on Patreon)

A thief with a secret who didn’t steal something, a mage who heard a prophesy from a madman, and a demon lord who lost a battle, but not the war.

My Patreon Masterlist (With links to all chapters)

I hope you enjoy, and find this new masterlist layout to be more convenient for finding your favorite stories, and seeing what else I have on offer! As always, please let me know if any of the links are bad. I think I’ve gotten most of them, but there are so many stories here that I easily could have missed one or two

[officialleehadan]

Masterlists 10/23/2018

Here’s the masterlists, all updated for you as of today! As always, the blacklist tag is Lee Hadan Masterlist

+++

Sci-Fi Masterlist

 Anything to do with Space and space travel. This includes the Guiding Stars, and the Human Galactic Empire!

+++

Fantasy Masterlist

Magic and historical stuff, frequently at the same time. Includes Never Free, The Lightning Witch, Spider-Eating Elves, and The Last of Loki’s Brood.

+++

Superhero Masterlist

Anything to do with Powers, Powered Humans, or non-magical modern era can be found here! Includes Opposing Elements and Doctor Rimehart. 

+++

Demons Masterlist

Demons, angels, and also a handful of ghosts. Anything to do with the supernatural, that isn’t superheroes or in space. Includes Higher Being Housemates.

+++

Uncollected Stories

These are all the stories that don’t have continuations, or are just bits and bobs separated approximately by genre. Some of these will turn into longer collections, but I don’t have anything planned for them.

+++

I hope you enjoy, and find this new masterlist layout to be more convenient for finding your favorite stories, and seeing what else I have on offer! As always, please let me know if any of the links are bad. I think I’ve gotten most of them, but there are so many stories here that I easily could have missed one or two.

[officialleehadan]

Masterlist 09/02/2018

Hello Darlings, here is the updated masterlist as of 09/01/18

If you want to blacklist these posts, which will update every other week or so, the tag is Lee Hadan Masterlist

All the stories here are arranged by series, and the stories are arranged chronologically within their series. If there’s only one story in a series, I already have continuations written (or planned) and more will be coming soon!

EDIT: There seems to be some technical stuff going on, on Tumblr’s end, because the links here are not posting up on the Desktop version of Tumblr. I’ve already submitted a report about it, but if you’re having trouble seeing links on this post, that would be why.

+++

Support me on Patreon

My Tip Jar

Books on Amazon:

Goblin Armor

There has never been much in way of peace between the Faerie Realm, and  the Shadow Wold of the Goblins. Generations of hostility and mistrust  will do that. Still, for two generations, the border has been quiet, and the fearsom Goblins hidden away deep in their dark forest. Until now.  With the Goblins on the march, and Princess Snowbell’s king-father  flying to meet them, it is all Snow can do to keep her family, and her  Realm, from falling to treason, and murder. 

Return Again

I thought my father was normal. The kind of dad who deals with work, and homework, and the troubles that come with being a single father to a   seventeen-year-old girl. I didn’t know he went to a different world when he was a teenager. I didn’t know he was the Chosen One of a magic   sword. I didn’t know he saved a whole kingdom, maybe their world, before he was twenty. That was thirty years ago. Now they need him back, and   I’m going with him.

The Idol of Astre: ($2 a month on Patreon)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

The Unsettled:

Handful of Salt

Critter Jar

Appropriate use of Craft Glitter

Unafraid

The Ghosts of Pinewood Estate (Patreon-Only!)

This Old House:

Experienced Home-Buying

Living Negotiation (Patreon-Only!)

White Roses and Deck Railings 

Twins Together:

Brothers Apart

Sanctuary Always

Twins in Crime

Twinning Disagreements

Bond of Brothers

One Mind, Two Heads (Patreon Only!)

Deities and Demigods:

Boredom

Inconvenienced

Luck’s Chosen

Golden Apples

Brewer’s Glass (Patreon-Only!)

Apocalypse:

Come Again Another Day

Invasion from Below

War-Beasts

Four Horses

Four Horsemen

Horsemen Four

Mercy Mercy Mercy

To Save a Bird

Together Time (Patreon-Only!)

Breaking Waves:

After the Storm

Winter Wind

Storm At Sea

Uncollected Faeries:

Faerie Ring

Glitter Poo

Skitter

Wine-Dark

The End of Indian Summer

Purple Handed

At the Sign of the Silver Rose:

Cold Iron Buckshot

Troll Market

Selkie Skin:

Seal Coat

Over the Sea (Patreon-Only!)

Uncollected Dragons:

Exploration by Wing

Iced White Wine

Mine to Hoard

Hoard of Memories

Uncollected Witches:

Best Served Cold

Casual Friday

Exotic Components

One Eye on the Other Side

Spelled Cooking

Thyme can Heal

The Lightning Witch:

Static Charge

First Strike

Black Lightning on the Horizon

Storm Breaking

Copper Pipes

Crash Down

Husband to the Queen

When the Wolf Star Rises

Treebrothers:

Snow Elf

Wild Roses and Birdsong

Bare-Handed

Spider-Eating Elves:

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Introductory Trouble

Lady of Grace

Lady of Stone, and her Girlfriend

Lady Retrieved

Monsters on the Wing

Spiderwebs and Cookies

Royal Match

Lines in the Sand

Worldbuilding Essays:

Blood Magic

Elf Forest

Green Magic

Forge Magic

Thread Magic

Dragons

Light and Dark Magic

13 Moons

Frost Moon

Blue Moon

Jasmine Moon

HGE - Human/Alien Relations

Get That OUT of Your Mouth

Medical Attention

Claws

Ingenuity

War and Peace

Echo-Folk

HGE - Invasions

Invasion Denied

Blood Will Tell (What Waits in the Dark)

No Moon

HGE - The Others

Through Shattered Glass

Sea and Sky

HGE - Mismatched

Death Valley Sand

HGE - Conflagration

Fire District

HGE - Smoke before Fire

The Legend, The Rumor

Deep Water and Scales

Black Scales and Open Spaces

Screams in the Dark

Warning Lights

Into the Wild

Nobility and Flames

Packmates

HGE - The Maw

Back Room Handshakes

New Understandings

Poker Face

Brassy Secrets

HGE - Learn to Fly, Learn to Breathe:

Red Sun

Red Baron

Red Prince

Red Sky

Stone and Intuition:

Pack Hunters

Attack Droids

Dragon Bones

Dream of a Desk Job

BulbasaurBot

Explosive Foolishness

Inferno Grenades

Married Life

The Hand of Bone:

Death’s Kiss

Death’s Glow

Supers Beyond

Card Shark

Heroic Rescue

Housekeeping Before Villainy

Jet Fuel

Lobster Bisque

Opposing Elements:

Cold Front

Elemental

Reality at Will

Altering Reality

Reality Bent

The Pen is Mightier

Will of Fire

Chinese Pepper

Firepower

A Moment’s Peace

Burnout

Doctor Rimeheart (Supervillain Coffee Shop)

Handicapped

Power Rests in the Eye

Nuclear Option

Incidental Villain

Second in Command

Cut a Deal

First Summon

Even Supervillains run from Fangirls

The Blackest Coffee

Deal with the Devil

Opportunity for Advancement

Fear and Coffeegrounds

Personal Space

Broken Countertops

Christmas Cookies

Revealed

Wannabe Wannabes

Home Life

Shadows Unleashed

Old Villains (Patreon-Only!)

Higher Being Housemates

Bright Red Panties

Black and White Feathers

Demonic Comfort

Demonic Intervention

Unwanted Attention

Magpie Wings

Don’t Fall

Sparklers and Demon Smiles

Holy Words

Uncollected Demons:

Accidental Oops

Bloody Mirror

Brimstone Portal

Burn My Body and Bury Me Deep

Holy Protestation

On Repeat

The Gunsmith

The Wrong Victim

Over the Edge

Sinners

Seven Sins

House of Demons

A Deal Once Made:

You Scratch my Back

Contract Lawyer:

Blue Frosting

Fine Print

Uncollected:

Awaken History

Command.Awaken

Isle of Monsters

One Punch Man

Stonebreaker Caldera

Hot Potato, Hot Potato

Vigilante Vampire  

Crawlspace

Blood on the Walls

Between Us Girls:

Surprises Abroad

Uncollected Fantasy:

Below the Fog

Glitter Bold

God-Touched Tide

Into the Darkness

Turn Me

Wolf Moon

Blood Moon

Hallowed Halls Memorial

A Kiss to Heal a Broken Heart

Cursebroken

Nothing but Trouble

Build a House of Paper

Unspoken Words

Imagine Reality (Patreon-Only)

The Mistlands:

Foolhardy Errand

Letters Sent

Desert Glass:

Spellborn Lost

Smoked Glass

Books and Shared Experiences

Burned and Blasted

The Rise to Power:

Behind Closed Doors

Two Minds as One

Political Assassination

Gates Torn Down

Heaven’s Gates

Counter-Code:

Code for Magic

99 Shiny New Bugs

Blood Magic:

Blood Fire

At the Last Moment

Healing Touch                                                                                            

Unbound, Unbroken

Student Discovered

Claimed as Ours

Never Free:

Round and Round Again

Mistaken Step

Spinning Wheel

Stronger Together

Tea and History

Girl Talk

Golden Scales:

Tigerfish

Riverside

Blood and Passion:

White Marble

First Negotiation

Blood Summit

Blood Claim

CovenHold

Wolf Club

Blood-Traitor

Slow Burn:

About-Face

Dancing Lessons

Guiding Stars:

Procyon Moon

Altair Chariot

Vega Dignity

Secondhand Souls:

Partnership of Flames

+++

[officialleehadan]

Masterlist 7/14/2018

Hello Darlings, here is the updated masterlist as of 7/14/18

If you want to blacklist these posts, which will update every other week or so, the tag is Lee Hadan Masterlist

All the stories here are arranged by series, and the stories are arranged chronologically within their series. If there’s only one story in a series, I already have continuations written (or planned) and more will be coming soon!

+++

  Support me on Patreon!

Books on Amazon:

Goblin Armor

There has never been much in way of peace between the Faerie Realm, and the Shadow Wold of the Goblins. Generations of hostility and mistrust will do that. Still, for two generations, the border has been quiet, and the fearsom Goblins hidden away deep in their dark forest. Until now. With the Goblins on the march, and Princess Snowbell’s king-father flying to meet them, it is all Snow can do to keep her family, and her Realm, from falling to treason, and murder. There has never been much in way of peace between the Faerie Realm, and the Shadow Wold of the Goblins. Generations of hostility and mistrust will do that. Still, for two generations, the border has been quiet, and the fearsom Goblins hidden away deep in their dark forest. Until now. With the Goblins on the march, and Princess Snowbell’s king-father flying to meet them, it is all Snow can do to keep her family, and her Realm, from falling to treason, and murder.

Return Again

I thought my father was normal. The kind of dad who deals with work, and homework, and the troubles that come with being a single father to a seventeen-year-old girl. I didn’t know he went to a different world when he was a teenager. I didn’t know he was the Chosen One of a magic sword. I didn’t know he saved a whole kingdom, maybe their world, before he was twenty. That was thirty years ago. Now they need him back, and I’m going with him.

The Idol of Astre: ($2 a month on Patreon)

Chapter 1 (Tumblr)

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

The Unsettled:

Handful of Salt

Critter Jar

Appropriate use of Craft Glitter

Unafraid

This Old House:

Experienced Home-Buying

White Roses and Deck Railings

Twins Together:

Brothers Apart

Sanctuary Always

Twinning Disagreements

Deities and Demigods:

Boredom

Inconvenienced

Luck’s Chosen

Golden Apples

Apocalypse:

Come Again Another Day

Invasion from Below

War-Beasts

Four Horses

Four Horsemen

Horsemen Four

Mercy Mercy Mercy

Breaking Waves:

After the Storm

Winter Wind

Uncollected Faeries:

Faerie Ring

Glitter Poo

Skitter

Wine-Dark

The End of Indian Summer

Purple Handed

At the Sign of the Silver Rose:

Cold Iron Buckshot

Troll Market

Selkie Skin:

Seal Coat

Uncollected Dragons:

Exploration by Wing

Iced White Wine

Mine to Hoard

Hoard of Memories

Uncollected Witches:

Best Served Cold

Casual Friday

Exotic Components

One Eye on the Other Side

Spelled Cooking

Thyme can Heal

The Lightning Witch:

Static Charge

First Strike

Black Lightning on the Horizon

Storm Breaking

Crash Down

Husband to the Queen

When the Wolf Star Rises

Treebrothers:

Snow Elf

Wild Roses and Birdsong

Spider-Eating Elves:

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Introductory Trouble

Lady of Grace

Lady of Stone, and her Girlfriend

Lady Retrieved

Monsters on the Wing

Spiderwebs and Cookies

Royal Match

Worldbuilding Essays:

Blood Magic

Elf Forest

Green Magic

Forge Magic

Thread Magic

Dragons

Light and Dark Magic

13 Moons

Frost Moon

Blue Moon

Jasmine Moon

HGE - Human/Alien Relations

Get That OUT of Your Mouth

Medical Attention

Claws

Ingenuity

War and Peace

Echo-Folk

HGE - Invasions

Invasion Denied

Blood Will Tell (What Waits in the Dark)

No Moon

HGE - The Others

Through Shattered Glass

Sea and Sky

HGE - Conflagration

Fire District

HGE - Smoke before Fire

The Legend, The Rumor

Deep Water and Scales

Black Scales and Open Spaces

Screams in the Dark

Warning Lights

Into the Wild

HGE - The Maw

Back Room Handshakes

New Understandings

HGE - Learn to Fly, Learn to Breathe:

Red Baron

Red Prince

Red Sky

Stone and Intuition:

Pack Hunters

Attack Droids

Dragon Bones

Dream of a Desk Job

Explosive Foolishness

Inferno Grenades

Married Life

The Hand of Bone:

Death’s Kiss

Supers Beyond

Card Shark

Heroic Rescue

Housekeeping Before Villainy

Jet Fuel

Lobster Bisque

Opposing Elements:

Cold Front

Reality at Will

Altering Reality

Reality Bent

The Pen is Mightier

Will of Fire

Chinese Pepper

Firepower

A Moment’s Peace

Burnout

Doctor Rimeheart (Supervillain Coffee Shop)

Handicapped

Power Rests in the Eye

Nuclear Option

Incidental Villain

Cut a Deal

First Summon

Even Supervillains run from Fangirls

The Blackest Coffee

Deal with the Devil

Fear and Coffeegrounds

Personal Space

Broken Countertops

Christmas Cookies

Revealed

Wannabe Wannabes

Home Life

Shadows Unleashed

Higher Being Housemates

Bright Red Panties

Black and White Feathers

Demonic Comfort

Demonic Intervention

Unwanted Attention

Magpie Wings

Don’t Fall

Sparklers and Demon Smiles

Uncollected Demons:

Accidental Oops

Bloody Mirror

Brimstone Portal

Burn My Body and Bury Me Deep

Holy Protestation

On Repeat

The Gunsmith

The Wrong Victim

Over the Edge

Sinners

Seven Sins

House of Demons

A Deal Once Made:

You Scratch my Back

Contract Lawyer:

Blue Frosting

Fine Print

Uncollected:

Awaken History

Command.Awaken

Isle of Monsters

One Punch Man

Stonebreaker Caldera

Hot Potato, Hot Potato

Vigilante Vampire

Crawlspace

Slow Burn:

About-Face

Between Us Girls:

Surprises Abroad

Uncollected Fantasy:

Below the Fog

Glitter Bold

God-Touched Tide

Into the Darkness

Turn Me

Wolf Moon

Blood Moon

Hallowed Halls Memorial

A Kiss to Heal a Broken Heart

The Mistlands:

Foolhardy Errand

Desert Glass:

Spellborn Lost

Smoked Glass

The Rise to Power:

Two Minds as One

Gates Torn Down

Heaven’s Gates

Counter-Code:

Code for Magic

99 Shiny New Bugs

Blood Magic:

Blood Fire

At the Last Moment

Healing Touch                                                                                            

Unbound, Unbroken

Student Discovered

Claimed as Ours

Never Free:

Round and Round Again

Mistaken Step

Golden Scales:

Tigerfish

Blood and Passion:

White Marble

+++

[officialleehadan]

Profanity Biscuits

“Luka, I’m fine,” Maggie said, her comm tucked between her shoulder and her cheek as she made breakfast for the crew. “It was barely even a kidnapping, all things considered.”

There was a substantial string of profanity from the other side of the comm, and Maggie only sighed, annoyed but unimpressed by her brother’s cursing. Admittedly, he had good reason to worry. She was the Imperial Heir until Luka adopted or had children of his own, and she wasn’t expendable.

Luka was still cursing, so Maggie focused on the biscuits that were coming together under her hands. Fixer was at the stove, mixing together a batch of thick, white gravy that smelled deliciously of meat and fresh onions. He was also laughing at Maggie, along with all the rest of the crew who could hear Maggie’s side of the conversation.

“I was perfectly safe,” Maggie continued, even though Luka hadn’t run out of profanity yet. “The moment we were ready to go, I popped a holding spell and we ran for it.”

“I seriously doubt that ‘perfectly safe’ is the correct description for your most recent kidnapping,” Luka told her shortly. He was a wonderful brother, and Maggie adored him, but he was overprotective as both Luka Gol, Red Baron, and Emperor Lukas Rayhan Goliat. Maggie, of course, had almost no patience for being overprotected. “Do I need to have the Downdraft handled?”

“No, you do not need to vanish them.”

“It wouldn’t be difficult. The Brazil is in your area.”

“Luka, we talked about this.”

“I’m just saying. It wouldn’t be hard to take care of them.”

Maggie sighed, threw a bit of biscuit dough at Fixer, who was still laughing, and glared over the galley counter at Bobbit, who had inhaled some of his coffee, and was chortling through coughs. “My crew is laughing at me. Thanks for that.”

“I’m not sorry. Have you spoken to Mother?”

“No I have not spoken to Mother, and I’m not going to!” Maggie yelped in genuine alarm. Their mother was a good, kind, wonderful person, who also possessed a significant temper and a fearsome overprotective drive that made Luka’s look mild. “She would come looking for me and I’d never escape again!”

“She would probably go looking for the Downdraft first.”

“That is not better!”

Zaaba walked in just in time to hear her last statement and weighed her options carefully, already grinning. It wasn’t the first time she heard Maggie talk with her brother, although she still had no idea who Luka, or Maggie herself, actually were.  It was no secret that Maggie was possessed of a difficult, loving brother who had a great deal of firepower and a short fuse.

“Hi Luka!” she called in Maggie’s direction, and went for the ever-full coffee pot. Maggie, of course, hated coffee in all its forms, but most of the crew lived on it. “She’s fine. Not a single dent she didn’t have when we got her.”

“Is that your captain?”

“Yes, that’s my captain.”

“Hand her the comm.”

“I most certainly will not! You are not threatening my captain!” Maggie snarled and nearly dropped the comm into her biscuit dough before she steadied it and resumed cutting out neat circles with an empty water glass. Zaaba chuckled and leaned on the counter, apparently content to listen to Maggie’s one-sided argument with her brother. “Leave off! I’m not even bruised, and the man who had a knife to my throat tried to ask me out.”

“What?” Luka demanded, hilariously in unison with Zaaba, who stood upright and raised a demanding brow.

Maggie winced. That might not have been the most diplomatic thing to say. “I’m fine. What’s a longfin?”

“Eel shifter,” Luka supplied in a grumble, apparently unable to decide whether he was more angry about the kidnapping or the asking-out part of the story. “There’s not that many around. They’ve got a long cultural history back to Old-Earth New Zealand. Would you care to explain why exactly your kidnapper, who was threatening your life, thought it was appropriate to ask you on a date?”

“Oh, we were flirting a little. Didn’t see him, but he sounded nice,” Maggie said, in a mood to needle her brother, who was not being reasonable about the whole business. It wasn’t her first kidnapping and it probably wouldn’t be the last. “And he didn’t threaten my life all that much, really. Bit of a half-assed attempt, if I’m being honest. The slippery stairs were much more concerning.”

“Remind me again why you didn’t hit your panic button?”

“Because I didn’t need to. I’m fine, Luka,” Maggie assured him for what felt like the hundredth time. “No cuts. No bruises. No date either, if you’re worried about that.”

“Whyever would I be worried that my precious baby sister, the light of my life, my heir, would go on a date with a pirate who held a knife to her throat?”

“You’re being an asshole.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to call me an asshole.”

“I’m pretty sure I don’t care.”

Luka fell silent, and finally gave a heavy sigh. Maggie could almost see him, lounging in the cockpit of the Roja, talking to her as he watched the stars fly past. He meant well, but he and their mother were worried about Maggie being out on her own. Maggie understood, but the whole point of the exercise was for her to be able to get some life experience. That wouldn’t happen if she let Luka bundle her in cotton and hide her away whenever she found some trouble.

“I’m sorry,” he said after a minute. “I know how important this is for you, and I remember the trouble I got into on the Wavedancer, but I worry.”

“I know,” Maggie said gently, filled with a sudden, sharp burst of homesickness for the Roja and her brother. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Be careful, Lightning Bug, and be strong. I know you’re good for the challenge.”

+++

HGE - Blackbird:

Hot Pepper Blackbird

Fixing What's Broke

Smuggler's Den

Penny Zap (Subscriber Only!)

Down the Delve (Subscriber Only!)

Whisper Comment

Profanity Biscuits

+++

MASTERLIST

[officialleehadan]

Duel Honor

Hello darlings! Another day, another story! I hope you’re all doing okay with daylight savings. I admit, it’s not my favorite, and hopefully it’ll go away soon.

Today’s story was brought to you by L! Darling, I’m thrilled to continue this series for you. Thank you for all your support!

Prompt: Human-Amir, with inspiration from Lilo and Stitch’s “Abomination!” + “Stupidhead!”

+++

“I don’t usually have problems like this,” Human-Amir was saying as he carefully, deliberately, stepped into the room. Vree cocked an ear at him but didn’t take his eyes off the human in front of him. The human who, it seemed, meant to do him harm. “Generally when I’m encountering someone who’s really, really asking for an ass-kicking, they aren’t humans.”

“We seem to be having something of a disagreement,” Vree told Human-Amir as his friend came to his side, watchful but deliberately relaxed in a way that Vree recognized form the other times he had seen his human friend fight. Human-Amir was expecting violence. It wasn’t a surprise, considering the human who had made sure Vree was alone before speaking to him. “This human is not pleased by my closeness to the throne.”

READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE!

+++

MASTERLIST

[officialleehadan]

Fire Wings and Ice Scales

Hello darlings! I'm having a quiet day, but a good one, and I hope you are too!

Today's story was brought to you by Sarah! Darling your comments always brighten up my days! Thank you so much for your support!

Prompt: Hoshi and Saathr meet up and chat.

+++

“Hoshi. How was the flight?”

“Quiet and uneventful.. Always a pleasure, Saathr.”

Neither Hoshi nor Saathr traveled in their scales terribly often, but today, Hoshi was visiting with an old friend, and neither of them were the sort to bother with human sensibilities when they were in the company of dragons.

Hoshi had to admit that it was pleasant after a good deal of time spent in a human guise. It was comfortable, as any full shift was, but seeming human always felt so… small. Not that she was a particularly large example of their species, which had always amused her. To think, younger than Blaec by less than a decade, if their reckoning was correct, and she could curl up on one of his scales with plenty of room to spare.

Saathr wasn’t as immense as Blaec, but she was a fair size, even comfortably tucked into the depths of her lair on Caribbean down in the blazing furnaces near the Carrier’s heart. It was a lovely lair, Hoshi had to admit, although it was too hot for her tastes. Saathr liked it, though, and kept her Hoard carefully preserved in a series of climate-controlled rooms. It was in one of those that they were curled up to talk like the old friends they were.

“I brought you copies of the new music I discovered since we saw each other last,” Hoshi said without preamble, the comfort of old rituals a comfortable weight against her scales. After all, it was tradition to exchange gifts with other Children of Fire when their paths crossed. A tradition that Hoshi always honored. “The music of a hundred distant worlds.”

She conjured a little portal spell with a thought and deposited the stack of sheet music on a nearby table. Saathr purred with delight, but like Hoshi, she loved the traditions of their species.

“I brought you a linking spell to tie the latest human intelligence systems into your web,” Saathr replied and proffered a small, glowing ball of magic to Hoshi. She brightened, always delighted by the offer of new information, particularly the sort that would be inconvenient to get for herself. She had known that there was a group of humans up to something, but not what. “I’m handling the situation, but this will make sure this particular branch doesn’t get away with whatever they’re up to.”

“Tell me if you need the Convocation called,” Hoshi told her seriously. As one of the First, she, and Saathr, could call down the wrath of the whole Convocation if a threat to Dragon Kind arose. It was one of the better kept secrets, one held by only a few of the surviving First Dragons. The ones who broke shell on Earth long ago, with no memory of family or dragons who came before them. Once, there were nearly three hundred of them, but dragons were not impossible to kill. Many died, either by nature, or enemies. Some even died at the claws of other dragons. Now there fewer than a hundred still living. “And know that I will be watching or you should you need aid.”

“The privileges of friendship and centuries shared,” Saathr said with appreciation. Traditions satisfied, she leaned over and bumped Hoshi lightly with her nose, wary of Hoshi’s smaller size, and the chill rolling off her scales. “Have you heard? The last of the Niobium dragons resurfaced.”

“Milastaer,” Hoshi said, since she did keep track of him at Blaec’s request. There were so few Niobium dragons left in the Empire that the few remaining ones were rare, and valuable to those who collected such things. If Milastaer vanished unexpectedly, Blaec would want to know, hopefully in time to recover him alive. “I heard about the challenge battle at the Convocation, but I didn’t see it. He sent a message to me recently, adding a name to the Registry of Treasures.”

“We’ve all had a few over the centuries,” Saathr said with a rumble of flames that warmed Hoshi’s scales. She, Hoshi knew, generally Treasured composers, although no dragon Treasured a mortal lightly, and fewer Treasured one that didn’t have some sort of immortality. Hoshi almost never Treasured other beings, although she might be updating the Registry herself, soon. “I’ve taken up with a human soldier to handle the situation that presently has my attention.”

“Will you Treasure him?”

“We’ll see. He’s pleasing company, at any rate. Walked right into my lair, bringing gifts fit for a visiting dragon.”

Ah, well that did explain why Saathr, who was not fond of military affairs, had gotten involved in the situation at all. Good manners meant a great deal to dragons, and it was a rare human who addressed them as if they were a dragon themselves. Saathr loved the rituals of formality. Respecting them was a good way to get her attention.

Hoshi settled in, comfortable on Saathr’s nest of pillows and gold. Later, there would be soaking in the pools Saathr kept, and grooming as dragons who were friends always did.

But now, now was the time for gossip, and treats, and catching up on the years that passed since the last time they saw each other. After all, dragons lived long lives, and they rarely felt the passing of years until they started to pile up.

“What is new in your world?” Saathr asked, stretched out so her head was just about level with Hoshi’s. “The last I heard, you were exploring the new galaxy.”

+++

HGE - The Affairs of Dragons:

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, particularly in the Human Galactic Empire.

Right of Possession

Fire Wings and Ice Scales

+++

[officialleehadan]

Whisper Comment

Ikaroa turned out to be an immense, burly man with darkly tanned skin and a mass of wildly curly black hair that hung down past his shoulders in a cloud. Deep tattoos crawled over his chest, visible under his open shirt.

When he smiled, Maggie caught sight of his teeth, which came to sharp, many-rowed points.

Skinshifter, most likely, and Zaaba said ‘Longfin’ which didn’t mean much to Maggie, but suggested some branch of the aquatic Others. She would have to sent a letter to Luka, asking about them, once she got out of this particular situation.

Assuming, of course, she didn’t have to call down the might of the Imperial fleet to get out of this situation, which would no be ideal. She liked the Blackbird, and she didn’t want to have to leave it.

Water ran through in a deep channel to one side of the room, but the air smelled reasonably clean. Probably because of the water. The man behind her made sure she was steady, the floor was slick, and let go of her hand, but he didn’t step away. Maggie suspected that he was the only person the kidnappers had who could go up against an electromancer, and he was their insurance against her abilities.

Which… well, that meant some interesting things about how much planning went into their little operation here. Zaaba hadn’t mentioned having problems with any other captain beyond the usual ones that everyone had a problem with, but this seemed like a longstanding grudge.

“Ikaroa, you bottom-feeding crack-toothed slimeskin,” Zaaba said when she clapped eyes on the big captain. “What the hell are you doing grabbing one of my crew? We have our problems, but you touch one of mine again, I’ll peel you, coat you in salt, and stake you in the sun.”

“Zaaba, always a pleasure,” Ikaroa said, his deep voice bright and cheerful as he gave Zaaba a very toothy grin. “Had to make sure you wouldn’t make a scene in public.”

“I’mma ‘bout to make a scene right here. What do you want?”

“Are they going to fight or flirt?” Maggie muttered to her captor, who was rolling his eyes so hard she could tell he was doing it without even looking at him. He had the knife to her throat again, but it rested against her collar, more a gesture than a statement of intent. “Any way I can talk you into helping me lock them in a room to figure themselves out?”

“Nothing doing, love,” he whispered back, apparently stifling snickers at her irreverent comment. “She’d eat him whole if he wasn’t poison. Can’t let it happen.”

“I couldn’t convince you?”

“You probably could,” he said with a low chuckle in her ear. “But I think Dad would kill me if I asked you out while he’s trying to threaten your captain.”

“Given the knife to my throat, I wouldn’t say yes If you asked me out. Also, Ikaroa is your father?”

“Can’t blame you for that, and, yes he is. Watch out. They’re looking at us.”

Maggie met Zaaba’s annoyed gaze and gave her an artful, guileless smile that made her captain glare harder before turning back to her apparent-rival. Maggie gave them another minute to get back into their argument, which seemed to involve a lot of insults regarding people who had scales and people who didn’t, before huffing an annoyed sigh.

“So,” she said when she was confident that neither captain was paying attention to them. “What’s all this about? Oh, and what’s your name? I’m getting tired of thinking of you as ‘the man’.”

“Marcus. You?”

“Maggie.”

“Hey, M solidarity. Anyway, your captain underbid a job in my captain’s territory. Apparently it was a whole drama,” Marcus explained. He was quiet for a minute, and then the knife went away. Maggie hid a smile. He seemed nice, but it would be easier to get herself and Zaaba out of this without having to worry about a knife to the throat. “He wants reparation money for the business he lost.”

“He knows the Blackbird doesn’t actually have that kind of money, right? Most of what we make goes into the ship, and Zaaba will die before she lets him take that from her.”

“Math isn’t his best subject. I tried to talk him around,” Marcus sighed, apparently the only reasonable person in the room besides Maggie herself. “How’d a core girl end up on a smuggling ship?”

Maggie might have replied, she had half a dozen lies about her history ready to go, but Zaaba caught her eye and glanced at the door. Apparently it was time to go.

“You’ll have to see if our paths cross again, for your answer,” Maggie told Marcus, and flickered magic over her bracelet. A holding spell, the finest money could buy, and cast by one of the better Imperial sorcerers, billowed through the room and caught the whole crew neatly. Zaaba, who had clearly been expecting something, but probably not that, stared at her. “Captain, it seems it’s time to go. Shall we?”

“We’ll be talking about your bag of tricks when we get back to the ship,” Zaaba said, apparently nonplussed by Maggie’s undisclosed ready-to-fire spells. The were all one-off spells, but Luka would send her more in her next care package, and she had a stash of them in her room on the ship. “How long do we have?”

“Probably long enough to get out of here,” Maggie said, and led the way back up the slippery, winding stairs. “It’s got a ten minute lead, which should get us out of this hole and back to the market. If they start something there, the Delve Peacekeepers will be on them.”

“Ten minutes,” Zaaba said to herself and nodded resolutely as they took the stairs as fast as they dared, holding tight to the rail as they went, boots sliding in the slime. “Right. Well, I’ve been meaning to teach you when it’s better fight and when it’s better to run. Lesson the first. There’s no honor in getting shot, so run the hell away.”

+++

HGE - Blackbird:

Crown Princess Lucia Therese Magdalene has taken to the sky like her brother, Luka, before her. With her name and her crown set aside, Maggie Gol will take the Human Galactic Empire by storm.

Hot Pepper Blackbird

Fixing What’s Broke

Smuggler’s Den

Penny Zap (Subscriber Only!)

Down the Delve (Subscriber Only!)

+++

More Stories!

+++

[officialleehadan]

Third Side Saving

Hello darlings! What a stormy day I'm having. The wind has been snarling across the roof all day!

Today's story was brought to you by Clown! Darling, I hope it's everything you were hoping for! There will definitely be more of this!

Prompt: Higher Being Housemates, with the making and signing of a Contract.

+++

“Do you have a minute? I’ve discovered a rather complicated situation.”

Tracy looked up from her desk to discover Davi lingering in the doorway. The angel was one of the quieter members of their household. Oh, he was around, and if he was around, Mara usually was too because the lovebirds were never far from each other. Today, however, this lovebird was flying solo.

“I would make time for you even if I didn’t have a minute,” she promised him. Her finals were done at last, and now it was the yearly registration song and dance. That, however, was not as time sensitive and could be put aside. “What can I do for you, Birdie?”

“It’s about a human,” he told her and tentatively sat at the table across from her. “The discussion the other night, regarding Contracts, gave me an idea and I want to discuss it with you.”

“Go for it,” Tracy said encouragingly and went for the ever-full coffee pot that she was reasonably sure had been Miracled to always stay hot and perfect. Then again, it could easily be the Cats and their habit of mobbing anything she thought was important to keep her life going smoothly. “Might not be able to answer, but I’ll do my best.”

“The human in question is a friend,” Davi explained as Tracy made her coffee and doctored it from their truly extensive collection of flavorings. “If angels can be considered such with humans. I met him not long after I came to Earth.”

“Got it. So what do you need me for?”

“I don’t, precisely. I need Blake, but he says he needs your permission first,” Davi told her. He fiddled with a pen and steeled himself long enough to meet her eyes. “My friend, his name is Jonas, he’s in a bad position. His wife died two years ago, and his daughter is dying of the same genetic disease. He’s been bankrupted by the health system, and he’s going to lose his job because of the time he has to spend at the hospital.”

“Sounds like time for some Angelic Interference.”

“The Host… we have limitations,” Davi explained to her, suddenly tired and very sad all at once. The weight of his work as a minor Guardian bore down on him. Tracy didn’t need to ask to know that he remembered every soul he tried and failed to save. “I don’t have the power, or the permission, to help him the way he needs. I can’t do anything that big, but…”

“But a Contract with a greater demon could,” Tracy realized abruptly as the pieces came together in her mind. “Blake is limited only by his power and my permission. If your friend signs a Contract, we can make sure he has everything he needs.”

“Yes.”

It was an odd shade of simple and brilliant. One that Tracy had never considered before. Of course. Of course the angels had limits. She knew that from Angelika, after all. She would have done far more for her homeless shelter if she could have. Davi was of the Least Order as Angelika had been. His hands were tied to help people the way they needed helping.

But Tracy, with seventeen demons, didn’t answer to anyone.

“Blake, I need you,” she said with a gentle tug on the place where her first, dearest demon was bound to her heart. “Davi, get your friend. Is he already in the know?”

“He caught me molting before I met Mara,” Davi said, somewhat embarrassed. “Like Angelika, I was living in shared housing. I… may have gotten entirely tangled in the shower curtain and ripped it off the wall.”

“Awesome. That cuts down on explanations. Does he trust you enough to take a Contract with a demon?”

“We’re doing Contracts now?”

Blake swept into the room, as dramatic as the Cats and shrouded in his gorgeous magpie wings. Tracy accepted a kiss on the head when he went past her, hunting for the coffee.

“Davi has a friend that Heaven can’t help,” Tracy explained with a nod to Davi, who stepped out onto the balcony and vanished into the sky in a rush of white feathers. “I seem to remember you and Mara getting spectacularlydrunk and redoing the demonic boilerplate Contract to play nice with our household rules. You still have it?”

“Less whatever we’re giving and what we’re taking in return,” Blake said with a baffled shrug. “Wouldn’t be hard to update. Not like either of us are new to taking Contracts.”

Tracy nodded decisively, a plan forming in her head. One that made her smile with genuine, smug pleasure. “Grab it, will you? Davi is getting his friend, and I get the feeling that sooner is better than later with this one.”

Blake gave her a confused wing-shrug, and held out his hand. There was a puff of fire that Tracy thought was mostly for the drama of it, and a scroll appeared in his palm. She took it and read over the tiny, user-hostile font. It wasn’t her first time seeing a Contract. Blake had showed her one long ago, back when they were first figuring out how to make a family of one angel, one demon, and a human. From what she could see, the Contract was as generous as it could possibly be.

“That’s the ‘good person’ Contract,” Blake told her with a sly little grin. “We have a different one for people who need some consequences in a hurry.”

“Perfect. We’ll see what this guy actually needs, but I think we may have found our niche,” Tracy told him and handed the Contract back. It would take some work to figure out all the details, but that was manageable. A rustle of wings announced Davi’s return, this time with a human in tow. Jonas, she presumed. He was a good-looking guy, who was only a little older than her. He was in a rumpled suit that looked about a size too big. Either he had no idea how to buy a suit, or more likely, he had lost a lot of wight recently. Stress, she would bet. “HI there. I’m Tracy.”

“You, uh, nice to meet you,” Jonas said, wind-shaken and uncertain. No surprise there, considering he had an angel at his back, and a demon before him. “Davi… Davi says you might be able to help me?”

“I think maybe we can,” Tracy said, and ushered him to the table. “So, let’s figure out what you need, and we’ll see what we can do. After all, if the Third Side can’t help you, who can?”

+++

Higher Being Housemates:

As it turns out, rent is really high  in Heaven. It’s not great in Hell either. An angel and a demon come to  an agreement that works for them both.

Their human housemate still  hasn’t decided whether or not to help them, or kick them all out of her  house. After all, Grad school is hard enough without the Great War  making it worse.

Bright Red Panties

Black and White Feathers

Demonic Comfort

Demonic Intervention

Unwanted Attention

Magpie Wings

Don’t Fall

Sparklers and Demon Smiles

Holy Words

Holy Tea

Santa Baby

Pledge Promise

Unholy Fuss (Free on Patreon)

Tuxedo Cat (Subscribers Only!)

Shadow Puff (Subscriber Only!)

If This Then That

A Third Side (Subscriber Only)

Sharp Edges

Red Letters

Stand Together (Subscriber Only!)

Fuzzy Interlude

The Fun Side  (Subscriber Only!)

Feathers and Tea

Making Christmas

Santa Satan

All the Pillows

Grey and Red (Subscriber Only!)

Low Tide (Free on Patreon)

From the Heavens (Subscriber Only!)

Silver Shine

Five out of Six Ends are Pointy

Cinnamon Kisses (Free on Patreon!)

Thanks and Giving (Free on Patreon!)

Hounds of Hell (Free on Patreon!)

Potential Alliance (Free on Patreon!)

Wing Blade Runner

Third Side Saving

+++

[officialleehadan]

Real Lady

Hello darlings! It's a day for baking and babying my plants. I hope all of you are having a wonderful day!

Today's Poll Winner was brought to you by CJessie! Thank you so much for all your support!

+++

“Girlie, we’re on the ground within the hour,” Zaaba said as she knocked on Maggie’s open door. “You up for a bit of play-acting?”

“What do you need me for?” Maggie asked and set her padd aside. Luka made sure she stayed up to date on the business of the Empire. There wasn’t much that needed her attention., but she did what she could. “It’s just a drop-off, isn’t it?”

“Seti Base is under Empire control,” Zaaba told her. Maggie swung down off her bunk, which was bolted well off the floor to make room or storage beneath. She didn’t have much in the way of things, nothing that couldn’t fit in a single duffle, but she appreciated the private room, small though it was. “Wouldn’t be a bad idea having someone who sounds Core handing over our papers.”

READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE!

+++

HGE - Blackbird:

Hot Pepper Blackbird

Fixing What's Broke

Smuggler's Den

Penny Zap (Subscriber Only!)

Down the Delve (Subscriber Only!)

Whisper Comment

Profanity Biscuits

+++

MASTERLIST

[officialleehadan]

Beneath the Sky

“Is it fair to ask you to be my queen?”

Shimra looked up at Grath, who had been slowly working the braids out of her hair as they sat in the grass together. Well, sat wasn’t the right word, considering her head was in his lap, and her hair was spread across his legs where he could make a mess of it at his leisure. Isera would laugh at her, and her maids would despair of cleaning her up before evening court, and Shimra didn’t care a bit.

Nobles took themselves too seriously on the whole. Any afternoon that she could coax Grath outside was a victory. He spent too much time inside with his papers. She understood it, being king was a big job. All the same, someone had to look after Grath and make sure he didn’t work himself to death.

READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE!

+++

Spider-Eating Elves:

Elves are beautiful, icy, and untouchable. Unfortunately, they always thought the same of humans. Worse yet, they also live in a forest full of giant insects, think tiny spiders are a delicacy, and have a strong-willed princess who is nothing but trouble.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Introductory Trouble

Lady of Grace

Lady of Stone, and her Girlfriend

Lady Retrieved

Monsters on the Wing

Spiderwebs and Cookies

Royal Match

Lines in the Sand

From One King to Another

Duchess of Pies

Twilight Silk

An Entrance to Make

Raise a Glass (Subscriber Only!)

The Oak and the Climbing Rose

Under the Willow Boughs (Subscriber Only!)

The Brightest Flowers

Back Road to the Slums

+++

More Stories!

+++

[officialleehadan]

Right of Possession

Hello darlings and happy monday! I hope you're having a good one!

Today's story was brought to you by L! Darling, what fun prompts you always have for me. I hope you love it!

Prompt: Hoshi and Blaec discuss who gets to Treasure Vree.

+++

“There is a matter to be discussed between us,” Blaec said without preamble. He was in scales for the day, comfortable in the warm sun of Hoshi’s mountain home on Earth. He had been gone long enough that the air on his home-world tasted strange on his tongue, but it was as always, a welcome smell. The humans might not understand, with their fleeting lives, but dragonkind knew that there was nothing so much of home as the wind. “A matter of treasure.”

“I wondered when this would come up,” Hoshi said. Like him, she was in scales, but she was far, far smaller than he. Not that it bothered either of them. Her nature was different from his own, and nothing more. Given, it meant that grooming had to be done cautiously, or with the generous use of magic, but there were worse ways to spend the time. Accustomed to hosting other dragons, Hoshi had a large lake cut into her mountains, fed from a dozen hot-springs. It was so hot that it would have cooked a human in moments, but Blaec found it just the right temperature to relax completely. “I thought I might have to broach the topic myself.”

Damn. If Hoshi was thinking about the same matter he was, she wasn’t planning to let it go easily.

“I saw him first,” Blaec tried, since it was true, and first-claim often settled these issues before they grew out of control. “He spoke to me and begged a boon. Evelene likes him.”

“All fine reasons, I’m sure,” Hoshi said peaceably. She wasn’t fond of heat, and was lounging in a pile of sand that was almost as white as she was, and was kept cool by a little spark of magic. “But he has offered me family-right, and adds to my Hoard willingly whenever we meet. He is mine.”

Blaec grumbled and thought over his options. It wasn’t uncommon for two dragons to desire the same treasure for their respective Hoards. He rarely did, but that was because few dragons were willing to challenge him, and few items were tempting enough to provoke him to lay claim that might be challenged. After all, he was old, every old, and there wasn’t much in two galaxies to catch his eye anymore. At least, nothing that could be Hoarded and hidden away.

It figured that his beloved Great Treasure had taken a shine to the same mortal Hoshi had, and now he had to talk his oldest friend into surrendering her new favorite mortal.

It was not, he thought dismally, very likely. Nobody liked to argue like Hoshi did, and the mountains would give way before she did.

“You never Treasure living beings,” Blaec said, hoping to talk her around anyway. She wasn’t unreasonable.. “What are you even planning to do with him? He isn’t going to come to Earth.”

“I’ve already laid a mark of protection on him, defending him from all things but time,” Hoshi said primly, and rolled in the sand to burnish her scales. “With his permission, I will defend him against time, as well, but I haven’t had a chance to discuss it with him, and immortality is not to be sprung upon a mortal.”

“No, that’s fair,” Blaec muttered. Mortals were so strangeabout their little lives. They did so much in their small amount of time, and fought so hard for every moment. He envied them, sometimes. Dragon lives were rarely quick-moving things, and his own less than many even of them. It wasn’t difficult to grant a mortal immortality. There were plenty of options available, from spells, to curses, to Wishes. He wasn’t exactly sure which of those kept his Great Treasure sheltered from time, but he suspected her father’s family. “Better not to risk him handling it poorly.”

That was a risk, too. Some mortals went mad when they discovered that time could no longer touch them.

“I plan to discuss it with him soon,” Hoshi said agreeably, burnished, and now carefully grooming her claws. They were small, but razor sharp. It was nearly invisible these days, hidden under his great scales, but Blaec still bore the scars of their first encounter, eons ago. “I should not prefer to have this conversation become uncomfortable. If you wanted him, you should have claimed him when you met him.”

“He wasn’t so interesting when I met him.”

“That’s hardly my problem. He is unclaimed, and so I am claiming him.”

“And if I refuse to relinquish my claim?” Blaec asked, half-serious and curious what his old friend would say. “I have first-sight on him, and Evelene wants him. I am not inclined to give him up.”

Hoshi stretched, her claws on full display, and yawned widely, showing all her teeth. When she locked eyes with him, stretched and ready, but still relaxed in the sand, Blaec could have cursed.

“I, Hoshi of the Great Library, do issue Challenge,” she said clearly, smiling wide and deceptively cheerful. “For right of Treasure over Vree of Ha’reet. Will you answer this challenge, Blaec of the Distant Sands?”

“You want the alien badly enough to fight over it?” he asked incredulously. Hoshi never issued challenges, and no one was stupid enough to issue them to her. There was truth to the old saying about knowledge and power. Hoshi had more knowledge than any being alive, and forgot nothing. She was as magically powerful as any being, such that even the gods and the djinn thought carefully before crossing her. “Truly?”

“Yes. Do you accept my challenge or do you relinquish your claim?”

Blaec might be big, but he had never been terribly good at magic, and Hoshi knew it. She would wrap him up like a plucked bird, probably without even getting up.

Blast.

Damn it all.

That wasn’t a fight he could win.

“No,” he growled, words a little hotter with flame than he really meant them. “Smoke take you, I relinquish my claim, but you had better be willing to let Evelene visit him or the next person you’ll have this conversation with is her.”

“She’s more reasonable than you. I don’t expect it to be a difficulty” Hoshi said, and settled back into her sand nest to resume her grooming. Blaec didn’t sulk, since there was no point in sulking over a fight he couldn’t have won, but he did rumble at her, just a little annoyed. She ignored him completely. “Let it be known to the Convocation. Vree of Ha’reet is the Treasure of Hoshi of the Great Library.”

[officialleehadan]

A Bucket of Bull Hearts

Hello darlings! I hope your Tuesday is going well so far. Mine's been very quiet, but that's no bother these days.

Today's prompt was brought to you by Arcanist Lupus! Darling, you're such a love, and I love seeing your comments!

Prompt: a continuation of Accidental Oops, with this song as inspiration!

+

“So, uh, who is this?”

Keith’s sister, Ness, was not sure what to make of the demon who was currently making faces at her daughter and had conjured half a dozen balls of colored fire to dance around the room. Lyra was, of course, delighted by her new friend and seemed not bothered at all by Akeila’s demonic nature.

All in all, it was a mercy that Ness knew about Keith’s monster-hunting, or he would have even more explanations to give her. As it was, the explanations he already owed her were bad enough.

“She says we can call her Akeila,” he told Ness. They were in the kitchen, having a hurried, whispered conversation. Lyra’s kidnapping, and subsequent retrieval, had been quick enough that Ness wasn’t panicking, much, and she had always been a cool one to begin with. Lyra was home and safe, and had a spectacularlydangerous babysitter for the moment. Akeila had apparently surprised herself by discovering that she actually liked children, and lyra in specific. Keith was tentatively calling it a victory. “The summoner who summoned her was planning to sacrifice Lyra, but I killed him, and that apparently was enough to complete the summoning.”

“And now what? You have a demon?”

“I think technically she has a human,” Keith said with a little wince. He wasn’t sure exactly how that was going to work, but Akeila seemed pleased, so he wasn’t questioning that, either. “I didn’t cast the summoning, so she’s not exactly bound to me, but I guess she decided to keep me?”

“He was brave,” Akeila said, her hair now bound up with glittery clips that matched the ones in Lyra’s hair. Akeila’s, however, seemed to be skull-shaped, rather than Lyra’s butterflies. “And said I was beautiful. That’s not the usual reaction to a demon appearing in all our glory.”

“You flirted with the demon?” Ness said, equal parts incredulous and resigned. “You flirted the demon out of killing you? You know what, I’m really not surprised. She can’t be worse than Rachel was.”

“Rachel?” Akeila questioned, amused by their interchange and not at all offended by Ness’s incredulity. “Who is Rachel?”

“Ex-girlfriend. Fire caster. Very into arson,” Keith summed up his last spectacularly terrible relationship. “Met her hunting a bunch of vampires. Hooked up to bring them down. Then hooked up. Then I found out about her anger issues and she burned down my house with me inside it.”

“My kind of lady,” Akeila murmured with a seductive curl to her lips that was very distracting and entirely derailed Keith’s brain for a minute. “I see now what you meant about your taste in women, and about your reactions to danger.”

“He’s a little dumb,” Ness told Akeila, apparently inclined to bond with the demon who had decided to keep Keith. Keith would object, but Akeila seemed surprised to have a human woman look her up and down, and decide to adopt her on the spot. “But he’s cute.”

“He is,” Akeila agreed, still smiling. The gold sheen on her dark skin would be easy to mistake for makeup, but Keith knew better after seeing her true form. Lyra ran up to her and Akeila raised a brow at her until the child raised her arms, begging to be picked up. She hesitated, and then lifted Lyra into her arms with a sideways glance at Ness to see how she took a demon holding her daughter. “Hello, child. Brave as brass, aren’t you?”

“mama calls me her little lion,” Lyra told her brightly. “You’re nice. I like you.”

“I don’t believe I’ve ever been called ‘nice’ by a child,” Akeila chuckled, but when Ness only smiled, she propped Lyra comfortably on her hip. “Although I suspect the bravery might be a family trait. Are you alllike this?”

“We learned it from our mother,” Ness said, her bright tone a match for her daughters as she decided that having a demon in her house, holding her daughter, was acceptable. She opened the refrigerator and froze, eyes wide. “Keith. Please tell me these hearts didn’t come out of humans.”

“They’re bull hearts,” Keith hurried to assure her. He probably should have warned her about Akeila’s unusual needs. A bucket of hearts did make for a somewhat startling sight. “For Akeila.”

“You eat hearts?” Lyra asked Akeila, her expression that of a little princess who thought someone was being very weird indeed. “Icky!”

“They’re rather less troublesome than getting human ones,” Akeila said with a smile that showed her perfect, pointed teeth. Lyra wrinkled up her nose at the thought, thankfully too young to really understand what Akeila meant by that. Keith did understand, and was torn between being amused and being glad that Lyra didn’t know what Akeila meant. “But don’t worry, little one. I’ll keep mt hearts well away from you.”

“I still think they’re icky,” Lyra agreed, and wrapped her arms around Akeila’s neck for a hug before turning pleading eyes on her. “You’re staying, right? Uncle Keith likes you.”

“I think I might like him as well,” Akeila said and set the girl on the counter beside Keith. “Who knows. Perhaps I might like to have a little house of humans to mind. If your mother isn’t bothered, I mean.”

It wasn’t like a demon to ask permission, and then, demons usually weren’t given a choice when they were dealing with humans. Summoning spells always had control spells woven in to make sure the demon didn’t immediately kill their summoner. Perhaps things were different when the demon had a choice in the matter.

Who would have thought that consent would matter to a being created from pure evil? Not Keith.

Akeila was looking somewhat stunned, so maybe the ‘pure evil’ part was an exaggeration.

“If Akeila wants to stay, I’m sure we can find a place in the family,” Ness said with a kiss to her daughter’s forehead. “So Akeila, besides bull hearts, what is your favorite food?”

+++

A Demon’s Heart:

Keith summoned a demon by accident. Now he, and she, have to figure out what to do about it.

Accidental Oops

A Bucket of Bull Hearts

+++

[officialleehadan]

Chaos Swans

Hello darlings! it's a cold, grey day here in Ireland, but the crocus and the daffodils are up, and spring is on the wind.

Today's story was brought to you by CJessie! Thank you so much for your support! It means the world to me!

Prompt: Blood Spilled

+++

“I expected to be disappointed by Ztarva’s soldiers,” Phaenist muttered to Sar as they threaded through the castle, Sar’s mental map of the place and Phaenist’s vampiric abilities smoothing the way. “But I’m heading towards depressed in a hurry. How are they this incompetent?”

“Most of the sensible ones are still out dealing with the remains of the army outside,” Sar explained with a wince for the army he rode with, which got rather enthusiastically destroyed. Everyone liked to tell stories about how Heroes always prevailed over darkness. They never talked about the heroes who tried, and failed. The ones who fought, and the ones who died trying. “the royals of Dourmist rode against her. Something about not wanting an army of killer vampires on their border.”

“Didn’t go so well for them I see.”

“Not so much. I was the only one of the so-called heroes to survive our admittedly spectacular defeat.”

He had tried to talk the rulers out of the attack, for all the good it did him. He argued that an army of humans would never stand a chance against Ztarva’s forces. Unfortunately, he was right. It was a route. Not Sar’s first, he had a nasty habit of surviving spectacular defeats. The benefit of being the hero that no one particularly expected to be trouble.

Maybe there was something to not having the big, flashy powers. The enemy of the week didn’t waste death-cursed arrows on people they didn’t fear.

“So how did you survive it?” Phaenist asked when the next group of servants and guards were gone and they could keep moving. They weren’t far from the servant’s door, which probably wasn’t guarded, since servant doors never were. Sar noticed a rack of cloaks and borrowed one for himself to cover his face. Phaenist was a vampire, complete with the ashy skin, but his clothes were rags. When he saw Sar’s cloak, he stole one for himself. The servants weren’t likely to recognize someone who had been in the dungeon for weeks. “This defeat of yours.”

“The benefit of being considered a lesser threat,” Sar told him and pulled the hood down over his face. “No one bothers with the heroes who can’t throw fire or hold off an army by themselves.”

“They took you captive instead?”

“The benefit of knowing most of the world’s royalty. I’m still a so-called hero. Just… not a very good one.”

Phaenist hummed low in his throat and pulled Sar into a shadowy nook in time to dodge another patrol.

“You’re the best hero I’ve met in a while,” he said when they were moving again. The servants noticed them on the way past, of course. They knew everyone in the castle. They also knew when they were outmatched. Sar eyed them, got eyed right back, and kept moving. “You’re the only ne who survived long enough to get me out of there.”

“Helping an imprisoned vampire is usually pretty low on the list of Heroic Deeds,” Sar said dryly. Servants were hauling bags out to a cart by the gates. Crossing the courtyard would look suspicious; servants always had something to do, and they never just left without permission. Having something to carry made them invisible. It was the work of a moment to lift one onto his own shoulder, with Phaenist right behind him. Together, they joined the line of servants loading up the cart. “But it’s been a bad day, so I’ll take the victories where I can find them.”

“How gracious of you,” Phaenist said with a low chuckle. They deposited their sacks into the cart, and slipped out the gate, now safely across the courtyard and clear of the guards’ sightlines. “they really are spectacularly useless, aren’t they?”

“In my experience, anyone who gets left at home during a war was left home because they were more threat to their allies than to their enemies,” Sar muttered, justifiably judgmental. It wasn’t exactly his first escape that relied heavily on the idiocy of his guards. “Five gold says none of them are any smarter than the poor soul you had for lunch.”

“That’s a low bloody bar,” Phaenist said dubiously. “I’ve never seen a vampire defeated with a steel door, before, by the way. That was clever.”

“Something to be said for an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.”

The way was easier outside the portcullis. There were plenty of people, and fewer guards. There were also, Sar was glad to see, plenty of humans around. Enough to help hide Sar’s beating heart if anyone competent happened to try and spot him. Not that he was expecting anyone competent to come around. They were all out by the front gate, and would be for a while.

As he thought it, there was a commotion from well behind them, and then the sound of an alarm bell rang out over the castle walls.

“Time to go,” Sar said after a moment to see whether the guards were running towards the castle or away from it. As hoped, they weren’t bright enough to think that he and Phaenist were already out of the castle and on their way to freedom. “You have animal speech, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“There’s a whole flock swans over in that lake. How about you cause some chaos, we steal a pair of horses, and get the hell out of here?”

+++

Blood Spilled:

High Bar

Mind the Hinges(Subscriber Only!)

Cheap Crap Lock

Chaos Swans

+++

MASTERLIST

[officialleehadan]

Knowledge Beloved

Hello darlings! Here we are, kicking off Prompt Month with a bang!

Today's story was brought to you by CJessie! Thank you so much for all your support!

Prompt: Lady Hoshi asks, and answers, some questions for Vree's Pride-cubs.

+++

“What is a dragon?”

“Have you met many people?”

“Are you very old?”

Vree watched with pleasure as his many pride-cubs delightedly mobbed Lady Hoshi, who filled a good part of the living space with her white scales, and was happily answering every question the cubs could come up with. He had been worried at first, it wouldn’t do to offend his draconic friend, but Lady Hoshi assured him that she adored children and was nearly impossible to offend.

(Dragons are beings of magic,) LadyHoshi was saying to Ga’pi, who had decided that his favorite place in the whole house was tucked between Lady Hoshi’s huge, white paws. (We are fire bound in scales. That is why we speak in flame. I have met a great many people in my life, and all of them have had wonderful stories to tell me, as all of you do, Meep. Yes, Za’ni, I am very old. A bit over thirty thousand years, in galactic years.)

Alright, Vree might be taking notes. The cubs were asking all the questions he never knew he wanted answers to. Ah, the imagination of cubs.

“What is Human-Earth like?” Kreet asked, utterly fearless and cuddled into Lady Hoshi’s mane, where he was firing questions as fast as he could come up with them. “Is it hot and dry like Ha’reet?”

(Some parts are,) Lady Hoshi said and playfully pinned him with one paw so she could groom his ears. He wiggled and squealed, but couldn’t get free. The rest of his littermates giggled at their antics. (My old friend Blaec, who I believe you’ve seen in your uncle’s presentation, broke shell in a place called Egypt, which is a desert very much like Ha’reet.)

“She’s very good with them,” Ah’ti noted from the door. She was busy whisking up the sauce for Vree’s favorite roasted pastries, He was helping whenever she needed another pair of hands, but mostly he was staying out of the way and keeping an eye on the cubs. “I wouldn’t have expected it, but I suppose there’s not much she isn’tgood at, is there?”

“I wouldn’t imagine so,” Vree agreed, noting each of the cub’s questions and the answers in his notes. “She Hoards knowledge, and she has had a very long time to practice. Also, as she and Lord Petros have told me, most immortal beings cherish children, because it is often difficult to have them.”

“Does Lady Hoshi have any of her own?”

“No.” Vree had asked during his visit to Earth and had been surprised by the answer. “She told me she has never met another dragon who pleased her enough to share a clutch with. Lord and Lady Petros don’t’ have children either.”

“Why not?”

“They never desired them, according to Lady Petros, although they certainly could have them, or could have long before now if they chose.”

Ah’ti watched, ears cocked attentively, as her litter peppered the ancient dragon with questions. Some were rude, but Lady Hoshi never seemed to mind and answered each question carefully even when it was an answer the cubs might not understand completely. Vree found himself enjoying the gentle sounds of the cubs giggling, and of Hoshi herself. Such a large being, of course, had a specific sound to her. The same low, rumble of her breathing was much quieter in Lady Hoshi than it was in Lord Petros, but it was the same sound of a furnace that Vree remembered.

“Come help me with the cha’ha’row. Grandmother’s recipe never goes right for me.”

“It’s because the recipe she wrote down isn’t right,” Vree told her and went about pulling down all the ingredients for the chewy, crunchy candy that was one of his favorite foods in two galaxies. “She bakes the crust half again as long, and nearly doubles the spices.”

“I should have known,” Ah’ti muttered, although she passed him the biggest mixing bowl and got out of his way. “Note the proper amounts for me, won’t you?”

“Of course,” Vree agreed, one ear still tilted towards the living space, which was visible over the long counter that separated the kitchen from the living area. It was vital for a pride-home when there were more than twenty people to feed, and limited space to feed them in. “I’ll keep an eye on things.”

Well, keep an ear on things, really. He could hear the children asking questions, and Lady Hoshi both answering, and asking questions of her own. That wasn’t a surprise. He knew she would like to get to meet the cubs and hear what they had to say. After all, the living experience of cubs was something that so few people ever wrote down. For a knowledge-hoarder, it was a gift beyond price.

Exactly what Vree hoped for when he invited the dragon to visit his home on Ha’reet.

(How are you educated?) Lady Hoshi was asking the cubs when Vree turned his attention to measuring out the spices for cha’ha’row. (I know that the rest of your pride-cubs are elsewhere.)

“We’re all starting basic school after Mid-Year,” Kreet told her brightly, still pinned but apparently content to stay that way as she carefully groomed his ears. “Most of our First-Litter started last year, but they were born right before the rains, so they got to go early.”

“And our Pride-cousins went three years ago,” Ga’pi added. “they’re all Auntie Meek’a and Uncle Zo’boh’s and they’re older.”

(You will join them soon,) Lady Hoshi promised her with a smile in her mental ‘voice’ that Vree could hear from across the room. (And perhaps when your Pride-mothers say you are old enough, you might come visit me. Now, gather around, and I will tell you a story of a very brave Ha’reet who looked up at a dragon god and asked him to give mercy where none was deserved.)

+++

HGE - UNconventional:

Vree really doesn’t know how  he ended up being one of the premiere human specialists of the Galactic Alliance,  but now everyone wants him to do presentations. Amir thinks the whole  thing is hilarious, and insists on ‘helping’ whenever he can.

Firebursts (Subscriber Only!)

Hot and Cold

Splish Splash (Free on Patreon!)

Furnace Rumble (Subscriber Only!)

Aftermath (Subscriber Only!)

Much Better, Much Worse (Free on Patreon!)

Four More

Family Home  (Free on Patreon!)  

Ancient Pine

Match Unlit   (Free on Patreon!)

Attack of Savages

Fine Wood Shavings

World Wide Web

Crunch and Crack

Blooming Vines

Twin Sun Sand (Free on Patreon!)

Dragon at the Door (Free on Patreon!)

Knowledge Beloved

Skull-carved (Free on Patreon!)  

It Means Vampire (Subscriber Only!)

Duel Honor (Subscriber Only!)

Unexpected Imperial  (Subscriber Only!)

Armed Disarmed  (Free on Patreon!)

The Nature of Time  (Subscriber Only!)

+++

+++

MASTERLIST