Kia Leep

Wild Fyre: Chapter 10 - The Guardians

Mirzayael and Zyneth take up positions at opposite sides of the ring, drawing spear and blades. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them pushed it a little too far and hurt the other, but we at least have healers on standby. And, truth be told, if anyone is going to take it too far, I suspect it will be Mirzayael. But what I know, and she doesn’t, is that Mirzayael is level 34, while Zyneth is 36.

Kanin is also watching the two, his unguarded thoughts drifting across our connection. H...

Nyte Guard: Chapter 9 - A Hero’s Duel

“I don’t think I can watch this.” I bury my face in my hands as Álvaro faces off against Verity. 

Quell pats me on the shoulder. “I’m sure it will be fine! After all, it’s a hero’s tournament. The fight has to be heroic.”

“Yeah,” Liz pops in. “She won’t kill him or anything. Maybe just cut off a finger or two, but—”

“Not helping, Liz!” Quell interrupts. 

I groan into my hands. 

“Lord Verity is one of Moon...

Wild Fyre: Chapter 9 - Ink

As Mirzayael dashes toward Kanin, he splits in two. 

Or at least, the void all around him splits in two. One half of the shadowy, inky blob shoots off to the right, leaving the ring. The other half rears up in front of Mirzayael. 

She pivots to the side as the void seems to unfold like a rippling, black cloth. Before she’s able to reach Kanin, however, the sheet of void snaps forward and engulfs Mirzayael. 

My heart skips a beat, but I hardly have a second t...

Nyte Guard: Chapter 8 - Álvaro

Álvaro grinned, lifting his head toward the crowd as the stadium roared around him. He and the other candidates were standing on a raised circle of stone at the center of the arena as a disembodied voice thundered out each of their names to varying levels of cheers. It was clear some competitors were already favored, but Álvaro didn’t care; he’d show all of them. 

Especially Nye. 

He knew his older sibling didn’t expect him to lose; in fact, he suspected they wer...

Wild Fyre: Chapter 8 - Diversions

I wake up near dawn and find my mind churning too fast to fall back asleep. I can’t have gotten more than a few hours of sleep, but now that I’m up, I’ll have to make do. Perhaps I’ll be able to catch up tomorrow night.

I grab some coffee from the kitchen, where a handful of cooks are already prepping ingredients for breakfast, then I make my way up to one of the palace’s highest balconies. Settling on a ledge, I tuck my legs up and clutch the warm mug close to my chest. The c...

Nyte Guard: Chapter 7 - The Tournament

Perhaps because I’m dreading it, the next two weeks pass far too quickly. Constance doesn’t reach out again, but whenever our gazes happen to meet, I can see the question in them: Are you ready?

I don’t tell Quell about the meeting. A big part of me wants to, but every time I try to make myself bring it up, the words get stuck in my throat. Constance was right about one thing: Quell would never let me go through with wielding the Scimitar. I don’t particularly want to, either, b...

Wild Fyre: Chapter 7 - Change of Plans

“Remnants created the gods?” Kanin asks after a moment of stunned silence.

Mirzayael and I are still grappling with our emotions over this revelation. I can feel her mind withdraw, trying to keep certain thoughts from me—but I have a guess as to what they are. 

“No!” Lisari cries. “Well, technically yes. Something like the remnants. But much bigger, unfathomably powerful. You can think of the remnants as… scraps that were left behind on the workshop flo...

Nyte Guard: Chapter 6 - The Fallen Prince

Obviously, I’m going to tell Quell. And leave the Crimson Aegis—what, does he think I’m an idiot? 

I watch Constance with a critical eye for the rest of the morning, from the social event in the throne room, to an excessively fancy dinner. He continues to drift through every interaction, only speaking when spoken to, but otherwise fading into the backdrop. He’s a shadow of the man I met before. 

I can tell Quell is also bothered by this. Multiple times he attempt...

Wild Fyre: Chapter 6 - Tea Time

Upon Shirasil’s dramatic appearance, I experience a strange combination of irritation and relief. It’s only Shirasil. Not Lorata or any potentially hostile gods. Yet, the timing of his arrival can’t be a coincidence. Has he found a way to spy on us without setting off the Fortress’s alarm system? The spell only triggered moments before his appearance, but I wonder how much more of the conversation he really overhead.

I open my mouth to address the god, but he moves faster than I...

Nyte Guard: Chapter 5 - The Regents of Duneshade

By the time the Duneshade regents arrive, I’ve nearly recovered from my encounter with the Moonfall ones. Every time my gaze lands on King Merit, my stomach threatens to start churning all over again. The Bloodlust left the memories of my fight in the Oasis warped and fractured. Which guard had been the king’s friend? I can’t remember any of their faces. I can’t even remember how many I killed. Only the knowledge that I’m about to meet Quell’s parents keeps me from drowning the in...

Wild Fyre: Chapter 5 - Late Night Visit

When we depart for the night, I give Zyneth a quick hug, taking the opportunity to activate a Psionic Touch. 

“Mirzayael will send a message when it’s safe to visit,” I tell him. I can feel him freeze as my voice enters his mind, but he betrays no other outward sign of surprise. “Meet us back in the room where we first spoke this morning.”

When I pull back, he meets my gaze with an easy smile. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Of cours...

Nye Guard: Chapter 4 - The Kings of Moonfall

I spend the entire day before the Duneshade royalty arrives tossing and turning, but never quite able to fall asleep. I’d feel bad about keeping Quell awake, but he seems to be just as restless. A few hours before sunset, we both give up and start to prep for the day. 

And by prep, I mean call for servants who bathe and dress us. The whole process makes me really uncomfortable, but I’ve also given up on trying to do it all on my own; the ornate armor they have for me to wear is...

Wild Fyre: Chapter 4 - The Loft

As I lead our procession up to the Loft, I reach out to Sandro through our Contact interface. 

[Fyre: Good evening, Sandro. I’ll be stopping by shortly with some guests if that’s alright.]

It takes a minute for him to respond. 

[Sandro: oh, sure! I’m just getting the wyverns settled in for the night]

The boy has taken to his new profession with surprising enthusiasm. At first I assumed it was merely out of relief that he had a simple way to satisfy his ...

Nyte Guard: Chapter 3 - Stained Guardian

When I’d leveled up to twenty, I gained access to three different class evolution options. These included Sanguine Watcher, Blood Crafter, and of course Stained Guardian. The first two hadn’t been bad options. 

Sanguine Watcher would have given me blood-based dousing abilities, allowing me to track and reveal the location of things. Quell theorized that I had been given that option based on my previous desire to find my brother. Now that I know where he is, however, the class l...

Kanin Fyre: Chapter 46 - Epilogue

[1 Week Prior]

The remnant tears through our void.

We scream, silently, in our own mind, as our essence is hooked by the remnant, clawing at our mind and dragging us in. We fight, we try to rip ourself away, even as we start to fall through the portal.

But it’s like trying to breathe underwater. It’s like trying to claw your way out of quicksand. It’s like nothing we’ve ever felt, or ever want to feel again.

Noli disappears into the portal. Most of us has passe...

Wild Fyre: Chapter 3 - Dine and Dash

After sharing his story, Kanin seems far more open and at ease with me. We continue to wander the Fortress and idly chat for a while longer, and Kanin even implies that he has a plan for finding more Travelers. Wisely, he doesn’t elaborate on this idea aloud; while Blair claims to want to introduce me to more Travelers, I have a feeling that she only wants this to occur at her discretion. I’m curious to hear what Kanin has in mind, and look forward to the next opportunity the two of us wi...

Kanin Fyre: Chapter 45 - Recalibrate

Okay, so, it’s a lot more stressful than I originally thought. But hey, no one hates me, so I got that going for me, which is nice.

A couple of the Travelers had Roles that activated right away, which was its own special kind of hell. One of them was pretty easy to handle; his Role was Tailor and Fyre set him up to apprentice with one of the city’s weavers. But the other two were trickier. I’m glad Fyre was here to help me deal with them; between herself, Ollie, and Sandro, it see...

Kanin Fyre: Chapter 44 - Fallout

[Planar Linkage spell ended.]

The tear in space collapses onto itself, crumbling into nothing as the air stitches itself back shut.

We try to pull ourself together. We can’t afford to wait for the pain to abate—we don’t have time.

“Lorata,” we say. She must have only been a second or two behind us. Which means we have minutes, at most, to prepare for her. We struggle to get up. “She’s coming.”

“Don’t,” Fyre says, gesturing for me to be still. “I...

Nyte Guard: Chapter 2 - Bed and Breakfast

As with many of my dreams as of late, I’m plagued by hateful shadows. They chase me through the streets of the Lifespring Oasis, always just behind each of my fleeing steps. They call to me, and I’m overcome by fear.

The street starts to melt like taffy, and my boots sink into the cobblestones. I manage to wrench them free and keep stumbling forward, but ever step is harder than the last, and I can feel my frustration and anger starting to bubble up, no matter how hard I try to keep...

Kanin Fyre: Chapter 43 - Split

The little dragon isn’t fast; it takes time to build up speed, and its attack against Lorata is obvious. She doesn’t even stop her pursuit of the Travelers, instead raising a hand toward Ollie in a dismissive gesture. A wave of light strikes the dragon—and breaks, like a wave crashing against the rocks. The next moment, he strikes Lorata in her chest.

We’ve never been good at math. We don’t know how to calculate momentum or inertia, or frankly even know what the difference is ...

Wild Fyre: Chapter 2 - Heart to Core

As Kanin’s mind blooms into existence inside my head, I’m immediately aware that we are not alone. A second presence appears alongside the one that is so distinctly Kanin, but this other mind feels less solid, more ethereal—though its feelings of distaste for me are clear enough. 

Not to mention, its strength. 

The Dungeon Core is strong—I’ve grappled with its influence more than once. But it’s also something that is fairly removed; something I can shut out o...

Kanin Fyre: Chapter 42 - God of Light

Rinviu’s companion is not subtle. Every inch of her skin emits a soft, glowing light. Her eyes are a solid white, and her clothes are likewise bleached of all color. She carries no weapons, but we know better than to think she’s unarmed.

Several Travelers let out a startled yelp at the appearance of the gods. Rinviu looks their way, apparently surprised to see a group of people suddenly gathered outside of their cells, but the God log Light glances over them with mild indifference. ...

Kanin Fyre: Chapter 41 - Jailbreak

Half of our void goes in my Inventory. We remove it almost instantly—an inch away from my fingers, on the other side of the barrier.

[You have been subjected to a Time Dilation spell.]

Pressure immediately presses at my mind. I’ve split my attention multiple ways before with Ink to help, but this is different. It feels like something has grabbed my mind from either side and is straining to pull it apart. Stretched almost to the breaking point. Like trying to pull a boot out of...

Nyte Guard: Chapter 1 - Duel

Author's Note: Surprise! I've got a Nye chapter for you all as well. I'll be posting 1 Nyte chapter per week, at least until Kanin Fyre completes, at which point I may increase the post schedule. Enjoy!

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Quell chews on his bottom lip, nervously adjusting his glasses. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Of course it’s a good idea,” I growl. I mentally poke the Crimson Aegis, reminding it to let go. The shield was procrastinating, hoping I would change my...

Kanin Fyre: Chapter 40 - The Choice of Trust

We can’t hide here. If they find us, they’ll find Noli, too.

But where else can we go? As long as we can sense them, they can sense us.

Can we fight them? No chance. Out run them? Definitely not. We might be able to evade them for a time with Displace—but all our void is in here with us, and eventually, we’d run out of mana.

Crap. There has to be a way. There has to be something!

There is.

Ink recoils at the idea as I pull my mind away—it won�...

Wild Fyre: Chapter 1 - The Glass Man

Author Note: Surprise! Here's the first chapter of Wild Fyre. I will be posting 1 ch per week each Tuesday going forward, at least until I finish posting Kanin Fyre, then I may increase the post rate. For those reading both books, you can reread this scene from Kanin's PoV here.

And with that, let's get to it!

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I stare at the glass man who has just stepped into my office.

W...

Nyte in Shining Armor has released! + Free short story

Hello all! I'm excited to announce that Nyte in Shining Armor has launched on Amazon today! As with all my books, it's also free on KU. If interested, you can grab it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FGGH17R8

Probably many of you have already read it, so I'm not asking anyone to go buy the book, however if anyone can spare a minute to go leave a rating or review, that would SERIOUSLY help me out! Indie books ...

Kanin Fyre: Chapter 39 - The Sanctum

For a moment, the barrier seems to resist me. When I’d been standing at the edge of the portal to Earth, I’d been able to hear birds, see trees; it had all looked so close I could have reached out and touched it. But this is the first time I’ve actually tried to go through the other end of the Planar Linkage spell, and it’s different from what I expected.

The air feels elastic. Pressure mounts against me as I move through the portal, growing more intense the harder I pu...

Kanin Fyre: Chapter 38 - Linked

I cast one last look around the circle. Fyre is speaking with Dizzi and Ollie in urgent tones. Shirasil is waiting for me expectantly. Noli is at my back, frowning with equal parts concern and awe at the portal to the Heavens. It seems she’s always got my back.

I begin to step forward, and she catches my shoulder.

“Wait,” she signs. “I’m coming with you.”

“What?” I sign. “I thought you were trying to avoid all this god stuff?”

She smiles, worry crin...

Kanin Fyre: Chapter 37 - Now or Never

We hope we’re not going to regret this.

“You’re lucky I was on this side when you called,” Shirasil’s voice echoes from the black. We’re able to pinpoint his location from that unsettling draw we feel toward the gods and remnants—it’s even stronger when our minds are merged like this—but we still can’t see anything. “But you’ll need to move quickly. Lorata herself might respond. We’ll know for sure in the next few minutes.”

“WHAT’S HAPPENING?” Oll...