Valiance: A Collection of Short Stories of Courageous Women

by Melion Traverse

A Cord Silver and Invisible A brave young woman and her griffin test the bounds and meaning of friendship, freedom, and loyalty, but will they be able to keep all three?

A Sacrifice of Blood and Future The timid son of a renowned female warrior faces an unimaginable foe, but to save the day could cost everything.

The Sword’s Squire Led by a possessed ancient family sword, a hopeful squire must prove her mettle to join a holy order of knights. Many vie for such an honor, but few are worthy.

Lives Beyond the Portal When her life is at its bleakest, a girl discovers a magical portal in her basement. How many lives can one person have?

A Particularly Powerful Lunar Event, a Completely True Story While walking her dog, a werewolf hits it off with a handsome man. Unfortunately, his secrets may be even darker than hers.

The Mad Scientist’s Daughter High school’s hard enough without the stigma of having a mad scientist father. And being pressured by your mother to date a zombie probably won’t help…

Authors 4 Authors Content Rating This title has been rated 17+, appropriate for older teens and adults, and

strong language intense violence brief implied sex For more information on our rating system, please, visit Authors4AuthorsPublishing.com/books/r...

106 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2020

About the author

Melion Traverse lives with one spouse, two dogs, and a mostly acceptable amount of chaos. Melion's short stories have appeared in a variety of publications including Deep Magic, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, and Cast of Wonders. Melion is the author of the YA fantasy novel Exile.

When not writing, Melion trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and other martial arts, practices historical fencing, reads Latin, lifts weights, and wages the eternal Battle of the Dog Fur while consuming an unhealthy amount of caffeine.

Reviews

[M.H. Thaung]

This is an easy to read collection of short stories with diverse fantastic elements. The first three have a medieval flavour, with the other three having more contemporary settings. The tone is generally upbeat without being saccharine, and there's a light sprinkling of humour. My favourite piece was "A Sacrifice of Blood and Future," possibly because it follows on from the previous tale and so we see a couple of familiar faces.

If you enjoy fantasy, but don't want to get embroiled in a complicated plot, these stories are a great way to spend a couple of hours.

[Lynden Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Six short stories in a range fantasy sub-genres. The first three concern alternate worlds, with the second showing, satisfyingly, how the life of the first story’s protagonist continued, and the last three are set in a world that I’d call ours if it weren’t for the paranormal pushing through. All feature main characters who think they don’t fit in society, only to find their role by the end, and if that sounds repetitive, it isn’t. And while some are tinged with sadness, the last two are delightfully off the wall.

I enjoyed every one of these stories, and the cover is a delight too.