Although I’m working hard on The Warrior Duchess for NaNoWriMo, I’m also finishing up this month’s episode for Miscreation, called “The Egg Thieves.” Stealing eggs turns out to be trickier than the warriors originally planned. But Aristia, the mage’s apprentice, has a surprising touch with the little monsters.

Aristia followed the same path that the captain had led her up earlier that day. She knew when she was close, because she started to sense the feathersnakes’ feelings again. One mother was upset because she’d found her nest empty, but the others had calmed down and gone back to their regular routine. Some were sunning on the rocks, others had left to gather food, and only a few were on alert, taking their turn to the guard the warrens.

It was easier to slip closer when there wasn’t a big, lumbering adult following her. Aristia got low to the ground until she was on her belly like a snake. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the dry grass around her. Then she remembered how the feathersnakes smelled—flicking their tongues out to taste the air. She stuck her tongue out, copying the motion as best she could, and concentrated on the feeling of the warm sun on her skin.

When she was feeling the same thing that the feathersnakes experienced, she opened her eyes and crawled into the warren.

A nearby feathersnake guard turned its head and saw her, but she held very still and kept projecting the image of being just like them. It flicked its tongue out, confused about why her scent tasted different. But after a moment, it accepted her. It slithered away to another spot near the edge of the warren.

“The Egg Thieves” will be available on all retailers this Friday, November 21. The final episode and a collection of all six episodes in the season will be released in December.