“Bella!” A lilting woman’s voice called her name from the darkness. She jolted unexpectedly at the noise, then smoothed her skirts to sweep away the spike of worry. Her heart was suddenly pounding, which annoyed her. She sighed at her own foolishness. She was obviously still just jittery. “Yes?” she answered back. Jack’s tent was still lit from within and threw off enough light that Bella was able to recognize Doctor Kalf...

“You think he’s still down here?” Jack asked. “I can feel him,” Bella explained.  They were in the ship’s hold. It felt like a tomb. Everything was still, and quiet, and lifeless. Bella slowly wandered down the hallway and found herself in front of the Quartermaster’s hold. The bars blocked her way. “He’s in there?” Jack asked.  Bella nodded. “I’m honestly surprised he didn’t run off into the jungle as soon as we got here...

Rhett and I started a new routine. One night we spent the night at my place, and the other at his. We woke up before dawn for a nice session of steamy sex, then we went for our walk on the beach, then went back to have breakfast on the porch. We usually spent the morning on the beach until about eleven, chatting, swimming, reading, napping. Then we went back to my place for lunch. After lunch we liked to take a nap accomp...

I decided I wanted Kalum, the whole infuriating, powerful bulk of him, while we were collecting our third bounty.  Our assignment had been to put down a howle, a hideous, oversized bipedal bat creature that had been haunting a village out in the western Indalese wilds called Undarth. So far it had only taken livestock, but the villagers reported it was a brazen creature and they feared it would only be a matter of time be...

The bitterly cold wind stabbed at Lord Ragan’s face like a thousand needles. They were in real peril. The snowstorm had snuck up on them two days ago. They had lost their way in the white blindness. Now it was just Lord Ragan and his oldest trusted bodyguard and aide, Simmons. His two other lieutenants had become separated from their horse train in the previous long night. He had to assume they were dead or dying somewher...

One thing was for sure, his memory was going. The only thing he remembered about this mission was that he was supposed to deliver some eye medication to a pregnant girl named Maria for her baby. Who knows, they might call the child Jesus and, maybe, it might lead a revolution or something. Not his concern, his job was to deliver the medicine on time. It was his last mission and he wanted to get it right. This Maria, maybe...

“Get out!” Belita yelled as the door opened. “Nope,” Danica said, walking in and shutting the door behind her.  “I said leave!” Belita snarled, pushing herself halfway up into an unsteady, angry crouch. “And I said no,” Danica shrugged. She walked over and sat down against the wall next to the Captain. “Part of my job is to tell you no when you need it. Right now you need it. What’s going on?” “Insubordinate… I’m going ta...

The crew began rousing themselves around noon. It was just too hot to sleep comfortably any longer. The shipwrecked survivors moved slow and gingerly, trudging through their tasks with stoic determination. There was a lot to be done. The ramshackle camp was mostly just strewn hammocks and bedrolls at the edge of the lagoon. There hadn’t been time or energy for much else, so the day’s first priority was to set up a more or...

Dawn was breaking. The storm had passed and the eastern horizon was slowly swelling from black to purple to herald the coming of the sun. The crew of the Kestrel was finishing roping hammocks between trees. The wounded were mostly already asleep. Others were unloading the smallboats they’d used to get supplies ashore. They were all exhausted but still managing to trudge along. Lord Morant and his porters had set up tents...

“So there was something under the water?” Captain Vex asked.  “Yeah,” Will nodded, as he bolted down the last of the spotlight-lanterns on the railing next to the ship’s wheel. The other three hadn’t survived the fight on the prow. Captain Vex wasn’t thrilled about that, those lanterns were expensive.  Will’s hands hurt badly, but he still had a bit more to do before he could let the doctor look him over. Besides, there w...

It began innocently enough.  This was my first year at college and I was determined to do all the stuff that college kids do.  Isn’t college about experimentation and finding yourself?  And isn’t a girl entitled to have some fun?  I hadn’t dated much in high school.  I’ve always been shy, and I knew I needed to spread my wings.  So I decided to go to Florida for Spring break.  The roommate the school had assigned to share...

Grindylow were starting to crawl up the Kestrel’s sides, cresting the railings toward the midship, flanking the defenders. At the helm, Captain Vex cursed. They were running out of time. “Danica, Coleman, get us free!” “Aye, captain!” came the answering calls. Coleman and Danica North led their gaff hook wielding swabs toward the prow, but the fighting was too thick. There wasn’t going to be any safe way to employ their h...

A loop of rope dropped around a pale neck. The screaming head attached to it didn’t seem to notice. The makeshift noose went taught. A pale, rag-clad body was yanked thrashing into the air.  Lace Webber swung down like a boom, counterbalancing the weight of the creature she’d just lassoed against her own. She crashed into another grindylow with both feet, feeling a satisfying crack and sending the clumsy creature sprawlin...