Sorcery & Spaceships: A Collection

By Beth Powers

This collection includes seven stories by Beth Powers:

Captain Sable's Crew: Some would call him a pirate, but Captain Devlin Sable tries not to call himself much of anything. He's more concerned with putting together a reliable crew. However, the Empire has other ideas--it wants him dead, and it's willing to pay in gold.

Konstantin: When his brother falls for a pretty face and unwittingly lets a threat on board, it is up to Konstantin to stop the hacker before it is too late. There's just one problem—Konstantin is the ship, with his brain hardwired to its systems. By attacking the ship's computer, the hacker is attacking him, and in order to gain complete control, she just might have to shut him down for good.

Nothing Altered: With the southern portion of the kingdom in rebellion, the Crown has begun accepting commoners as candidates for its elite fighting force, the Prince's Legion. Tyna decides to ask if they are also willing to take a woman.

Sparkles: Thomas was having a bad day. And that was before his ship started drifting toward a Molasses storm.

Racing the Sand: Someone--or something--is attacking travelers on the caravan road. But Rastaban doesn't know that. He wants to start someplace new, where no one knows about the power he inherited from his mother. So he walks away, leaving his brother to cross the desert alone. When Rastaban hears rumors about the attacks, he abandons his plans and races across the desert in an effort to reach his brother in time.

H2O: Love, betrayal, loss, and regret. She refuses to cry over the man she once loved. But he asked her to have one last drink for him, and at the very least, she owes him that.

Trying to Fly: Chiara's parents were taken by the Guardians when she was a child, and she never felt like she belonged on her aunt and uncle's farm. They fear the power she wields, but Chiara intends to marry a nice farmer and let them forget she even exists. Or, that was her plan until a stranger fell from the sky and disrupted all of their lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beth Powers
• Release date: Nov 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311899170

Beth Powers

Beth Powers writes science fiction and fantasy stories. She once wrote a tome about women and pirates in order to become a doctor of piratical tales. When she's not writing, Powers researches properties across the country and throughout time. She lives in Indiana with her cats.

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Sorcery & Spaceships

a collection

by

Beth Powers

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Copyright 2015 by Beth Powers

Cover Design by Beth Powers

Published by Beth Powers at Smashwords, 2015

Captain Sable’s Crew First Printed in FrostFire Worlds, August 2014

Konstantin First Printed in Shelter of Daylight, October 2012

Nothing Altered First Printed in Plasma Frequency Magazine, February 2013

Sparkles First Printed in Outposts of Beyond, October 2013

Racing the Sand First Printed in Shelter of Daylight, April 2012

H²O First Printed in Trysts of Fate, February 2014

Trying to Fly First Printed at Smashwords, July 2014

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Smashwords License Statement:

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Table of Contents:

Captain Sable’s Crew

Konstantin

Nothing Altered

Sparkles

Racing the Sand

H²O

Trying to Fly

About the Author

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Captain Sable’s Crew

Holding a crew together proved difficult. I heard murmurs from those who left—I was too young to be a captain and many didn’t like working for someone who refused to sail under the flag of the Empire. The first was probably true; the second depended on one’s perspective. I knew certain members of the Emperor’s Navy who would call me a pirate, but I tried to avoid calling myself much of anything. I just took what cargo I could to keep the crew fed and the Pelican at sea, whether it resulted in rough lumps of metal or the Emperor’s gold.

The pay wasn’t enough because when we docked at Rica over half the crew took their shares and melted into the bustling dockside crowd. Those that remained wouldn’t be enough to limp the ship back into the Empire’s waters.

Making my way through the taverns that lined the wharf, I rounded up a dozen sailors who appeared able-bodied and a cook, which we desperately needed. It took longer to secure a cargo because I was unwilling to fly the colors of an empire that treated the sailors in its navy as though they worked on a convict ship. A man couldn’t live like that and remain loyal to the Scepter. I wasn’t completely satisfied with the deal I struck—the payment wouldn’t quite cover the cost of the crew, which meant I had to convince a few of them to work in exchange for passage. But it was better than nothing. In a foul mood, I headed back to the ship, racing the sun down the horizon.

I heard dogs yapping after prey as I cut through the fish market. I stopped for the reddish cat, little more than a kitten, that rounded the corner, favoring the back leg but not slowing. The dogs were on its heels, followed closely by a red-faced fish seller. Get back here you she-devil! Stealing my fish! You thieving feline! The cat didn’t heed. Dodging me, she darted under a crate next to the nearest stand. One of the dogs followed, but yelped and returned seconds later with a raked nose. The others hung back, circling; they knew they had their prey trapped.

I moved so I could see in the overturned crate, the cat crouched against its back wall, her green-eyed glare fixed on the world. Planting my booted feet between the wounded animal and the snapping dogs, I crouched in front of the crate. She hissed. I made soothing noises and reached in.

She swatted at my hand, barely grazing the skin, and I moved quickly to pick her up before she could react. I underestimated her reflexes. She let out an angry yowl and applied all of her working claws to my arms. Pain and surprise caused me to drop her, halfway out of the crate. One of the dogs took advantage of the distraction and attacked her from the side. With a shriek, she turned on the new threat. I saw my opportunity. Slipping out of my overcoat, I dropped it over the cat, lifting and wrapping her in one smooth motion.

I turned to find the fish seller beaming at me. Let’s send her for a swim with the fishes, eh? See how she likes them then.

The bundle struggled weakly in my arms as though she knew what he demanded. She fought to survive the only way she knew how—just like every one of us. My ship has rats. They get in the cargo. Mayhap, a cat would solve that.

You’ll let her loose, he whined, She’ll be back at the fish tomorrow.

If the light holds, I sail with the tide, I countered, She’ll not bother you again.

His face turned a darker shade of red as he sputtered in anger at revenge slipping through his grasp. I stepped uncomfortably close to him, the stench of fish filling my nose, This way we both benefit. I shifted the bundle of cat and coat, placing my free hand on the clearly visible hilt of my sword. "But I can easily see to it that you don’t." It was illegal for commoners to carry swords in the Empire. We weren’t in the Empire, but anyone who carried a sword in Rica knew how to use it.

He backed off in the face of my threat. Get that devil-cat out of here. Flapping his hands, he wafted back to his stall, leaving a wake of fish-smell.

I ran for the ship and hoped the cargo would be loaded and ready by the time I reached it. I spotted the mage, Octavian, helping the dockworkers. He nodded when he saw me, Evening, Captain Sable. Mages were rare in the Empire, but we didn’t always sail in the Empire’s waters, so I’d hired Octavian to deal with any magic we might encounter.

I returned the nod, "Find Garrick, tell him the Pelican sails with the tide. I’ll be in my cabin." Normally, I would oversee the preparations to set sail, but I thought it best to attend to the creature in my arms and let my first mate get us underway.

Yes, sir. But he didn’t turn to follow my instructions. Instead, he blocked my way, It’s none of my business, captain, but I hope you know what you’re carrying because that bundle is giving off a mighty strange brand of magic.

I don’t think so, I continued forward, forcing him to step aside. Mayhap you’re sensing residue from the crate it was in. I didn’t wait for his response. The bundle I carried had ceased to struggle.

Movement or no movement, I had learned my lesson earlier. I didn’t put the bundle down until I had secured the door of my cabin. And when I set it on the floor, I stepped away quickly. My concern over its lack of movement was relieved when the cat made a dash for the nearest cover—my bunk. I thought it best not to pursue, but I could hear her pitiful mewls. She must have been trying to lick wounds she couldn’t reach.

I retrieved fresh bandages and salve from my sea trunk. My forearms had been sliced to ribbons by her claws, and I set about wrapping them, rather awkwardly. It took longer than it would have if I had had an extra set of hands, but I was reluctant to call in someone from my crew to help. I didn’t need to appear any more incapable in their eyes than I already did.

After I finished tending my wounds, I reached under the bunk, barely pulling my hand back in time to avoid another slashing. The cat crouched in the corner, ears flattened, with one paw raised warningly.

Only willing to sacrifice so much skin for the sake of saving her, I held out the strip of clean bandage. I’m only trying to help.

She glared at me a moment longer before putting her paws together and resting her head on them as though trying to look as unintimidating as possible. Cautiously, I reached out again. She made no move to attack as I slid her from her hiding place. She didn’t even protest as I cleaned and bound her wounds. Her mostly red fur was longer than it had seemed, making the process more difficult. As soon as I finished, she hobbled back into hiding and resumed glaring.

With a shrug, I left, locking her in, to see if the new crew was having any trouble getting the ship underway. Most of them seemed to have fallen into step with the others easily enough, although as I walked across the deck, I spotted several newcomers who weren’t pulling their weight. I headed toward Garrick who was working alongside two of the sailors that had agreed to work for their passage.

As I approached, he turned to prod one of them into moving faster. With a surly response, the man stopped what he was doing entirely. Garrick’s face took on a dangerously red tint as he turned to face the offender. By then I had reached them. I stepped in front of Garrick, addressing the sailor, Am I to understand you are unwilling to work at the same pace as the crew?