For the Favor of a Lady

By Steven D. Brewer

Even a pirate will stop at nothing to help his little sister.

When Grip, the first mate, is dismayed by his little sister's surprise engagement, Revin accompanies him home to learn who arranged her marriage and why.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Water Dragon Publishing
• Release date: Mar 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781957146218

Steven D. Brewer

Steven D. Brewer has been a fan of science fiction and fantasy stories for as long as he can remember. He still remembers getting scolded for not reading chapter books in fourth grade because he was avidly consuming The Hobbit late at night, by flashlight under his covers. And he probably got his copy from his older brother and most important mentor.As an author, Steven identifies diverse obsessions that underlie his writing. His early interest in natural history, life science, and environmentalism he learned from his father, an ecologist and ornithologist. He attributes seeing his mother study German for his abiding passion for languages that led him to major in Spanish (as well as Biology) and subsequently learn Esperanto and use it for international correspondence and travel. His fascination with Japanese culture grew from writing haiku and haibun in Esperanto. And his mania for information technology and the Internet led him back to graduate school where he earned a Masters in Earth Science and a PhD in Science Education.His scattered interests led to an eclectic employment history. He did farm work and food service growing up in southwest Michigan. He has worked as a large-animal caretaker, an archeological faunal analyst, a hunter of the fastest lizards in the world, a gas-station attendant, a bilingual teacher’s aide for a migrant-worker education program, and an edutainer with live animals and a portable planetarium. For the past quarter century, he has served as a non-tenure-system faculty member in higher education.Steven currently teaches scientific writing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with his extended family.

Book preview

For the Favor of a Lady

Book Two of Revin's Heart

Steven D. Brewer

Copyright © 2022 by Steven D. Brewer

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, except for the purpose of review and/or reference, without explicit permission in writing from the publisher.

Cover design copyright © 2022 by Niki Lenhart

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Published by Water Dragon Publishing

waterdragonpublishing.com

An imprint of Paper Angel Press

paperangelpress.com

978-1-957146-21-8 (EPUB)

FIRST EDITION

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Author’s Note

When I wrote The Third Time's the Charm, I struggled for such a long time — years — because the story that I really wanted to tell was so much larger than I could fit into a short story. And I just couldn't make it fit. I worked and re-worked and re-re-worked the text. Finally, I got a coherent story arc that let everyone meet these characters and see just a little into their world. But that larger story was still there, taunting me.

In the first story about Revin, we learn a few tantalizing details about his world. And, to be honest, Revin learns a lot about himself.

This time, we learn a lot more about Revin's world, and he learns more about the key people around him. And we get to meet some important new people and visit new places.

And this is just beginning!

I'm so thankful to Water Dragon Publishing for having the faith in me to let me tell these stories in a serial format. And to my beta readers: Lucy, Philip, Daniel, and Andrew. And to Zander Crowley, who has graciously served as my sensitivity reader. I'm so grateful to all of you for coming with me on this adventure.

For the Favor of a Lady

Airship, ho! Revin called out.

Still barely a speck on a horizon, Revin — who had the sharpest eyes among the pirates — spotted it the moment it emerged from behind the clouds.

Call all hands, Will, the captain of the pirates, said. He stood short and compact, like an acrobat, his hair still growing back after their previous adventure.

All hands to quarters! Grip, the first mate, cried. He was a big man, well-proportioned, with broad shoulders and dark hair.

Echoing thumps and footsteps answered him as men rolled out of hammocks and raced to their positions.

The Queen of Belleriand leapt forward among the high clouds over the ocean, poised and ready for action. Revin’s heart raced with excitement as they flew among the towering cloud tops. The Queen, a sleek rigid-hulled dirigible, was the pride of Belleriand. Captured by Havelock during a skirmish between the two island nations, she had been liberated by the pirates when they escaped. She appeared menacing with painted countershading: dark silver above and light silver below.

Revin had seen enough of these engagements now to know how things would likely play out. He watched as the airship they were pursuing, the