My name is Seraphine Wailark, first mate of the Imperator, and for the record, I never wanted to be here.

My crew and I are what we like to call “treasure hunters” and what other folk prefer to call “dirty, callous unethical pirates.” I don’t really see how us taking what is ours is unethical: Once it’s on a ship, it belongs to the sea, and what belongs to the sea belongs to those who have conque...

Scientific name: Draconia noctis

Disregarding its miniscule size and reputation as a common pest, the Darkwyrm shares many characteristics with its draconic ancestors. Mainly: its reptilian appearance, wings, and hoarding tendencies. Darkwyrms will only hoard one specific type of item for the entirely of their lives. These collections are seemingly random, ranging from coins to bird feathers...

At long last, her ship was saved, her future secured. Beasts of lesser value could easily cover her debts, but this… Could this be the miracle she’d been hoping for? Divine intervention was not something Beatrix believed in, but she just might make an exception. Even the waves seemed to calm down as they sailed on.

Fins glittering with scales swished around in an old wooden barrel that still ...

“What did you say?”

Brea tried to keep her voice calm, but her insides seethed with anger. Her hands burned underneath the bandages, scars leftover from another fight.

A fight she intended to finish.

“You’re not going to be fighting, Brea. You’re far too important for that.” Dariel repeated himself, but slowly, as if he were speaking to a child. It infuriated her, how he was always ...

“Lovely display, don’t you think?”

Without turning his head, Malak saw that irritating glint of burnished gold, the white shirt that never seemed to get soiled despite living in a jungle. Dariel had a unique talent for announcing his presence without announcing anything.

“Not particularly.” Malak responded. “I find it all a bit… lavish.”

What he really meant was gaudy. It was an int...

We always loved to lie in this grassy field

Only the two of us, only you and I.

Bating our breath for what the future would yield

We would stay for hours, our hands intertwined,

Sharing promises we vowed to always keep,

Just me and you and the fireflies.

And as I felt your hand grow weak with sleep,

I made a promise that only I could hear:

Your heart, dear love, was mine to protect and keep.

Yet a...

There are three things that are most sought after in this life. Power, love, and an invitation to Lord Balthazar’s Bazaar. In rare cases, you could find all three in one night.

One could never be sure how, or even if, they would receive an invitation. They were tossed from the roof of the bell tower, delivered by elephants and peacocks, or mysteriously found in the pockets of one’s waistcoat....