QSFer Molly J. Bragg has a new queer fantasy book out (demi, lesbian): Blood of the Basilisk.
Kota, a sorceress who works as a detective with the Grimmani Detective Agency, is on her way to a new posting on the world of Proximus. She’s been charged with transporting a mystical artifact called a Keystone that will allow Proximus to build a magical gateway back to Kota’s homeworld of Emake Maa. When the Aethership transporting Kota is attacked by pirates, Kota helps fight them off, and finds herself taking care of a half demon woman, Nadani who was being held as a slave on the pirate ship.
When Kota and Nadani arrive on Proximus, Kota is injured in an attempted assassination, and finds herself embroiled in a plot involving cultists who want her dead for some reason. Kota begins to dig into the motives of the assassin while trying to navigate her growing feelings for Nadani. Something made all the harder by more attempts on her life and the emotional minefield that Nadani’s past as a slave left behind.
When Kota learns that the assassins may be after Nadani as well, she becomes desperate to learn what they want. Something that puts her on a collision course with a cult that wants to use Nadani and the Keystone to open a permanent gateway to hell itself.
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Excerpt
Kota let out a snort of laughter at the miserable little groan coming from the window seat in her small cabin. She looked over to see a pair of glowing blue eyes glaring at her, which only made her laugh that much harder. Pyter let out an indignant noise and blew a puff of smoke in her direction.
“I told you that you’d get seasick if you sat there,” she said as she tucked the marker ribbon into her book. She closed it and reached up, tucking it into the pack that hung off a hook on the bulkhead. She fished around in the pack until she found her food wallet and pulled it out, setting it beside her in the hammock.
“Come here,” she said.
“No,” Pyter said. “You’re mean.”
Kota had to fight to keep from laughing again and did her best to sound contrite. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I have something that will m ake your tummy feel better.”
Pyter glared at her, but Kota just sat and waited as the Beloniform continued to rock back and forth. Once, twice, three times. As the ship started to shift a fourth time, Pyter leapt into the air, giving a single small flap of his wings before he dropped heavily onto her stomach.
“Oof!” she said, exaggerating a little. Only a little though. Nine pounds of Feradrake to the stomach hurt, and Pyter knew better, but then, he also knew she was going to let him get away with it. She let him get away with anything. She reached up and rubbed his head just behind the eye ridges, and he pressed his head into her hand.
“Tummy hurts,” he said.
“I know, sweetie.” She reached down, slipped her hand into her food wallet, and pulled out a wrapped bundle of ship’s biscuits. She opened the bundle, took one out, and used just a touch of magic to split the rock-hard biscuit into four pieces. “Here. Eat this.”
Pyter moaned and turned his head, refusing the offering.
“I know, baby. I know. But this will settle your stomach. I promise.”
Pyter looked at her, a dubious expression on his face, but he reached out and took the biscuit. She watched as he chewed it, getting surprisingly few crumbs on her, then swallowed it. When it was done, he laid his head between her breasts and closed his eyes. She could still feel the misery coming off him, but the only thing for it now was time. She wrapped the biscuits back up and tucked them in her food wallet, leaving the three remaining pieces of the one she’d cut up laying on her chest where Pyter could get at them. She pulled the end of her blanket over his body, and then slowly started rubbing her knuckles over his head as she sang a soft lullaby, weaving the lightest touch of healing magic into the notes of the song.
“Sweet little dragon, sleeps on a golden bed,
Sweet little dragon, rests his weary head,
Bright little dragon, has a mighty roar,
Bright little dragon, has a quiet night in store.
“Fierce little dragon, I love him the most,
Fierce little dragon, I’ll hold him close,
Tired little dragon, close your eyes and sleep,
Tired little dragon, a treasure I will keep.”
The gentle touch and the soft sound probably did more to soothe him at first than the ship’s biscuit or the magic, but after a bit, she could feel his discomfort start to ease. When he reached out and gobbled up another one of the pieces of biscuit, a smile spread across her face. The last two pieces followed quickly, and by the time he was done, she could feel the contentment rolling off him even without the loud purring.
“Lemon,” he said.
“No. You’ll just get another tummy ache.”
“Won’t.”
“You will,” she said. “You can have lemon after dinner.”
“Now.”
“After dinner,” she said.
“Mean.”
“Brat.”
He laid his head back down and she gave it a small rub before resting her hand on his back and closing her eyes, letting Pyter’s purring, the gentle rocking of the ship, and the soft blue glow of the ship’s Crystal Sphere lull her to sleep. She was almost there when she heard the ringing of the alarm bell.
Author Bio
I’m a 46-year-old trans woman with a degree in Astro-physics and a love of storytelling. I love science fiction, superheroes, and giant robots. My hobbies include collecting transformers, watching way too many crafting videos on YouTube, and complaining bitterly about the way a certain comic book company treats my favorite superhero.
| Author Website | https://www.themollyjay.com/ |
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| Author Twitter | https://twitter.com/themollyjay |