A loyal hound will drink saltwater. In the Kingdom of Bevran, vagabonds are offered shelter within the walls of the castle. Orthrus, tired of running for his life, scavenging off of the dead, and never escaping the cold, couldn't think of anything better. But it seems the Queen of Bevran has secrets, plans for invading the Kingdom of Khis. Orthrus and his fellow vagabonds seek to understand how they fit into all of this, what purpose they serve in their Queen's grand schemes. What Orthrus can't figure out is why the Queen would keep her desires secret when Khis is their enemy, the reason Bevran has fallen into ruin. Any Bevrani would devout themselves to defeating their oppressor, no? When the truth comes out, Orthrus must decide on what he's willing to sacrifice in order to survive. ♙♙♙ For the Open Novella Contest 2026 | Cover designed by me with image from Pinterest {artist unknown} | Prompt 80 Current Word Count - 39,264

What is the price for knowledge, and what will you do to get it? Felix North, dreamer, sailor, charmer, friend. From when he was young he had heard tales of the fabulous and mysterious Drowned Library of Watu. Descriptions of its grandeur had ensnared him and his friend Pedro for many years, and finally they are embarking on an adventure of perilous proportions. What secrets does the Drowned Library hold? Is it magic? The secrets of immortality? Or perhaps something more... But before they arrive, they must face the open sea, and no man has ever claimed she is an easy thing to master.

"So.. when are we killing the queen?" This story follows Ruth, a pickpocketing thief from the slums surrounding her nations beautifully wicked capital. Becoming a recruit in a battle for wealth and glory, Ruth has to unfold whether her choices will be imminent to the people she loves, or create new opportunities at a great cost. And Memphis, well he has much of a say in anything as anyone else in their kingdom- however when these two end up in a hostage situation they have to discover how opposite ends of the spectrum work together. And pretty quickly at that. In order to escape they must face perilous dangers, play with the darker side of magic, and learn what their emotions truly mean in order to make a plan for one of them to murder their greatest enemy, and the other to murder their sister.